Advice for new rider

[Lucky_Lou]

When i was at college (many moons ago) i had my C15 having been through the learning curve on mopeds scooters and dirt bikes, One of my room mates had a small Honda we used to ride together regularly another one (Dave) went out and bought a brand new yammy RD250 crotch rocket even though he had never ridden before and in 1973 the learner restriction was 250cc not hp.His plan was to ride with us.
 Less than 15 miles on the clock he ran into the back of my mate Andy then into the side of a car he did the sensible thing...got it repaired and sold it.(fortunately no serious injuries)
The moral of this tail is learn to walk before you run i do hope this kid listens to your advice.
Lou

[msbuck]

You should never stop learning!  I remember the vivid scenes they showed in the MSF class I took.  I had already experienced my bad one and couldn't handle it - had to get up and leave. But I stayed for the driving portion and learned a thing or two.  

This Saturday I'm taking another class to work on my skills and I've been riding for over 20 years.  This time it's with a motor officer learning some of those great police slow speed maneuvering skills!  Here's the write-up...  http://www.motomark1.com/pms.html and even better - this time it's a Ladies Only Class!  

[Melena]

Good for you Aïda.  That will be a great class.  

I knew when I first took the MSF course that it was just barely enough to get me on the road and that this was going to be a continuous learning experience.  Little did I know just how much learning!  Or how much fun it would be.  

I would suggest the MSF course to anyone just starting out riding.  You get to learn in a fairly safe environment (hey, that pavement is still hard!!) without having to learn the hard way (ouch!   [smiley=wall.gif] ) from people who have been doing it.  

Here in California they make the decision easier because when you pass the course and get your card you don't have to take the driving part of the test at DMV, just the written part.    

[dav]

His father should have never bought him that kind of bike in the first
place, knowning his son has no riding experince on the road. But it
also comes down to the person twisting the throttle & i hate to say it
but he has't started out well (riding up & down the road with no gear
on), & where was his father when he was riding around without the
gear on?

When i first started riding my old man drummed it into me about
safety gear, he even gave me his old leather jacket which i wore for
8yrs before i bought a new one. My first bike was a Kawa 250cc road
trail, great bike to learn the skills of roadcraft, 2nd was the mighty
R65 (which i bought of the old man) & i was scared of it's 'bigness', engine size, weight etc, but the old man said "just take it easy".

Just hope your neighbour 'takes it easy'.

Good luck mate.

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Steve, like you I would be concerned, and all of the comments are all valid, but I would also counsel not to take ownership of the lad's training.  If the worst happens it could sure make you feel bad.

  Probably the best thing would be to encourage him to hook up with a responsible group of riders he can relate to.  It would be like giving a young man a guitar because you like to play bluegrass but the kids probably going to want to play rock and roll.  

The ADV suggestion might just appeal to him.  What young man doesn't want to get out on his own and see the world?  What better way to do it than on a motorcycle?  My two cents.

[Semper Gumby]

Btw - For the record I advocate NO BEER before riding.  Not even one!

You have no idea when you will need that last 1 percent of ability to safely seperate your butt from a dangerous circumstance.  God picks the oddest times to test our faith.

ATGATT and NO BEER!  8-)

[Altritter]

I'm currently looking around in my area for the Intermediate and Advanced courses, too. I want to actually polish the skills on the r65, not the Honda Rebel.

+1 on that! Before I took the MSF course, I had thoughts of buying a rice mill of ~250cc, but the school-owned Rebels cured me of that. I absolutely hated the Rebels' zero-resistance throttle controls, which the instructors (nice folks, but all Harvey Davis people, BTW) said was normal for the bikes. Took me nearly the entire course to master the flaky throttle, but I managed to pass the course, essentially by locking my right wrist and controlling the throttle from forearm and shoulder position during slow-speed maneuvers.

Interestingly, the local MSF school permits BRC students to use their own bikes, if they have them. A possible explanation is that the military locally requires cyclists to repeat the BRC each time they renew their on-base registrations. (I don't know whether the bureaucracy will accept an ERC certificate instead; would not be surprised if the answer is, "No."   :-?  )

[azcycle]

As far as I know, the MSF course given by the local community college (where I got my license) expects riders to have their own bikes for the Intermediate and Advanced classes. The Beginner classes all have 250cc Hondas (mostly Rebels but I saw a Nighthawk or two).

In my area, looks like the only Intermediate class is in Sierra Vista, Az, a military town about 80-miles away... through some really great rolling wine-country.  (Yes, we DO have wine country here.  ) Might be a fun day-trip!

[Landlubber]

....one small but important little hint that just may save him from an accident...when watching a car to see if it is about to move, look at the wheels, not the car, the wheels move before the car is seen to move, that second may be all you need....