Stop with the excuses. "I don't have big parking lots." "I don't have time." Blah, blah....any excuse is a good excuse if you're weak enough to use it. linktr.ee/GregWidmar
Easiest way to think about it: Asphalt = black top Cement = hardens smooth like a sidewalk Concrete = cement with an aggregate added/cement with rocks added I believe that @Shannon Kopka is thinking of mortar when he is referring to concrete. Mortar is a combination of sand and cement to make an adhesive.
Great video. One drill I do in a parking lot is a simulation of moving out of the way when stopped at a light, pretending someone might ram into me. I make a full stop or partial stop in a parking spot, pretending I’m behind a car and then move out of the way sideways, as if I had to move next to the car in front. Its a great exercice where you have to move quickly, without panic, staying in control to start, swerve and stop.
Those white and blue belt braking drills are absolutely phenomenal. Started doing them and thought they were kind of a joke. First ride home from the parking lot practicing them and had to emergency brake to avoid hitting a car driver who left a driveway and preceded to cross 3 lanes at a 90° angle to make a left turn. I have noticed my braking in spirited riding has also gotten far smoother than it was before just from a few handy exercises in a parking lot.
Been practicing for 10 minutes twice a week for the last 12 months and made huge progress and increased recently to 15 minutes because I thought I was cheating with just 10 minutes. All in my drive way.
Excellent point about practicing before or after a ride. That is exactly what I do. I practice in my neighborhood before I go to ensure the bike and I are ready to respond. I practice when I get home, just because I think it's fun like a victory lap.
Cement: a binder used to glue things together (e.g. tiles on a wall or bricks to each other) or to make concrete. Concrete: a gray mix of cement and 60-70% aggregate (sand, etc.) used to make e.g. bricks, floors, driveways and heavy traffic pavements, lasts ~40 years. Asphalt: also a binder - black, semi-solid form of petroleum that when mixed with 90-95% aggregate (therefore low price) creates a substance that is often called "asphalt" but the proper name is "asphalt concrete" - in that form it's used on low traffic pavements, easy to install, good grip, lasts only ~15 years.
Asphalt also gets soft in the heat, so stick a crushed coke can under your kick stand on a hot day to distribute the weight a little bit or else it might sink into the asphalt and let your bike fall over if you leave it there for too long.
@@benpielstick Actually I found out the melting temperature of asphalt is one of its quality factors and good quality one shouldn't melt in the sun alone... but yeah, I saw it happen. When bad quality (cheaper) asphalt is used heavy trucks can make ruts on the road in as short as 2 years.
@@cprn. yeah, in the heat tractors will obliterate asphalt here in California where I'm at. Cement Mason myself so more familiar with concrete, but you were spot on.
Simple thing to practice once in a while is (being careful with traffic, of course), practicing swerving around manholes, random road marks, debris, while riding I do that when I'm bored and it's a useful way to use time on long straight roads
So I’m 37 .. my father had me riding at 12 .. (long story short) the first day on the dirt bike in the snow he had me doing slow speed feet on the pegs drills and starting and stopping until I was upset lol I didn’t understand it at the time but it was amazingly helpful as I learned and got older.. now on sport bikes I can not thank him enough for the time he put into me in the beginning.. and I still practice those things when ever I can .. it’s only benefiting myself
I just started riding my Yamaha XT250 4 weeks ago. I am taking the MSF course in a couple of weeks. I have been watching MotoJitsu like crazy + I attended a MSF class last weekend, both days, just to observe. That really helped too. I realized that I needed to polish up my turns - so I go out every day on my little Honda dirt bike and then the BIG BLUE YAM. Today I was able to do some decent turns and circles on the XT250. I am so jazzed. They don't freak me out anymore and I can keep my feet up on the pegs. Thank you, Greg, for your awesome videos!!
Great! Straight to the point. I do the same every time I ride, dodge imaginary obstacles or imperfections on the road and helps a lot!!! Great video as always.
I've used "shut up and practise" as my mantra since starting riding. Love the no excuses mentality you bring to your training, assuming you bring a fair bit of that from the marines. Keep up the great work Greg. Ps ; Love that you didn't edit out the moment at the 8:00 mark, human after all 😂 🤙
Great video again. I ride since 18 months ago in a daily basis, and I basically use the daily commuting rides to practice. If I practice just one thing everyday, it’s 300+ things after a year
I’m on Day 2 of the MSF course today, and am so appreciative of the resources you provide for beginners and how/what to practice. Thanks again for more great advice!
Well I had a super negative experience with the MSF here. Instructors were yelling at people, cursing, being very condescending. During my review at the end, they told me I was one of the best in the class, my skills were strong, and they were surprised I was new to riding. Then proceeded to tell me I got 12 points deducted, only 11 allowed, and I failed. New curriculum, WAY less room for error, and poorly maintained bikes. All in all though, I DID learn how to ride for the most part, built skills, and I’ll be going to my local DMV tomorrow to go through their testing process. Then it’s practice practice practice time.
@@MCmotoUSA That sucks!! I am going thru my MSF class here in Redmond, OR, in a couple of weeks. I decided to watch a course last weekend and the instructors were professional, friendly and very approachable. I think just about everyone passed but I didn't want to stay for that since I was only observing the class. I am surprised that people like what you experienced are allowed to teach the classes. Good luck to you passing the DMV -- I'll bet you did great!!
The great thing about the internet and media like RUclips is the fact that dude from Poland like me can randomly discover channel like this to help me start my motorcycle journey. No boundaries, no bullshit, great and meaningful content. Subscribed.
