I know this is a ladys section but I could really use your help. I bought her a crf230l and she learned quick so befor i knew it she was asking me for a sportbike. Well now i have a CBR600f4i for her. Some nice upgrades on it. Super fun bike. Well she was trying stopping and going in the drive way when she dropped the bike. I didnt get mad or even laugh I told her pick up the bike and keep on goin. She is now upset and is afraid to ride any more. Can anyone help me?? I dont know what to tell her. We all drop our bikes, crash our cars. Well if some of you nice ladies could post up some of your crash stories and how you got back on so i can show her,her little spill was nothing more then just a little spill then i think she will be better off. Thank you riders very much.

 

Some people are naturally more timid than others with machinery of any kind ..I must admit I never had any fear as I was weaned on them by my dad .. even taking a tumble in the driveway just had me more narky than afraid ..I simply hopped back on again but thats just me and we are all different ..theres no real answer here but only you truly "know" her ..I would say dont push her on it, let her have a day off or two and then suggest she try again and that if she does drop it, it doesnt matter ..even if you are secretly grinding your teeth ..if she feels on "edge" becasue you are watching she will be put off ..she needs to feel it doesnt matter if she drops it so long as she improves and learns at her own pace ...

One more thing, only you as a competent biker can judge this ..*some* people just arent cut out to ride competently and safely ..they may never have what it takes .. try to work out if this is so with her and put her safety first :-)


Jules

 

I also dropped a bike in the driveway learning how to ride. I was going up and down the road and turning around in my driveway ( which is on a slant) and down the bike went. I put a good size dent in the gastank. The worst part? The bike was one of my Dad's. He wasn't too impressed, but what can you do? **** happens. He didn't yell at me either, but after that I was a little nervous about getting back on a bike. However, I ended up with one of my own a couple months later and now you couldn't pull me off on if you tried. Tell her to sweep it under the rug and go for it again. Once shes fully learned she'll be happy she stuck with it

 

Has she taken a Basic MSF class? If not, I strongly recommend it.

 

Things on two wheels aren't really built to stand that steadily and they are BOUND to drop at some point. I've fallen over about four times in the first few months, practically on the spot And I try to take it with a laugh. Ofc, it's difficult to see the damage done, but that's what you gotta expect when dealing with things not meant to stand upright on their own.

On my very first morning after bringing the bike home, it was rather cold outside. I'd left the bike outside so that it would be easier to start out next morning. The ground is pretty uneven in our yard. It didn't start right away so I though I'd tilt it upright for a second try, get the juices moving etc....and before I know it, the bike just fell over on the other side, with me looking stupidly at it. It was about 7 AM. and since I'm such a tiny person I had to wake up my bf to lift the thing up. (since then a friend has showed me a technique how to better harness my strength to lift the bike, but haven't had a chance to try it yet) - this insident cost me my right mirror.

Another situation - in fear of weather and stupid thiefs, I started to put my bike in our garage, that is more for just keeping stuff in than cars. The floor of the garage is about ~10+ cm higher than the ground with a suddden round-corner drop. and From there it's slightly uphill to get out of the hole again (will fill the damn thing up in spring). Getting IN the garage is easy (was nervous the first time though). Getting OUT rear first is tricky. At first I started to do it with my lean-to..support...thingy :P (how do you call it?) down - just in case. This of course meant that when my rear wheel had just cleared the 10+ cm drop, the bike would be tilted slightly right as the lean-to thingy didn't have room anymore. Very uncomfortable and dangerous - if I slip, the bike will fall. But I managed quite nicely. (second part was getting the bike rear first up the tilted ground...much fun again - firs time took me some 20 minutes to get the thing out )

So, after a bunch of times I thought - well I've done this long enough, lets try it without the lean-to-thingy. So I did. BUT..precicely at the moment when I was rolling the bike backwards down the 10 cm drop, when my front wheel was still up..the bike (or me ) lost it's balance. Trouble is..I'm short see (157) and have to stand on tiptoes anyway when bike stops (and it has already been lowered a bit :P), at that moment, where my feet were supposed to support and balance the bike - there was only air the ground was a few cm below my dangling feet, utterly unreachable. So over on the side we went, DOH To make things worse, on that specific corner we had stashed our remaning bathroom floor tiles in a pile that my baby fell on a few new holes in the front plates, nearly missing the lights. But I had such a laugh over my own stupidity

The point is, everyone drops their rides every now and then. I hope your wife gets this and can have a laugh over these stories

 

I hope your wife does get back on. BUT if shes not comfortable you dont want to push her. The last thing you want is her on the bike, on the road and uncomfortable. Her nervousness will make things worse. Just let it be for a little while. Or if you have a park nearby. My husband took me the park, in the early morning and we went on the grass. Yep took the bike on the grass of the baseball field, and thats where I learned. I was really comfortable being on the grass. Then I progressed to the park parking lot and then to the neighborhood and then the main streets. I too have a 600f4I and think its the best to start out with. Maybe a slow progression like that will help ease her. But like Jules said not everyone is cut out for it. I havent dropped or layed my bike down. But if I ever do, I already told my husband I will be right back on it. Without hesitation.
I hope you guys can work it out. Let us know what happens. Or have her come on here and see if she wants to talk us.

 

Yes it is one of the best way to avoid accident , now I am taking this lessons

 

Ive dropped my bike more times than i care to remember. nothing serious tho. The best way to get over the fear is to just get back on and try again cos if you give up you never get over it...i just don't recommend riding a bike home after breaking 2 fingers...

on my DAS (course you do in the UK for a full unrestricted licence) The first day i think i spent more time under the bike than on it and yes, i was terrified of the bike at first but after that day i learned how NOT to drop it and have been fine since...still a bit scared of anything over 650cc but al get there.

 

Is the bike a little tall for your wife? The reason I ask is I'm vertically challenged (yes I'm short....5' to be precise) and although riding it is not the issue its the stopping and parking lot type stuff that can be difficult. If the ground isn't totally flat it can be super hard to reach properly. I rode my F2 for a year stock and dropped it many times because of a slight dip in the road or on a bit of a hill, but always when stopping. Finally we lowered the bike 3/4" with a dog bone and it made the biggest difference for me and my confidence. Now I'm sure alot of peeps are going to tell you not to mess with lowering a bike but honestly it was the best thing I ever did with my bike. I now have a F4i and will be lowering it slightly as well. For my riding and my weight it makes no difference to the handling of the bike. If it helps get your wife back on the bike than it might be worth looking into.

Cheers