[alanmcorcoran]

Katie, you're absolutely right - knowing how to shift is about half of it. The other half is learning to counter steer, some of which you might know from riding a bicycle. For me, it took about a year to really get the hang of it. I found that taking it easy and letting the curve handling skill come gradually worked as well as anything else. I did find that practicing my line (in to out, out to in) and keeping the throttle on throughout the turns also helped - but that wasn't until I'd been riding about 2 years. Don't be tempted to push yourself beyond your speed comfort zone when riding with expereinced riders. There's about a 15 to 20 mile an hour difference in capability that comes after your first year.

Take your time, take it slow, keep your eyes open and have fun!