First off, good deal on getting bikes for you and your son. That's awesome! Second, I'll have to agree with what most of the fellows said...sounds like you're apprehensive about riding in traffic. That's natural and nothing to be worried about. Hell, after 11 years of riding, I still pinch up before a ride. I look at it from a different point of view though...a good dose of fear keeps me from getting too comfortable. When you get too comfortable, you can get careless and make mistakes. Ride at your own pace and don't rush it. Good luck and welcome

 

Nice bikes! I have an '06 Blue/Black as well.

My .02 is this: Buy or rent the Twist of the Wrist DVD. I just watched it for the first time last night. It covers people having certain fears and that you need to work through it. As he explains it, you have $10 worth of attention to pay to everything you need to do. If you're spending $9 worth on the cars around you, you may not have enough to pay if something else pops up.

Practice, practice, practice. Drive in areas where there is light traffic. Do this as much as you can until you feel more confident and comfortable. If you aren't comfortable you won't be able to focus. Just don't do anything more than you are comfortable doing, don't push it -- it will come.

 

Stephygee, that bike in your sig looks wicked man. ROTM material. That's sharp dude. Love the rims and color. [/hijack]

 

Take a MSF safety course -- good luck to you and your son.

 

Well first of all you really need to get over your fear if you want to be a safe rider. Freezing up like a deer in the headlights isnt going to do you any good in a dangerous situation. I guess I am cautious and worry about other vehicles, but I dont let that affect my riding. I know that any minute I could be smashed like a bug on the road, but if I am dead I won't know the difference anyway. I know getting hit by a car would hurt like hell, but in my mind I dont even think about it happening. Right now the biggest threat to my life is riding my bike everyday, but it is definately worth risking your life for something that you love to do. Who knows, maybe you just arent a rider and motorcycling isnt for you. There are other ways to bond with your son. You could also just go to track days and be strictly a track rider. Also I think the freeway is the safest place to ride because there is less chance of someone pulling in front of you and there are no left hand turns for oncoming vehicles (the number 1 killer of motorcyclists). You should also get enough gear to make you feel like you could take on an army. Helmet, gauntlet style gloves, leather jacket with body armor, leather or high strength textile pants with armor, and boots. Also get a white or bright colored helmet (most visible) and a jacket with refelective stitching or logos. The most expensive helmets do not necessarily protect you better than a cheap 90 dollar one, so you dont have to spend an arm and a leg either. I dont think ur choice of bike would make any difference, the f4i is not intimidating at all to ride. My dad hasnt ridden for 20 years and he rode mine with no problems at all. Besides it is safer to have a more capable bike that can get you out of troubling situations faster. I wish I had a bike when I was 17, and not every young kid is an idiot so I wouldnt be worried about your son either. I am sure he will be quite popular at school with the ladies and when he gets into his 20's, he will be a damn good rider.

 

I somewhat understand what you're going thru, but being a cyclist (much faster than mountain biking and riding on the road alongside cars), that has definitely helped with my fear of riding on the road. It only took me 3 runs on the side roads before I felt comfortable hitting the main streets. My advice is to continue working on the side streets and practice on your merging and stuff like that. Make it seem like there's a car coming and you need to merge into traffic. Good luck man and I'm sure one day it'll all just click and you won't be nervous anymore.

btw. you're a great dad for getting a bike for your kid and actually learning alongside him. I'm sure that's a great way to bond, but ride safe.

 

I believe you are learning to ride out in the streets/avenues...bad.....bad....you get the idea.
How many hours did you have on a motorcycle before you purchased your current one?
Friend....leave your cyle alone and get your butt to a "Motorcyle Safety Foundation" class & find out what the hell you have to do to survive on the streets/avenues. Otherwise you will end up being a stat because in your specific case, a motorcycle is not "self taught learning experience."

 

maybe you should restrict your riding to the track ?

 

I'm pretty sure he's already taken the course

 

I would probably try to meet up with some experienced riders if I were you. Start going for little ride outs so that way you can observe what they are doing, lane positions, cornering, etc. This way you get to learn more about road riding. Another thing you could also try is a track day, you'll be off the road so you won't have to worry about traffic of whats coming round the corner. Its a great way to learn about the bike and what it can do rather finding out on a busy street.

Also another option would be to buy something like an Autocom system (www.autocom.co.uk) so that you could talk to your son while you ride, this way you sholdn't feel so alone and will have someone to reasure you. But note that you will need a helmet for the system if you don't have one.