Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

Well, hubby and I went out for a ride tonight, 2nd time in my new boots...I'm a new rider by the way....still gettin the feel of wearing boots, not tennis shoes. Had ridden about 5 miles, came to a stop sign, hubby behind me then 4 cars after that...rush hour traffic...4-way stop.....I was the leader, went to take off, stalled it and layed it over, over it went nice and slow, did a little side roll, jumped up completely stunned, mortified and tried to pick it up but couldn't. Hubby had to pull off the side and jump off his to pick my ass up. Tried to shake it off but was nervous, frustrated, all of that...got to the next stop sign and flustered and thinking about what had happened...did it AGAIN!!!This time bike landed on my leg, just a bruise, but now am frustrated as hell and lost quite a bit of confidence. I will get back on it, but gonna work on the clutch/throddle more first. We realized I had been starting from a stop sign idle and not revvin enough.... I need some confidence here ladies help me out. By the way, the bike is fine, just a few scratches on the pipe and bent the brake lever a bit, but it came out better than I did!

RE: Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

Honey,
Its throttle... you better edit that..

RE: Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

Thanks hun.....I mean spellcheck!

RE: Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

Have you taken a MSF course? I know the MSF is not a requirement in some states.

My first suggestion, stop riding during rush hour until you have some more mileage under belt. Cagers (cars) are totally oblivious to motrcyclist even if they are paying attention to their driving. (rare now-a-days)

RE: Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

No, I actually haven't taken the course yet. I have my permitas I want to practice before I take it...well, thought that's what I wanted to do, but am now considering the course. I won't be in traffic again tho until I go to a parking lot and practice for hours...too shaken now...

RE: Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

I strongly recommend the MSF course. The course will not only teach proper operator skills but arm you with skills that could save your life. They also teach on smaller deplacement machines, usually 250s.

It is not my intention her to scare you away from riding. We need more women riders! I just don't want to see you get hurt.

I've been riding for 30 years or so now. Been in three incidents, one as a passenger with my father, the other two were all mine (don't count dirt incidents:)). The last was in the early 90s. There have been MANY close calls since. Being on the road with cagers is scary now-a-days. The responsibility rest on your shoulders to stay safe. You must always be focused on what you are doing and everyone around you, because they are not watching out for you. The minute you let your guard down is the minute the target appears.

RE: Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

A,

Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it and need all I can get right now.I am going to check on the course tomorrow, but we don't think it's offered until spring due to the weather (Oregon). I will stay safe, practice on a closed course and take the class before I go out in traffic again. I realize there is just too much to think about on a bike and I have to be comfortable and know what my instincts will be in every situation before I can be out with traffic again. Thanks again!

RE: Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

Happens to the best of us.

I took the course with the urgings from my friend this past summer. After that, I bought my first bike off a co-worker. When I finally got the bike to the point where it would actually run, I would ride it up and down my street which is about a 1/4 mile long, has a fairly steep grade and a cul-da-sac at one end. Going from the little 250 at the class to the 600 was a little intimidating. On top of that going from a parking lot to the street added further complexities, including having to incorporate using mirrors and turn signals (not on course bikes). I must have accidently hit the horn a few dozen times. I stalled the bike out about a dozen times (still do, every once in awhile). Ran over my neighbors lawn trying to turn around. Locked up the tires...yadda yadda yadda.

So, then I was prepared to go out on the main roads now. 2nd time out, I did a low slide in McDonalds' parking lot while I was starting off doing about 5 mph. Most embarrassing thing in the world. On top of the few scrapes I acquired, there was a lady at the drive through going..."You alright, you alright, you alright, you alright." Mind you, this is after I'm back on my feet and someone already came over to check on me. You ever meet some people have that annoying voice that makes you cringe....well that lady had it.

This had me completely rattled. I went over everything I learned, trying to figure out what I screwed up. I wasn't accelerating fast. I leaned into it...I looked.... wasn't until I had the nerve to drive the 20 miles to the Honda dealership to get inspected when I found out the problem. During the whole time I was doing the work on the engine (carbs primarily), I must've went to check the pressure in my tires at least 3 times, but each time I got distracted by something else and so I never did. The guy doing the inspection said he had no idea how I was able to control it. I had 9 lbs of pressure in the front and 8 lbs in the rear.

So, it was human error....my error. I didnt' sufficiently go through my pre-flight checks which I was taught in my MSF Basic Riding Course.

Here's a couple links to other threads with accounts of other embarrassing moments:
https://cbrforum.com/m_355649/tm.htm
https://cbrforum.com/m_349524/tm.htm

RE: Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

Thanks for the threads woo. I know I will probably lay it down again, but for safety I am going to spend hours in a parking lot with my husband, take the course and then get back on the streets. I am a brand new rider, never rode dirt bikes or anything and was always a passenger on my husbands. I realize how much respect you have to have for these 400 pound machines and how the learning curve is a lot longer than just a month. Just don't like the feeling of being rattled, but if we have nicer weather soon I am going to get back on her and practice, practice, practice. I loved your story too! Those low speeds are much harder than I thought they'd be.

RE: Layed it down..not once...but.....twice!
 

M,

About the MSF course, sign up as early as possible. The classes fill fast. So signing up now for a class in spring would be the right way to go. You don't want to miss half of a riding season because you couldn't get into a class.

There is nothing wrong with practicing around your neighborhood and parking lots. This allows you to get familar with the feel of your own machine. Each bike is different.

I remember Woo's tire story. Reminds me of another point. Tires are your number one friend and could also be your number one enemy. Proper tread and inflations are very very important. They are two items you want to always make sure are in good working order.

I had the benefit of learning the operation of two vehicles with dirt bikes well before I was legal to ride on the street. It is an advantage. One reason I originally bought the XR100 for my daughter when she was ten, She is now 18 but doesn't care all that much about the motorcycles. Not sure where I went wrong.:(