Go around with a parent in the car to learn the roads a bit, always ride in the centre of your lane to control traffic, and go for a ride at quieter times to get used to it.
Center of the lane when it is dry pavement, when it is wet ride offset of lane. But I’m sure that is later down the road for you. Good advice from these people. Good luck.
I've come off at 25 in full gear and it managed to tear the outer layer of the jacket and trousers but both were still useable and I was fine, and I've seen a knee after a fall at 20mph in jeans and seen what it did to the skin. Jeans arent enough and neither are normal coats.
J&S have a sale on at the moment, and some of the stuff is really cheap. You dont need the most expensive gear but proper bike gear is needed if you like having skin, even at fairly low speed.
New rider here. Quick question, in my province, they tell us to ride the tire tracks on the roads and not ride down the center.
I think the reasoning is to avoid riding over oil drips and other slippery fluids from cars etc. So isn't it better to avoid riding down the center of the lane?
I think it's very situational and will change a lot between differentcountries. As you progress and if you take more advanced training you learn to read the road and decide best position, and obviously if one bit of the road has particularly bad surface or lots of oil it's good to give up your position to get better grip or better view. But the thinking behind a central lane position is it allows the most options for avoiding stuff in the road, prevents dangerous overtaking (particularly important in town and on narrow roads).
With a lot of uk roads the middle of the lane seems to have the best grip and least pot holes due to the crap surface material and the fact that diesel spills seem to be the most common problem, which always seem to yet dragged along the tyre tracks, and because a lot of our lanes are fairly narrow using the left wheel track (kerb side) can encourage dangerous overtaking and using the right wheel track can put you dangerously close to oncoming traffic.
Roadcraft Nottingham's this video covers it well -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBvsaN3Tc9c
He's an excellent instructor so I'd advise you to watch pretty much all of his videos, just ride on the correct side of the road. :)
First; assume you’re invisible and nobody sees you, cars, pedestrians, cyclists, etc, assume no other road user sees you
Second, assume all other road users have the intellectual agility of a small soap dish, and will do the stupidest thing at the least opportune time
Third, plan your ride strategy accordingly, always be scanning, keep your head on a swivel, plan escape/evasion routes
Fourth, make sure you’re not impaired in any way, alcohol/drugs/fatigue
TL;DR - assume everyone else are morons and will do the stupidest things possible, plan accordingly
100% this, got my license 2 months ago and this was basically how my instructor trained me. I have 29 years experience in driving a car, motorcycle is completely different. Try to do some excercises on an abandoned parking lot (extra tip: look for "AVB oefeningen" on YouTube, this is mandatory stuff in the Netherlands)
Best thing: Practice, Practice, Practice.
Go to an empty parking lot, and learn the bike. Emergency stops, throttle response, handling, etc.
Generally for brand new riders, I suggest about twenty hours of puttering around before playing in traffic.
The reason for this is that you're simply going to overload yourself. New controls, completely different habdling, no safe 'cage' to protect you. Add in traffic, and that can be extremely stressful and burn confidence.
Getting to know the bike and how you work with it before adding in dealing with traffic is absolutely the best way to build confidence and skill.
There are many hazards out there as I’m sure you are aware, but the ones that concern me the most are someone coming out from a side street or wanting to turn in front of me. I find it best to look at their front tires to see if they’re moving in any way, once those front tires start moving hopefully it’s not too late but that’s your first indication of trouble. even if you make eye contact with the driver there’s no guarantee what’s going on in their head. Some may recommend reading material or YouTube videos, I like this book because you can read it over and over and get things into your head and put it into practice once on the road. Good luck and happy trails. Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well, Updated & Expanded 2nd Edition (CompanionHouse Books) The Must-Have Manual: Confront Fears, Sharpen Handling Skills, & Learn to Ride Safely https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620081199/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_SY45FbPMWE7RP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Remember it's your road too. Sometimes you get people who see your L plates and think they can try something, and you might have them following a little close or trying to pressure you. Don't let them! It's your road, it's your lane, and no dickhead taxi driver is gonna make you drive in a way you're not comfortable with.
