Thanks gals! It's very exciting!

Quote from: DesmoDiva on July 24, 2008, 12:20:29 PM
Now get out there and  [moto].

I'd love to- but it's literally been raining since I finished my paperwork at the DMV on Monday! 

Congratulations!  I knew you could do it.

How were the bikes at the class?  Do you feel more confident now about being able to get your seat?

get any seat time in on the 400 yet biposto?  [moto]

way to go Meagan!
now you can ride to DIMBY next year.

I've only ridden once since I received my endorsement, in an industrial park next to our municipal airport.

Tony and I spent the day on the Multi last Saturday and we were pretty beat when we got back. I took a quick nap and we decided it would be a nice evening for me to go practice a bit on some roads with no traffic. I was doing alright with it; taking off and shifting my bike both up and down are fine. Stopping is a little tough though- I'm not used to the weight of the bike yet and definitely need to work on feeling its center of gravity. I'm not confident at all on it when it comes to slowing and stopping because I can't put my feet flat down.

I ended up dropping it after buzzing around the park for a bit. I don't even know how I managed it, but luckily I was close enough to the edge of a lot when it went down that it ended up on the grass. The drop didn't hurt the bike but it definitely hurt my confidence. Tony left it on the ground for me so I could try to pick it up myself and that was a joke. Then the bike took a while to start again as it had been on its side for too long. It's been raining most days since so I have yet to get back in the saddle, but now the drop is going to be in the back of my mind when I go out again. Especially knowing that I can't get the bike back up alone. I knew I was tired, and I probably shouldn't have even been on the bike in the first place.

We originally weren't going to lower it because I didn't want to mess with its geometry, but I'm really rethinking that now. It wouldn't have to be forever, because I can touch well enough with my new boots, but I really think I'd be able to focus more on my skills and less on falling over if it was lowered a bit so I could put my feet flat down when stopping.

*sigh*

I had never been on a motorcycle before when DucPete threw me on his old 695 in a parking lot. I dropped that puppy within 10 minutes. God, I was so embarassed and felt so stupid and wanted to just give up on ever riding. I went into total panic mode and bawled. But Pete told me to buck up, the bike wasn't hurt, and to get back on. I know it hurts your confidence a ton but you gotta keep at it. Pick your chin up girl!

I also couldn't (and still can't) flat foot a monster and it definitely takes a bunch of time to get used to. If you're wearing your moto boots, see if you can have Tony stand in front of you and hold the handle bars while you balance the bike. Practice over and over getting the bike off the kick stand and shifting the bikes weight (slowly) from one foot to the other. I didn't think I could hold the bike up with one foot flat but it ended up being surprisingly easy. So yeah, have Tony there to catch it if it goes to far but try throwing the weight around at a stop. I know it helped me, in fact, I still do that in the garage on rainy days. When I was doing laps in a parking lot, I would shift into neutral to free up my brain from dealing with the clutch and let the bike coast in and slow on its own time. When it slowed down enough, I'd have both feet off the pegs ready for the stop. Of course, Pete was there waiting on the bike and me too just in case things got wobbly.

You may already be doing all this, but I figured I'd let you know what helped me with the stopping/height thing.

So, other than commiserating with you about the confidence thing and suggesting that you keep the bike at its same height for right now, all I got to say is you're doing great! 

Don't give up girl. You'll get it!

keep at it biposto
we all know how much you want this  [moto]

i can't flatfoot my monster either 

You are doing great.  So you dropped it...everyone does at some point.  More practice will make you more comfortable with balancing and standing on your toes. 

Keep it up!

Dropping your bike is part of the initiation process...  We've all done it. One of the first trips I ever took on a motorcycle I pulled over to the side of the freeway onto the huge, paved, but sloping shoulder because I wanted to check the map. (Newbie error -- memorize your route.) I stopped, and put a foot down. Waaaaay down on the down side of the slope, and then sort of crow-hopped to the side as the bike dropped out from under me. On the side of a busy freeway. 

