Ride CT & Ride New England Serving New England, NYC and The Hudson Valley!
By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com
Okay, I admit it. I am guilty of making a woman cry during a recent beginner motorcycle course. It was at the end of the day after taking the riding evaluation. I had just called her over for the one-on-one consultation to discuss her results. This course was the first time she had ever been on a motorcycle and I think what started it was when I said, “You passed.”
She was so incredibly excited, and it was at this time she revealed that learning to ride a motorcycle was a long time desire, and that she had taken the course without any family or friends knowing.
This is not an uncommon scenario (except, most times, without tears). While some students come into the course with some dirt or street riding experience, most fall into the novice category. The beginner course is designed for these people who have never thrown a leg over a motorcycle before, but are able to balance and ride a bicycle. Each person learns at different pace, but by the end of the course many students are able to successfully complete the basic skills requirements of the riding evaluation.
Like many other motorcycle instructors, over the years I have instructed hundreds of courses and thousands of students. It is enjoyable to see the progress of each student. Sometimes it is subtle and gradual over the weekend, and sometimes it is in an “ah-ha” moment when the light bulb flips on and everything begins to come together. The most gratifying thing about being a coach or instructor is getting a struggling student to reach their personal breakthrough and have their “ah-ha” moment.
There was a gal in a recent class that seemed to be overwhelmed with the location and use of the controls, specifically when it came time to change gears. Most times she would end up in neutral on a shift from first to second. I had her repeatedly lift and press while stopped in place getting the feel of going through neutral. Another exercise the bike would stall each time she would stop moving after an up shift to third. This happened two or three times before realizing she was not releasing the clutch all the way. Once this was explained – Ah-ha!
It took more than half the riding time for her shifts to become consistent, but when they did she started having more fun and her learning level increased. Her riding was not perfect, and she would need to practice more before riding in traffic, but she did successfully complete the basic riding skills evaluation.
Some students need a bit more time than others to absorb and practice the basic skills needed to reach their “ah-ha” moment and complete the course successfully. The motorcycles were still controlling them, instead of the other way around. Several unsuccessful students have signed up and come back for another course with much more confidence and less apprehension. They do incredibly better.
(For information on rider classes in Connecticut, visit Ride4Ever.org.)
