Getting used to a bike... - Page 3 - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

AllieThatGirl · 12-20-2007, 04:06 PM

hehe Mike, everyone told me to sell my bike, or park it...have the same one as you, and haven't ridden it as much as you.
One thing I'm learning about the turns, and leaning...You don't even realize you're doing it! It kind of just happens...it's either hit the car in the other lane, or lean your ass a lil and don't crash. My friend rides behind me and he tells me I'm doing well with the turns and leaning, even shot some video of me doing it...Practice is the only cure for the fear I'm finding.
Course, I don't take it past like, 5000 rpms, think 50s the fastest I've gone...I go a little farther and a little faster everytime, and it seems to be working out okay so far

Keep practicing dude...I'll race ya in a couple years

MikeHump · 12-20-2007, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllieThatGirl

Keep practicing dude...I'll race ya in a couple years

haha as long as it's on a track, I'm down. What color is your bike? I got the all black one. Yeah, most of the time I keep it under 6k or so, except on the freeway. Going 70-75 mph I think it's at around 7 or so. I have experimented with the throttle a couple times, and boy do these bikes have a lot of power. The turns are becoming more natural to me, now that I'm more comfortable moving my body around while riding. Before, I only felt comfortable when I was sitting right in the center of the seat. I love riding though, it's the most fun I've had in a long time. It sucks that the rainy season is coming up though.

Thundurburd · 12-20-2007, 06:13 PM

One of the statistics I heard during my BRC training was that about 50% of motorcycle accidents involve riders with less than 6 months experience. I haven't been able to confirm that since then and could even have heard it wrong because the instructor was reading a report out loud as were taking the written test. It was distracting.

Anyways I made that my number one goal, to make it six months without a crash. And I did with a total of 5000 miles. There were times that I realized I was maybe pushing it a little too much or was getting a little overconfident and would ease up, and there were many times I had to really haul down the speed some (sometimes more than others.) Maybe I could have learned more last summer but my goal was to not have my butt hit the pavement. I didn't want to be part of that particular statistic.

In fairness I should say that my bike is an 800cc cruiser and while it can be a handful at times, it doesn't IMO get into trouble as fast as an R bike can. I should also mention that I'm older than most people here and I expected being "grownup" would help. I suppose it did but I still found some of the temptations hard to resist.

My point is to be careful. The first six months is a high risk group and for a whole bunch of reasons.

PS: You can call me old but don't call me mature, because I don't plan on ever growing up.

frostbitevinnie · 12-20-2007, 07:27 PM

Glad everything is working out for you Allie. Watch some races, track and dirt and you will see that they shift their bodies quite a bit. If cornering is difficult then you are fighting the bike. A fluid tight turn is a great feeling. Become one with the bike grasshopper.

Anville · 12-21-2007, 12:29 PM

I made a post here about the freeway scaring the crap out of me, and everyone here gave me excellent advice. It just takes experience. The first time I took it up to 80mph, I was TERRIFIED. Now I cruise at 80. This isnt a macho thing, ride in your comfort zone.

At 80 in the fast lane I pass a majority of the cars (with my thumb on the horn in case someone is turning itno my lane) and avoid a serious amount of traffic. Its better/safer (to me) to ride 80mph in the fast lane than 60mph dealing with tons of lane-switching cars.

To recap, take your time and ride in your comfort zone.

BTW my brother has a gxr 600, and he cruises at 100mph, and hes also NUTS.

EDIT: heres the thread...

http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/fo...r-freeway.html

MikeHump · 12-21-2007, 03:29 PM

100 I think is too fast for cruising. I've gone 100 mph in the bike, and I've taken my car to 120 mph. But when I cruise, I like to get good gas mileage, which you definitely can't do at 100 mph. I like to cruise at 70-75. The bike feels more stable at 85-90, but I can't get 43 mpg at 90, and I can get 43 mpg doing 75. I used to be a speed freak, but ever since I've started going to school to be a mechanic, I enjoy a vehicle that runs good more than a vehicle that's doing 120 mph. And one way to keep a vehicle running good is to treat it nice, so that's what I've been doing to my car for a while, since even before I got the bike. Gas mileage is one way to tell how well the engine is performing, so I like to get as good as possible, just to make sure everything's working as it should.

