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bikes rule. working on them rules. riding them rules. I love bikes
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May 22, 2021 23:07
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To add a slightly different perspective, I started on motorcycles because cheap and I couldn’t afford a car and rent in the Bay Area. It was never really about being super enthused to ride or anything. And I’ve never really truly fallen in love with riding like the majority of people posting here have. Pretty sure I would not at all trust an electric CSC though. A more reputable e-bike I think makes more sense or if you can stretch a cheap beater car. Personally I think you should only look to motorcycling in the US if you are really enthused about it. So by that stroke, take the MSF class and see what you think, if you like it, get a regular small gasoline motorcycle and you’ll be set. I’ve been riding for about 10 years now and more than ever it’s an appliance experience for me actually personally riding.
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May 22, 2021 23:19
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So I’m looking for advice about driveways. I went to a friends house today to show him the bike. His drive way is a mixture of pavement and potholes filled with loose gravel. I didn’t drop the bike but going over the loose gravel it felt like the front wheel was gonna come loose and make me fall. It was really bad leaving going downhill on his drive way. What’s the best way to handle a driveway like that?
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May 23, 2021 01:57
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katka posted:So I’m looking for advice about driveways. I went to a friends house today to show him the bike. His drive way is a mixture of pavement and potholes filled with loose gravel. I didn’t drop the bike but going over the loose gravel it felt like the front wheel was gonna come loose and make me fall. It was really bad leaving going downhill on his drive way. What’s the best way to handle a driveway like that? Relax your body and especially your shoulders and arms. The front will wander a bit, just let it do its thing and don't fight against it too much. Revs up, feather the clutch. Look ahead and pick your path and don't look at the potholes. E: and rear brake more than front. Pictured: My "driveway". It's about a 20 degree slope from where the photo was taken to the fatter tree on the left. 
Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 02:53 on May 23, 2021 |
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May 23, 2021 02:37
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Steakandchips posted:I’d recommend getting a bicycle or electric bicycle for now. im 36 years old and a mid career professional working full time, op. e: TheBacon posted:Pretty sure I would not at all trust an electric CSC though. A more reputable e-bike I think makes more sense or if you can stretch a cheap beater car. Personally I think you should only look to motorcycling in the US if you are really enthused about it. So by that stroke, take the MSF class and see what you think, if you like it, get a regular small gasoline motorcycle and you’ll be set. I’ve been riding for about 10 years now and more than ever it’s an appliance experience for me actually personally riding. word word. i have a car which runs good. its a 5 door hatch which is imo the best kind of car but thats a flame war for another forum. agreed about being enthused. ive walked to work for the past 10 years or so, and i can't stomach the thought of driving every day for school. seems like torture, thats what initially led me into looking to mopeds and now strange small motorcycles. I thought CSC was more well known but reckon not lol. the slick website !! thanks for the tips all and ima take the class thing and report back ^_^. the little grom knockoff looked dope as gently caress and also it seems fun to wrench it. i have tools and "work with my hands" a lot but never done engine things so it would be a fun hobby. more healthy than just sitting in a lawn chair drinking 10 pbrs for sure. Smythe fucked around with this message at 17:44 on May 23, 2021 |
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May 23, 2021 02:43
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MomJeans420 posted:tbh since Riverside functions as an alternate route to the 5, I'd feel more comfortable on a proper bike that can go normal speeds than I would on a bicycle or slow ebike. The MSF class is a cheap and fun way to see if you want a bike (you do). If my bike didn't just get totaled I'd meet you in a parking lot for the time-honored tradition of having someone interested in bikes do circles in a parking lot to convince them the MSF class is worth it, as I live 10 mins away. Riversied might be a bad path. Could also just eat poo poo on sunset the whole way. dont any much longer lets get drunk sometime =D Smythe fucked around with this message at 02:54 on May 23, 2021 |
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May 23, 2021 02:44
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Relax your body and especially your shoulders and arms. The front will wander a bit, just let it do its thing and don't fight against it too much. Revs up, feather the clutch. Look ahead and pick your path and don't look at the potholes. E: and rear brake more than front. Ok cool. That’s kinda what I thought. I tried to stay loose on the bars and use the rear brake and pick a path between the potholes. I stayed upright so I guess I did ok. Also managed to get flipped off by a middle aged lady today pulling into a gas station. No idea what I did to piss her off. I just waved at her and went to get my gas. All in all I had a blast just riding around the little back roads near me. Never got above 45mph and even that felt so fast compared to being in a car. It was awesome! I think I’m hooked. All I can think about is going back out riding tomorrow.