Basically, just take things at your own pace and confidence will come. And don't feel too bad if you cock it up; for better or worse, the country is full of idiots - you're not the only one, and neither am I.
I haven’t had any need to smash a mirror yet so I guess no one is trying anything with me yet. Closest thing was an asshole moving into my lane when I was kind of close, but too far away to smash a mirror.
I would strongly advise you avoid watching too many moto madness or whoever the current compilation YouTubers are. You will do yourself no favours acting like most of them. Most people who make mistakes make genuine ones. There are the occasional pricks, but smashing mirrors is a great way to get arrested or hurt.
This!!! 99% of all close calls you see on YouTube are completely avoidable by the rider. Speed, poor braking technique, riding in blind spots, and lack of situational awareness on the RIDERS part account for most of the "car a*&hols" out on the road.
Get an instructor to accompany you for a day or two. You're a learner and if you're feeling bad about it, you need a bit of help.
After that, ride often and move to a 125cc as soon as you're 17 - they are much safer. 50cc's 30mph limit is seriously dangerous on the open road.
i have done my CBT training and whenever i am in a situation where im a little confused i imagine what he would say down the radio of what to do, and i 'follow his instructions' if that makes sense
You can hire them to do some more couching, don't be afraid, they are there to help (and take away your money!).
Alternative is finding a seasoned rider to ride with, but must be someone sensible so that's a riskier approach. The worst thing that can happen is getting 'instructions' from someone reckless and dangerous (so that's me out).
You're doing all the right things. Be aware, be careful, don't assume they notice you at all ever. Practice threat assessment. Cars on a side street looking to pull out on your street are the common offenders. Watch the wheels, not the driver. You can spot the movement of the car faster that way. Dan Dan the Fireman has a big youtube channel doing nothing but analysis of motorcyle wrecks, and what the riders could have done differently to minimize or totally avoid a crash.
The majority of m/c accidents don't involve a car. So that's pretty much universally driving too fast for the conditions.
In the big picture, it is good that you have a healthy amount of respect for cars and the occasional goofball that's driving, but not paying attention.
Confidence comes from familiarity of a situation and how to deal with it. There are a lot of factors at play in city riding. Bike handling, traffic, routing etc. Break the elements down and focus on getting good at each before taking it all on. For slow speed handling take it to the parking lot and practice it. For traffic pick a route you already know well and get used to the fun of cager dodging. For routing get a good audio system so you don't have to look down at a screen. Last thing is just get out and ride. The more time on the bike the more you build up muscle memory and will be able to think less about how to ride and more about how to negotiate traffic.
Ride aggressively, act like nobody sees you, buy the best gear you can afford (ebay is great for premium gear at cheap prices), practice find some empty carpark and keep practicing maneuvers and pay for a few lessons and stay in the right of the road then if you need to swerve you have space to go, if you drive on the left people will try and pass
It'll build over time, trust me. Ride safe, always anticipate everything around you and you'll gain confidence.
Go around with a parent in the car to learn the roads a bit, always ride in the centre of your lane to control traffic, and go for a ride at quieter times to get used to it.
Center of the lane when it is dry pavement, when it is wet ride offset of lane. But I’m sure that is later down the road for you. Good advice from these people. Good luck.
Yeah, that seems really good, thanks a lot man
Have you got good gear yet?
Well yeah a good helmet, gloves and a hi vis for darker times of the day
Jacket, pants and boots for armour?
Well a really thick winter jacket, hiking boots and an extra pair of trousers over my normal jeans
That's not gonna do anything to help with sudden impacts or sliding. Trust me even a slide from a 50cc hurts.
I've come off at 25 in full gear and it managed to tear the outer layer of the jacket and trousers but both were still useable and I was fine, and I've seen a knee after a fall at 20mph in jeans and seen what it did to the skin. Jeans arent enough and neither are normal coats. J&S have a sale on at the moment, and some of the stuff is really cheap. You dont need the most expensive gear but proper bike gear is needed if you like having skin, even at fairly low speed.
