First time ever on a bike.

[stinkwheel]

The girlfriend wants a go at riding a motorbike.

Now I have an H100 which were used by riding schools for years so I have an appropriate bike. There is a big abandoned airfield up the road that was coastal command in WW2 so I have a good, open, flat area with nothing to crash into (big enough runway to land-on a heavy bomber wing ).

Just after some input as to how I should go about getting her going.

My idea was to show her all the controls. She drives a car so she should understand how they all work. I was then going to explain the difference between a bike clutch and a car clutch (she's seen me rebuild a bike clutch and asked pertinant questions as I was doing it so that should be pretty easy). Next have a go with the throttle to get a 'feel' for the engine.

After that I was proposing to tell her how to stop (ie, close throttle, apply brakes front first and don't bother too much about the clutch for now but nip it in before you stall if possible), a quick warning about abrupt throttle opening in first (danger of wheelie) then set her off on a few runs forwards while the whole stopping thing is fresh in her mind.

After a couple of short move away in first, come to controlled halt with the brakes runs, move onto gear changes.

Once she's happy with that, let her have a ride around to get a feel for it. Once she seems to be getting the idea, some slow riding and a word on observations?

It's years since I did my CBT and that was on a twist and go. I taught myself to use a geared bike so I have no idea how they usually go about teaching a total novice. What did you find useful? What was annoying?

I'm not trying to teach her how to ride on the road, just how to ride the bike.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[rdm3ch]

On my CBT they started me off by letting me find my bite point and then starting and stopping within short distances. Just to get the bite, get going and practice stopping with a bit of control. I found it helped me practicing that rather than just getting going and hardly stopping.

I then rode around and stopped at each cone (there were 4 cones) and pulled off again. Then I only had to stop at two cones. Then they moved me on to riding round non-stop but changing up gears half way round the circuit and changing back down again.

We then had a demonstration using your breaks (front only, back only and both together) and practiced that ourselves.

Then we practiced observation and signaling etc.

Your ideas sound good, should be a good little introduction for her and good that your doing it.

[CortezTheKill...]

That's pretty much how it was done on my CBT last August. Cruised around in first for a bit and got used to going, stopping and turning then went to second and third on the training pad before taking to the open road.

Rode a bike 20 years ago, but driving a car for 20 years definitely helped with how things were meant to work, was just a question of translating the car method to the bike method.

She'll be fine.

You, on the other hand, may need some valium.
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SV650 - TRASHED
ZX636R C6F - SOLD
Current number of wheels: 0 (not including a bicycle).

[Itchy]

Don;t you have a side car outfit? , wouldn't this be useful for some straight line riding , then you take it off once she is used to the basics (bastard things countersteer you though!) so no turns!.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[stinkwheel]

[Diggs]

I used to instruct and take people's CBTs. What I was taught to do (and it did work) was firstly to show the pupil round the bike, pointing to important bits like brakes, gear lever, clutch etc. Next, draw a simple diagram of the gears, ie a ladder with 1st below neutral, then 2nd etc... its amazing how seeing a diagram like this enables the pupil to understand the concept of '1 down/4 up'...

Next, let the pupil sit on the bike and get a feel for its weight, plus where all the controls are including the neutral light. Let them play with the gears until they can find neutral easily unaided. Then show said pupil how to start it, switch it off and let the pupil sit on it again and start it up.

Clutch in, snick into 1st and with yourself a safe distance away let her feel for the biting point... its always best to let them stall a couple of times and get the hang of finding neutral and starting unaided. Then, with you to the rear once more (she may like that! lol), let her ease out the clutch whilst increasing revs until she feels it want to move forward... you get the drift... Then, let her move forward just a bit, pulling in the clutch after a foot or so. Keep this going until she has the hang of it or you get so bored you want to see her dump it, then get her to move further forward, this time bringing it to a halt using front brake and clutch. Once she can do this its time for 'feet up', and this is where the fun starts!

