SkH Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Everyone knows that a beginner rider's skills all differ from individual to individual. You have some inkling or whatever. But man, I have first hand witness to it. Well, perhaps witness is the wrong word. When I took the course last year, after the first day I came home all excited, had a blast and was looking forward to day 2. When my wife came home, she was full of anxiety and exhausted and nervous for day 2. Kind of bummed me out. I thought she would have a blast like I did but apparently not. She had issues with shifting and braking. Eye hand coordination, like it was too overwhelming for her to do the lesson where you downshift to 1st and stop because it involved clutch, shift, and brake. I always felt the FZ07 is a nice max threshold for a beginner bike but I'm fairly certain the FZ07 would be too much for the wife to handle as her first bike. Especially with its on/off throttle. I hope this doesn't deter her from getting a motorcycle... this was all her idea to begin with! Only reason I bought one is because she wanted to ride motorcycles together. I visit here at least once a week. Got any questions, ask and I will answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahaha Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I don't know about some of those motorcycle courses. Some are hard core trying to push too many through. Know a couple who got the bike bug and took a course together. It was a nightmare for them and they did not pass. It discouraged them to the point of abandoning the motorcycle idea. They had even went as far as buying gear and a bike they never got to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator mjh937 Posted April 12, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted April 12, 2015 Sorry to hear about these experiences. I really enjoyed the MSF course I took. The instructors looked like scary Harley guys but they were great instructors and really friendly and helpful. We had a guy and a gal that had both never ridden before and they both had a blast and passed with flying colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magsz18 Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I struggled in my MSF course as well. Im not sure if it was me or the bike but finding second gear was all but impossible. I think i hit neutral so many times i practically wore out the neutral light. Downshifting to first on the hard stops was also hard for me. Putting the components together, ie roll off throttle, clutch in, downshift to first while using the front and rear brake was ALOT to handle in a split second. I guess it comes down to personality because i was determined to get it and here i am, almost 3000 miles later on my FZ 07 doing just fine and learning along the way. Hopefully shes not deterred and will jump right back on the horse so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I'm kind of a self centered guy, I've come to accept it though. I am who I am and kinda like the fact that my wife doesn't ride. It's my thing, and she has her things like riding horses. It stuff that we get to do on our own and then meet up afterwards and brag and show photos to ea other. I respect the hobbies that she is into and she respects mine. When we were young, we did everything together but over time, we got our own hobbies but still do alot of things together. And, I can't imagine her wanting to try to keep up with me in the Canyons and we would probably not always want to stop at the same time and she would probably strongly discourage my random wheelies and stuff. It's awesome that your wife is trying this, but make sure she is doing it for herself and not just for you or it will never work out. If she is still that nervous after the second day then maybe she shouldn't be on the road because bad things happen to nervous riders. So, keep that all in mind.. Yamaha MT-10 ForumYamaha Tracer 900 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemer Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 It's too bad that happened but maybe it's for the better. The reason I say that is there was a woman in my class that had never ridden and other than having problems with shifting/braking, etc. she couldn't even manage the size of a 250 Suzuki. She wasn't getting any better at anything about riding and eventually dropped it and that's when it became apparent to me that she was just one of those people not cut out for riding. Not to be mean but they are a threat to themselves and others. I don't agree about the FZ 07 being a good beginners bike, though. I've seen too many people learning on 600's give it a little too much gas and pop the clutch and watch it wheelie away from them. A 250 or less isn't as powerful and less likely to give them problems as far as power is concerned and they can always sell it when they've become good at riding and get a bigger one. Beemer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rewplayff Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 She can take the course on a scooter then buy an automatic nc700x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Thats true man. Some of those Scooters are pretty cool. BMW makes an awesome scooter that some people take long trips on. The Honda nc700x is a good bike and is an auto. Bulletproof bike too and the gas mileage is amazing. Yamaha MT-10 ForumYamaha Tracer 900 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahaha Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I think the 50cc scooter is a great way to get into motorcycling. More people should start on these things as long as they stay off the freeways ... lol. You don't need a motorcycle license to ride them here - just a regular drivers license. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YZEtc Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Practicing on a small and gentle dirt bike (XR100R, TTR125, etc.) can do wonders for getting a handle on the basics. Back when I got my motorcycle license (ages before the training course was available in my state), that's how everyone learned how to ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemer Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Fact: The scooters with the small, fat tires are dangerous, they don't handle well in turns and besides, I've heard it said that "scooters are for whimps afraid they'll hurt their vagina's on a real motorcycle." I'm kidding ... I heard that before and it made me laugh so I had to share but do I like scooters in general? (rofl) Beemer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator Guru Posted April 12, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted April 12, 2015 Years go, when I just started riding, my wife got all caught up in my enthusiasm. She decided to take on the challenge and wanted to get her own motorcycle license. It wasn't easy for her but she finally managed to get it. But she never rode since. That was 20 years ago. And like @admin, I am fine with that. We are together a lot and having our own interests and hobbies is great. She is occasionally a passenger, maybe twice a year. But I do my thing and she does hers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator Guru Posted April 12, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted April 12, 2015 If someone asks me if the FZ07 is a good starter bike, I would say no. I might be light an manoeuvrable, but it is simply too torquey. If your wife is petite, I would advise a Suzuki TU250, if she is long legged, a WR250X might be a good choice. Both are very forgiving bikes, have fuel injection and won't intimidate. They hold their value too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator mjh937 Posted April 12, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted April 12, 2015 I did the MSF course on a TU250X. It