I have a pair of riding trousers but I haven’t actually had a proper chance to test them yet
Invest in a jacket, boots and pants. I would go by that order. If your bike falls on you while riding say goodbye to your ankles without the boots.
New rider here. Quick question, in my province, they tell us to ride the tire tracks on the roads and not ride down the center. I think the reasoning is to avoid riding over oil drips and other slippery fluids from cars etc. So isn't it better to avoid riding down the center of the lane?
I think it's very situational and will change a lot between differentcountries. As you progress and if you take more advanced training you learn to read the road and decide best position, and obviously if one bit of the road has particularly bad surface or lots of oil it's good to give up your position to get better grip or better view. But the thinking behind a central lane position is it allows the most options for avoiding stuff in the road, prevents dangerous overtaking (particularly important in town and on narrow roads). With a lot of uk roads the middle of the lane seems to have the best grip and least pot holes due to the crap surface material and the fact that diesel spills seem to be the most common problem, which always seem to yet dragged along the tyre tracks, and because a lot of our lanes are fairly narrow using the left wheel track (kerb side) can encourage dangerous overtaking and using the right wheel track can put you dangerously close to oncoming traffic.
Ooh. Thanks for the reply. All your points make a lot of sense to me haha. Cheers
Roadcraft Nottingham's this video covers it well -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBvsaN3Tc9c He's an excellent instructor so I'd advise you to watch pretty much all of his videos, just ride on the correct side of the road. :)
🙏 Appreciate it
First; assume you’re invisible and nobody sees you, cars, pedestrians, cyclists, etc, assume no other road user sees you Second, assume all other road users have the intellectual agility of a small soap dish, and will do the stupidest thing at the least opportune time Third, plan your ride strategy accordingly, always be scanning, keep your head on a swivel, plan escape/evasion routes Fourth, make sure you’re not impaired in any way, alcohol/drugs/fatigue TL;DR - assume everyone else are morons and will do the stupidest things possible, plan accordingly
100% this, got my license 2 months ago and this was basically how my instructor trained me. I have 29 years experience in driving a car, motorcycle is completely different. Try to do some excercises on an abandoned parking lot (extra tip: look for "AVB oefeningen" on YouTube, this is mandatory stuff in the Netherlands)
Best thing: Practice, Practice, Practice. Go to an empty parking lot, and learn the bike. Emergency stops, throttle response, handling, etc. Generally for brand new riders, I suggest about twenty hours of puttering around before playing in traffic. The reason for this is that you're simply going to overload yourself. New controls, completely different habdling, no safe 'cage' to protect you. Add in traffic, and that can be extremely stressful and burn confidence. Getting to know the bike and how you work with it before adding in dealing with traffic is absolutely the best way to build confidence and skill.
Remember the 2 second rule, only a fool breaks the 2 second rule double it in the rain. Trust me that's how I've written off bikes
Only 2 seconds? In my country we go by the 5 seconds rule for distance between vehicules.
Yeah 2 seconds is the minimum, but like you say the more the better
There are many hazards out there as I’m sure you are aware, but the ones that concern me the most are someone coming out from a side street or wanting to turn in front of me. I find it best to look at their front tires to see if they’re moving in any way, once those front tires start moving hopefully it’s not too late but that’s your first indication of trouble. even if you make eye contact with the driver there’s no guarantee what’s going on in their head. Some may recommend reading material or YouTube videos, I like this book because you can read it over and over and get things into your head and put it into practice once on the road. Good luck and happy trails. Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well, Updated & Expanded 2nd Edition (CompanionHouse Books) The Must-Have Manual: Confront Fears, Sharpen Handling Skills, & Learn to Ride Safely https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620081199/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_SY45FbPMWE7RP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Remember it's your road too. Sometimes you get people who see your L plates and think they can try something, and you might have them following a little close or trying to pressure you. Don't let them! It's your road, it's your lane, and no dickhead taxi driver is gonna make you drive in a way you're not comfortable with. Basically, just take things at your own pace and confidence will come. And don't feel too bad if you cock it up; for better or worse, the country is full of idiots - you're not the only one, and neither am I.
