besides the obvious mistake of buying the fastest bike on the planet as a first bike, taking lessons from a friend is another bad mistake. 90+% of motorcycle deaths are people who are self taught or taught by family/friends.
take a
Motorcycle Safety Foundation class ASAP.
Busa is my first bike. As long as you are strong enough to hold the sucker up you should be ok. I am 5'10 and pretty strong so this wasnt an issue for me. I see a lot of people drop their busas in the first few months.
If you are aware that the throttle is very sensitive you shouldnt have any wheelie mishaps. LOL. You really should take the MSF class. Lots of men in my class had been riding for many years and walked out amazed at what they didnt know.
I rode in the neighborhood for about a week to get used to the throttle. This is a good idea. But it will never prepare you for traffic. That is something you must just get out an do.
What I did was have a friend meet me super early on a Sunday morning and we rode thru town. Getting use to the traffic light and stop and go and the feel of cars next to you is important. A friend can help you switch lanes by holding the traffic back a little until you are comfortable. Do this a few times and you should be good to go.
It is totally true that cars just dont see you. Most dont even look. I got pushed out of a lane twice last week by tourists and an old lady. But I live in Orlando. If something like this happens, just stay calm and remember what you learned. You should be ok.
The more you ride the quicker you will understand the bike and feel comfortable on it. I ride atleast 3 days a week and within a few months I am very comfortable with the bike. Just take your time. Dont let your friends push you too far too fast. Know your limits.
We had a girl go down on a long ride because she had only been riding a week but she wanted to ride to Cocoa Beach with the group. 2 hr ride in 100 deg weather to sit at the beach and then another 2 hr ride home in the dark...just a bad idea. Her friends told her not to go but she wanted to go and refused to listen to the 5 experienced riders and showed up with her one friend that told her it was ok. She missed a turn going 50ish off an interstate ramp. There were 60+ bikes riding that day. Had the rest of us known she was new we prob would have sent her back home and offered to take her out some more around town to learn.
Just be safe and be aware. Read the current thread about our friend that passed recently. We can never know what is on the roads in front of us no matter how hard we try.
some good advise i got when i bought my first street bike was to ride like i was invisible to other cars, even if they see you they may not care, and to pay attention to the front tires on the cars around you, where ever they are pointed is where that car is going. also anticipate cars pulling out in front of you. good luck 03cobraT and wuggzwest. stay safe.
