Ladies: What was your greatest challenge - learning to ride?

[jstark47]

I have the urge to ask you a million questions but I'm sure you already know what to do, its just a matter of time making it happen.

Ask. Please ask. Send me a PM if you want. I'm a little stumped here.

Some background: she took the MSF in Texas in fall 2009, got her endorsement, rode maybe 100 miles total on her boyfriend's GSX-R Fast forward to this summer, she's now living with us, got the riding bug again, wants to go H-D this time, so I help her buy this old Sporty. Had a friend of mine who is an MSF instructor give her a day of one-on-one coaching (this was two Mondays ago). She's doing everything else pretty well, just this one problem. It's both right and left turns.

[zee]

jstark, I don't know that I can help at all, but I have the same problem as your stepdaughter when I'm riding my husband's V-Star 650. In fact, now that I think on it, I took corners wide on my bike for a while too. Hmmm.. I guess I still do in right turns sometimes, especially from a stop or when pulling into the driveway at work. When stopped, I think I just don't turn the bars hard enough and I'm definitely uncertain how much lean to give (or if I should be counterbalancing instead). I've been on my bike for ~1500 miles and am much better but as I said, sometimes still take right turns wide. When I realize that I'm going wide in a "normal" turn (not from a stop), I push harder and that usually corrects it.

On my husband's bike, I'm really not comfortable with the friction zone ... I have to let the clutch out really far before it engages, a lot farther than I do with my bike. So I'm wrestling with that and not focused on where I want to go, either in my thought processes or simply just looking (not turning my head). Since my son seems to have lost the one and only key to my bike I'm going to be riding my husband's for a bit until either the dog gives it up or I make it to the dealer to have a new one made.

Good luck to your stepdaughter!! Please let us know when you (she) figure out what helps her... might be what I need help with, too!