I tell my girlfriend all the time that I only need 15 minutes! Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I hope you get filthy rich doing what you love passionately..💯👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Hey there Fast Eddie! Been doing your drills and doing exactly this on my Vespa 150cc. I do have big parking lots since I live in Northern Virginia, but we get a lot of very dense fast traffic, so try to find quiet parts of the day. Getting much more confident. I had my class bike fall on me twice (luckily I was wearing my armor and fullon gear. Still hurt!) and I think I'm still healing from it -7/30. I'm still waiting for my Honda Rebel 500 to come in. Joined your Patreon. Your videos are like having private lessons! Thank you, Greg!
Re: Excuses. Someone who doesn't have that mentality ( I do, or used to ) doesn't understand why we're like that so their advice is usually critical such as "just stop it." For people who are like this, it can drive us back into our corner instead of drawing us out. It takes someone with that mentality to understand the cause and communicate it differently. You're waiting for the perfect scenario. It's not coming. Go now. You're waiting for a day that's not too hot, not too overcast, the roads aren't slightly damp, and all predictable flaws aren't present. You're waiting on "the perfect scenario." Not only is it not coming, but if it actually happened you wouldn't know what to do because you've now trained yourself to look for reasons to not go. You have to literally exhaust all of your "no" before it's time for "yes" and when it's finally "yes" you forgot what you were going to do, or you do it poorly. The solution, at least what worked for me, was overcoming that mentality by saying "the conditions will never be perfect, and SOME effort is still better than NO effort." It's like jumping out of an airplane. Go now. Stop standing in the door, just f'in jump already. Once you make that change in life, doors are opened in so many areas of life.
Fantastic assessment of inferior/superior state of mind! No excuses accepted! I’m a beginner at 68 years old. I live in the mountains of Wyoming surrounded by gravel roads for several miles. I have dropped the bike , slid into ditches, but I’m still going to get better. I ride 5-6 days a week and practice 15-20 minutes before or after each ride. Subscribed for my life’s journey! Aloha
This is excellent advise (IMHO). I practice swerving around potholes, manhole covers and tar snakes all the time. In one of the Live Q&As I complained about getting kicked out of a Church parking lot. Well, I've been moving around to different parking lots and it had unexpected benefit. Different parking lots can have different challenges: gravel or dirt drifts, uneven surfaces, or the whole parking lot inclined on a hillock. The challenges of these different places has raised my confidence a lot in different situations I've encountered during my MotoCamping trips.
I don't have big empty parking lots in my city, but I usually practice for a few minutes in some segment of a parking lot, making sure there are no cars nearby. I just need enough room for level 4 to 2 parking space. I also sometimes use a park under construction where I have a huge area to put my cones and spend more time on it. On the street, the first thing I do when leave my home is practice emergency braking, and while driving I try to put into practice some concepts, such as counter steering, throttle control, etc (only outside the city obviously, otherwise I focus on safety)
well not trying to defend anyone, but since i live in Athens at greece, the city has mostly bumpy small roads, overflowing with people walking everywhere uncontrollably. bloody city nevers 'sleeps' so it's kind of difficult. and of cource parking lots are out of the question. having said that i try my best to practise everytime i see an empty road. thanks for the video and the tips as always!
Well yeah, certainly not easy, but what if you can’t manage an emergency situation in your city conditions? I try to practice at least a few times on every ride in any condition. Even a 10 meter emergency brake. Take it every time you can. Just saved me yesterday when some girl hushed in front of a leaving cable car. She realized that she really could’ve get hurt by the cable car or me a few seconds later.
Hi Greg I got your booked for Christmas, I did exactly what you are saying, I couldn’t find an area. I have since asked a driving instructor who rides a Yamaha tracer and he has shown me a great spot. Tip for anybody, ask a driving instructor. Stay safe Mick D
Just got my ninja 650 (3rd bike) im still a white belt. But was practising my drills, then going down the road and my real life emergency braking situation came in front of me. Thanks a lot for the motivation to shut up and practise!
I practice emergency breaking when I’m leaving for work in the mornings and figure eights when I get to work in the parking lot in the morning and when I get off…. That way I do as u stated it gives me a few minutes in the morning and evening to do both… the rest is ride time where I do Excaclty what u stated… I’ll practice swerving at potholes and man covers… EVERY RIDE IS PRACTICE TO GET BETTER…
Love this, and it’s what I’ve done to get back into my bike after a couple of weeks of no riding. Love avoiding dinosaur, but never ever swerve for a squirrel! Risk to benefit it wrong, and the little critter will avoid you anyway. If you do hit it, physics of being straight on will be totally on your side and you will continue on fine. Hope you find my comment helpful. There is so much to learn, which is why I subscribed to your videos.
Well said my friend,,,"you have to accept and expect,,,then go ahead a try again till you get it" That's what practice it's all about. You'll get savvy on any surface.
Thanks again, Greg! ❤ This is just a brilliant way to practise - and to find new roads around the area, at the same time. 👍 This will be the thing for me, when I get my license! 😊 Can hardly wait to see where some of the roads around, lead to....✨️
I didn't see anyone else saying anything about the concrete vs cement vs asphalt thing: cement is the binder that holds the other stuff together - it's an ingredient, not a surface concrete is aggregate held together with cement. it's typically hard and stiff. sidewalks are a good example. asphalt is the black stuff. it's primarily coal ash, and has a significant amount of flex to it. it seems as firm as it does because of the solid ground underneath. I might be a bit off on some of the fine points, but that's the general idea.
