Posted by SCOTT on May 15, 2003 at 05:41:27:
In Reply to: Training new rider...suggestions (no MSF please) posted by WD on May 14, 2003 at 11:09:56:
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WILL HELP BUT.....
I LIVED IN A SMALL TOWN OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUNCH OF CORN FIELDS.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS I HAD WAS NOT PUTTING MY FEET DOWN ON THE PAVEMENT WHEN MAKING A SHARP TURN. SO WHAT I DID WAS GO OUT TO ONE OF THE LOCAL SMALL COUNTRY ROADS PRACTICING FIGURE EIGHTS. LARGE AND SMALL. IT TOOK ME ALMOST AN HOUR TO BRAKE THAT HABIT...
ALSO, ONE DAY MY BROTHER CAME OVER ON HIS BIKE TO HELP ME PRACTICE, WHICH I AM ENTIRELY GRATEFULL...
HE SET UP A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT SMALL COURSES ON ONE OF THOSE SMALL COUNTRY ROADS.. AND ALL IT INVOLVED WAS SOME BRICKS, A PLACEMAT, AND SOME YELLOW "POLICE" TYPE OF RIBBON..
ON SEVERAL OF THESE COURSES ( CIRCULAR,STRAIGHT, ZIG/ZAG,OVAL, AND RECTANGULAR) HE WOULD SET THE BRICKS UP ON END. IF I KNOCKED EVEN ON BRICK OVER, I WOULD HAVE TO START OVER UNTIL I GOT IT RIGHT ( TWICE- NEVER THE LESS)
SEVERAL TIMES ON DIFFERENT COURSES, HE PUT A DOORMAT OR PLACEMAT AT THE END, AND I WAS SUPPOSE TO STOP WITH MY FRONT TIRE ON THE PLACEMAT/DOORMAT...WHICH IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, MAKES THE BIKE SLIDE OUT OF CONTROL IN MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS....
WE SPENT HALF THE DAY DOING THIS...
IT WAS A BIG PAIN IN THE ASS, BUT IT HELPED GREATLY....
AND WHEN I TOOK THE DRIVING PART FOR MY LICENSE, IT WAS A BREEZE.
HOPE THIS HELPS A LITTLE..
GOOD LUCK.....
LIVE LONG AND STAY VERTICAL...