There are just a few months left in 2023, and many people have already started making new year’s resolutions for 2023. One thing on top of their resolutions is to learn to ride a motorcycle. In some ways, people feel that riding a bike makes them look cool and aids them in adventures. Commuting becomes easier and lots more fun.
Denver, Colorado, is one of the famous places for motorcycling in the U.S. The city is overflowing with opportunities for adventure, escape, and discovery. It has a typical amount of sunshine all around the year, including winter, making it an excellent place to learn to motorcycle. You could leverage motorcycle classes in Denver to get your hands on the most experienced trainers in the state.
Sometimes, riding a motorcycle is more complicated than driving a car. Driving a car needs you to manage the brakes, steering, and accelerator, whereas a bike requires you to maintain the balance in addition to all the above. It can be hard at first, but you get better with practice.
Victory follows struggles
One thing that many learners face issues with while riding a motorcycle is knowing exactly when to release the clutch. The clutch is a component of your bike that engages and disengages the power from the engine to the transmission. It allows you to turn the power on or off to the rear wheel to change gears.
Knowledge of the friction zone and when to completely release the clutch are crucial before going to the road. When the clutch isn’t released properly, it causes anxiety to the student and slows the learning process as a whole. On the other hand, the overconfident students release the clutch or the accelerator all at once, leading to mishaps that decrease their confidence.
It’s important to understand that mastering the clutch will be challenging for every motorcycle you try. Even experienced drivers need good clutch control while driving up a hill or on bad roads – this skill must be mastered if one wants to ride a motorcycle safely.
Most seasoned riders agree that clutch release was the hardest when riding the motorcycle for the first time.
People face many other problems when learning to ride a motorcycle, such as braking with the handlebars turned, shifting gears, and, most significantly, road fear. Fear is very common when learning a new skill, especially driving because one needs to be responsible for their mishaps. Fear will make you even more underconfident. So, you must face it courageously in order to master the skill.
Learn Motorcycle Safety
There are many motorcycle safety courses designed for beginners as well as those who want to refresh their learnings after being a seasoner. Apart from various exercises which help you become competent in aspects such as braking, accelerating, and shifting gears, you will also learn how to keep your bike in good shape. While wheeling out new bikes from the showrooms, people are more excited about the riding part, but experienced riders feel that knowing how to take care of your machine is equally important.
When your bike doesn’t start, you need to be aware of some troubleshooting tips to identify the problem and save some money by fixing it on your own. Riders plus insurance has laid down 36 tips for riders during Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Make sure to go through all the safety points in the article if getting trained is not on top of your wish list.
Group rides come with their own advantages and disadvantages. Many people prefer group rides straight from the beginning. You might feel more confident and motivated to try challenging rides. Though every group is full of fun riders, you need to choose your group wisely and make sure you master the skill before you join a group. Never succumb to peer pressure to ride beyond your skill or comfort level. Finally, bike races are a big no without gaining expertise in the skill.
How To Master The Skill?
The essential part of mastering any skill is self-assessment. It’s an integral part of the learning process. You must maintain a checklist and keep evaluating yourself weekly during the training. This makes you aware of what you’re good at and what needs to be improved. If you’re into coaching, an experienced trainer can help you with the assessment.
“I always wanted to ride a motorcycle, go for long rides and lead adventurous nights,” said an IT consultant working in the U.S. “I keep talking about my love for motorcycling but never learned it. I always feared not being able to master the skill, and I kept questioning myself if this was even meant for me.”
Self-doubt is killing more dreams than anything will ever. If you are passionate about learning to ride a motorcycle and know that the only thing pulling you back from your passion is your self-doubt, working with a trusted coach is the only way out. From the patience they show while teaching you to the theory they explain behind why things work in a certain way, the coach guides you till you become a confident rider.
Conclusion
There is no age barrier to learning, though the learning curve gets steep with age. None wants to be criticized and called out for doing wrong but making mistakes and learning from them is still allowed. Mistakes can help you realize why they’re made and how to fix them. Brandon Mull once said that a smart person learns from their own mistakes while a wise person learns from others’ mistakes. Most of us seem to fall into the first category.
As said earlier, getting hold of the clutches is the most challenging part of new students trying to master motorcycling. But, this can be mastered with practice. Mastery comes from working hard, focusing on the skill, self-assessment, fixing the mistakes, and consistent practice. The journey might be longer but more satisfying when you overcome the obstacles.