Completed my MSF course last weekend and just got my endorsement on my license. Going for my first ride now and those 2 things you mentioned will be good for me to practice 😁
I'm in a similar situation as you, just completed my MSF a couple weeks ago and got my license a few days after that. I spent the first 100-200 miles I rode just riding around my neighborhood. I feel I learned a lot without the pressure of a car behind me or anything like that. Even found some small hills to practice not stalling out on a hill and not rolling back. As I got more and more comfortable I started venturing further and further into the neighborhood until finally I needed gas and had to get out of the neighborhood a little. Start slow and learn without the pressure of a 2,000 car trying to run you over at a red light
Definitely agree on most parts, though depending on where you live you have limits to how much you can do other than randomly riding about. Sometimes it's nice to dedicate the time to one thing at one location for longer "if possible", as it helps mitigate the risk of people complaining and traffic, which for my area can be tough being so close to the densely populated NJ NYC area. Luckily I live on a cul de sac but its still busy with neighbors and kids. The best practice as I commute to work during the nicer seasons is to ride a different route and practice with a plan on something different each time. =)
Love the videos! Cement is an ingredient in concrete. Sidewalks, driveways and some roads are always made of concrete and never just cement. Asphalt is made with petroleum (tar) instead of cement. Keep up the good work.
Funny that you posted this. Just yesterday a group of friends and myself practiced your drills for about 2hrs in a school parking lot. It was a blast and even some of the neighbors came over and watched.
Well said Greg. A musician goes through scales on a regular basis so he can play a complicated piece at a concert. He will never play the scales at the concert. He must practice the scales in order to play at the concert with excellence. Secondly, everyone lives near a school and on evenings and weekends. there are always a few empty stalls available for use.
Thanks. I found a quiet road and do figure 8th and circles and brakes for 10 to 15 min. I was not sure i was doing it well but i find it totally enough to be focused as it's not at all like street riding so it's quite tiring. This really helps
Haha its amazing you make this video, because I had the same parking lot issue and this was ultimately my solution: hit up a posh neighbourhood early in the morning, which is empty, and just go practice there. Or anywhere you get a clear empty road really. Most of the big parking lots here have security guards who shoo you off within 2 minutes
Man these are good advises for me. Specificially I´m afraid to drop my bike in when practicing in slow speed. As said in the video, that´s what crashbars and other bike protection are made for. I value to improve technique and skill, in all areas of MC-driving. I see it as a matter of improved safety by improving my skills as a driver . I should therefore accept the risk that I could drop the bike when practicing.
Thanks for the time suggestion; makes sense. Most all my rides are exploring like this. I have access to used tennis balls will cut some up for the drills, now that I have your app!
Wonderful! I am soooooo glad I found your channel - getting my new bike in two weeks and will be following your advice ----- Thank you MotoJitsu - safe riding Maf UK
Growing up, I was raised with my mum saying "whenever you ask a question you have to expect and accept a yes or no answer". Lol. That brought me back. 👍
Im taking my license, and my bike and full gear is ready. I can’t wait to get out and practice 😅 I found a lot and if they allow me to practice there, man it’s going to be so good 😛
I’m lucky The storage where I have my bike(down the road) has a little bit of room🥰 Last practice I was down there for an hour. I am a new beginner (new) 😅 I’m literally learning to ride a motorcycle. I took the msf and now I can learn on my bike. At the LOZ we are down a dangerous ride and I don’t feel comfortable going out of the lot yet. My husband is not much of a teacher(idk) so I am learning as much as I can on my own. Wish I had gotten my bike earlier this year, but it is what it is.
I have these problems too regarding space to practice, the South of the UK is really overcrowded and difficult to find parking lots that aren’t policed by cameras, i managed to find a train station car park where the security guards where ok about me using it but only weekends, so top tip about finding a quiet back street.I agree about the time allocated to practicing, I was setting out with the intention of 2-3 hours practicing but became tired quickly which led to mistakes plus I got bored quickly on my own. Also I have looked for crash bars for my Goldwing DCT Tour but keep drawing a blank anyone on here who can advise where I could find some would be great help
I'm going as we speak today in a huge industrial park to practice I've got a freind riding my bike to it why because I need to practice I bought a 1200 sportser and I've got to get on top of it instead of the bottom of it yall pray for me OK
I think most places in the USA have a lot of nice big empty roads, as well as parking lots. East coast cities I think are some of the hardest places to practice, and living in central London last year for me it was extremely hard to find anywhere. Roads there are narrow and traffic is always busy day or night. This is really good advice though, as there are always little opportunities for swerving around road markings, doing extra U turns, and practicing emergency breaking when nobody is behind you. It seems like this is also a good way to practice at higher speeds than you would get up to in a parking lot.
I was very afraid of dropping my bike but I really wanted to practice MJ's exercises. So what I did was buy a very cheap 2 bike with which I'm no longer afraid of dropping it and ruining it. 😊😊
Probably the best way to practice and get used to the grip (or lack of) and balance of the motorcycle, is practicing off-road. At least for me... Started off at young age with mountain-biking which helped a lot and now close to 49 yo I still love the unpaved less travelled roads.
Started riding again a couple of weeks ago, decided to try emergency breaking 20 to 0 in an empty neighborhood on my way to work, thought this will be cake, locked up my rear brake, and now I know I need to just go out and practice. I stopped fine but showed me I don't have as much control as I thought.
Thanks for the reminder I used to do this. I haven't ridden in years but I just got a bike again so this is getting added to 😊weekend morning Todo list
Swerving in the UK is a reality on every journey our roads are mostly holes, cracks and debri. Thanks again your advise and motivation should be made law
Yeah I’m in that second category. If I’m alone on a stretch of road I do emergency braking, Uturns, and swerving. Where I work have a fair enough parking space to do figure 8s. 👍🏿
Oh this is great 👍 I have a cow paddock and mostly dirt roads. I have to dodge cow an horse shit but I figure it'll only make me better. It can be overwhelming watching videos but I go out for a few minutes practice the slow stuff as I'm finding I'll concentrate so much on getting use to the new bike as a beginner i forget the important head checks, indicating etc. I felt bad but realised i do need to get comfortable with the bike before venturing too far and those things will follow.
I've no idea how utilities are laid out on roads in the states but in the UK there are a lot of drainage coverings which make for great swerve practice. Don't do it when it's wet tho as a new rider, there's no traction what so ever.
