New rider - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

mrgr8ness · 05-05-2005, 10:51 AM

I am brand new to the motorcycle scene. I just bought an 01 gz250, got my permit yesterday and put it on the road. I am really wobbly and akward. I hope I learn fast. Im still in first gear riding around the lawn

Gixxerdale · 05-05-2005, 10:59 AM

OK, so get it over with! Drop the bike on the grass. All new riders drop the bike at some point so the grass is much easier on the bike!

Then find an empty parking lot to ride in. The lawn won't teach you much since there is very little traction.

Have you taken the MSF class yet? If not you really should. Hope you bought some proper gear with your new bike?

Oh ya! And WELCOME!

SuzukiGirl1 · 05-05-2005, 10:59 AM

Take the MSF for sure!!!

SVZuki · 05-05-2005, 11:01 AM

Nice to have another rider ehre. good to hear you got a 250! practice practice practice thats all i can say and definitly take a msf course!

SuzukiGirl1 · 05-05-2005, 11:49 AM

Oh, and kudos for you for starting with a sensible bike!!

Miyamoto · 05-05-2005, 01:26 PM

Welcome to the fambly.
Like the wise ones before said....do take the safety course.
Its amazing what it does for your riding confidence and control.
You also start off learning what you SHOULD be doing, instead of what you can often get away with...and this is an excellent way to prevent developing bad riding habits.

axel_2078 · 05-05-2005, 01:28 PM

It's so refreshing to see someone with a head on their shoulders and not getting a crotch rocket for their first bike.

mikesvsix50 · 05-05-2005, 01:48 PM

Everything was put so perfectly above. I'd like to support everything said above. Welcome.

mrgr8ness · 05-05-2005, 02:31 PM

Thanks all. Yeah I chose the 250 basically because it felt the best to me, and I also got it for a good price. It seems to have enough power too. I hope I dont lay it down because the condition is cherry, only 3000 miles on it. I am thinking of taking the course, but I just missed out on one and not sure when the next one is. The cost is like $300 too. I still need a helmet, any recommendations? I think I want a full face.

themeatmanlandry · 05-05-2005, 03:17 PM

Yes, you do want a full face.

I'd go to the dealership so you can make sure it fits. I wear an el-cheapo Vega helmet. Cost $110-120.

The grass is a bad place to learn on a street bike. Don't ask how I know.

Park it until you complete the MSF. I know it's hard . . . I know it's emasculating. My wife took my keys until I took the MSF course. She was tired of hearing me gripe about dropping the bike everywhere I went. Talk about emasculation . . .

If you take the class, you'll understand so many new things it'll make your head spin.

Park the bike and take the class. The bike'll thank you for it.

SuzukiGirl1 · 05-05-2005, 04:09 PM

I'd google the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for your area and see what you find. $300 seems expensive. I know that around here, people were paying $300 to take the class on a Buell (Damn Harley riders will pay more for anything!!

)...but my class was only about $150

**Clint** · 05-05-2005, 04:46 PM

I don't think you need to park it until the BRC, but I'd gather some info on the excercises and practice them in a safe place. David Hough's Proficient Motorcycling will get you started right and will mesh nicely with formal training.

Good riding!

mrgr8ness · 05-05-2005, 04:51 PM

The classes around here run pretty limited for some reason. I think there are 2 classes- one is $275 and the other is $300. My local shop carries the HJC helmets that Im thinking of getting. Any feedback on them?

Miyamoto · 05-05-2005, 04:54 PM

Yeah, you don't need to park it. My friend bought a bike and I gave him a lot of tips and rode with him in the neighborhood back streets and alleys to make sure he was on the right track. He's a very apt pupil and rides better than I did even after I took the class.
He's going to take the class soon too though and I know that'll make him an even better rider (he's already bought a second bike, the twit).
So if you find someone who's taken the class and they can help you out, that's great.
Supplement your practical lessons with some good reading material on motorcycle riding skills.
Get a helmet RIGHT away. I started with the full faces, but now I canNOT live without my modular helmets.
you can get the Zeus S508 and S508Ws for pretty cheap...and I kid you not...these helmets are frigging superb for the price you'll pay on 'em.

LayinLo · 05-05-2005, 05:21 PM

blah....blah.....blah......and

hrglas · 05-05-2005, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LayinLo

blah....blah.....blah......and

ditto

stevie c · 05-05-2005, 05:58 PM

md2lgyk · 05-06-2005, 09:09 AM

Welcome! My first bike was a 250 Suzuki (bought it new in 1974 when I was 26). Don't recommend this, but I rode 10 years before ever taking an MSF course. The state I was living in didn't even have a motorcycle endorsement for their driver's license.

themeatmanlandry · 05-06-2005, 10:15 AM

I'd seriously consider whether or not I wanted to take the advice of complete strangers, given over a computer, regarding taking a bike that I don't know how to ride into traffic. But that's me.

