Hi. I am 53 and bought a bike about a month ago. I practiced going very slow down my driveway by just letting out the clutch slowly and keeping both feet down and just walking my bike. I had learned this from another beginner. Please enroll yourself in the Motorcycle Basic Course that colleges sometimes hold, or it may be at a dealer. They run about $180.00 and are well worth it. I´ve only been riding now for about a month and am up to 60mph. I try to ride about every other day. That was advice given to me that the only way to feel comfortable about riding and not being afraid that something would happen is to constantly ride. The more you ride the better it gets and the better you feel. Take the bike or have someone ride it to a empty parking lot and practice stopping and starting. It is well worth it. Let me know how you do. Goodluck and have fun as my instructor told me. Sassy,