PEOPLE NEED TO STOP SAYING FIGURE 8s ARE STRICTLY FOR PRACTICE, there's no real world application! Not even 2 hours ago I went to fuel and had to to a figure 8 due to layout of cars & pumps. This station is TINY, but they've managed to squeeze in 4 2-sided pumps. I pulled in, hard hooked to the left around the pump on the far left corner, split the 2 pumps, and made a hard right to catch the pump I passed on the way in on the high side. A figure 8.
Bought my bike last week. First time out I realized my neighborhood is all hills. Lol. So I'm lucky enough to learn how not to stall 1st before anything else.
Every ride is practice. I'm fortunate that my commute has a few complex junctions, and even a very tight 90 degree corner I have to take both ways twice a day. I'm also in Bradford in the North of England, so both slow riding, and emergency braking due to drivers pulling out is pretty common. Only thing I'm missing is somewhere to do figure of eights and swerving. 😆
cement is wet concrete. you never ride on cement. concrete is light gray and the hardest surface you ride on. probably usually is more grippy than asphalt especially when wet. asphalt is black or dark gray and started as a black tar material. yes, like the tar pits. when you are talking about it on this video, i believe you are on asphalt. asphalt might be preferred for race tracks because it might be stickier. concrete is tougher and lasts a lot longer. you probably have a lot of concrete in socal as does most of the sunbelt. here in chicago we have a lot of asphalt because the ground heaves and moves so much between summer and winter.
That's how I leaned to ride before I took the riding course and continue to do around my neighborhood My neighbors use to come out and watch me with my cones
Bought my first bike last month. I go around my neighborhood for about 15 to 20 minutes every morning before work. More than that I start getting tired and stressed out.
In romania in order to obtain the license we have 3 exams, one is teoretical even if you have a license for cars allready than 2 practical tests, one in the city and the other one where you must do a series of manuvers like 6 tight figure 8 without touching the clutch, high speed swerve and also emergency braking, the ABS must kik in + a few other things, you are timed and fail if you take more than 3:30, if you miss a cone etc. The examinator is a cop.
LOL! I had a work mate, who said he could never learn guitar, because his fingers were too short. I said go check out Diango Reinhrdt, a Romani Gipsy living in France during the Nazi occupation who had 2 or 3 fingers missing from his fretting hand and is renowned as being the premier Gypsy Jazz guitarist of his time.
If you hear the sentence "I don't have big parking lots" from someone from Europe, they might be genuin. Here in my hometown in germany, I dont know any random parking lot that is open & empty at the same time. And our streets are not nearly as wide in low-traffic areas. Either you are on a street to busy or to narrow to pratice (sure, you can pratice braking on a narrow street, but no way to do figure 8s when the street is not wide enough for a car to pass you). It took me more than an hour on google maps to find a cul de sac in an industrial area that is wide & low traffic enough for me to practice. Still about one car or truck every 5-10 minutes. About the differences between cement, concrete and asphalt: Cement is a gray-ish powder. Mix it with water to create gray-ish concrete. Bitumen is a black liquid. Mix it with stones to create black asphalt. In short: Black surface: Asphalt. Gray surface: concrete
I only used maybe ten minutes for maybe couple weeks. In my driveway, I just practiced starting and stopping. When I got a little better I went to a parking lot at five am and there's barely anyone in them. I also started in my neighborhood and they were understanding with me learning. Thanks for all the patience ppl!!
Stop with the excuses. "I don't have big parking lots." "I don't have time." Blah, blah....any excuse is a good excuse if you're weak enough to use it. linktr.ee/GregWidmar
MotoJitsu what happened with the BMW C400X scooter? Did you sell it? If yes - why?
If theirs a school near you then theirs a parking lot that you pay taxes on.
Just make sure you have installed the loudest exhaust and remove your cat so everyone comes to the window and sees you lay it down
Not that you really care or expected a response, but black = asphalt (blacktop), grey = concrete (sidewalkes, etc.), cement = glue.
Easiest way to think about it:
Asphalt = black top
Cement = hardens smooth like a sidewalk
Concrete = cement with an aggregate added/cement with rocks added
I believe that @Shannon Kopka is thinking of mortar when he is referring to concrete. Mortar is a combination of sand and cement to make an adhesive.
Just bought my first bike at 47. Got a 2021 drz400sm. This channel has been a huge part of why I finally did it. Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿
Cheers from a fellow kiwi, its always great to get a new member to our brotherhood. See you out on the road. Regards, Kevin Brown.
@@kevinbrown7219 See, this is why Kiwi's are the most friendly and coolest people on the planet 🏆
44 here and I just bought my first one. 2022 Yamaha MT-07.
Kiwi here . Central NI… 52 years riding. Dont own a car :). Getting older, swapped out my Tiger for a CB900. Warmer weather here at long last.
Congrats on your first purchase! Ride safe brother!
Great video. One drill I do in a parking lot is a simulation of moving out of the way when stopped at a light, pretending someone might ram into me. I make a full stop or partial stop in a parking spot, pretending I’m behind a car and then move out of the way sideways, as if I had to move next to the car in front. Its a great exercice where you have to move quickly, without panic, staying in control to start, swerve and stop.
Those white and blue belt braking drills are absolutely phenomenal. Started doing them and thought they were kind of a joke. First ride home from the parking lot practicing them and had to emergency brake to avoid hitting a car driver who left a driveway and preceded to cross 3 lanes at a 90° angle to make a left turn. I have noticed my braking in spirited riding has also gotten far smoother than it was before just from a few handy exercises in a parking lot.
Been practicing for 10 minutes twice a week for the last 12 months and made huge progress and increased recently to 15 minutes because I thought I was cheating with just 10 minutes. All in my drive way.
You have a big drive way
Excellent point about practicing before or after a ride. That is exactly what I do. I practice in my neighborhood before I go to ensure the bike and I are ready to respond. I practice when I get home, just because I think it's fun like a victory lap.