Keep us posted.

<you guys aren't doing a brand new rider any favors by enticing them into doing something that may get them seriously injured>

mrgr8ness · 05-06-2005, 02:57 PM

Im not planning any traffic riding yet. Finally got the helmet today. Luckily I live on a paved back road that is flat and straight for a mile each direction from my house.

05-05-2005, 10:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
mrgr8ness In Training Joined: May 2005 Bike: 2002 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 Location: Central Upstate NY Posts: 106	New rider I am brand new to the motorcycle scene. I just bought an 01 gz250, got my permit yesterday and put it on the road. I am really wobbly and akward. I hope I learn fast. Im still in first gear riding around the lawn

05-05-2005, 10:59 AM	#2 (permalink)
Gixxerdale Forensic Bug Splatter Analyst. Joined: Mar 2004 Bike: 02 GSXR 1k Location: The warm and twisty roads of SoCal Posts: 3,028	OK, so get it over with! Drop the bike on the grass. All new riders drop the bike at some point so the grass is much easier on the bike! Then find an empty parking lot to ride in. The lawn won't teach you much since there is very little traction. Have you taken the MSF class yet? If not you really should. Hope you bought some proper gear with your new bike? Oh ya! And WELCOME! __________________ Proud Father of a U S Army Soldier... The key to life is to die young...at a very old age... Ride like you own the road...and...someday the road will own you.. My Favorite Ride? Tomorrows!

05-05-2005, 10:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
SuzukiGirl1 Moderatrix Joined: Mar 2004 Bike: 2004 SV650S Location: St. Paul, MN Posts: 2,700	Take the MSF for sure!!! __________________ SuzukiGirl '04 SV650S, Yellow...lovely!!

05-05-2005, 11:49 AM	#5 (permalink)
SuzukiGirl1 Moderatrix Joined: Mar 2004 Bike: 2004 SV650S Location: St. Paul, MN Posts: 2,700	Oh, and kudos for you for starting with a sensible bike!! __________________ SuzukiGirl '04 SV650S, Yellow...lovely!!

05-05-2005, 01:26 PM	#6 (permalink)
Miyamoto Ditch Magnet Joined: Feb 2005 Bike: Suzuki GSX600 (Fill-In until my Akira bike gets back from the shop) Location: Chicago, by way of Gilead Posts: 159	Welcome to the fambly. Like the wise ones before said....do take the safety course. Its amazing what it does for your riding confidence and control. You also start off learning what you SHOULD be doing, instead of what you can often get away with...and this is an excellent way to prevent developing bad riding habits. __________________ Those who flee from temptation often leave a forwarding address

05-05-2005, 11:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
SVZuki Dastardly villain Joined: Sep 2004 Bike: '08 M109R w/LE mods Location: Royal Oak, MI Posts: 1,652	Nice to have another rider ehre. good to hear you got a 250! practice practice practice thats all i can say and definitly take a msf course!

05-05-2005, 01:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
axel_2078 Sit speling cheker Joined: May 2004 Bike: 2003 Marauder 800 Location: Fairview Heights, IL Posts: 1,668	It's so refreshing to see someone with a head on their shoulders and not getting a crotch rocket for their first bike. __________________ "Rome didn't win wars by holding meetings. They did it by crushing those who opposed them." - unknown Everyone has a dark side. Mine's just a little closer to the surface.

05-05-2005, 01:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
mikesvsix50 Kickstand Operator Joined: Apr 2005 Bike: 2005 SV650Somewhat Location: Skokie, IL Posts: 285	Everything was put so perfectly above. I'd like to support everything said above. Welcome.

05-05-2005, 02:31 PM	#9 (permalink)
mrgr8ness In Training Joined: May 2005 Bike: 2002 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 Location: Central Upstate NY Posts: 106	Thanks all. Yeah I chose the 250 basically because it felt the best to me, and I also got it for a good price. It seems to have enough power too. I hope I dont lay it down because the condition is cherry, only 3000 miles on it. I am thinking of taking the course, but I just missed out on one and not sure when the next one is. The cost is like $300 too. I still need a helmet, any recommendations? I think I want a full face.

