Newbie Motorcycle Riders

In this riding club I'm in, and the last riding club I was in, members have been cautious of people who were new to riding. Some treated them like they were the plague, as if they were scared of them.

The concern is that they don't feel comfortable riding in a group when there is a newbie rider.

I can understand the concern, but there are ways to deal with it. You put them in the back of the group, and you do a pre-ride meeting to go over the details.

Despite what many people say, just because someone is new to riding a motorcycle, doesn't always mean that person can't handle a motorcycle. While most newbies certainly have trouble navigating twisties, and are not used to group riding, there are some who seemingly have no trouble at all.

It's a case of "mind over matter".

Some people simply have the mental capacity to take on something new, master it very quickly, and adjust to their surroundings very quickly. I've seen this before with some riders. It only takes a few rides with the group, and they've mastered group riding. Everyone is born with a gift, and some people are born with a unique ability to understand motorcycling.

So when we finished up our ride to the Rock Inn last Saturday, Brian complimented me about my patience with some of the newbie riders that were with us. He was going nuts with their slow riding, or their constant questioning, "How far away are we?"

I just said, "Sometimes you never know how people will turn out."

That is, you might find someone who will turn out to be a really good riding buddy, or you might just find someone who will turn out to be a really good friend.