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I know this is an older post, but I've found the following Advice to New Riders to be quite helpful:

Motorcycling can be a lifelong passion, but you have to be smart about it and remain ever vigilant.

The training mentioned is mostly US-based, but there are similar courses around the world, and most of the books/videos will apply no matter which side of the road you happen to ride on.

My best advice for newer riders: understand that motorcycling is a skill, and focused training and proper practice can make you a better, smoother, safer rider.

Experienced riders understand the Fundamental Truth of riding: Motorcycles aren't inherently dangerous (despite what naysayers will repeat ad nauseam), but they are quite unforgiving of mistakes.

Every rider has to know their own skill level (regardless of the bike they're riding), but it's sometimes hard to know just where that skill level is. And even harder to learn how to raise that skill level without putting yourself and others at serious risk.

As a kid, you didn't just jump on a bicycle and head directly into heavy traffic, did you? I imagine you were given a small starter bicycle, maybe with training wheels, and you rode around the driveway or backyard until you got better at balancing, steering, and stopping. Then the training wheels came off, and you graduated to bigger bicycles as your skills grew.

Motorcycling is much the same. Start small, build your skills and your confidence, then progress as your time, experience, and budget allows. Most of that has to be done on the bike, of course, but there are several good resources that you can use during the down time to help improve your understanding of motorcycle physics and best practices.

It bears repeating that ATGATT should be your normal mode right from the beginning. This brings us to another Fundamental Truth about riding: Pavement hurts, but with the right gear, you can walk away relatively unscathed.

But it's better not to crash, obviously, which is where the skills training comes in.

Focused, professional training from a qualified instructor is always worth your time and effort. Having a skilled professional trainer watch you from outside and critique your style is invaluable in reaching that next skill level, and in building confidence.

Even after 4 decades and around 600,000 miles on two wheels, I still take regular training courses and track days, still read up on riding skills and accident avoidance, and still "practice" on every single ride. It's what keeps you safe out there.

The MSF offers their Basic Rider Course and Advanced Rider Course, which are well worth the small time and money commitments. Some riders might already be at that point, or beyond, so they'd be looking towards developing more advanced riding skills, as mentioned below.

Riders of any skill level can start with reading things like Twist of the Wrist I & II by Keith Code, Smooth Riding - the Pridmore Way by Reg Pridmore, and Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well, More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride, & Street Rider's Guide: Street Strategies for Motorcyclists by David Hough.

Many of the ideas and techniques explained above can be practiced locally. Just find a large empty parking lot if you're in the city, or a lonely side road if you're out in the country, and try to recreate what the books are telling you.

And if you're interested in doing much longer rides, you should read Don Arthur's excellent Fatigue and Motorcycle Touring, which I re-read before every extended multi-day ride.

Then continue with the Twist of the Wrist I & II videos (can also be found on YouTube).

And don't forget some helpful websites, such as The Pace, Pace Yourself, The Fine Art of Braking, and TrackDoD Novice Group Orientation.

That will set you up for a skills-based track day such as Ride Smart, where the point isn't to "win" or to "put a knee down" but rather to expand your riding skill set by practicing all the above ideas in a safe and controlled environment, with immediate feedback from qualified instructors.

You can also look at instructor-based training, such as Lee Parks Total Control program. And there are a few other places that offer one-on-one training as well.

Skills-based track days and private training can be found all over the country, if only you search for such things.

That should keep you busy for a while.

And remember to enjoy the ride...

Congrats on taking your first steps to a lifetime of riding passion!

You're right to be nervous, because there's a lot that can go wrong in traffic. Nervous keeps you aware, which keeps you alive. With time and focused practice, your awareness and skills and confidence will all improve dramatically, and fun will start to overtake fear as your primary emotion while riding.

Below is my standard response for newer riders, to help build skills and confidence as you embark on an amazing adventure:

Advice to New Riders

Motorcycling can be a lifelong passion, but you have to be smart about it and remain ever vigilant.

The training mentioned below is mostly US-based, but there are similar courses around the world, and most of the books/videos will apply no matter which side of the road you happen to ride on.

My best advice for newer riders: understand that motorcycling is a skill, and focused training and proper practice can make you a better, smoother, safer rider.

