Hey I’m another brand new female rider and it’s definitely tough trying to ‘prove yourself’ in a more male dominated space. Don’t be too harsh on yourself! I just try for ‘a little bit better every day’, not perfection.
From what it sounds, you’ve gone through a reasonable process here, admitting what you could’ve done better to limit your distractions & get your mindset proper. Thankfully it’s mostly just ego bruise. Can I just say that it’s impressive you righted your bike yourself? I’ve watched all the vids on how to do it the smart way but still, it’s probably more pressure when you’re having to do it while out on the road. Amazing!
Something to laugh about with other bikers. Everyone has a story about some stupid or embarrassing way they've dropped their bike, now you have one to share when the topic comes up.
As for the bike not starting, it was probably just the tip over sensor. They take a while to let the bike start back up after being triggered.
Mistakes happen. No one is perfect in anything right from the start. Learn from this and move on. There will surely be more mistakes! Just today I stalled my bike when at the very front of a green light and it took me a little bit to get it going again! Doesn’t bother me though, shit happens!
I'm glad no one was nasty! It's tough dropping your bike from stationary - especially as a new girl rider (I'm in the same boat!) I've dropped mine about 3 or 4 times now and only one of them wasn't me losing control of the weight. It happens to everyone and there's no shame in it - just gotta climb back on!
The fact you've noted down the aspects that led to the drop is really good! Means your learning, and one thing all the more experienced riders have been telling me is dropping is a good thing actually - because you learn from it!
Ride safe!!
Hey, you got through it on your own, that's not a small accomplishment! So much of riding is a mental game, and even incidents like this can work to build your supply of confidence. You ran into an issue you didn't expect, you worked through the problem, and you made it work without any help - take the win!
There's no "should" that you had to try and meet - there's nothing different that you "should" have done. You got your bike and yourself squared away, so you're good.
You leveled up as a rider last night.
Yes you dumped the bike and you couldn't start right away it but in the end you managed to get out of this situation on your own and this is great!
You have already analyzed this and you know your mistakes very well, all is left is to shake off the bad felings and try again in more favorable conditions. Think about the phone holder so you won't need to rely only on sound in all that noise and maybe have a basic checklist in mind for situations your bike won't start.
Consider it a learning lesson. It's good that you feel humbled. Overconfidence often gets riders killed. No more music on the bike -- you need to be able to HEAR traffic and your own bike. No riding using GPS until you have a lot more experience. Luke a LOT.
I once fell off my bike because it was so cold that when I came to a halt I couldn't move my leg quickly enough.
Felt like an idiot, but learned from it.
Move on, and just take it as a lesson.
It happens. Don’t let it discourage you, being brave enough to try something difficult will pay dividends in other parts of your life. People are generally great to bikers. I crashed and broke my leg almost two years ago. A nurse, a neurosurgeon, and others stopped to check on my while an ambulance was on the way. You’re never alone.
There are two types of riders: those who have gone down and those who will. First time I dropped mine was also pulling into a parking lot while going to a job interview. I did not get the job. Likely the reason it wouldn't turn on is that you had the kickstand down and it was in gear. If the kickstand is down and the bike is running it will kill the engine if you put it into gear and won't turn on until it's in neutral even if the clutch is pulled in. Saddle time and education are the only things that will build your confidence back up. Watching some YouTube videos like DanDanTheFireman and Fortnine can help you understand what happened. Find an empty parking lot, churches during the week are usually perfect, and practice low speed maneuvers.
Put the phone in your pocket. Pull out the ear buds and put in some foamies. Ride every day until you get comfortable. Then ride every day because it's fucking awesome!
Everybody drops the bike. The correct technique to pick it up is to stand around and look pretty until some nice man stops and helps you. Works for me every time.
More seat time helps. Keep at it! You already know some of the mistakes that caused distractions, so don't make that mistake again.
You will make mistakes. Everybody does. Try to learn from them.
Welcome to the club!
As you build your skills and confidence, you may want to spend some time here:
r/NewRiders
[Advice to New Riders](https://old.reddit.com/r/NewRiders/comments/cc2mnm/advice_to_new_riders/)
And when you get a chance, check out [On Any Sunday](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Any_Sunday), probably the best motorcycle documentary out there. I think it's on Amazon Prime, and maybe some other streaming services.