12-20-2007, 06:13 PM	#43 (permalink)
Thundurburd U.B's LoveChild Joined: Jul 2007 Bike: 2007 Black S50 Location: Waukesha WI Posts: 1,064	One of the statistics I heard during my BRC training was that about 50% of motorcycle accidents involve riders with less than 6 months experience. I haven't been able to confirm that since then and could even have heard it wrong because the instructor was reading a report out loud as were taking the written test. It was distracting. Anyways I made that my number one goal, to make it six months without a crash. And I did with a total of 5000 miles. There were times that I realized I was maybe pushing it a little too much or was getting a little overconfident and would ease up, and there were many times I had to really haul down the speed some (sometimes more than others.) Maybe I could have learned more last summer but my goal was to not have my butt hit the pavement. I didn't want to be part of that particular statistic. In fairness I should say that my bike is an 800cc cruiser and while it can be a handful at times, it doesn't IMO get into trouble as fast as an R bike can. I should also mention that I'm older than most people here and I expected being "grownup" would help. I suppose it did but I still found some of the temptations hard to resist. My point is to be careful. The first six months is a high risk group and for a whole bunch of reasons. PS: You can call me old but don't call me mature, because I don't plan on ever growing up. __________________ The sum of the intelligence on the planet is a constant; it's the population that is growing.

12-20-2007, 07:27 PM	#44 (permalink)
frostbitevinnie In The Zone Joined: Jul 2007 Bike: 07' C90T 76' MT250 Location: 3rd house NW of the Depot Posts: 2,727	Glad everything is working out for you Allie. Watch some races, track and dirt and you will see that they shift their bodies quite a bit. If cornering is difficult then you are fighting the bike. A fluid tight turn is a great feeling. Become one with the bike grasshopper. __________________ I set up a by knot of soups that valid terrific, and can be made in big batches and frozen. Is there any interest? Karri Tamsin

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Bike Nights or Bike Rides	Cheryl1267	Marauder M50 Secret Hideaway	12	06-01-2008 03:54 PM
Bike Lift under non-frame parts of bike	Deno	The Paddock	8	01-27-2007 01:12 PM
Bike Clubs? Bike Runs? (never been much of a joiner)	drgibson	The Paddock	9	10-10-2006 03:53 AM

12-20-2007, 04:06 PM	#41 (permalink)
AllieThatGirl Newbie Joined: Dec 2007 Bike: 07 Suzuki GSXR600 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 14	hehe Mike, everyone told me to sell my bike, or park it...have the same one as you, and haven't ridden it as much as you. One thing I'm learning about the turns, and leaning...You don't even realize you're doing it! It kind of just happens...it's either hit the car in the other lane, or lean your ass a lil and don't crash. My friend rides behind me and he tells me I'm doing well with the turns and leaning, even shot some video of me doing it...Practice is the only cure for the fear I'm finding. Course, I don't take it past like, 5000 rpms, think 50s the fastest I've gone...I go a little farther and a little faster everytime, and it seems to be working out okay so far Keep practicing dude...I'll race ya in a couple years

12-21-2007, 12:29 PM	#45 (permalink)
Anville Seat Tester Joined: Jul 2007 Bike: 1997 Suzuki Bandit 1200cc Location: Houston Posts: 72	I made a post here about the freeway scaring the crap out of me, and everyone here gave me excellent advice. It just takes experience. The first time I took it up to 80mph, I was TERRIFIED. Now I cruise at 80. This isnt a macho thing, ride in your comfort zone. At 80 in the fast lane I pass a majority of the cars (with my thumb on the horn in case someone is turning itno my lane) and avoid a serious amount of traffic. Its better/safer (to me) to ride 80mph in the fast lane than 60mph dealing with tons of lane-switching cars. To recap, take your time and ride in your comfort zone. BTW my brother has a gxr 600, and he cruises at 100mph, and hes also NUTS. EDIT: heres the thread... http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/fo...r-freeway.html

12-21-2007, 03:29 PM	#46 (permalink)
MikeHump Puddle Runner Joined: Oct 2007 Bike: 2007 GSXR 600 Location: Tracy, CA Posts: 385	100 I think is too fast for cruising. I've gone 100 mph in the bike, and I've taken my car to 120 mph. But when I cruise, I like to get good gas mileage, which you definitely can't do at 100 mph. I like to cruise at 70-75. The bike feels more stable at 85-90, but I can't get 43 mpg at 90, and I can get 43 mpg doing 75. I used to be a speed freak, but ever since I've started going to school to be a mechanic, I enjoy a vehicle that runs good more than a vehicle that's doing 120 mph. And one way to keep a vehicle running good is to treat it nice, so that's what I've been doing to my car for a while, since even before I got the bike. Gas mileage is one way to tell how well the engine is performing, so I like to get as good as possible, just to make sure everything's working as it should.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)