I just bought a motorcycle

Post Reply New Topic

And now I freak out every time I try to ride it.

I suppose part of the problem is that I was raised up listening to "Motorcycles are dangerous" all the time. And the facts don't dispute that statement either. Most motorcycle accidents are caused by cars doing the wrong thing - but most of the time all they feel is a little bump while the motorcycle rider is sent to the hospital or worse. The facts are the facts, but I still want to learn to ride one.

I drive a car with no problem and I used to ride a bicycle with no problem. However, motorcycles are ret*d. You have to trick them to do what you want.

The other day I was trying to practice making a right turn. Suddenly a big truck comes the other way in the other lane. I turn the handlebars to the right and suddenly the motorcycle veers left into his lane headed right for him. Fortunately, the combination of my brakes and his alertness avoided an accident. That retardedness is caused by a thing motorcycles do called counter-steering. You have to turn left to go right. So its not easy to turn left when there is a big truck over there, But turning right was the wrong thing to do.

I had similar panic issues when I had to get up on my roof and replace it after the 2004 hurricanes. I solved that problem by drinking a few shots of whiskey before I went up there. Eventually, I got to where I didn't need it. Unfortunately, that is not an option with motorcycles.

So anyway, I was wondering if there are any motorcycle riding aspies out there?

I'm having panic issues that cause me to tense up with the handlebars. Did anybody else have to deal with that? Its gotten so bad that its keeping me up at night stressing over it.

Cool Do you have any pictures?

Of the motorcycle or me freaking out over it?

EDIT: Its a Blue Ninja 250 [stock image below]

Last edited by n4mwd on 09 Sep 2010, 5:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

That's a really nice bike.

Thanks. Do you ride one?

EDIT: And I think I forgot to mention that this is pretty much the first time I have been on one and I have never ridden one before.

Awesome!

Have fun with it for a while!

And then please sell it before it kills you.

Its not much fun right now due to me having an anxiety fit every time I get on it.

I have a license and a dual sport bike, but I only ride it off road. I would ride it on the road in the right place.

A ninja 250 is one of the best, and most recommended, starter bikes. Get yourself some gear and practice in a safe area. Take the motorcycle safety course if you haven't already.

Right now, my biggest obstacle is steering it. I have looked into the Basic Rider Course, but honestly, I don't think I'm ready for it. They have a pre-Basic Rider Course, but that only covers starting and stopping - which I can do already.

I just laid it down on the street this morning. Messed the bike up some. I think I have it mostly fixed now. I was wearing protective gear do I wasn't hurt much. I'm still stressing too much.

It just comes down to practice. When I passed my motorbike test twenty years ago I went straight from a 125CC scrambler bike to a Kawasaki Z 1300 CC 6 cylinder beast! It was massive. The first thing I noticed was the counter steering due to the extra weight. So to turn right you give the bars a nudge to the left which drops the bike over a little to the right then you go to the right! It becomes totally automatic after a while, you don't have to think about it. I've since had several superbikes. Nothing ever had the torque of that 6 cylinder 1300 CC bike though - a rip start from traffic lights nearly tore my arms out of their sockets hanging on!

So practice, practice and more practice. Just take care in the mean time and resist the urge to do anything stupid like I did - I wrote a couple of bikes off doing silly things, nearly wrote myself off too.

Good advice.

Well, it is good to know you now have that out of the way! For, you see, there are two kinds of motorcycle riders:

1) Those who have gone down;
2) Those who will be going down.

I went down once when I first began riding in 1965, and I did go down once more in about 1992 ... but at least now you have your first one out of the way!


I messed mine up quite a bit that last time. I was going into a curve a bit fast and actually accelerating a bit to give my daughter riding with me a thrill, then my rear tire hit some loose grave at the edge of the road ... and the rest is history. But, nobody got hurt beyond a scraped elbow (my daugher) and knee (me).


That is beautiful, and never ever ride any other way. Road rash takes a long time heal ... and the same goes for anyone else you might some day take along. And besides, cute "honeys" on the back with their butts in the air and those long legs in plain view can only *distract* the drivers of the very vehicles you do *not* want to have running into either you or your passenger.


For me, riding anywhere either in or near heavy traffic was almost always stressful -- nobody wants to become a "splat" on the front of even a small truck. Go easy and take your time.


If you can find a large and relatively-empty, out-of-the-way parking lot somewhere, just go do some easy laps around it in about second gear. The idea is to come to a place where you and the bike are "one", so to speak, and that can come in time.


Neither guns nor motorcycles *ever* kill people. Only people do that ... and that brings me to this hard fact I was told before I ever got on my first bike:

"If you *ever* get hurt on a motorcycle, it is *your* fault ... period."

Many people who whine about things other people do will *loudly* argue with that statement, but I am an Aspie who rode for nearly 35 years and lived to tell about it ... and now I pass that truth along to you. Only "defensive driving", er, "defensive riding" will keep you alive when some schmuck decides to pull out it front of you. So, assume full-and-complete responsibility for yourself from the very get-go and you might just make it to the end!


... in combination with a rider either thinking or foolishlty claiming s/he had some kind of "right" to be in that same spot at that same time.

Yield, my fellow, *always* yield ... or you *will* lose for sure.


Borrow a bicycle and again practice on that a bit.


Do not steer with the bars. Steer by simply leaning in the direction you want to go and you will then quite naturally and proportionally push the bar on that side away from you a bit and make your turn just fine.


Bicycles do exactly the same at any speed above a mere crawl.


In your mind and mine, that is logically correct. But, some simple geometry reaveals something different I have learned to accept even though I *still* do not understand.


Not on anything like that thing you have that some of us old geezers call a "crotch rocket", but yes ... and I do give you my best!

Thanks all, I'm going to sign up for the MSF course at the local school. The main thing that sold me is that they use their bikes and will simply get me a new one if I lay one down. My Ninja still isn't idling right and that really bugs me.

get someone else with a motorcycle and play a game of yugioh while riding them at the same time
I will paypal you 50 bucks if you do
seriously

nice motorcycle