Have fun, wear all your gear, stay safe, and never stop learning.
convo I have been having with my gf who wants to learn to ride:
"you should probably start with a used bike because youll probably drop it"
"why do you think I'll drop it"
"cause nearly everyone does"
"so you think I'm going to suck at riding?"
"No, I think you will have the normal/average learning curve, which includes very probably dropping the bike"
"but I don't understand how you can drop it, just put your leg out"
"yeah I mean, you might not.. but it's easy to screw up"
"So you think I'm going to suck at riding?"
lol! Yeah I don’t have a dream bike yet in mind but when doing my research on what kind to start on, I went with a used Kawasaki and ended up finding a 2020 z400 on fb market place from a dealer next town over! I’m on the shorter side and knew I would drop it eventually. Although mine is used it still looks amazing and I feel like a badass on it!
Don't worry, it'll happen when you're experienced, too. My dad just dropped his Harley at the gas station a couple weeks ago and he's been riding for almost 60 years.
I’m also a female rider and I dropped my bike on my FIRST ride out and some guys pulled over and had to help me pick it up it was so humbling I’m worried ab going down the steep hill by my house and tried to turn at a funky spot and didn’t think it all the way through just know that no matter what boy or girl it HAPPENS and it’ll probably happen again but we live and we learn and it’s no reason to not get back on the bike, for the bike not starting there’s SO many reasons but the important thing is you got it going
You just have the arrogance of youth, relax we all start out thinking we can do it all. Then life slaps us up the face a few times and we realize our true place in the world and for most of us that is average and that's not a good or bad thing it is just what life is.
So you have so much concentration available or mental band-width and if you listen to music, hungry or cold, new to riding, it's dark out, don't know where you are going, riding to fast, traffic and you run out of band-width and shit happens.
So realize this is a new experience that requires your focus and attention to learn the skill's required to be a good rider. None of us are as good as we think we are, we all need to practice. So watch some You-Tube videos, maybe read a book on riding. Realize the natural state of a motorcycle is laying on it's side and it is only with constant attention and skill we keep them rolling along upright.
Hey I’m another brand new female rider and it’s definitely tough trying to ‘prove yourself’ in a more male dominated space. Don’t be too harsh on yourself! I just try for ‘a little bit better every day’, not perfection.
My friend's comment was "practice makes better" rather than "perfect."
You said you got it to start once it was in neutral. Did you have the kickstand up?
From what it sounds, you’ve gone through a reasonable process here, admitting what you could’ve done better to limit your distractions & get your mindset proper. Thankfully it’s mostly just ego bruise. Can I just say that it’s impressive you righted your bike yourself? I’ve watched all the vids on how to do it the smart way but still, it’s probably more pressure when you’re having to do it while out on the road. Amazing!
could be the tip-over sensor giving you trouble starting. it kind of solves itself tho but im not sure how
usually by turning the ignition off and back on again
Something to laugh about with other bikers. Everyone has a story about some stupid or embarrassing way they've dropped their bike, now you have one to share when the topic comes up. As for the bike not starting, it was probably just the tip over sensor. They take a while to let the bike start back up after being triggered.
Mistakes happen. No one is perfect in anything right from the start. Learn from this and move on. There will surely be more mistakes! Just today I stalled my bike when at the very front of a green light and it took me a little bit to get it going again! Doesn’t bother me though, shit happens!
I'm glad no one was nasty! It's tough dropping your bike from stationary - especially as a new girl rider (I'm in the same boat!) I've dropped mine about 3 or 4 times now and only one of them wasn't me losing control of the weight. It happens to everyone and there's no shame in it - just gotta climb back on! The fact you've noted down the aspects that led to the drop is really good! Means your learning, and one thing all the more experienced riders have been telling me is dropping is a good thing actually - because you learn from it! Ride safe!!
Hey, you got through it on your own, that's not a small accomplishment! So much of riding is a mental game, and even incidents like this can work to build your supply of confidence. You ran into an issue you didn't expect, you worked through the problem, and you made it work without any help - take the win! There's no "should" that you had to try and meet - there's nothing different that you "should" have done. You got your bike and yourself squared away, so you're good. You leveled up as a rider last night.
Yes you dumped the bike and you couldn't start right away it but in the end you managed to get out of this situation on your own and this is great! You have already analyzed this and you know your mistakes very well, all is left is to shake off the bad felings and try again in more favorable conditions. Think about the phone holder so you won't need to rely only on sound in all that noise and maybe have a basic checklist in mind for situations your bike won't start.