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May 23, 2021 03:03
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Smythe posted:looking to mopeds if you're not worried about ever getting anywhere on time and the idea of always having a backpack full of tools and two-stroke oil appeals to you, get in touch with these people: https://www.instagram.com/mopedworkshopla/?hl=en they rule
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May 23, 2021 14:57
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My MT-03 arrived today and I spent about an hour driving through the apartment complex. I'm pretty sure my neighbors hate me, but in the upside I find out the complex next to mine has a network of roundabouts that I got to have fun on while I get over the fear of hitting the real roads. e: as I was trying to get the bike chained up the dude in my complex with a Himalayan and an R 1200 invited me to go riding. One day and I can confirm the MT-03 is a "pick up random dudes" bike. Spiggy fucked around with this message at 00:04 on May 24, 2021 |
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May 23, 2021 22:43
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that's all bikes.
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May 24, 2021 00:46
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Spiggy posted:My MT-03 arrived today and I spent about an hour driving through the apartment complex. I'm pretty sure my neighbors hate me, but in the upside I find out the complex next to mine has a network of roundabouts that I got to have fun on while I get over the fear of hitting the real roads. Go riding with them. That's all bikes, hope you like the raw gay power of motorcycles.
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May 24, 2021 01:17
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Congrats on your new MT03! I logged ~120 miles of mostly fun back roads on mine this weekend and got the first oil change done. When I'm shifting down for a stop, should I be doing any rev matching with the throttle? Or just let the clutch do its thing?
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May 24, 2021 01:31
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You don’t NEED to rev match, but it will make things smoother, plus it sounds cool when you nail it and it’s a good skill to have
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May 24, 2021 01:36
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Russian Bear posted:Congrats on your new MT03! You don't NEED to do it the same way you don't NEED to know how to trail brake and all the other stuff that goes beyond simply not falling over. But doing it is best practice, it builds competence and puts in place the groundwork for getting better eg you will never enter a corner super fast and confidently if you're making the bike buck and lurch by using the clutch in a car-like way at the worst imaginable time, it's impossible.
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May 24, 2021 01:47
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I started to rev match because it feels cool and smooth and natural when you do it right, in the same way that it feels cool, smooth, and natural when you go around a corner just right. That's the feeling I'm chasing on a bike on the road. Going faster seems to be a natural byproduct of that rather than an active part of the process.
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May 24, 2021 01:59
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:I started to rev match because it feels cool and smooth and natural when you do it right, in the same way that it feels cool, smooth, and natural when you go around a corner just right. That's the feeling I'm chasing on a bike on the road. Going faster seems to be a natural byproduct of that rather than an active part of the process. You've phrased this perfectly, that's exactly it. It's hard to put it across but yeah, going fast isn't the goal, it's a side effect of riding properly.
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May 24, 2021 02:03
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Slavvy posted:You've phrased this perfectly, that's exactly it. It's hard to put it across but yeah, going fast isn't the goal, it's a side effect of riding properly. Nic Cage's character in Gone in Sixty Seconds had a short monologue about that at the start of the movie.
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May 24, 2021 02:06
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It's also why small bikes are the most fun because you can ride them properly, get all the cool sensations, but not risk loss of limb or license. Conversely riding a super fast bike slowly absolutely sucks rear end because you can't feel anything, can't get the bike working and the machine itself is just begging for death the whole time.
