Girlfriend just got her first bike

[Choppa24]

Well I come from a street bike pedigree and last august I picked up my first bike (05 crf250r). My girlfriend has always wanted to ride but street bikes scared her but soon as I got my dirtbike she was hooked and wanted her own. Well earlier this week, we picked up an 05 crf230f for 1200 in great condition. Let me tell you, this bike is a blast. I have more fun on it then I do on my 250 becuase its so easy to ride. I think it fits her 5'4" body perfectly.Well I took her out to an empty parking lot last night and she was really nervous at first but by the end of the night, she had taking off/stoping and upshifting down and she looked way more comfortable. She is still a little sketchy on down shifting but I am so proud of her. Anyways, I want to get her on dirt next weekend when it dries up but she is super nervous. Im more than likely gonna take her to the mini trail so she can get use to throttle control on dirt/sand and use to turning and rolling over ramps without having to worry about other riders. So far I'm just trying not to be too pushy becuase I dont want her to get discouraged. I just need some coaching tips because I'm new to this. Any coaching advice ladies? Is there any particular drills we can do that will help her get more comfortable on the bike? Should I ride in front of her or behind her? Thanks in advance!

[07WR250Girl]

Put some cones down and have her go around them, tell her to look where she wants to go and NOT at the front wheel, same as riding street. Put some boards down and have her go over them, when your first learning every little root and rock looks HUGE.

As far as in front or behind, find out what she is more comfortable with. Having my husband behind me makes me really nervous for some reason and he says I go faster when I'm in front. My daughter like to have some one behind her, so its just a matter of what she likes.

Get her standing up as as soon as possible, going through the cones and learning to turn while standing up. If she can get comfortable with standing in the parking lot it will help alot when she gets on the dirt.

Throttle and shifting is just a matter of practice, practice, practice. Start with very easy rides until you see she is getting faster, then move up to a harder trail. Nothing blows your confidence faster than too much too soon.

Have fun, and be patient, riding together is the best thing since sliced bread : }

[rnl42]

Lots and lots of practice... and patience... and protective gear really helps the confidence because you're not as worried that you'll get seriously hurt when you fall over!

[BirdSong]

When I first started, I practiced figure eights. Everybody learns different, ask her what she'd like to work on. And listen to her. At Carnegie where I learned, I stayed in the flats and rode along the rocks and creek, really helped with my balance (although riding the creek area is no longer allowed) Even now after all this time, I still work on my technique and skills. One VERY important thing, and it was already mentioned, tell her to look where she wants to go, not where she doesn't. I too ride a CRF230, and it really is alot of fun, such a good sport, and a great way to spend free time. Best of luck.

[the_journeyman]

I'm currently teaching my wife how to ride. She has ridden with me plenty, and can ride a bicycle. HOWEVER, I discovered one thing that really caused a problem for her at first. Make sure she understands how the bike balances. We never started the engine on her Hawk the first lesson out. I put her at the top of a gentle slope and pushed her along until the bike was rolling fast enough to balance itself and had her look straight ahead at something and not avert her eyes until she stopped. This helped her understand that the bike can and does balance itself and the rider "unbalances" it to steer.

The next lesson was clutch control. Launching in a straight line, riding to a specified point, pulling clutch and stopping. Walk bike around and do it again. Do it until she is confident she can launch the bike.

Keep in mind there is A LOT for her to process as she's learning.

One VERY important thing, and it was already mentioned, tell her to look where she wants to go, not where she doesn't. I too ride a CRF230, and it really is alot of fun, such a good sport, and a great way to spend free time. Best of luck.

VERY IMPORTANT. Many crashes happen in panic situations when the rider thinks they're going to hit something or run wide and target fixate on that object or where they're going to end up. When you target fixate, you WILL go wherever you're looking.

