Hi everyone! A week ago my husband bought me a Harley Sportster 883L.  I have never ridden (except on the back of his Harley) but really wanted my own bike. I want to experience the wind on my face and bugs in my teeth!  I took my Harely to a parking lot for a couple of hours and was shocked by how nervous I was....and it was a little harder to control than what I thought it would be. I took the motorcycle saftey course this last weekend and gained some confidence but lets face it those are 250's and I am on an 883.  I am a little scared and that makes me angry! Any tips for getting over my fear?  My husband makes riding the bike look so easy and he has amazing skill. He has patience with me but I also know I need to push myself.  I  realize confidence is everything!

Welcome to CycleFish and Congrats on the New Bike and Your Independence!

Glad to hear that you DID take the motorcycle safety course. Now you just need to keep building on that confidence through experience. Spend lots of time riding in controlled areas where there is virtually no traffic and slowly work you way out to the real roads.

Have Fun & Be Safe!!!!

"Knowledge and Skill" are everything, the Confidence will come from that. By knowledge I don't mean how much horse power or how fast she will go, or the size of your tires. I mean learn YOUR bike. Take her to a parking lot (preferably empty) don't worry about anybody else there, they are not concerned with your bike keeping you alive. Understand that she is only going to do what you make her do. Teach yourself to ride slow, the slower the better (crawl) this takes most balance. learn to ride in circles both ways, start big and work yourself into the tightest circles you can without putting your feet down. And here comes the most important thing you can do -- HAVE FUN.
Remember you will never see a motorcycle in front of a shrinks office, unless of coarse its theirs.

I am in the same boat as you! I just took the course, passed, and now I need to get over the intimidation factor of owning a much larger bike than the one I learned on. I posted on the lady biker's thread and got some great responses from a bunch of the guys here. My bf has been riding for years and years and he's all about getting me out every day to practice. Also the MSP here has a class for beyond basic riding skills and it's taught on your own bike. Maybe they have something similar in your area. It's worth checking out. I have a call in to get more info.

Hello from still very cold Iowa. Enjoy your bike, relax and ride safe.