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May 24, 2021 02:10
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Russian Bear posted:When I'm shifting down for a stop, should I be doing any rev matching with the throttle? Or just let the clutch do its thing? I used to clutchless downshift my D675, not all the time but usually when I was slowing down fairly fast, like the freeway off-ramp for my house. I always figured if you had to choose one you're better off rev matching than you are using the clutch, but maybe that's wrong. A lot of people on the D675 forums thought it was a bad idea, but sport bike forums are also a bad idea so who knows.
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May 24, 2021 07:50
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Rev matching without the clutch is basically impossible to do smoothly enough if you don't have a slipper, you have to do your own slip control with the clutch and throttle to get the best mix of stability and hurry. Nobody should ever be going clutch in - shift down - clutch out on a shut throttle the entire time, that's what I mean by doing it like a car.
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May 24, 2021 08:50
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Carth Dookie posted:that's all bikes. super weird and my feelings are kind of hurt that not a single dude has stopped to talk to me about my bike in the (admittedly short) month or so I've been riding
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May 24, 2021 10:26
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It’ll happen give it time
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May 24, 2021 14:22
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But Not Tonight posted:super weird and my feelings are kind of hurt that not a single dude has stopped to talk to me about my bike in the (admittedly short) month or so I've been riding *experience might be delayed due to global pandemic, check back next year if desired affects do not occur
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May 24, 2021 17:54
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Hmm. Skill based question - a couple areas I know I am lacking - high speed countersteering, and mid speed turning where like there's a transition from normal steering to countersteering, or the bike kinda responds to both. High speed countersteering - they teach it as like a push and lean. Handlebars turn though. I notice if I steer in the opposite direction, like firmly push and pull, and lean, I can make more aggressive turns. That takes more mental gymnastics than pushing the direction you want to turn. Am I wrong here? How do you get better at like swerving at highway speeds or evasive stuff? I can ride the highway fine, match the curvature of the road and switch lanes, but I know it's not enough. 90 degree turns on side streets and red lights - turning at 20-25mph is hard to do because the bike both wants to countersteer and normal steer it feels. I end up going a little slower than I'd like to stay in my line. I like just doing center center center....
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May 24, 2021 18:25
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SSH IT ZOMBIE posted:Hmm. Skill based question - a couple areas I know I am lacking - high speed countersteering, and mid speed turning where like there's a transition from normal steering to countersteering, or the bike kinda responds to both. there is no normal steering there is only counter-steering you do consciously and counter-steering you do unconsciously idk about people who learned systematically. I just rode down the interstate changing positions in my lane, swerving back and forth, nudging the bar consciously.
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May 24, 2021 18:41
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Greg12 posted:there is no normal steering Under a certain speed there is only "normal" steering the extreme example being pushing a bike around the garage, but yeah when riding it's all counter steering. The easiest way to understand the concept is not to test out the theory on your first corner at 75mph but by riding in a straight line and doing the "weave". You push forward on the left bar you go left and vice versa. More specifically, the counter steer causes the balance of the bike to shift to that direction which makes the bike turn. Sort of an opposite cause and effect of how a car works. But Not Tonight posted:super weird and my feelings are kind of hurt that not a single dude has stopped to talk to me about my bike in the (admittedly short) month or so I've been riding "Is it fast?" It will happen just pretend to be deaf or mute.
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May 24, 2021 18:59
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Watch the Twist of the Wrist II video on youtube. Theres a lot of stuff in there that probably makes sense to superbike racers and yamaha engineers that is totally over the head of the average rider even though it applies to them all the same.
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May 24, 2021 21:54
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Buy some cones and set them up in a big open parking lot, and practice practice practice. In my MSF they said the need to counter-steer kicks in around 12-15mph. Just noticed my MT-03 already has a battery tender plug under the seat; the manual doesn't mention it so I guess the dealer installed it? Nice little bonus.