Experienced riders understand the Fundamental Truth of riding: Motorcycles aren't automatically dangerous (despite what naysayers will repeat ad nauseam), but they are quite unforgiving of mistakes.

Every rider has to know their own skill level (regardless of the bike they're riding), but it's sometimes hard to know just where that skill level is. And even harder to learn how to raise that skill level without putting yourself and others at serious risk.

As a kid, you didn't just jump on a bicycle and head directly out into the busy street, did you? I imagine you were given a small starter bicycle, maybe with training wheels, and you rode around the driveway or backyard until you got better at balancing, steering, and stopping. Then the training wheels came off, and you graduated to bigger bicycles as your skills grew.

Motorcycling is much the same. Start small, build your skills and your confidence, then progress as your time, experience, and budget allows. Most of that has to be done on the bike, of course, but there are several good resources that you can use during the down time to help improve your understanding of motorcycle physics and best riding practices.

And when you are riding, your entire attention should be focused on the ride. No distractions, no stressing about work or family or relationships or life. And no riding impaired under any substance, legal, illegal, or otherwise. You have to focus 100% of your energy on the road. Remember, your #1 goal is to make it safely to your destination, no matter what the road throws at you.

Side note: When you're out on the road, legal Right of Way means nothing if it means that you get hit by some idiot who's not paying attention. Being legally right is for courtrooms afterwards, whereas simply recognizing and avoiding the dangerous situation before it happens is a much better way of staying safe.

It bears repeating that ATGATT should be your normal mode right from the beginning. This brings us to another Fundamental Truth about riding: Pavement hurts, but with the right gear, you can walk away relatively unscathed. Remember, it's much easier to repair/replace a broken motorcycle than a broken person...

But it's better not to crash, obviously, which is where skills training comes in.

Focused, professional training from a qualified instructor is always worth your time and effort. Having a skilled professional trainer watch you from outside and critique your style is invaluable in reaching that next skill level, and in building confidence.

Even after 4 decades and around 600,000 miles on two wheels, I still take regular training courses and track days, still read up on riding skills and accident avoidance, and still "practice" on every single ride. It's what keeps you safe out there.

On a side note, ABS is a great thing to have on a motorcycle. It just sits there unobtrusively, unless you need it during an emergency braking situation when it kicks in and can easily save your ass. Like ATGATT, it can be the difference that lets you walk or ride away from an incident.

The MSF offers their Basic Rider Course and Advanced Rider Course, which are well worth the small time and money commitments. Some riders might already be at that point, or beyond, so they'd be looking towards developing more advanced riding skills, as mentioned below.

Riders of any skill level can start with Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well, More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride, & Street Rider's Guide: Street Strategies for Motorcyclists by David Hough. Then move on to Twist of the Wrist I & II by Keith Code and Smooth Riding - the Pridmore Way by Reg Pridmore.

Many of the ideas and techniques explained above can be practiced locally. Just find a large empty parking lot if you're in the city, or a lonely side road if you're out in the country, and try to recreate what the books are telling you.

And if you're interested in doing much longer rides, you should read Don Arthur's excellent Fatigue and Motorcycle Touring, which I re-read before every extended multi-day ride.

Then continue with the Twist of the Wrist I & II videos (can also be found on YouTube).

And don't forget some helpful websites, such as The Pace, The Pace 2.0, The Fine Art of Braking, and TrackDoD Novice Group Orientation.

That will set you up for a skills-based track day such as Ride Smart, where the point isn't to "win" or to "put a knee down" but rather to expand your riding skill set by practicing all the above ideas in a safe and controlled environment, with immediate feedback from qualified instructors.

You can also look at instructor-based training, such as Lee Parks Total Control program. And there are a few other places that offer one-on-one training as well.

Skills-based track days and private training can be found all over the country, if only you search for such things.

And when you're done perusing all of the above information, then sit down and watch On Any Sunday, On Any Sunday 2, and On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter

.

That should keep you busy for a while.

And remember to enjoy the ride...

I completely understand where you're coming from. I also took the class and passed but I was still so uneasy about riding. It baffled me that I was a licensed rider because there was no way I was ready to get on the roads.

I bought a bike (Kawasaki Ninja) because I found an amazing deal on it. I figured I just paid to get my license and I should use it. The bike was cheap enough for me to justify spending the money even if I decided I hated riding in a few months. A friend came with me to check out the bike and also rode it back home for me. I kept it at his house because, like you, my parents would have killed me if they found out.

