you'll love it... (archive)

just take it one step at a time, get plenty of instruction. a course like the one you're taking is a great place to start, it will get you through your first thousand miles. then take an intermediate one. then if speed is in your blood, GET ON THE TRACK as soon as you have a couple thousand miles or so of experience. take something like a CLASS school (link below). no, that's not too soon - they have novice groups. just don't forget you're a novice and you'll do fine. even more so than with a car, on a bike track teaches you a few things about speed:

- rider skill is everything. a good rider on an old k75 beemer is much faster than a mediocre one on an R1. watching an instructor on a goldwing pass a whole alphabet soup of sportbikes on a track is enlightening :)

- most bikes (even goldwings) are capable of performance that is totally ludicrous on the street. track is the only place to explore it and learn how to handle it.

- there is a lot more to being fast than twisting the throttle. motorcycling is difficult, much more so than driving. work up to it.

keep in mind that if you like to explore the limits, you WILL fall (i have 3 times so far). when, where and how makes the difference between a few bruises and much, much worse. choose the time, the place and riding gear! do track schools as often as practical. i've done seven on a bike and i'm still somewhere in the middle of my learning curve. knowing also that even at the top of my learning curve, i'll be competent but not great. as with any sport these days, greatness is reserved for those who have a LOT of talent AND who started very early and made it their life. accepting that you'll never be great and just going for competence from the start will give you the attitude that'll make it more enjoyable and much safer.

fwiw. have fun!!!

CLASS school

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