Cement: a binder used to glue things together (e.g. tiles on a wall or bricks to each other) or to make concrete.
Concrete: a gray mix of cement and 60-70% aggregate (sand, etc.) used to make e.g. bricks, floors, driveways and heavy traffic pavements, lasts ~40 years.
Asphalt: also a binder - black, semi-solid form of petroleum that when mixed with 90-95% aggregate (therefore low price) creates a substance that is often called "asphalt" but the proper name is "asphalt concrete" - in that form it's used on low traffic pavements, easy to install, good grip, lasts only ~15 years.
Asphalt also gets soft in the heat, so stick a crushed coke can under your kick stand on a hot day to distribute the weight a little bit or else it might sink into the asphalt and let your bike fall over if you leave it there for too long.
@@benpielstick Actually I found out the melting temperature of asphalt is one of its quality factors and good quality one shouldn't melt in the sun alone... but yeah, I saw it happen. When bad quality (cheaper) asphalt is used heavy trucks can make ruts on the road in as short as 2 years.
@@cprn. yeah, in the heat tractors will obliterate asphalt here in California where I'm at. Cement Mason myself so more familiar with concrete, but you were spot on.
Simple thing to practice once in a while is (being careful with traffic, of course), practicing swerving around manholes, random road marks, debris, while riding
I do that when I'm bored and it's a useful way to use time on long straight roads
So I’m 37 .. my father had me riding at 12 .. (long story short) the first day on the dirt bike in the snow he had me doing slow speed feet on the pegs drills and starting and stopping until I was upset lol I didn’t understand it at the time but it was amazingly helpful as I learned and got older.. now on sport bikes I can not thank him enough for the time he put into me in the beginning.. and I still practice those things when ever I can .. it’s only benefiting myself
keep at it!!
instagram.com/motojitsuclub/
I just started riding my Yamaha XT250 4 weeks ago. I am taking the MSF course in a couple of weeks. I have been watching MotoJitsu like crazy + I attended a MSF class last weekend, both days, just to observe. That really helped too. I realized that I needed to polish up my turns - so I go out every day on my little Honda dirt bike and then the BIG BLUE YAM. Today I was able to do some decent turns and circles on the XT250. I am so jazzed. They don't freak me out anymore and I can keep my feet up on the pegs. Thank you, Greg, for your awesome videos!!
Great! Straight to the point. I do the same every time I ride, dodge imaginary obstacles or imperfections on the road and helps a lot!!! Great video as always.
I've used "shut up and practise" as my mantra since starting riding. Love the no excuses mentality you bring to your training, assuming you bring a fair bit of that from the marines. Keep up the great work Greg.
Ps ; Love that you didn't edit out the moment at the 8:00 mark, human after all 😂 🤙
Great video again. I ride since 18 months ago in a daily basis, and I basically use the daily commuting rides to practice. If I practice just one thing everyday, it’s 300+ things after a year
I’m on Day 2 of the MSF course today, and am so appreciative of the resources you provide for beginners and how/what to practice. Thanks again for more great advice!
Well I had a super negative experience with the MSF here. Instructors were yelling at people, cursing, being very condescending. During my review at the end, they told me I was one of the best in the class, my skills were strong, and they were surprised I was new to riding. Then proceeded to tell me I got 12 points deducted, only 11 allowed, and I failed. New curriculum, WAY less room for error, and poorly maintained bikes. All in all though, I DID learn how to ride for the most part, built skills, and I’ll be going to my local DMV tomorrow to go through their testing process. Then it’s practice practice practice time.
@@MCmotoUSA That sucks!! I am going thru my MSF class here in Redmond, OR, in a couple of weeks. I decided to watch a course last weekend and the instructors were professional, friendly and very approachable. I think just about everyone passed but I didn't want to stay for that since I was only observing the class. I am surprised that people like what you experienced are allowed to teach the classes. Good luck to you passing the DMV -- I'll bet you did great!!
@@maryh3438 Nearly our entire class failed, which I think is more a reflection of the instructors
The great thing about the internet and media like RUclips is the fact that dude from Poland like me can randomly discover channel like this to help me start my motorcycle journey. No boundaries, no bullshit, great and meaningful content. Subscribed.
I tell my girlfriend all the time that I only need 15 minutes!
Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I hope you get filthy rich doing what you love passionately..💯👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Hey there Fast Eddie! Been doing your drills and doing exactly this on my Vespa 150cc. I do have big parking lots since I live in Northern Virginia, but we get a lot of very dense fast traffic, so try to find quiet parts of the day. Getting much more confident. I had my class bike fall on me twice (luckily I was wearing my armor and fullon gear. Still hurt!) and I think I'm still healing from it -7/30. I'm still waiting for my Honda Rebel 500 to come in. Joined your Patreon. Your videos are like having private lessons! Thank you, Greg!
Re: Excuses. Someone who doesn't have that mentality ( I do, or used to ) doesn't understand why we're like that so their advice is usually critical such as "just stop it." For people who are like this, it can drive us back into our corner instead of drawing us out. It takes someone with that mentality to understand the cause and communicate it differently.
You're waiting for the perfect scenario. It's not coming. Go now.
You're waiting for a day that's not too hot, not too overcast, the roads aren't slightly damp, and all predictable flaws aren't present. You're waiting on "the perfect scenario." Not only is it not coming, but if it actually happened you wouldn't know what to do because you've now trained yourself to look for reasons to not go. You have to literally exhaust all of your "no" before it's time for "yes" and when it's finally "yes" you forgot what you were going to do, or you do it poorly.
The solution, at least what worked for me, was overcoming that mentality by saying "the conditions will never be perfect, and SOME effort is still better than NO effort." It's like jumping out of an airplane. Go now. Stop standing in the door, just f'in jump already. Once you make that change in life, doors are opened in so many areas of life.