After getting my bike, I literally just rode around neighborhoods for weeks. Weeks! I nearly dropped my bike after popping the clutch in the first few days of having it. I was always so nervous riding that I avoided doing so as much as possible. I'd make excuses why I couldn't/didn't want to ride and when I did ride, I only rode with friends. But it gets easier, I promise. Everyone always told me that one day, things will just click. I thought they were just trying to be nice, but one day, it happened. It just clicked. The nerves went away and I felt comfortable riding.

There is no way in hell I thought I'd be where I am now. I'm still very much a novice, but I feel so much more comfortable riding now. My parents know about my motorcycle. My dad got his license and rides with me now. I'm looking to get a new bike next year.

Check out Twist of the Wrist. You can read the intro here. I think back to it all the time, how I'm using less attention doing the small things that I once found so difficult.

I don't have advice about the parents thing to be honest. My parents just accepted it because I had already had the motorcycle and license for so long (I told them about a year after I got it). If you can figure this part out, I definitely say find a cheap starter bike and start practicing.

Just like /u/w0lf3h said, you'll make mistakes. But don't quit just yet! If you want to do it, don't let your fear hold you back. Fear is good, as it will keep you cautious and alive. But don't let it hold you back from doing something you really want to do.

If you want to talk more personally, feel free to PM me!

You can definitely hit the highway with your CBR300 as long as you allow yourself to gradually get more comfortable with riding at speed. Sure, a bigger bike will have more passing power and a little bit more weight which will make it feel slightly more stable, but that extra weight has its downsides too, and it's not like the upgrade will strip away the problems you're encountering now, it would just tone them down slightly.

I remember my first time riding on a highway and how I felt the wind was pushing me all over the place, but after years of riding the thought of wind doesn't even cross my mind. What changed? Truly the change that made the biggest difference was letting the bike find its own balance instead of trying to constantly use steering inputs to react and counter every new sensation I felt on the highway. In short: I developed more faith in the ability of the bike to keep itself upright.

Motorcycles are remarkably self-stable, even your CBR300. Also, motorcycles are actually way more stable at speed than when they are puttering around town believe it or not, and I fear you might be making the mistake of overbearing the motorcycle with unnecessary steering inputs. It might sound scary right now, but if you took your hands off the handlebars at 60MPH while going straight down the highway the bike will continue heading straight, and even if a gust of wind hits you with your hands off the bars the bike will actually self correct on its own and continue heading mostly straight... I'm not saying I recommend that, I'm just trying to illustrate a point: the bike will do the heavy lifting of keeping the bike upright without any help from you at all, your job is to guide the bike with subtle steering inputs.

How can we achieve this? The big secret is not letting your arms fight eachother. Lee Parks adresses this in his book Total Control (excellent read, highly recommended); he recommends only letting one hand/arm be in charge of any given steering input. Don't push with one arm and pull with the other, instead allow one arm to be in charge of the steering input and the other just supports the action by balancing the handlebars. The goal is to relax your arms and be entirely neutral in your grip when no steering is necessary.

Once you get the hang of this you will feel like a zen master every time you hop on your bike, and you'll feel a deeper connection with your machine too because you'll realize it's not just a one-sided effort of you singlehandedly keeping the bike upright, instead it's a mutual relationship between you and your machine and you both have to hold up to your end of the bargain for it all to work out.

I hope some of this helps!

Ok so let's talk about what you mean by a heat shield. If you're talking about the heat shields that cover the headers of your exhaust - leather will weather and burn. They do sell some very nice chrome and polish types that simply ratchet onto the pipes and they work very well - is this like what you're looking for?

I usually wear pretty small earrings when I ride, but I've worn some big honkin' ones too. Most important thing for me is just to make sure I'm using a rubber stopper on the back; the metal ones don't cut it and I've lost a few nice earrings because of it.

It's not particularly comfortable, but I'm too lazy to take them out and put them back in.

http://www.amazon.com/Women-Motorcycles-Road-Empowerment-Self-Discovery/dp/0987758306/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412823345&sr=1-1&keywords=women+motorcycle

Read this! You'll learn a lot.