Okay, I am a bit ashamed to admit this, but I am pretty scared to get back to riding. My last ride was rather terrifying - I was riding my new (to me) bike (85 Magna) and the carbs weren't quite right. The high speeds were great, but the bike shuttered and nearly died on slower turns. I was riding on a 3-lane road, 55mph to work and thought it would be okay....my bf had convinced me i would be fine. it took me 30 mintues to recover after sputtering to a pitiful halt in the parking lot and leaving the bike there. it's now been about 5 months, and i haven't ridden the bike since. i love riding behind my bf but i'm scared to get back on it myself. any advice for the timid?

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"No one dies a virgin, Life screws us all."

2003 Kawasaki Ninja 250, a.k.a Rawley
1985 Honda VF 500c Magna V30 (my enemy)

After flushing the tank and replacing the lines and changing the inline fuel filter there were still particles that clogged the jets. So no real power under 4k rpm when she was doing a low speed 90 degree turn out of a parking lot over sand. She let it down on it's side slowly but really she was riding incredibly well until then and it was entirely the bikes (and thereby my) fault.

I had hoped to get her riding the magna as a learner until she was ready to move onto the 650r ninja she wants. She still likes riding on the back but she's afraid to get back behind the bars. I'm giving her whatever time she needs.

*edit* Apparently the problem wasn't this ride but when she tried to take it to work the next day with the carbs still clogged and not having any power under 4k

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I think the problem may be that you don't have complete trust in the bike. It let you down and now, you don't have faith in it. Everytime you come up to a turn, your level of aprehension will rise as you wonder if it will sputter and leave you without power. My only advice is that you need to get "reacquainted" with the bike. Build up your confidence that it will pull you through when you need it to. Start small, ride it around side streets to build confidence in it's abilities. Then when you trust it again, ride it like you stole it

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1987 Honda <B>SUPER</B> Magna
Bikesexual - I like to ride it long and hard...

How about going for a refesher course? Ask them to cover what to do when stuff like that happens.

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1st motorcycle 2004 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic.

The bike is still not quite up to snuff. So even if I wanted to try again, I wouldn't want to face the same problem. Once my boyfriend fixes it so that he is satisfied I won't have the same problem, we will start back up in parking lots. He actually gave me lessons to begin with, but I think I may also do one of the courses. Definitely couldn't hurt.

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"No one dies a virgin, Life screws us all."

2003 Kawasaki Ninja 250, a.k.a Rawley
1985 Honda VF 500c Magna V30 (my enemy)

Take one of the courses!!

It's a great confidence booster to see how much you already know about riding compared to those who are just starting. And it also sorta forces you to be a little more trusting of the bike at the same time because, hey, you have SOME experience, and these other newbs have NO experience, and they're doing just fine ...

Also remember, this is not your last bike. You don't have to Ride it like you stole it. Just get the basics down to where you feel comfortable on 2 wheels, and then get that new bike that you can really feel confident on.

It's always good to climb back in the saddle

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“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”
- Soren Kierkegaard (19th century Danish philosopher)

Sell the big beast and take the MSF BRC!!! Then shop for something smaller and easy to handle...

A fresh start will likely do wonders.

P

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ATGATT: Becuase walking away in disgust beats riding away in an ambulance.
Admitted BMW MC snob.

1) take the MSF course. Well worth the time and $. Learn from the gound up. I always say when "someone" teaches you, it's not organized, they might forget some thing small that's not so small.

2) find a reputable mechanic. My hubby is "handy" but I take care of all my own toys - it's MY butt on the road, snow, etc. It is worth every penny I spend to know it's done professionally and right (and I found good mechanics to work on everything).

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Candy 750

+1,000,000 to the basic riders course. The BRC will give you some experience on a bike that is more manageable to you and should be pretty mechanically sound

one thing about riding though, is that you have to want to ride. if you are riding because he wants you to and not because you want to, you may never have the confidence you are looking for.

i've heard some odd stories about the reasons people ride and it's usually more of a struggle when someone takes up riding because it is expected of them or something they don't really want to do for themselves.

The first trip out on the highway is unnerving to a lot of people, and something you should work up to when you get the bike running properly and not necessarily rush into.

good luck to you and be safe out there.

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The fix and the gradual parkaing lots/side streets plus course is the right approach to getting comfy with riding.

But +1 to what what Bok said. Make sure YOU want to do this and for the right reasons, otherwise you may be just setting yourself up for another scare or failure. (Not to slam you StorySun - you're being very supportive)

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Ya right, there are only 2 kinds of bikes: It's a Ninja... look that one's a Harley... oh there's a Ninja... Harley...Ninja...