Or don’t be a little bitch and go practice
Thanks. Just do it.
Am 70 years old and have started riding again have learned more from you and motorman .learned some many fine points from you
Fantastic assessment of inferior/superior state of mind! No excuses accepted! I’m a beginner at 68 years old. I live in the mountains of Wyoming surrounded by gravel roads for several miles. I have dropped the bike , slid into ditches, but I’m still going to get better. I ride 5-6 days a week and practice 15-20 minutes before or after each ride. Subscribed for my life’s journey! Aloha
Just wear that gear man! Enjoy riding. You will get better
Good on ya. I started at 56
This is excellent advise (IMHO). I practice swerving around potholes, manhole covers and tar snakes all the time. In one of the Live Q&As I complained about getting kicked out of a Church parking lot. Well, I've been moving around to different parking lots and it had unexpected benefit. Different parking lots can have different challenges: gravel or dirt drifts, uneven surfaces, or the whole parking lot inclined on a hillock. The challenges of these different places has raised my confidence a lot in different situations I've encountered during my MotoCamping trips.
I don't have big empty parking lots in my city, but I usually practice for a few minutes in some segment of a parking lot, making sure there are no cars nearby. I just need enough room for level 4 to 2 parking space. I also sometimes use a park under construction where I have a huge area to put my cones and spend more time on it. On the street, the first thing I do when leave my home is practice emergency braking, and while driving I try to put into practice some concepts, such as counter steering, throttle control, etc (only outside the city obviously, otherwise I focus on safety)
well not trying to defend anyone, but since i live in Athens at greece, the city has mostly bumpy small roads, overflowing with people walking everywhere uncontrollably. bloody city nevers 'sleeps' so it's kind of difficult. and of cource parking lots are out of the question. having said that i try my best to practise everytime i see an empty road.
thanks for the video and the tips as always!
Well yeah, certainly not easy, but what if you can’t manage an emergency situation in your city conditions? I try to practice at least a few times on every ride in any condition. Even a 10 meter emergency brake. Take it every time you can. Just saved me yesterday when some girl hushed in front of a leaving cable car. She realized that she really could’ve get hurt by the cable car or me a few seconds later.
Riding in a busy city IS the practice ahaha
Hi Greg I got your booked for Christmas, I did exactly what you are saying, I couldn’t find an area. I have since asked a driving instructor who rides a Yamaha tracer and he has shown me a great spot. Tip for anybody, ask a driving instructor. Stay safe Mick D
Just got my ninja 650 (3rd bike) im still a white belt. But was practising my drills, then going down the road and my real life emergency braking situation came in front of me. Thanks a lot for the motivation to shut up and practise!
Keep at it!!!!!!
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I practice emergency breaking when I’m leaving for work in the mornings and figure eights when I get to work in the parking lot in the morning and when I get off…. That way I do as u stated it gives me a few minutes in the morning and evening to do both… the rest is ride time where I do Excaclty what u stated… I’ll practice swerving at potholes and man covers… EVERY RIDE IS PRACTICE TO GET BETTER…
Love this, and it’s what I’ve done to get back into my bike after a couple of weeks of no riding. Love avoiding dinosaur, but never ever swerve for a squirrel! Risk to benefit it wrong, and the little critter will avoid you anyway. If you do hit it, physics of being straight on will be totally on your side and you will continue on fine. Hope you find my comment helpful. There is so much to learn, which is why I subscribed to your videos.
Dude, huge respect! Your videos are just fantastic!
Well said my friend,,,"you have to accept and expect,,,then go ahead a try again till you get it" That's what practice it's all about. You'll get savvy on any surface.
This is such an awesome channel. I'm a beginner rider and all these topics are very helpful. Thank you!!
Just took my first msf course . Thank you for the tips and all of these videos , they're incredible.
Great video FAST EDDIE! Keep up the great content! Had a friend tell me I was dumb for practicing your drills! Now I practice them more!
Thanks again, Greg! ❤ This is just a brilliant way to practise - and to find new roads around the area, at the same time. 👍
This will be the thing for me, when I get my license! 😊 Can hardly wait to see where some of the roads around, lead to....✨️
I didn't see anyone else saying anything about the concrete vs cement vs asphalt thing:
cement is the binder that holds the other stuff together - it's an ingredient, not a surface
concrete is aggregate held together with cement. it's typically hard and stiff. sidewalks are a good example.
asphalt is the black stuff. it's primarily coal ash, and has a significant amount of flex to it. it seems as firm as it does because of the solid ground underneath.
I might be a bit off on some of the fine points, but that's the general idea.
Completed my MSF course last weekend and just got my endorsement on my license.
Going for my first ride now and those 2 things you mentioned will be good for me to practice 😁
I'm in a similar situation as you, just completed my MSF a couple weeks ago and got my license a few days after that. I spent the first 100-200 miles I rode just riding around my neighborhood. I feel I learned a lot without the pressure of a car behind me or anything like that. Even found some small hills to practice not stalling out on a hill and not rolling back. As I got more and more comfortable I started venturing further and further into the neighborhood until finally I needed gas and had to get out of the neighborhood a little. Start slow and learn without the pressure of a 2,000 car trying to run you over at a red light
I ended up on a small airport frontage road. My husband was leading me around. Had lots of fun on the curves. Can’t wait to go out again 😁
Definitely agree on most parts, though depending on where you live you have limits to how much you can do other than randomly riding about. Sometimes it's nice to dedicate the time to one thing at one location for longer "if possible", as it helps mitigate the risk of people complaining and traffic, which for my area can be tough being so close to the densely populated NJ NYC area. Luckily I live on a cul de sac but its still busy with neighbors and kids. The best practice as I commute to work during the nicer seasons is to ride a different route and practice with a plan on something different each time. =)
Love the videos! Cement is an ingredient in concrete. Sidewalks, driveways and some roads are always made of concrete and never just cement. Asphalt is made with petroleum (tar) instead of cement. Keep up the good work.