was a fun little bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member so1102 Posted April 12, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted April 12, 2015 If the main thing she is struggling with is braking, clutching and shifting, then I would also second the motion for a Honda NC700X DCT ABS -- it has that nice "frunk" up front to store stuff, it is adequately powered without being too torque-y like the 07, gets great gas mileage, has ABS brakes and can be ridden in fully automatic mode (no clutch or shifting) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FZRDR Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Practicing on a small and gentle dirt bike (XR100R, TTR125, etc.) can do wonders for getting a handle on the basics. Back when I got my motorcycle license (ages before the training course was available in my state), that's how everyone learned how to ride. I agree completely, YZEtc. Riding small displacement dirtbikes as a kid gave me the skills and the practice I needed to handle most situations today, including falling but on softer sand/ dirt. Good luck to the OP, lots of valuable well intentioned info here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascrown Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I keep saying this, and I end up sounding like a broken record, but a motorcycle is the last place you should learn clutch, throttle, and brake control, let alone how to shift. Misshift, lock the rear up, panic, crash. Abrupt with clutch, loop out, crash. Wrong gear for a turn, not enough drive out of the corner, panic crash. Lock the front up, lowside, crash. Spool the rear up, highside, crash. Target fixation is more likely on a bike. Hit solid object, crash. All these can potentially put you in a hospital. Get a miata, take it to road courses, and to autocross. Understand threshold braking, understand threshold acceleration under corner load, understand rev matched downshifting, understand that precision and smoothness is essential the faster you go, and understand to look where you want to go. Then jump on a bike. Suddenly, the only thing you need to learn is a motorcycle's interface, and how to corner. Makes things infinitely more manageable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkH Posted April 12, 2015 Author Share Posted April 12, 2015 She comes from a family of 4 girls- 3 sisters who all drive manual transmission and all have either owned or own a motorcycle. She has driven manual transmission since she was 19 years old. Her first car was manual (91 mr2). Our first car together was manual. Her current car is manual. Getting motorcycles together was her idea. She's wanted to do this for over a decade. Rather than spending a ton of money at once, we stretched the process over the course of the year, me first, then her. We're at the stage where she gets her bike. Between the two of us, I was the person who had the "motorcycles are dangerous" speech always going on which is why it took this long for us to actually get motorcycles. Anyway, she passed her written test (which obviously isn't a big deal) but she sounded cheery and relieved so hopefully she's in a better state of mind during her road test which is going on right now. I visit here at least once a week. Got any questions, ask and I will answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeanMug Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 It sounds silly but riding bicycles is a great way to get the hand eye thing down. braking, turning, shifting gears in a turn can all be done on a ten speed that u get at a yard sale. RRokay Raggie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member so1102 Posted April 13, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted April 13, 2015 It just sounds like she might have been overwhelmed in general. She'll likely be fine -- just get lots of practice in empty parking lots and take it slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwaipuak Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I learned on a 125 semi auto, meaning no clutch but the toe up and down for shifting. Then I has a 110cc manual, rented 250 and then a 650. I really think the US has it wrong compared to Europe with their licenses. We seem to have this idea that anything under 600cc is a beginner bike. More people should be out there honing their skills on a 125-250cc first. Just be supportive no matter the outcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haze87 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 If someone asks me if the FZ07 is a good starter bike, I would say no. I might be light an manoeuvrable, but it is simply too torquey. If your wife is petite, I would advise a Suzuki TU250, if she is long legged, a WR250X might be a good choice. Both are very forgiving bikes, have fuel injection and won't intimidate. They hold their value too. I'd agree to a certain extent. I bought this as a first bike with limited riding experience and if I were 5-10 years younger, I'd certainly fear for my younger self. Going WOT on the FZ-07 will certainly shock you the first few times the wheel pops up in the early gears. I like to think I push the bike some to have fun, but I end up looking at my AVG MPG's and see that I'm probably going pretty easy on her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkH Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 So I get a text from my wife saying basically she probably failed. Then 10 minutes later she texts me saying she got the endorsement waiver card. lol. Every single person in her class (10) passed. I took it from a different place, closer to where we live. I had 11 people in my class, one person was given walking papers for not being able to properly do one exercise, and all in all only 4 of the 11 people passed, and these 4 all had previous dirt bike riding experience. I think my wife lucked out big time and got a lenient instructor. I just got back from her celebration dinner. We're definitely going to stick with 250/300cc for her. I visit here at least once a week. Got any questions, ask and I will answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member phicurious86 Posted April 13, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted April 13, 2015 So I get a text from my wife saying basically she probably failed. Then 10 minutes later she texts me saying she got the endorsement waiver card. lol. Every single person in her class (10) passed. I took it from a different place, closer to where we live. I had 11 people in my class, one person was given walking papers for not being able to properly do one exercise, and all in all only 4 of the 11 people passed, and these 4 all had previous dirt bike riding experience. I think my wife lucked out big time and got a lenient instructor. I just got back from her celebration dinner. We're definitely going to stick with 250/300cc for her. Yeah might be luck of the draw with some instructors. When I was doing mine an older woman clearly had little to no control of the bike (dropped the bike at least once) and failed near every part of the course multiple times. But the instructors kept at it with her until she got a passing grade for that section. Glad your wife passed. She'll just keep getting better and gain more confidence so long as she sticks to the basics from the MSF course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator Guru Posted April 13, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted April 13, 2015 ...she texts me saying she got the endorsement waiver card... We're definitely going to stick with 250/300cc for her. Sweet ! Congratulations. Has she figured out what kind of bike she'd prefer? A YZF-R3 would be an awesome choice of she doesn't mind fairing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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