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Absolutely always shoulder checking before turning. Maybe more than I should, like four or five times sometimes.
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Sep 22, 2019 22:24
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Jazzzzz posted:Shoulder checking before turns is a good habit to get into. Also, you'll fail your road test if you don't do this.
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Sep 22, 2019 22:54
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Side mirrors on cars are for seeing to the side, side mirrors on bikes are also for seeing behind you because you don't have a central mirror.
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Sep 22, 2019 23:04
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So went up the the Mountains with a friend today, and I'm not sure if its a mix of my inexperience or the ability of everyone else it seems on the road, but holy poo poo am I slow. I know I'm being dumb as hell and should just worry about "riding my own ride" but these dudes were taking blind corners at 50+ that I was sketched out at 30~. I feel like I'm just scared to really get a lean on the bike (first bike was a sportster and it didn't take much to grind hero blobs on the pegs) and don't trust it? Maybe because I'm a fatass and feel like that has a bigger effect on handling then is reality? Or is it just these guys know these roads well and know which ones to really go for and which are decreasing radius and stuff. I wasn't really embarrassed, just felt like a hindrance to everyone else on the road and waved like 4 people by.
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Sep 22, 2019 23:04
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It's a mix of everything you said. Your inexperience, their experience, their lack of self preservation. It doesn't matter, and you shouldn't push yourself out of your comfort zone on corner. Let people pass you. Maybe someday you will be a twisty hero, but you could also end up being a twisty crash. Just wave people on and ride safe, you have nothing to prove.
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Sep 22, 2019 23:54
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Coydog posted:It's a mix of everything you said. Your inexperience, their experience, their lack of self preservation. It doesn't matter, and you shouldn't push yourself out of your comfort zone on corner. Let people pass you. Maybe someday you will be a twisty hero, but you could also end up being a twisty crash. Just wave people on and ride safe, you have nothing to prove. Print this out and stick it on your gas cap.
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Sep 23, 2019 01:43
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Martytoof posted:I am still searching for the perfect mix of “see to the side” and “see who’s behind me” in my side mirrors. I know they’re for seeing to your side but often I like to see who’s on my rear end. I run the little 1" stick-on convex mirrors in the corners of my regular mirrors. Best of both worlds. Car example: 
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Sep 23, 2019 21:16
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Coydog, thanks for the Cyclops rec, I picked up a 10kL thanks to your post today and put it in my CB. The output is a little lumpy compared to the adaptive LED light I’ve got on my Zero but that’s to be expected for a H4 replacement. Really lights up the road. Marty I remember how much the wind pushed me around my first year of riding. Half of that is just the lightness of a 250 at higher speeds but the other half is your body inputs. When you are reacting to wind you will tend to exaggerate its effects. Next time it is shoving you around try easing up on the deathgrip and see if the bike doesn’t straighten up on its own.
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Sep 24, 2019 03:57
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4 days until my learner course. Spent about 4 hours yesterday shopping gear and bikes and talking to people. Bought a Scorpion "Vintage" helmet which was the only closed-face helmet I've found so far that really fit me and didn't cost like $1k+. Took about 2 hours total trying on every loving helmet at 2 different places to figure that out. Also bought a leather jacket after deciding that the flannel/kevlar shirts weren't gonna cut it Got some gloves too, and sized a bunch of pants and boots. Also checked out a couple of bikes in and out of my price range, and I sat on a suzuki intruder 250 that was surprisingly not too small. Like, obviously it's not a big bike, but just to sit on it felt closer to a shadow 400 or vstar 650 than say a rebel 250. Can anyone tell me anything about that bike? I see them for like half the price of the v star or shadow and I think I'd be happy to learn on one and upsize later if I need to. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 04:26 on Sep 24, 2019 |
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Sep 24, 2019 04:23
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Coydog posted:I'm a big ol broken record about this but do yourself a favor and put a cyclops 10000 lumen led bulb in there. It will be one of the greatest things you ever buy for your bike, and you can take it with you to the next bike you get down the line. They make theirs to work really well with DOT reflectors, and the color rendition of the leds they use is fantastic. How do they work with the stock DR housing and reflector? I'm nervous about the HID bullshit I have in there now.
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Sep 24, 2019 04:33
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Ulf posted:
I'm just on the other side of this myself. I would ride down the highway feeling like I was getting thrown all over the place by the wind, then see two bikes doing 100 blow by me and think "how are they riding like that in this?" Turns out you eventually ease up your grip and suddenly wind isn't nearly as much of an issue. And as discussed earlier in the thread, as a guy that's been hit in his motorcycle visor by rocks and bugs, (and his racquetball glasses by a ball), I won't ever do either without eye protection in place.
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Sep 24, 2019 05:50
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Well , riding home on the highway tonight had me scrambling to order some better gloves!. Might look into some heated grips too.
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Sep 25, 2019 07:08
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The goofy oversized mitts that live on your handlebars are excellent and the most effective imo
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Sep 26, 2019 19:41
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Eurgh, breaking in new gloves gonna suck. I can *just* reach the turn indicator switch..