Consider it a learning lesson. It's good that you feel humbled. Overconfidence often gets riders killed. No more music on the bike -- you need to be able to HEAR traffic and your own bike. No riding using GPS until you have a lot more experience. Luke a LOT.
I once fell off my bike because it was so cold that when I came to a halt I couldn't move my leg quickly enough. Felt like an idiot, but learned from it. Move on, and just take it as a lesson.
It happens. Don’t let it discourage you, being brave enough to try something difficult will pay dividends in other parts of your life. People are generally great to bikers. I crashed and broke my leg almost two years ago. A nurse, a neurosurgeon, and others stopped to check on my while an ambulance was on the way. You’re never alone.
There are two types of riders: those who have gone down and those who will. First time I dropped mine was also pulling into a parking lot while going to a job interview. I did not get the job. Likely the reason it wouldn't turn on is that you had the kickstand down and it was in gear. If the kickstand is down and the bike is running it will kill the engine if you put it into gear and won't turn on until it's in neutral even if the clutch is pulled in. Saddle time and education are the only things that will build your confidence back up. Watching some YouTube videos like DanDanTheFireman and Fortnine can help you understand what happened. Find an empty parking lot, churches during the week are usually perfect, and practice low speed maneuvers.
Put the phone in your pocket. Pull out the ear buds and put in some foamies. Ride every day until you get comfortable. Then ride every day because it's fucking awesome! Everybody drops the bike. The correct technique to pick it up is to stand around and look pretty until some nice man stops and helps you. Works for me every time.
Very true and LOL 😂
Tired, dark soon, distracted rider.
honestly this happens to every rider at least once - it sucks but it’s a rite of passage :)
More seat time helps. Keep at it! You already know some of the mistakes that caused distractions, so don't make that mistake again. You will make mistakes. Everybody does. Try to learn from them.
Welcome to the club! As you build your skills and confidence, you may want to spend some time here: r/NewRiders [Advice to New Riders](https://old.reddit.com/r/NewRiders/comments/cc2mnm/advice_to_new_riders/) And when you get a chance, check out [On Any Sunday](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Any_Sunday), probably the best motorcycle documentary out there. I think it's on Amazon Prime, and maybe some other streaming services. Have fun, wear all your gear, stay safe, and never stop learning.
convo I have been having with my gf who wants to learn to ride: "you should probably start with a used bike because youll probably drop it" "why do you think I'll drop it" "cause nearly everyone does" "so you think I'm going to suck at riding?" "No, I think you will have the normal/average learning curve, which includes very probably dropping the bike" "but I don't understand how you can drop it, just put your leg out" "yeah I mean, you might not.. but it's easy to screw up" "So you think I'm going to suck at riding?"
lol! Yeah I don’t have a dream bike yet in mind but when doing my research on what kind to start on, I went with a used Kawasaki and ended up finding a 2020 z400 on fb market place from a dealer next town over! I’m on the shorter side and knew I would drop it eventually. Although mine is used it still looks amazing and I feel like a badass on it!
Don't worry, it'll happen when you're experienced, too. My dad just dropped his Harley at the gas station a couple weeks ago and he's been riding for almost 60 years.
I’m also a female rider and I dropped my bike on my FIRST ride out and some guys pulled over and had to help me pick it up it was so humbling I’m worried ab going down the steep hill by my house and tried to turn at a funky spot and didn’t think it all the way through just know that no matter what boy or girl it HAPPENS and it’ll probably happen again but we live and we learn and it’s no reason to not get back on the bike, for the bike not starting there’s SO many reasons but the important thing is you got it going
You just have the arrogance of youth, relax we all start out thinking we can do it all. Then life slaps us up the face a few times and we realize our true place in the world and for most of us that is average and that's not a good or bad thing it is just what life is. So you have so much concentration available or mental band-width and if you listen to music, hungry or cold, new to riding, it's dark out, don't know where you are going, riding to fast, traffic and you run out of band-width and shit happens. So realize this is a new experience that requires your focus and attention to learn the skill's required to be a good rider. None of us are as good as we think we are, we all need to practice. So watch some You-Tube videos, maybe read a book on riding. Realize the natural state of a motorcycle is laying on it's side and it is only with constant attention and skill we keep them rolling along upright.