Funny that you posted this. Just yesterday a group of friends and myself practiced your drills for about 2hrs in a school parking lot. It was a blast and even some of the neighbors came over and watched.
Thank you this is extremely helpful!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Well said Greg. A musician goes through scales on a regular basis so he can play a complicated piece at a concert. He will never play the scales at the concert. He must practice the scales in order to play at the concert with excellence. Secondly, everyone lives near a school and on evenings and weekends. there are always a few empty stalls available for use.
Thanks. I found a quiet road and do figure 8th and circles and brakes for 10 to 15 min. I was not sure i was doing it well but i find it totally enough to be focused as it's not at all like street riding so it's quite tiring. This really helps
Haha its amazing you make this video, because I had the same parking lot issue and this was ultimately my solution: hit up a posh neighbourhood early in the morning, which is empty, and just go practice there. Or anywhere you get a clear empty road really. Most of the big parking lots here have security guards who shoo you off within 2 minutes
Man these are good advises for me. Specificially I´m afraid to drop my bike in when practicing in slow speed. As said in the video, that´s what crashbars and other bike protection are made for. I value to improve technique and skill, in all areas of MC-driving. I see it as a matter of improved safety by improving my skills as a driver . I should therefore accept the risk that I could drop the bike when practicing.
THANK YOU,EXTREMELY USEFUL TIPS .ILOVE THE US STREETS WHERE YOU ARE RIDING..LOVE YOU AND YOU PASSION TO TEACH US
Best place ive found to practice is find the largest and nearest church. If its not time for sunday service, usually the lot is a ghost town.
Thanks for the time suggestion; makes sense.
Most all my rides are exploring like this. I have access to used tennis balls will cut some up for the drills, now that I have your app!
Wonderful! I am soooooo glad I found your channel - getting my new bike in two weeks and will be following your advice ----- Thank you MotoJitsu - safe riding Maf UK
Growing up, I was raised with my mum saying "whenever you ask a question you have to expect and accept a yes or no answer". Lol. That brought me back. 👍
I practice behind a movie theater parking lot, every city has one I believe, and during COVID restrictions some theater's did not open back up.
Thanks for this vid! Sometimes thing that are kinda obvious are have to be said to click in head of a listener, and you did it!
Im taking my license, and my bike and full gear is ready. I can’t wait to get out and practice 😅 I found a lot and if they allow me to practice there, man it’s going to be so good 😛
I’m lucky
The storage where I have my bike(down the road) has a little bit of room🥰 Last practice I was down there for an hour. I am a new beginner (new) 😅 I’m literally learning to ride a motorcycle. I took the msf and now I can learn on my bike. At the LOZ we are down a dangerous ride and I don’t feel comfortable going out of the lot yet. My husband is not much of a teacher(idk) so I am learning as much as I can on my own. Wish I had gotten my bike earlier this year, but it is what it is.
If I ever get out to San Diego on my bike I will look you up. Hopefully go for a ride and say thank you for all you have taught me.
let me know :)
instagram.com/motojitsuclub/
I have these problems too regarding space to practice, the South of the UK is really overcrowded and difficult to find parking lots that aren’t policed by cameras, i managed to find a train station car park where the security guards where ok about me using it but only weekends, so top tip about finding a quiet back street.I agree about the time allocated to practicing, I was setting out with the intention of 2-3 hours practicing but became tired quickly which led to mistakes plus I got bored quickly on my own.
Also I have looked for crash bars for my Goldwing DCT Tour but keep drawing a blank anyone on here who can advise where I could find some would be great help
oi mate!! you got a loicense to practice?
I'm going as we speak today in a huge industrial park to practice I've got a freind riding my bike to it why because I need to practice I bought a 1200 sportser and I've got to get on top of it instead of the bottom of it yall pray for me OK
U got this.
one of your best! Never thought of this. Always thought you had to go to the parking lot for an hour. Thanks
I think most places in the USA have a lot of nice big empty roads, as well as parking lots. East coast cities I think are some of the hardest places to practice, and living in central London last year for me it was extremely hard to find anywhere. Roads there are narrow and traffic is always busy day or night. This is really good advice though, as there are always little opportunities for swerving around road markings, doing extra U turns, and practicing emergency breaking when nobody is behind you. It seems like this is also a good way to practice at higher speeds than you would get up to in a parking lot.
I was very afraid of dropping my bike but I really wanted to practice MJ's exercises. So what I did was buy a very cheap 2 bike with which I'm no longer afraid of dropping it and ruining it. 😊😊
Ps. Now i practice with my main bike. 👌👌
Probably the best way to practice and get used to the grip (or lack of) and balance of the motorcycle, is practicing off-road. At least for me... Started off at young age with mountain-biking which helped a lot and now close to 49 yo I still love the unpaved less travelled roads.
Started riding again a couple of weeks ago, decided to try emergency breaking 20 to 0 in an empty neighborhood on my way to work, thought this will be cake, locked up my rear brake, and now I know I need to just go out and practice. I stopped fine but showed me I don't have as much control as I thought.
Thanks for the reminder I used to do this. I haven't ridden in years but I just got a bike again so this is getting added to 😊weekend morning Todo list
Love the content, and I can't wait for some track day footage with that badass suzuki! Zuke nation!
Excellent! This video and it’s content impacts me for the better, big time. Thanks, Greg.
Great suggestions and mindset. Critical skills getting enhanced and refreshed every outing. Thanks!!!
I find it hard to believe that anyone in America can't find a big parking lot.
Swerving in the UK is a reality on every journey our roads are mostly holes, cracks and debri. Thanks again your advise and motivation should be made law
Yeah I’m in that second category. If I’m alone on a stretch of road I do emergency braking, Uturns, and swerving. Where I work have a fair enough parking space to do figure 8s. 👍🏿
Dude that is what I do. my street is not to busy and I go to other places like you and do just what your doing... No parkin Lot
Started to go office righ now by bike.. day by day you improve it.