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Sep 27, 2019 18:17
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Eurgh, breaking in new gloves gonna suck. I can *just* reach the turn indicator switch.. Use them for normal yardwork for a few days, weed pulling and raking will break them in right quick.
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Sep 27, 2019 19:04
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Alpha Phoenix posted:Use them for normal yardwork for a few days, weed pulling and raking will break them in right quick. Drive in them, too.
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Sep 27, 2019 19:27
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What are you talking about, I'm not wearing gloves, these are my hands /strongbad
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Sep 27, 2019 22:26
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First day of course complete. Stalled a bunch but didn't fall off. Could do every exercise relatively easily except for "ride as slow as possible in a straight line" which I struggled with until I forced myself to relax and then it was just hard instead of impossible. Motorbikes are really really fun.
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Sep 28, 2019 08:05
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Sep 28, 2019 08:59
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Finally finished the break in period on my bike this week. See you guys at the red line I guess and also how do I wheelie? I feel ready.
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Sep 28, 2019 15:49
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I'm quite disappointed in how quickly the goatskin or whatever is on the outside of my Dainese gloves is fuzzing and piling. Granted they weren't three hundred something dollars, but at like 160 or 180 or whatever I paid, I expected these to look nicer longer. The surfaces that are looking raggy aren't even those which touched the ground when I fell, so I'm kind of meh. Next gloves I get are going to just be straight up shiny expensive leather.
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Sep 28, 2019 20:27
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Finished the course and got my learner permit. Stalled on the first takeoff but no other serious problems. Got the cb125 up to 85km/h while loving around after the assessment but that was as fast as it'd go. Now I just need a bike to practice on. E: Can someone point me to a comprehensive guide in what problems to look for in a used bike? I'm clearly excited enough about this that my brain will just go BIEK NOW and overlook something horrible if I don't make a checklist. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Sep 30, 2019 |
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Sep 29, 2019 09:16
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Here are couple old-school internet lists/guides that I like: A simpler narrative guide: http://www.dansmc.com/troubleshooting.htm An exhaustive checklist: http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html That said, I went the BIEK NOW route and bought the first bike I test rode, so...
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Sep 30, 2019 06:52
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What was it?
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Sep 30, 2019 06:57
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You can also figure out what bike you want, then go to the forum for that bike and probably find a guide. Also, look for a maintenance and trouble shooting subforum and see what the common issues are, like this one for Ninja 300s. I actually never knew some Ninja 300s had a stalling under deceleration recall until I found that link just now.
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Sep 30, 2019 07:09
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I looked at a bike and I didn't buy the bike. I'm currently regretting not buying the bike, but I'm pretty sure it had enough wrong with it that I'd currently be regretting buying it if I'd bought it so yeah. Was fun to ride but also felt worn out, you know? Like a car that's been used hard and not cared for, all the switches and levers rattly/wobbly etc. Back in my own town I saw a different bike parked on the roadside with a for sale sign so I'm gonna call that guy tomorrow and walk around to check it out. Also, I've abandoned the idea of a 650 cruiser for my first bike, I'm gonna stick with a smaller engine, try to get a cruiser if I can but whatever, I'll improve my skills first (a long long way from where they are now) and then worry about what I really want to ride after that. Unless something comes up super cheap in town or something. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 09:28 on Oct 1, 2019 |
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Oct 1, 2019 09:26
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Now that my break in is done and I’m getting more comfortable I took my bike on the highway today and that poo poo was cool as hell. For a tiny 321cc bike the R3 handles the higher speeds very well. I got a little blown around but I just relax and try not to death grip it and the thing seems to handle it ok so I guess that’s what you do?
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Oct 1, 2019 17:59
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Yep. Motorcycles are designed to be stable when in motion; absent any inputs, they will try to stand themselves upright and travel in a straight line. When you're new, the tendency is to tense up your arms and grab the bars tightly any time you go over a bump or something weird happens. That reduces your ability to control the bike and can even destabilize it. Instead, try to develop an instinct to loosen your grip on the bars and grab the tank with your thighs whenever you hit some rough stuff. Also, until the 1990s a 350cc motorcycle was considered to be a middleweight; before the 70s it was a big bike. The engines have only gotten more efficient since that time and a bike in that class has more than enough power for highway use, as you have noticed. Getting blown around is part of the fun imo. wait until you get a strong crosswind and you're leaned over 30 degrees just trying to track a straight line
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Oct 2, 2019 05:42
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Today I rode a suzuki intruder vl 250 and it was cool. Anyone know of anything specific to watch out for with these? I'm not buying the one I saw today because it's completely hosed, but I'm going to check out a different one this weekend.