05-05-2005, 03:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
themeatmanlandry Happy-ass Lunatic Joined: Dec 2003 Bike: 2002 Bandit 600S (Black); 2006 GSXR750 (Black) Location: Memphis Posts: 11,423	Yes, you do want a full face. I'd go to the dealership so you can make sure it fits. I wear an el-cheapo Vega helmet. Cost $110-120. The grass is a bad place to learn on a street bike. Don't ask how I know. Park it until you complete the MSF. I know it's hard . . . I know it's emasculating. My wife took my keys until I took the MSF course. She was tired of hearing me gripe about dropping the bike everywhere I went. Talk about emasculation . . . If you take the class, you'll understand so many new things it'll make your head spin. Park the bike and take the class. The bike'll thank you for it. __________________ Go to hell

05-05-2005, 04:09 PM	#11 (permalink)
SuzukiGirl1 Moderatrix Joined: Mar 2004 Bike: 2004 SV650S Location: St. Paul, MN Posts: 2,700	I'd google the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for your area and see what you find. $300 seems expensive. I know that around here, people were paying $300 to take the class on a Buell (Damn Harley riders will pay more for anything!! )...but my class was only about $150 __________________ SuzukiGirl '04 SV650S, Yellow...lovely!!

05-05-2005, 04:51 PM	#13 (permalink)
mrgr8ness In Training Joined: May 2005 Bike: 2002 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 Location: Central Upstate NY Posts: 106	The classes around here run pretty limited for some reason. I think there are 2 classes- one is $275 and the other is $300. My local shop carries the HJC helmets that Im thinking of getting. Any feedback on them?

05-05-2005, 04:54 PM	#14 (permalink)
Miyamoto Ditch Magnet Joined: Feb 2005 Bike: Suzuki GSX600 (Fill-In until my Akira bike gets back from the shop) Location: Chicago, by way of Gilead Posts: 159	Yeah, you don't need to park it. My friend bought a bike and I gave him a lot of tips and rode with him in the neighborhood back streets and alleys to make sure he was on the right track. He's a very apt pupil and rides better than I did even after I took the class. He's going to take the class soon too though and I know that'll make him an even better rider (he's already bought a second bike, the twit). So if you find someone who's taken the class and they can help you out, that's great. Supplement your practical lessons with some good reading material on motorcycle riding skills. Get a helmet RIGHT away. I started with the full faces, but now I canNOT live without my modular helmets. you can get the Zeus S508 and S508Ws for pretty cheap...and I kid you not...these helmets are frigging superb for the price you'll pay on 'em. __________________ Those who flee from temptation often leave a forwarding address

05-05-2005, 05:21 PM	#15 (permalink)
LayinLo Flipper ( Don't Ask ) Joined: Jul 2004 Bike: Crunchy 02 GSX-R 750 Location: Alabama Posts: 3,936	blah....blah.....blah......and

05-05-2005, 05:58 PM	#17 (permalink)
stevie c Sit speling cheker Joined: Mar 2004 Bike: GSX-R 600 K1 Location: Northants,UK Posts: 1,631	__________________ Stevie C '02 Gixer 600 K1,Yellow and Black (fastest colour!), always beats red ones!! Why put off until tomorrow what you can get someone else to do for you today.

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

05-06-2005, 09:09 AM	#18 (permalink)
md2lgyk Wants Better Weather Joined: May 2004 Bike: '03 Marauder 800 Location: Harpers Ferry, WV Posts: 665	Welcome! My first bike was a 250 Suzuki (bought it new in 1974 when I was 26). Don't recommend this, but I rode 10 years before ever taking an MSF course. The state I was living in didn't even have a motorcycle endorsement for their driver's license. __________________ "The great object is, that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun." - Thomas Jefferson

05-06-2005, 10:15 AM	#19 (permalink)
themeatmanlandry Happy-ass Lunatic Joined: Dec 2003 Bike: 2002 Bandit 600S (Black); 2006 GSXR750 (Black) Location: Memphis Posts: 11,423	I'd seriously consider whether or not I wanted to take the advice of complete strangers, given over a computer, regarding taking a bike that I don't know how to ride into traffic. But that's me. Keep us posted. <you guys aren't doing a brand new rider any favors by enticing them into doing something that may get them seriously injured> __________________ Go to hell

05-06-2005, 02:57 PM	#20 (permalink)
mrgr8ness In Training Joined: May 2005 Bike: 2002 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 Location: Central Upstate NY Posts: 106	Im not planning any traffic riding yet. Finally got the helmet today. Luckily I live on a paved back road that is flat and straight for a mile each direction from my house.

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