How to slow down a noob?

[i_am_the_koi]

First "Teach me to teach a noob" thread of 2014?


Kid I worked with got the bug to ride after seeing me pull up on my badass motor scooter and went out and picked himself up a 250. (Gold Star)

I've convinced him to get it insured/registered before he started riding, which he has done (Gold Star)

I've also convinced him to start with some parking lot practice and a MSF course or similar before he starts riding (Gold Star).

He went out and bought a helmet, gloves and boots (Silver Star, no riding pants)


Today he calls me and says that his dad taught him how to get it going and some basics in front of his house, and had him ride down to the gas station. "It was the most incredible experience EVAH!" according to him.



It reminds me of how my dad taught me, here's the basics, let's go for a ride up this crazy twisty road....


He admits he had problems turning and was taking turns wide, so I still suggested to him going to a parking lot for practice before doing any real "riding".


But I ask teh BARF, how do I slow him down so he doesn't keep riding out there without first practicing the basics? How can I help him see he needs to get a good handle of the bike before he starts running errands or riding to work on it? I feel sorta responsible since it was showing up on a bike and talking to him about riding and rides and BARF that gave him the bug, but it's not the same as with my girlfriend that I could directly monitor her riding because it was my bike she was learning on. I think I did a great job at tutoring her from the basics, to Moto-U and beyond, and if it wasn't for the dumb broad in a DMV parking lot that hit her bike while she was standing next to it, she'd still be riding today.



So what say you?

 

[wazzuFreddo]

Take his keys and throw them in the gutter

 

[corndog67]

It isn't up to you to slow him down. A little advise is about as far as you can go. The first street bike I ever had, Kawasaki S2 triple, I bought, and rode home on the highway, with NO streetbike experience. I rode that bike everywhere, anytime, day or night. It was either sink or swim.

It isn't your fault, because you rode a bike in and talked to him about riding. He obviously wanted to ride, and you just gave him more incentive to get one and do it. At least, he's got a helmet and gloves and whatnot. And the course. Hopefully he has some self preservation instinct. My stepkid lives in the Mission, and asked me about learning to ride there. I'm against it, I told my wife that also, one, because the drivers in San Francisco are, in my opinion, real shitheads, and two, because he has NO self preservation instinct, and he's extremely reckless. I let him ride my CT70, about as harmless as you can get, and within 2 minutes, decides he has to go as fast as it will go, and crashes his brains out.

Your little buddy, has to decide what he's going to do for himself, he's an adult, whatever he does, is not your fault.

P.S.: Several years ago, I went on a group ride that had a new rider on a R6. He was pretty cool, he had painted some day-glo stuff in his treads on his tires (really). He was a very, very low miles rider. And for some reason, he would get right behind one of the guys, sometimes me, and stay about 1 or 2 lengths off the rear wheel, no matter what the speed was. At the first stop, I asked him to stop doing that to me, "Why?" So you don't run into me! For a while, it worked he stayed back, we were going a pretty slow pace, then he started doing it again, running up on people. At the next stop, I told the guys I was splitting, I didn't want to get run into, and I didn't want to clean up any new rider guts off the road. He really had no common sense.

 

[eric9877]

Step 1: admonish guilt- his life his choice
Step 2: literacy- have him read proficient motorcycling by Hough, and twinst of the wrist 2 by Code
Step 3: ride with him- take him through neighborhood at slow speed and have him follow your lines accentuating proper technique
Step 4, work short bits of speed in and slow back down for turns (1 min or less to avoid losing perspective on how fast he is going) or he will overshoot and go in hot on a corner
Step 5: easy twisties at low speed- exaggerate body movements and line choice.
Step 6: slowly increase difficulty and take breaks!

 

[aram]

Just take him out riding. When I started, I just went to the msf and then went straight to riding in town then to some back roads within a week or two, but I always went with my brother- who had been riding a few years. It was really helpful to have someone to follow.

Maybe every once in a while We would head to the dmv or some parking lot to practice u turns and stuff, but I didn't spend hours doing figure 8s or anything silly like that.

 

[Tharkûn]

It isn't up to you to slow him down. A little advise is about as far as you can go. The first street bike I ever had, Kawasaki S2 triple, I bought, and rode home on the highway, with NO streetbike experience. I rode that bike everywhere, anytime, day or night. It was either sink or swim.

