How many miles did it take you?

[racerxgirl]

So how many miles of riding did it take you to get comfortable with yourself and the bike?

I have about 4 years of riding and less than 4000 miles under my belt and I'm super comfy with the controls and riding. What I'm still having a tough time is track entrance speeds. Once I get going, I slow way down and basically park it before a turn because I feel like the bike still wants to go straight and I want it to turn. Once I'm in the turn, yea I can wick it up a bit and get good drives and power my way through it. So how long did it take for you guys to get to the point where you can make that thing go where you want it to?

[ersigh]

I've got more than 70k miles and I still have days when I feel like a retard on my bike. I think it took me maybe 10k miles before I felt like I'd be able to handle an unexpected situation relatively well, where certain reactions were instinct (like leaning more when I feel like I'm going too fast in a corner, rather than standing the bike up). I know I felt pretty comfortable on my bike before that but still had some wonky habits.

[racerxgirl]

Looks like I got a long way to go then. Thanks for the responses!

[Racergirl]

i just rolled 10K, and I feel very comfortable on my bike, but I still suck at turning. I do have days when i'm right on, adn days when it seems like i have never been on a bike before.

whats the saying? safe is smooth, smooth will get you fast? something like that.

[ersigh]

6 months and 3,200 miles later I'm still learning, can ride ok, but still very careful and fearful of people in SUVs and mini-vans :no

That fear NEVER goes away. I always avoid BMW, Saturn and Volvo drivers.

[holly]

That fear NEVER goes away. I always avoid BMW, Saturn and Volvo drivers.

That's very funny.:lol In Oregon it's Ford, Dodge, & Chevy 4x pick-up trucks! Damn they love to ride my ass. Funny that it's more in my car than on my bike though... Maybe my speedo isn't off as much as I think??
H

[antipathy]

I'd have to say it depends a lot on the bike you are riding. The ninja 500 was easy to master; the SV 1000 is a bit more challenging. Frequency of saddle time and having good riding mentors to assist with your techniques helps a bunch. ;)

[WhiteRaven]

Like many have answered, there are sucky days and there are confident days. I think there might be a critical point where you are always a good rider, but that might also be a myth. I've been riding for ten years now, though my miles are comparatively low--I have 10,000 miles on my current bike (in a year) and I suspect that the other 9 years would be maybe 15k-20k miles. I didn't really start keeping track until a few years ago.

I'm very comfortable with my Beastie, and it took only about 500 miles of setting out on a road trip to get that way. There's an adjustment to every bike. It varies.

Gee, I'm not much help, am I? *grin*

[ridingAK]

What do you think Dakar? How many miles do you think it takes before someone becomes competent? I feel good on my bike now, but even having 19k on it, I feel like I learn something almost every time I go out. Maybe not the huge jumps in ability, but fine tuning. For example, everytime I ride I get better on gravel, even though I've ridden on gravel a lot.

[Inky]

This thread was started in March, 2006.
Weird.

:lol

[KCDakar]

After 43 years of riding on all kinds of bikes and all styles of riding I still learn every time I ride. That said every person is different in how they ride and learn. I know riders that have been riding all there lives and I won't ride with them. They seem to have stopped learning right after they started!:confused:

I also see people that have been riding for a while and they don't want to go outside there comfortable box they have made for them self. Ride the same roads, same speed, same direction, same (for me) boring way. But what do they learn about the limits of riding if they never grow, push themselves out of that? What happens when they have a dog run out or a child's ball followed by a child? Do they know what the max stopping power is of the bike is before the wheel losses contact or what to do if it does? How many news reports do we see of a rider T-Boning the side of a car? Or worse, rear ending one? Did the rider know enough to try to ride it out and swerve around and not just lock up the breaks? I could go on and on about this....:blush:

I feel for myself there is always room to learn some more or to hone the talent I do have. I have seen you ride rAK and I saw in you the desire to keep learning and still see it in you going back to this old post and bringing it back to life. For me it is life long thing. I just wish it was for everybody else too.

The young riders I mentor I always say the same thing, Take the MSF class first. Ride your bike for a year then take the MSF advanced class and then as soon as you can go take a Trackday school after your MSF Advanced class. ASAP.
You first learn enough to ride your bike with great care out on the road with the MSF basic class. I feel it takes about a year to start to become comfortable with your bike. It is at this point that you take the advanced class. This class will help you learn slow speed evasive maneuvers. After this class you will be much better at handling the bike in an emergency situation. The point of taking the trackschool at this point is that you have just learned all the things you need at a slow speed now you need to learn them at speed. And at a track you can do this with out cars, trucks, dogs and trees in the way! And you have someone to help you get it done right.

I also want you to understand that my saying a trackday school will help with doing it at speed does not mean you will learn to race! You will learn how to corner, how to ride to YOUR limit not the bikes limit. But with it you will start a GREAT foundation for the rest of your sMiles down the years.

This coming spring I will be doing a MSF Advanced class along with a Trackday. I do this every 3 to 5 years. I ALWAYS learn something new every time I do this. And this year I will be doing it with some riders that want to go with me. That will be more fun for me as I can watch my friends learn to ride there ride better. And that dear will be better for us all!:thumbup:


Wow do I have an opinion on this or what!?:lol

[ridingAK]

I knew I could count on you to have something to say! :thumbup:

I was talking to a guy yesterday who told me that he used to ride but gave it up because he got bored with it. :confused: I didn't press the issue because I figured anyone who got bored with riding was probably not someone I want to share the road with anyway.

I bumped this thread because it is interesting to me how so many people seem to think that if you've ridden ??? miles, or ??? road, or did ??? stunt, then you must be a good rider. We all have different styles of riding we enjoy more than others, but it just completely confuses me that someone thinks there is a magic line at which you become a "good" rider in any style. My goal is to become a better rider, no matter what level I reach.

[KCDakar]

And I know you will be better every time you go and get on your bike. Because you care...:riding:

I know of a person that gets bored of riding soon and only wants to go zoom zoom zoom to get to point B.:confused: I have found myself doing that in the past as it is what my father taught me. But after getting a little older I find that it is for me all about the journey...:moped

To each their own...:happy

Ride on girl!:thumbup:

[Luna Tique]

I hope that every time I turn the key I am also learning to become a better rider
Every time I go out some new obstacle will rear it head and force me to make a decision and react.to it.
Some reactions are smoother than others
I will admit have days where I feel like I should go home & I follow my instincts and do.
Most other days I feel am one with my bike.and any situation can be thrown at me.

[KCDakar]

It's all about practice, practice, practice,,,:riding:

[kawasakipokey]

To be honest, about a year to be comfortable and confident at the same time on my 1st bike. With my new one, about 20-50 miles.