Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hi everyone! I came across this website last week & thought it was pretty awesome, so am glad to now be registered!

As u can tell i'm a noobie, & so far i've had about 5 lessons (from my hubby) so far, & i am hoping to go for my L's soon, but i just wanted to know if anyone has any advice for what i should be practising, to help me in my course?

To give u a bit of background info, i've driven a manual car for almost 10 yrs, & have picked up biking kinda easy, although its kind of hard for me cos i'm a shorty (159cm short, lol) & i'm currently learning on a Yamaha XT (83 model), & its a clunker! We live across from the bush, so just a short ride across the road to a dirt trail, which is VERY handy! So far, in my first couple of lessons i pretty much rode around in a large circle/oval, just getting the hang of the controls & the friction point, & in my last few lessons i've been practising going slow as i can, & also a bit faster, but haven't gotten to 2nd gear yet, i'm just taking it easy & trying to get the hang of slow control. Yesterday i had my 5th lesson, & we went further up the trail & found a dead end & some bitumen road with a long & wide grassy strip next to it, so i was doing laps & figure-of-eights on the grass & road, & i was also practising doing u-turns as slow as i could, on the road (at road width), & i mostly got the hang of it.
So yeah, other than that stuff, is there anything extra i should be practising? I am all ears people, thanx in advance!

Hi snakeyes and welcome!

I'd say book that L's in asap. The course is designed to take people who have never touched a bike and get them road-legal. You've already got plenty of skills, and the instructors at the l's course will help you to put good habits in place and teach you about roadcraft. Then go practice what they teach you on the road.

A couple of habits which are important to get down early on are things like:

-check to see if you're arms are relaxed, if not give them the chicken flap, and have a smile inside your helmet to help relax your body.

-keep your head/eyes/vision up.

Hello - sounds like you are ready for the L's - you'll kill it and pass with flying colours. Good luck !!

thanx 4 ur welcome & quick reply! & lol about the chicken wing flap! In my first couple of lessons i was so scared of falling off the bike that i gripped the handles SOOO hard, that i had sore hands for a week after! Although i have dropped the bike a few times (on dirt, luckily) so thats kind of moot anyways. But i dont need to worry about the smiling bit, i always have a huge grin every time i go for a ride!

Wow, i didn't think i was ready yet to go for my L's straight away, but from what you've said, it sounds like i AM ready, OMG i'm EXTRA excited now!

& i will take ur advise about looking up with head & eyes, i haven't really done that much as i've been concentrating on the road in front of me but i know i shouldn't do that!

Thanx again, i guess if i go for my L's asap, i should get the bike fixed properly so it can pass the blueslip, etc, as i said, its a clunker, & i think it has some kind of oil leak, & also it doesnt have a front brake lever at the moment (hubby dropped it & it snapped off, i'm glad i didn't do it, lol), which has made it harder for me, but also makes me practise the friction point alot more, so yeah, needs fixing 1st, but otherwise, fingers crossed for me then!

Hi & welcome to KSRC, good luck with getting the bike sorted & doing the course

Welcome to KSRC and good luck with the L's

thanx Rach & Robracer, i am nervous about doing the course, i just want to pass so i can get to riding already, lol. But the vote of confidence DOES help, so thanx!

Welcome - and as others have said you'll be fine for the course.
They give you every possibility of passing and getting your L's - short of crashing the bike you'll get through.
They'll give you plenty of help, practice and advice.
As has been said they structure it for people who have no prior experience at all - so your hubby's put you in good stead giving you some dirt riding practice.
Go for it.
ty

Welcome aboard and good luck with the L's

They give you every possibility of passing and getting your L's - short of crashing the bike you'll get through.

I dropped the bike twice at the ls course and still passed.

as has been said, it is designed for those who have never touched a bike, they do theory, ahen teach all of the basics of moving the bike around and balancing before you even get to start the engine.

thanx everyone! & thanx 4 that info Corvus, i was going to say, knowing my luck, i would probably drop the bike from sheer nerves, lol! But i'm glad that they at least give you a chance even if ur nervous!

Good luck with the 'L's.

I'm going for my open licence soon.

I might just add to that comment about dropping the bike at the course.

I think the only reason I passed is because i was able to identify the cause of my dropping the bike, there was another person who had dropped a few times and couldnt understand why who was asked to come back. but if you listen when things are explained, you should have no problems passing.

good luck, and have fun.

G'day and welcome to KSRC...

You'll be fine on the day... I went to get my L's and had never ridden a motorbike ever !!!
I had driven a manual car like 10 years ago... but they give you all the practice possible on
the day...
What's the worst that can happen ??? I dropped the bike on my first day and still passed...
Just relax, besides if all else fails and you have to do it again... at least you have the experience
and you know what to expect for next time...I seriously wasn't expecting to pass at all.
I didn't have a bike to practice on beforehand...
So at least you have that advantage...

We only got to put it in 2nd gear on the 2nd day... you can't really do much more than that, because
you're in a confined space...
Just go and take in as much as you can ... Enjoy noobie...
It's the best thing in the world...

Andy

I concur with everyone else.
I did not have a bike before I went for my L's or P's, I dropped their CB250 while practicing emergency braking in a corner (not a requirement for my licence) and still managed to get the best score for the day.
Apparently my score was good enough to become an instructor, which concerns me about the instructors in Australia!
You should be fine.
You will possibly have a few butterflies (I always get them a little bit before any test) but the fact you have had lessons tells me you will probably beat my score of 17.