It isn't your fault, because you rode a bike in and talked to him about riding. He obviously wanted to ride, and you just gave him more incentive to get one and do it. At least, he's got a helmet and gloves and whatnot. And the course. Hopefully he has some self preservation instinct. My stepkid lives in the Mission, and asked me about learning to ride there. I'm against it, I told my wife that also, one, because the drivers in San Francisco are, in my opinion, real shitheads, and two, because he has NO self preservation instinct, and he's extremely reckless. I let him ride my CT70, about as harmless as you can get, and within 2 minutes, decides he has to go as fast as it will go, and crashes his brains out.

Your little buddy, has to decide what he's going to do for himself, he's an adult, whatever he does, is not your fault.

This.

Do what you can, but he will stop listening soon. Then he'll crash and maybe start to listen again

 

[shouldnthave]

This kind of reminds me of my childhood. I was taught to ride a moto (around age six before I could even ride a bicycle) by my older brother. When my dad found out that I was riding he flipped, and he tried to control the situation from then on. The list of rules was long, but sadly I don't remember any of them at this point. Do you know why? It's because you can only control you. I wasn't about to listen to a word he said; I would only listen to my brothers input.

You gave him the basics. After that you can only guide him. Keep an eye on his progress, and toss a pointer in when you see a situation arise.

I know your personality type, so I know it's going to be hard. Do the best you can to be the vigilant brother, and let him learn a little for himself. Sadly, those are the only lessons that truly stick.

Don't let him be totally stupid, but he is going to have to do some stupid to become a better rider.

 

[LikeWaah]

Maybe just keep it simple and say, if you just had an "oh shit" moment, that means you need to slow your roll.

 

[Cincinnatus]

Get him on BARF and send him the link to this thread.

 

[i_am_the_koi]

It isn't your fault, because you rode a bike in and talked to him about riding. He obviously wanted to ride, and you just gave him more incentive to get one and do it. At least, he's got a helmet and gloves and whatnot. And the course. Hopefully he has some self preservation instinct..

I think I was really just fishing for this, thank you

Step 3: ride with him- take him through neighborhood at slow speed and have him follow your lines accentuating proper technique
Step 3, work short bits of speed in and slow back down for turns (1 min or less to avoid losing perspective on how fast he is going) or he will overshoot and go in hot on a corner
Step 4: easy twisties at low speed- exaggerate body movements and line choice.
Step 5: slowly increase difficulty and take breaks!

That was my plan, except with some parking lot practice first to help him with fundamentals.

Get him on BARF and send him the link to this thread.

That's a failure on my part, I've preached BARF for it's training and noob friendly threads.

I don't think he knows me as the koi yet though so I am probably safe

 

[corndog67]

I don't think he knows me as the koi yet though so I am probably safe

Slap him upside the head with a dead fish!

 

[carries an axe]

I havent read anyone else's yet.
Let him make mistakes. I think you did enough(gear etc.). Make sure he doesn't take a passenger.

 

[redtail]

Slap him upside the head with a dead fish!

Hmm, thanks for the tip! I could use this...

 

[planegray]

disconnect one spark plug

 

[O.T.]

Give him a set of wrenches.

 

[Hooli]

Your little buddy, has to decide what he's going to do for himself, he's an adult, whatever he does, is not your fault.

Are you channeling Lou?

Srsly though Koi, at this point I doubt if there's little you can do to change his ways. Maybe a BARF newbie ride will help...or maybe not.

 

[Cincinnatus]

Give him a set of wrenches.

Now that's just mean...

Effective as hell, too. Show him where to download/buy the shop manual and a set of feeler gauges, and worry about his shim clearances.

 

[Project 2501]

For me, no "advice" would have probably backed me down and luckily I escaped having a major off. What slowed me down on the street as a new rider was going to the track. I did a track day, realized how little talent I had out there and took that back with me to the street. 10 years on and I still street ride much more cautiously then I did when I first got a bike and started street riding.

 

[PetrieJ]

Break his legs. Can't ride with broken legs.

Then strap him into a chair clockwork orange style and make him watch high-side videos for his entire 6 month recovery.

If he still wants to ride after that, he'll probably be willing to learn slowly.

 

[Yakoo752]

So what say you?

it took my buddy lowsiding into a guardrail, first left turn on 9 heading up, to realize he needed to check himself

sometimes it takes an incident to learn

he ended up running @2:00 laps at thill the following month - kid could ride (he rode MX for years prior) he just didn't know how to slow down until then. (not blistering fast but pretty good for 1st day ever at the track)