I couldn't pick it up, either. Had to wait for my extraordinarily patient bf to park his own bike (in a level spot) and come help me.

And I'm not one of you vertically challenged ladies, either. I flat foot the Monster with inches to spare. So, I have no excuse. 

What you'll learn is that you really control the bike with your hips. Keep practicing, and don't give up! A year from now you'll look back and wonder what all the fuss was about....

My first drop was when my neighbor broke that seal for me.  He nudged into my bike and the good ol' suicide sidestand did its best!  My neighbor was TERRIFIED!!!  Broken lever and all the rest was fine.  I was able to pick it up by myself, but I know I did it the hard way!  It's tough as hell to pick up a bike if the top of it is facing downhill.  I know I couldn't pick up the SV after my crash.

Rain?  Will your bike melt?  Get out there!  [moto]  Rain teaches smooooooth riding.  I like riding in the wet as much as riding in the dry on the street.  I hate it on the track, since traction there means all that much more, but on the street, it's fine.

I can't flat foot my Monster, either.  You just end up getting used to it.  The GSX-R 1000 that my boyfriend sold that I rode for a bit was an inch taller than my Monster, and it really wasn't so bad.  It probably was made easier by the fact that the GSX-R is 40 pounds lighter than the Monster. 

i don't flat foot either and i dropped mine 1 hour after bringing it home. welcome friend. ha ha.
tara

I also dropped my bike on the day it was delivered.  I had a multistrada 620 ,which I had lowered by the dealer, but was still tall.  I was able to stand almost on the balls of my feed. I had it in my head that it was too tall and knew I would drop it.  Therefore, I did drop it. Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.  I psyched myself into dropping it.  I then psyched myself not to.  I quickly learned that it was easier to land on one foot.  Now I have a Monster 696 which I can't flat foot, but it is nice and light and very easy to land on one foot.  Practice with confidence!  Practice makes perfect.   

****slight threadjack****

i see a lot of drops from a lot of riders....how tall are you??   I must be the most vertically endowed of the group at 5'7", 5'8" with riding boots on....

****stop of threadjack****

we have a lot of students drop our training bikes - at a standstill, and they are TOTALLY flatfooted - and NOT moving!! LOL 

It eventually happens to most if not all.

T brought me back to the industrial park by the airfield today. I practiced for about an hour without incident, and increased my speed a bit over last time. A couple of things I noticed/learned:

1) "Tar snakes" are indeed sketchy to ride over! I hit one the long way while only slightly leaned over in a turn and it was the weirdest feeling. I wasn't on it long, but I was on it long enough to know that it is not a nice feeling, especially when both tires roll over it at the same time. Note to self. We have a lot of em round these parts.

2) I've found that the back brake really is my friend when it comes to stopping. Not only does it just feel better to me to use both brakes, but it also keeps my right foot occupied so I'm not doing a stupid little waddle when I come to a stop, upsetting the balance of the bike. I found my stops today were much more solid because I was planting my left foot firmly each time. I know in some cases road conditions might not allow for this, but for now it's helping me feel more comfortable with the weight of the bike. It's what they taught me in my MSF class, so I'll run it.

3) Deep breathing really helps keep me relaxed. I find that a nice long deep breath when I start to get death grip on the bars helps me loosen my whole body. I did this during my MSF class to help ease my nerves and it made such a huge difference. I also noticed that the death grip tendency was alleviated by holding my grip further out towards the end, so I could hold the bar end with my pinky. Made my throttle application much smoother too.

I kind of want to hit some quiet back roads now, but I'm not sure if I should practice a little more before I mix myself in with cars. T thinks I should take it slow and give myself time to process my practice sessions before I hit the street. I'm usually the cautious type, but at the same time I feel kind of limited by the industrial park. I do feel like I need to be in the saddle as often as possible as an hour here, an hour there every few days isn't going to make for a very steady progression.

Great job!!!!! Keep up the good work!