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May 24, 2021 21:59
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The counter steer threshold speed varies based on wheel dimensions, fork geometry and wheelbase. Counter steering is literally just turning the bars opposite to the direction you want to go. Whether you do this by pushing or pulling or furiously jacking makes no difference. The important thing is doing it smoothly and confidently in a single motion rather than a wiggly zigzag through the corner. Combine this with the throttle rule and it turns out the right lines identify and make themselves. I'm increasingly convinced riding is taught wrong in a lot of ways. I've lost count of how many people I've spoken to who got told (by instructors) to only brake in a straight line or wrap themselves in knots trying to psychically divine the perfect line based on road geometry or whatever.
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May 24, 2021 22:13
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Slavvy posted:The counter steer threshold speed varies based on wheel dimensions, fork geometry and wheelbase. I think at least in the US, a lot of riding is taught on the basis of "listen, you get this one class and then good luck pal so let's make sure you can wobble the mile and a half from home to the bar and back." For example, braking only in a straight line is excellent advice for when you're very first learning. Or if you only ever ride a couple of times a year for a total of 30 miles. Sure, once you've started riding a bit it's way less useful but as "yo, don't die immediately" it's not such a bad tool.
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May 24, 2021 22:20
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In no way do I think I'm now a seasoned rider thanks to my ~8 hours of 2-on-10 instruction. But I got some practice in a controlled environment with experienced instructors offering feedback, and I have some basic rules to build off of when on the road. If anything it showed me just how much I don't yet know. It's in no way perfect, but it's doing more good than harm imo.
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May 24, 2021 22:28
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bizwank posted:In no way do I think I'm now a seasoned rider thanks to my ~8 hours of 2-on-10 instruction. But I got some practice in a controlled environment with experienced instructors offering feedback, and I have some basic rules to build off of when on the road. If anything it showed me just how much I don't yet know. It's in no way perfect, but it's doing more good than harm imo. You're here, you're practicing and recognizing what you don't know. You're going to be just fine. 
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May 24, 2021 22:29
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builds character posted:I think at least in the US, a lot of riding is taught on the basis of "listen, you get this one class and then good luck pal so let's make sure you can wobble the mile and a half from home to the bar and back." For example, braking only in a straight line is excellent advice for when you're very first learning. Or if you only ever ride a couple of times a year for a total of 30 miles. Sure, once you've started riding a bit it's way less useful but as "yo, don't die immediately" it's not such a bad tool. Yeah I get that, but it's like that here too, and we have a reasonable licensing system where people are obligated to start slow. The instructors basically just assume everyone is a dumbass and focus on getting people to that 'won't fall over too much' level, but really all if does is cripple potentially good riders with a bunch of poo poo that's really hard to unlearn. I think it stems from a fundamentally condescending attitude - trail braking is difficult to teach so let's not teach it because most people won't get it, instead of teaching it more intensively because it's so fundamental and such an important means of self improvement that people NEED to get it even if it takes a while.
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May 24, 2021 22:30
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Slavvy posted:The counter steer threshold speed varies based on wheel dimensions, fork geometry and wheelbase. Yeah, this basically. In my class I was quite literally pushing down on the top of the handlebars which does nothing. My steering was coming solely from leaning. It wasn't until I was riding in the street that I found out they meant push forward. It will make the bike lean and you lean with it. But "pushing" naturally means more like a bench press movement, not in the direction handlebars travel which is more of an arc. Then I was thinking ok, well, what if you steer literally the opposite other way, with both hands. That initiates a sharp tilt of the bike which is what I am looking to practice, but I'm wary about having to think of it like that. https://youtu.be/VVE79XT8-Mg Ie see this video, if you were to turn too hard, which "pushing" will prevent, you are forcing the front wheel to not go the direction of travel. It could skip like that, especially if you don't correct it immediately by letting the bars return to center. The handlebars are actually supposed to be straight, the bike rotates onto the side of the tire after making an input. Can you do well with just the notion of "push" or should I literally be thinking steer the opposite way? It is very different. One is moving one arm, the other is both arms. I'd rather consciously think about steering with one arm, the one I want to turn the direction of. No mental gymnastics required. Is there a limit of that? SSH IT ZOMBIE fucked around with this message at 22:35 on May 24, 2021 |
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May 24, 2021 22:32
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Slavvy posted:Yeah I get that, but it's like that here too, and we have a reasonable licensing system where people are obligated to start slow. The instructors basically just assume everyone is a dumbass and focus on getting people to that 'won't fall over too much' level, but really all if does is cripple potentially good riders with a bunch of poo poo that's really hard to unlearn. I think it stems from a fundamentally condescending attitude - trail braking is difficult to teach so let's not teach it because most people won't get it, instead of teaching it more intensively because it's so fundamental and such an important means of self improvement that people NEED to get it even if it takes a while. I'm 100% onboard with requiring more training and making the training better. I'd love to see it. I also think, unfortunately, it's unlikely.