Oh this is great 👍
I have a cow paddock and mostly dirt roads.
I have to dodge cow an horse shit but I figure it'll only make me better. It can be overwhelming watching videos but I go out for a few minutes practice the slow stuff as I'm finding I'll concentrate so much on getting use to the new bike as a beginner i forget the important head checks, indicating etc. I felt bad but realised i do need to get comfortable with the bike before venturing too far and those things will follow.
I’ve enjoyed many of you’re videos, this really connected… thanks
I've no idea how utilities are laid out on roads in the states but in the UK there are a lot of drainage coverings which make for great swerve practice. Don't do it when it's wet tho as a new rider, there's no traction what so ever.
Good advice using side streets/culdesac, could use a church parking lot or city parks.
As a music teacher, YES. Accept mistakes and embrace them because they make you better.
PEOPLE NEED TO STOP SAYING FIGURE 8s ARE STRICTLY FOR PRACTICE, there's no real world application!
Not even 2 hours ago I went to fuel and had to to a figure 8 due to layout of cars & pumps. This station is TINY, but they've managed to squeeze in 4 2-sided pumps.
I pulled in, hard hooked to the left around the pump on the far left corner, split the 2 pumps, and made a hard right to catch the pump I passed on the way in on the high side.
A figure 8.
Bought my bike last week. First time out I realized my neighborhood is all hills. Lol. So I'm lucky enough to learn how not to stall 1st before anything else.
Every ride is practice.
I'm fortunate that my commute has a few complex junctions, and even a very tight 90 degree corner I have to take both ways twice a day. I'm also in Bradford in the North of England, so both slow riding, and emergency braking due to drivers pulling out is pretty common. Only thing I'm missing is somewhere to do figure of eights and swerving. 😆
:)
instagram.com/motojitsuclub/
Awesome tips Greg. Extremely helpful. I am a new rider and following your videos. You are doing a Great job. Thanks a lot ❤
cement is wet concrete. you never ride on cement. concrete is light gray and the hardest surface you ride on. probably usually is more grippy than asphalt especially when wet. asphalt is black or dark gray and started as a black tar material. yes, like the tar pits. when you are talking about it on this video, i believe you are on asphalt. asphalt might be preferred for race tracks because it might be stickier. concrete is tougher and lasts a lot longer. you probably have a lot of concrete in socal as does most of the sunbelt. here in chicago we have a lot of asphalt because the ground heaves and moves so much between summer and winter.
That's how I leaned to ride before I took the riding course and continue to do around my neighborhood
My neighbors use to come out and watch me with my cones
Bought my first bike last month. I go around my neighborhood for about 15 to 20 minutes every morning before work. More than that I start getting tired and stressed out.
nice!
instagram.com/motojitsuclub/
Thanks for all you do, great videos
Thank you! Great advice as usual. Greetings from Bulgaria :)
Great instructor for sure thanks for the help!!!!!!
☆ Asphalt(small rock+tar)/pavement(crushed rock+tar): black, normally what roads are made of.
Concrete/cement: Gray, sidewalks
Thanks for the great content! Love your videos
I have a few parking lots, I also have 30° weather. Anytime it's 45° Or above I do a little ride.
In romania in order to obtain the license we have 3 exams, one is teoretical even if you have a license for cars allready than 2 practical tests, one in the city and the other one where you must do a series of manuvers like 6 tight figure 8 without touching the clutch, high speed swerve and also emergency braking, the ABS must kik in + a few other things, you are timed and fail if you take more than 3:30, if you miss a cone etc. The examinator is a cop.
I like to putt around town on side streets and practice not dropping riding side streets
Awesome! Such basic and effective advice.
Barney style. Asphault is black, concrete is grey, cemenet is a building.
LOL! I had a work mate, who said he could never learn guitar, because his fingers were too short. I said go check out Diango Reinhrdt, a Romani Gipsy living in France during the Nazi occupation who had 2 or 3 fingers missing from his fretting hand and is renowned as being the premier Gypsy Jazz guitarist of his time.
If you hear the sentence "I don't have big parking lots" from someone from Europe, they might be genuin. Here in my hometown in germany, I dont know any random parking lot that is open & empty at the same time. And our streets are not nearly as wide in low-traffic areas. Either you are on a street to busy or to narrow to pratice (sure, you can pratice braking on a narrow street, but no way to do figure 8s when the street is not wide enough for a car to pass you).
It took me more than an hour on google maps to find a cul de sac in an industrial area that is wide & low traffic enough for me to practice. Still about one car or truck every 5-10 minutes.
About the differences between cement, concrete and asphalt:
Cement is a gray-ish powder. Mix it with water to create gray-ish concrete.
Bitumen is a black liquid. Mix it with stones to create black asphalt.
In short: Black surface: Asphalt. Gray surface: concrete
@@maalikserebryakov It is illegal here to drive motorized vehicles into woods without authorization of the forester.
It's more difficult to find big open spaces here in the UK. All the space is used more efficiently
Incremental training helps if you're afraid of dropping your bike.
perfect video, i always practice like this and i will definitely do it even more now, thank you !!
I only used maybe ten minutes for maybe couple weeks. In my driveway, I just practiced starting and stopping. When I got a little better I went to a parking lot at five am and there's barely anyone in them. I also started in my neighborhood and they were understanding with me learning. Thanks for all the patience ppl!!
yup
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“It’s one of those V4S. It’s one of those cool ones.” 😄🌟👍 Thanks for the great tips! 🌟😊❤️
Hey Greg, always a thrill watching your techniques. I'm preparing my KLR to hit the exercises. Let you know how I'm doing 👍
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Excellent ideas for training! 😎👍