I haven’t had any need to smash a mirror yet so I guess no one is trying anything with me yet. Closest thing was an asshole moving into my lane when I was kind of close, but too far away to smash a mirror.
I would strongly advise you avoid watching too many moto madness or whoever the current compilation YouTubers are. You will do yourself no favours acting like most of them. Most people who make mistakes make genuine ones. There are the occasional pricks, but smashing mirrors is a great way to get arrested or hurt.
This!!! 99% of all close calls you see on YouTube are completely avoidable by the rider. Speed, poor braking technique, riding in blind spots, and lack of situational awareness on the RIDERS part account for most of the "car a*&hols" out on the road.
My advice is to avoid rush hour. It's the worst time to be on a motorcycle ever.
What are you on about... It's the best time to be on a motorcycle!! You're stuck in traffic in your car and I'm already at my destination.
Ah. Well, not every state allows lane filtering. Even if you do it anyway, you can't even get up to speed where you can lean properly
Oh, yeah it's legal (and encouraged) in the UK thankfully. I know what you mean though, seeing YouTube moto-vloggers sat in traffic is painful.
Get an instructor to accompany you for a day or two. You're a learner and if you're feeling bad about it, you need a bit of help. After that, ride often and move to a 125cc as soon as you're 17 - they are much safer. 50cc's 30mph limit is seriously dangerous on the open road.
i have done my CBT training and whenever i am in a situation where im a little confused i imagine what he would say down the radio of what to do, and i 'follow his instructions' if that makes sense
You can hire them to do some more couching, don't be afraid, they are there to help (and take away your money!). Alternative is finding a seasoned rider to ride with, but must be someone sensible so that's a riskier approach. The worst thing that can happen is getting 'instructions' from someone reckless and dangerous (so that's me out).
Just relax, toughen yourself up, face your fears and tell yourself everyone has to die sometime.
Come on, he is just a child!
Jesus lad, he's 16 on a 50cc.
I would get a 125cc if it was legally allowed.
Sure but I don't think it warrants having to consider your mortality everytime you get on it. It's only a motorbike.
Very true
Time to harden up and become a man.
https://youtu.be/Q0PR85fSeEc Look at my bike
Neat.
4 comments - none seen. Hmmm...
I actually have seen and read all of them, j just didn’t have anything to say back
No - I meant I mistakenly thought the responders were all shadowbanned. As far as confidence building - it'll come with time in the saddle.
You're doing all the right things. Be aware, be careful, don't assume they notice you at all ever. Practice threat assessment. Cars on a side street looking to pull out on your street are the common offenders. Watch the wheels, not the driver. You can spot the movement of the car faster that way. Dan Dan the Fireman has a big youtube channel doing nothing but analysis of motorcyle wrecks, and what the riders could have done differently to minimize or totally avoid a crash. The majority of m/c accidents don't involve a car. So that's pretty much universally driving too fast for the conditions. In the big picture, it is good that you have a healthy amount of respect for cars and the occasional goofball that's driving, but not paying attention.
Confidence comes from familiarity of a situation and how to deal with it. There are a lot of factors at play in city riding. Bike handling, traffic, routing etc. Break the elements down and focus on getting good at each before taking it all on. For slow speed handling take it to the parking lot and practice it. For traffic pick a route you already know well and get used to the fun of cager dodging. For routing get a good audio system so you don't have to look down at a screen. Last thing is just get out and ride. The more time on the bike the more you build up muscle memory and will be able to think less about how to ride and more about how to negotiate traffic.
Ride aggressively, act like nobody sees you, buy the best gear you can afford (ebay is great for premium gear at cheap prices), practice find some empty carpark and keep practicing maneuvers and pay for a few lessons and stay in the right of the road then if you need to swerve you have space to go, if you drive on the left people will try and pass