Sorry to go on....
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Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[Duckyboos]

I finally 'got' the brakes/throttle/clutch combination after a bit of riding round on the back of the SR that I was training on. The instructor rode it round the pad, with me perched on the back, and I could see over his shoulder, and he talked me through what he was doing. It was a lot easier to grasp that being talked through the motions and then having to remember what I'm supposed to do about braking whilst I'm bezzin' off down the pad.

[Dave McCool]

I'd been driving about 6 months when I had my first (and, sadly, most recent) go on a geared bike, and I'm almost certain that made it easier for me.

Show her the controls a week or so before you take her out, I learned them ages ago through reading associated literature (OK, OK, Superbike Magazine) and being the sad little man that I am I'd spent ages in my head going through all that in my head, and how it all worked, and how it might feel.

Tell her to do this, and she might be a little better clued up.

Obviously my understanding of how a clutch, throttle and brakes operated on a motor vehicle gave me an advantage over someone completely new to all this.

The gearbox was probably the most difficult thing for me. as I wasn't sure about the sequential system really worked, but a brief explanation from the owner of where neutral and first were, and I was away, and once up and down the 'box and I didn't think about it again.

Spent a happy 20 minutes arsing about on it before he demanded it back.

With any luck this should make the C.B.T. and maybe the D.A.S. a little easier for me. (Soon come. Honest.)

Oh yeah, you mentioned the difference between a bike and a car clutch, is this purely mechanical, or does it make a difference to the way the clutch is used/feels?
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[rick1974]

I started out with absolutly no knowledge of riding at all, and after doing my cbt, found that the learning really began, I must have stalled the thing soo many times I can't remember. But I now feel going to work and back every day on the bike has helped me to be a better rider. Controlling the bike, riding through heavy traffic and fast traffic. Worked for me.

[rdm3ch]

[rdm3ch]

[stinkwheel]

[veeeffarr]

Good work at finding an airfield though, one thing that made my CBT much harder than it should've been was the fact I had to turn around after about 30 feet and try not to hit debris strewn everywhere...

She'll understand the bite coming from a car, I'd just let her get a feel for that on a bike, and get her accelerating and braking in a straight line.

It's not like it's hard to understand how to ride a bike, she just needs a quiet safe space to repeat the same move over and over and over and over and over and over and over, and for you to watch and tell her what she's doing wrong.

That's what I found anyway, I knew what I had to do, I just needed it to mentally 'click' in my head and connect the physical actions with what my brain was telling me what to do

My two cents anyway, you have made it considerably easier for her already by finding a vast open space.

T

[yambabe]

Well we did it with me on the front and him on the back so at first I just got used to the wind then I did throttle while he did clutch, then vice versa, then when he had me comfortable and not stalling he got off and left me to it!

You should be able to do that on the H100, we have been 2-up on it (not very far though!) and our combined weight is a helluva lot more than yours I reckon........
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[feef]

One of the tricks I was shown by an instructor is to stand in front of the bike as they are trying to find the biting point or pull away gently.

it's not as suicidal as it sounds, since it allows you to push in both the front brake and clutch lever if the bike comes towards yo utoo much, and stop it before it runs out of control with them on it.

a
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Mudskipper wrote: feef, that is such a beautiful post that it gave me a lady tingle
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[Stiffler]

Only other tiny thing that I've not seen mentioned, which I did on my CBT, and found useful: Before riding the bike anywhere walk with the bike and test the front break. I think it gives you a quick and easy demonstration of how sensitive (or not) the front break is.

Tim
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Current Bikes - Kawasaki ZX-6R (636) | BMW G650GS

[nynfortoo]

[rdm3ch]

Good point Tim, that does show her how affective the breaks are so she knows what to expect.

[TheShaggyDA]

ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!! IT'S BRAKES, GOD DAMMIT!!! NOT BREAKS!!!