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Oct 2, 2019 10:24
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Today I rode a suzuki intruder vl 250 and it was cool. These are an excellent bike and the pick of the learner cruiser spread IMO. Best handling of the lot, best engine for a 250 cruiser. They only have one flaw I know of: the choke likes to stick on and the resultant bore washing tends to destroy the rings and/or flog out the front gudgeon pin (it's always the front for some reason). You'll know this has happened if the engine gets noticeably more rattly under load or it smokes a lot. A lot of the time people don't realize the choke is stuck on and tune the bike to compensate, you can tell if this is the case if it starts from dead cold without assistance from the choke. Other dumb poo poo people like to do: hollow out the mufflers for that sick rumble yo, gently caress with the airbox for similarly stupid reasons. Both of that have an exaggerated effect on engine performance (not in a good way), however a chopped up exhaust can usually be compensated for with different jetting; it's just that usually that stuff is the tip of the shitberg. Like all 250's just avoid super old or high mileage ones and you'll be fine, change all the fluids, chain, tyres etc when you get it because they're always hosed on learner bikes.
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Oct 2, 2019 19:07
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I’ve started getting hand numbness now that I’m going on longer rides. I don’t rest on my palms hard on the bars but my gloves get tight on my thumb and fingertips when I grip them whether I’m white knuckling or not. -My gloves are 700 something miles old. Are they going to stretch or break in any more than they have? -If I go to naturally grab my bars, it hits the spot of my band between my thumb and index finger, this tightens the glove on my thumb and index finger more than the other fingers before I even wrap my fingers around. -Could my gloves just be too small? They don’t seem small until I grip my bars so maybe they are. -Anyone replace their handles with something thicker so you can hold them without gripping as much? Edit: I measured my hand and looked up the sizing chart for my gloves and apparently I’m right on the money between M and L and these are M. I love the gloves themselves so I guess I’m gonna go try on a L. Rolo fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Oct 2, 2019 |
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Oct 2, 2019 19:25
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Your gloves are the wrong size/shape. Bear I'm mind the different brands all have different sizing, I'm an XL according to A*, a L according to dririder and a 3xl according to dianese. Fat grips are for mouthbreathers, no exceptions sorry.
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Oct 2, 2019 19:46
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I really like the protaper pillow top grips. They are thin, yet soft, and the grippiness of them really inspires confidence so you can barely grip them. Also, stop gripping so hard. Slavvy posted:Fat grips are for mouthbreathers, no exceptions sorry. The worst, hardest to hold, most terrible grips I've ever had were the thick foam ones that came on the hawk. Not even once.
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Oct 2, 2019 19:48
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Slavvy posted:Your gloves are the wrong size/shape. Bear I'm mind the different brands all have different sizing, I'm an XL according to A*, a L according to dririder and a 3xl according to dianese. Went and tried on every glove at my local store. Ended up with a pair of Dianese in large. These feel a lot better, the securing strap is better and they give my fingers some more freedom. Can’t wait for it to not be 100 in October so I can go try them out.
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Oct 2, 2019 21:00
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Slavvy posted:These are an excellent bike and the pick of the learner cruiser spread IMO. Best handling of the lot, best engine for a 250 cruiser. Thank you, I hadn't found that particular issue discussed anywhere. The one I looked at looked like it'd been hosed with and "put back to stock", which was a big red flag for me - rear blinkers were some cheap aftermarket poo poo, rear fender didn't match (but it came with the "original"), exhaust looked like it'd been badly re-seated at one point, etc. I know jack poo poo about bikes but I can spot a "yeah she'll be right" fix when I see one and this bike had plenty of those. Is there a visual guide to the damage you'd expect to see on a bike that'd been dropped (fine with me, I'm sure I'll drop it too) or slid for a short distance (ditto) vs one that's been crashed?
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Oct 3, 2019 03:30
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Thank you, I hadn't found that particular issue discussed anywhere. Dropped is usually scrapes to the fairings or whatever bodywork, busted turn signals or mirrors. A crash prob the #1 indication would be bent forks up front or smashed radiator (rad is mounted front of engine and gets crushed by front wheel in accident) In my area the local insurance company has an auction of the write offs with pictures and the bikes all vaguely look like they’ve had their back broken, the lines are wrong
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Oct 3, 2019 04:00
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All drops are crashes, all (ok most) crashes are drops. No difference in nature, just in severity. It's literally just bigger scrapes or more bent poo poo = bigger crash. A good giveaway on cruisers is bent bars. They tend to be long and elaborate so they tweak easily but not that noticably from a rider perspective. Pointing the wheel straight, then standing back and looking at the bike front-on from a few meters away makes it really obvious. Another good one is a cut down/replaced exhaust. Anyone who wants more noise on a 250 just guts the baffles, you're only replacing poo poo if the chrome has huge oopsie marks. On the intruder IIRC the air filter is one of the chrome side pods and when those break people usually just toss all that stuff and bung a pod filter on there.
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Oct 3, 2019 04:10
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Coydog posted:I really like the protaper pillow top grips. They are thin, yet soft, and the grippiness of them really inspires confidence so you can barely grip them. The only grips that matter, regardless of bike, are Progrip 714s.
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Oct 3, 2019 05:33
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Only if you safety wire them with 3 perfect loops. No wire, yuck.
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Oct 3, 2019 05:40
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One thing to look for that's potentially a sign of a crash that's been DIY "fixed" is welding seams that are unpainted.
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Oct 3, 2019 06:18
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