Dan,
Welcome to the group and thank you for sharing your experiences.
Too many people get shaken by the first 'moment' where they dump
it and never try again.
In the 'misery loves company' field - here is my first dumping
story:
A few days after completing my MSF course I very proudly got my
license. It was a Motorcycle Only license. At the time, it was legal in the
State of Maine to operate a motorcycle with only a car learners permit.
With my very second hand (fourth hand?) Nighthawk 450 - I was convinced I
was God's Gift to motorcycling. And Women. (Give you a hint - I was
neither)
17 year old Joey goes out with his parents, with them riding Dad's
1987 Harley Touring Bike, for an ice cream. I was leading, partially
because I think Dad wanted to keep me where he could see me, found a
parking spot in the ice cream place, pulled in, clutch in, brake on - in
neutral - kill switch off.... and over I went.
I forgot to put my feet down.
Mom and Dad took another lap of the parking lot to see if they
could find another spot to park - and I picked my bike up.
Later- I pulled the same trick, at a stop sign. This time, it was
in front of the older high school girl I had a crush on.
It was a rough start. But you know what - three bikes later - I've
pretty much got the feet down thing figured out :-D
The best advice I can give you - is get back on the horse.
You mentioned that you felt you were 'going too fast into the
curve' - although I cannot say for sure (I wasn't there, don't know the
curve etc) most of the time, a motorcycle can comfortably take a curve at
speeds that would be difficult with a car - because you can lean into the
curve. A common mistake - and one I've made before - is to forget one of
those other things they tell you in the MSF course - roll on the throttle
through the curve. (or at least, don't try to back off) You brake before
you get to the curve - then maintain or accelerate through it whenever
possible. The motorcycle is more stable the faster you go - so slowing down
too much can make a curve problem worse.
Hope that helps!
-Joey
-Joey Kelley
JoeyKelley.com - My Life Online
JoeyKelleyPhoto.com - Photographing Today, For Tomorrow
On Mon, Aug 8, 2016 at 12:55 PM, Javier Garcia <[email protected]> wrote:
> Exactly Tommy. You must be doing it otherwise you couldn't ride a
> motorcycle at normal speeds. I don't know the exact speed at which CS
> becomes apparent, but is not very high (maybe is more over 15-20 mph?). For
> those who are still unsure, next time you are on your bike on a long
> stretch, try pushing one side of the handle bar forward (a gentle push). If
> you push the left side, the bike will lean and go left, and if you push
> right, it goes right. This is all that there is. You are effectively
> counter steering because pushing left (right) is really turning your
> handle bar to the right (left) when stationary or at low speeds.
>
> On Mon, Aug 8, 2016 at 12:00 PM, Tommy Hill <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I have never taken a motorcycle class. I don't think they had them 30
>> years ago. But seeing everyone talk about them, I am considering it. I
>> figured out counter steering as well as most of the concepts of which you
>> speak on my own and in large part by trial and ERROR. Didn't even realize I
>> was doing them.
>>
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