JM

[gypsyangel]

Our state's MSF course actually has a dirt bike course. You might want to look for one as well.

http://www.dirtbikeschool.com/

Also, it's easy to overwhelm someone with too much information. Try to stick to one or two things at a time, don't expect her to do them perfectly, and don't try to correct her for doing something wrong that isn't immediately endangering to her life. Everything will come in time. It IS possible to overwhelm with over teaching. Basically, know when to shut up.

Try to find her some other women to ride with. We actually learn better from our peers than from the one's we love. It keeps it more impersonal.

Did I mention, know when to shut up?

Give her the absolute basics on how to do whatever it is you're trying to teach her. Any more information is overwhelming and she probably won't remember half of it anyway. Just tidbits of knowledge and let her figure out the rest on her own via trial and error.

Some basic Excercises and drills can be found here:

http://www.idahostar.org/guide/Default.htm

http://www.daytonamotorcycletraining.com/range-layout-exercises.htm

Some good dirt oriented drills,once she's more comfortable is stopping and starting on up hills using clutch control (this one is invaluable), standing & riding with her elbows up(this will help teach her stay loose on the handlebars), standing when going down small hills and over obstacles, standing when going through mud (this will let her feel the bike moving underneath her and she'll slowly get more comfortable with it), turning the bike using her weight on the pegs,, and brake slides into corners (she can sit for this,but emphasize getting off the clutch and back onto the throttle before she completely stops.She'll need a bit of momentum for this and make her go in both directions. Going to the right is harder ).

Also teach her how to properly pick up her bike by sliding one leg under it and slowly using that leg to help lift it up..slide leg under,lift a little bit, slide leg further underneath, lift a bit more and repeat until the bike is upright. Just hoisting the bike could cause injury. Teach her how to back her bike back down a hill should she crash. Just being able to pick up and manuever her own bike will be uber empowering.

Oh, and know when to shut up (sorry, I'm studying to be an msf coach and this is like rule #2) But it's true. Sometimes you just gotta shut up and let the student figure it out.

Hope this helps.

[Choppa24]

Thanks for all the advice so far. She has to work again this weekend so we are probably going to just take the bike out to the same parking lot tomorrow night so she can get more comfortable with it. There are a few curves that I'll ask her to go over but only if she wants. I really would like to see her start standing up and learning to brake hard and brake while turning. She told me she cannot wait to go back out which of course makes me happy!

[kpduty]

Our state's MSF course actually has a dirt bike course. You might want to look for one as well.

MSF has a "Dirt Bike School" DVD that you can get on eBay or Amazon for $5-10. Absolute beginner basics, short segments on different skills, and most of the students in the vid are riding CRF 230fs !! It gives some suggestions for riding exercises - I got it early on and it was a huge help, and you can go back and watch a segment if you're having trouble with something later on.

I have a CRF 230, too, and it's an awesome bike for a beginner adult.

[Choppa24]

Update: I think we have ourselves another dirt junkie lol. We finally got to get her on dirt last weekend. I took her crosstimber trails here in Oklahoma City which has a kiddie track, novice track, mx track, 2 "beginner" trails, 2 intermediate trails, and an expert trail. She putt putted around the kiddie track for half an hour and we almost went on one of the begginer trails but due to it being muddy and tore up, she opted not to. Luckily, I discovered the novice riding area while going to mx track. The track is about the size of an mx track but only has 3 small jumps, a few muddy areas, 2 easy hills, and the rest are straights and easy turns. I thought this would be a perfect area for her to step up to after the oval shaped kiddie track. She was really nervous about the muddy areas and going over the jumps. I told her to take it easy and promised her it wasnt as intimidating as it seems once you do it. Sure enough, she hoped right on the track and went at it. After a few laps, she looked really fluid and natural. She even suprised me by saying that she understood "lines" and understood how to get through the muddy sections by steadily increasing the throttle slightly. Overy all it was a great day. I had a great time riding with my buddies but seeing her enjoy the sport that I love was the best part of my week. Unfortunatly there is another winter storm coming up this weekend so we cant ride We will get some pics up from the next ride though. Thanks again for the advice