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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[stinkwheel]

[feef]

[repiV]

As someone who had never operated any kind of motor vehicle at all until my CBT, clutch control was by far the most difficult thing for me and it took me a fair amount of practice to get it. I would have got my CBT on the second try expect for the fact I stalled it several dozen times on the road ride. Took me seven or eight tries to pull away onto Northwick Park Roundabout from Kenton, for anyone who's familiar with the area.
There are a couple of learning methods I found really useful. One of those is "1 - 2 - 3". I'll explain:
"1" is the clutch pulled all the way in, "2" is the clutch at the bite point and "3" is clutch fully disengaged. The idea is to say or think to yourself "1", "2", "3" as you gradually release the clutch while giving it more revs. What I kept doing was start to move off and then letting the clutch out too quickly and *clunk*, stalled. Just make sure to keep the release of the clutch smooth and even initially, that should stop you from stalling.
The other thing I found really helpful was "throttle follows the clutch". A bit like the motion of wringing a towel, start to release the clutch then start to give it some gas, then keep the two movements going smoothly alongside each other and you should pull away smoothly.
I suppose the foolproof - although extremely clumsy - method for ensuring you pull away without stalling is to use way more throttle than you need to and then very slowly let the clutch out. And you wouldn't want to accidentally dump the clutch in that situation.
Ultimately though, it's just practice. I only really got the hang of clutch control after I got my CBT and just rode. After a while it just becomes natural, you just "get it". Teaching can only guide you along that path but ultimately you just have to keep doing it until it's natural.

[rdm3ch]

[stinkwheel]

We started by putting the bike on and off the stand (not quite got the knack yet 'oh it's too heavy' initially but we were at a rally yesterday and I got her talking to a woman in her 60's who was popping her F650 up onto the mainstand ).

Then we did pushing the bike around in a controlled manner without dropping it.

Then we did starting the bike and how the kickstart on a 98cc 2-stroke is nothing to be frightened of.

We then did first gear and finding neutral.

Next clutch and throttle and have a shot at moving away. Total natural and got it first time. In fact she only stalled the bike once the whole time which was through thinking she was in neutral when she was actually in second, we've all done that though.

We started with me facing her standing astride the front wheel on the advice of someone on thsi thread. As was said, not as dodgy as it sounds because you can grab both bars while pressing the clutch and brake if you need to. She got the hang of the clutch very quickly.

I decided we would be best to do back brake first, the hardest thing is controlled slow riding so I though we'd get the idea of controlling slow speeds using the back brake in there early. Well, I was impressed because after a couple of minutes of me standing in front of the bike, she was away off by herself for short runs of ten yards then stopping it with the back brake.

Being a 2-stroke I thought I'd best explain powerbands because an H100 is perfectly capable of lifting the front in first, especially with someone half my weight. So I took her on the back and showed her that (ie, if you open the throttle quickly, this is what happens.. Wheee! ).

Then we did second gear. Move off, hook second, stop with rear brake, back into first.

Next lesson, front and back brake together (I decided to wait 'till she was going fast enough to make the front brake both worth using and safe to use). Swept a bit of the airfield clean of any gravel then did first, second, stop. Turn round and repeat.

Once she had the hang of that, well, time for a go by herself. Explained where the other gears are, encouraged her to look where she's going rather than at the clutch and left her to it.

Top show really, she was away, up and down the box, slowing herself down, stopping, setting off again and generally having fun on it. She got the gearbox confused a couple of times by stopping in fourth so I showed her how to sort that out. I explained that's how you do an emergency stop anyway, the using the brakes being the important part.

Slow speed control was excellent, she was getting both feet on the pegs as soon as she moved away, using up to fourth gear and was having a few cheeky dips into the powerband in first and second by the end of maybe an hour and a half.

I think I may have created a monster , she's off home determined to look into doing her CBT. I think I may be due for a bit of grief off her mum before very long.

I think showing her how to use the back brake first was worthwhile. It got feet up on pegs early doors and got her rolling the throttle closed when she wanted to stop rather than grabbing a handful of clutch and brake with the engine screaming. By the time we got onto the front brake, closing the throttle first was already automatic.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Diggs]

Cool!

You realise that it will be you getting it in the neck for 'luring' their daughter onto on of those killer machines, and you will never hear the end of it from her folks... lol
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...