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May 24, 2021 22:48
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After a little bit of time riding, you probably won't think about it at all. The amount you need to push comes from your speed and how tight you want to turn. I would absolutely not think of it as rotating the bars in a certain direction. For a fun exercise, make a gradual left turn by only pulling back on the right grip. If you're going wide into a turn and about to crash into a fire truck, look further into the turn, keep the throttle on, and push harder forward on the bar. Looking where you want to go is more important than worrying about which direction the bars are going (as long as they're going in the right direction).
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May 24, 2021 22:52
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You've lost me completely. Way too many words, too much thinking. Again: it makes no difference how you do it. You aren't 'turning' or 'steering' what you're really doing is rolling the bike around it's center of mass, which makes it lean, which makes the tyres run in a curve. How hard you push on the bars determines the roll rate, most modern bikes have enough grip in the dry that the roll rate is limited by frame geometry rather than tyre grip aka you can turn in as fast as physically possible and nothing bad will happen. Using one hand or two or whatever is just changing how much force and therefore roll rate you have.
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May 24, 2021 22:53
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Slavvy posted:You've lost me completely. Way too many words, too much thinking. Again: it makes no difference how you do it. You aren't 'turning' or 'steering' what you're really doing is rolling the bike around it's center of mass, which makes it lean, which makes the tyres run in a curve. How hard you push on the bars determines the roll rate, most modern bikes have enough grip in the dry that the roll rate is limited by frame geometry rather than tyre grip aka you can turn in as fast as physically possible and nothing bad will happen. Using one hand or two or whatever is just changing how much force and therefore roll rate you have.  . But you have to start them somewhere.
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May 24, 2021 23:05
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What should happen is your hypothetical brand new rider should have how the bike works explained to them before they ever go near riding one. It's much easier to teach someone when they understand what they're actually aiming for rather than just 'do this and you'll be fine' because that doesn't foster any kind of understanding. It's clear from the previous poster's words that they've been taught badly because they're asking fundamental questions that should've been taken care of during instruction. If I have to teach someone steering from scratch I first explain that the bike turns by leaning, not steering, and that the bars are just how you control the lean angle. Once you internalize this you stop worrying about what the bars are actually doing because you know the actual steering that controls where you go is the bike's lean angle. I'm punching this out as I walk a toddler around the block so I could probably do it clearer but hey.
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May 24, 2021 23:18
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| # ? May 16, 2024 00:24 |
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Yeah sounds like maybe I had a better class/instructors (https://evergreenmotorcycletraining.org/, run by the state of WA). They did explain it as leaning, and demoed it; we first practiced leaning with the bikes off to get a feel for the center of gravity, and then practiced taking corners at increasing speeds for about half an hour (up to 25mph). I just replaced my stock horn with a Freeway Blaster; figure if I need to get a driver's attention I want them to think something bigger than a scooter is about to hit them. Also installed fork, bar-end and swingarm spool sliders; waiting on a torque wrench to do the frame sliders since that involves engine bolts. Going to be practicing my slow-speed maneuvers a lot and if/when I drop it I'd like to do as little damage as possible.
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May 24, 2021 23:38
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