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I'm posting this in the newbie thread because no matter how long you've been riding, you're still sometimes a newbie. I've been riding since *checks notes*.....since i was 7 years old. I haven't dropped a bike since 2004. But I've never owned a bike as big as my 02 Goldwing with a centerstand, so in this case, I'm a newbie like anyone else. I dropped the goldwing today, not at speed, thankfully. While parking. I put it up on the centerstand, only to realize that the ground under it wasnt level, and it was leaning to the right. So, planning to move it and put it on level ground, I popped it off the sidestand while standing on the left side of it, and over it went. I tried, I really tried to stop it, but its got a good 700lbs on me, and there was no way in hell I was slowing that momentum. THANKFULLY, Honda in their wisdom, saw fit to put crash bars on the bike that in the event of a tipover, ensure that the bike lands on the tires and the crashbars, and the bodywork and bags remain untouched. Also thankfully, it tipped over into grass, so the crash bars didnt even take a beating, they just got a little dirt on them. I panicked immediately and did the thing where a mother lifts a car off their child lol. Im not gonna lie, it almost went over on the left side then. Right now its parked on its sidestand because I'm done picking it up off the ground for the day. So, lessons learned: 1) Pay attention to the ground where I'm looking to park the bike. 2) If the bike does get put on the centerstand on uneven ground, get on the bike before taking it off the stand. I really think I could have saved it, if I was on the bike and had both feet planted. The bike pulling me forward as it fell over was no good, and I couldnt put hardly any pulling force on the bars 3) If it does go over on to the right side, put the sidestand down before picking it up, I drat near lost it onto the left side as well trying to get it off the ground. 4) Remember that no matter how long you've been riding, you havent seen it all, not even close, and there is always something to learn Beve Stuscemi fucked around with this message at 20:13 on Jun 27, 2022 |
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Jun 27, 2022 19:34
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:
The only two times I've dropped a bike were also uneven ground. On a dirt road and at a gas station that had a little ramped repaired section of concrete next to the pump. Both were less of a drop and more of a weird slow collapse as the bike suddenly rolled forward and the stand folded up before I was prepared to fully support the weight of the bike. MSPain posted:I passed the permit test today! I also bought my first bike today! This is what I did the MSF course on. The clutch was really nice. I called mine Bendy because of the two they had mine had a bent up bar-end weight
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Jun 27, 2022 19:49
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Glad you and the bike are OK, JSB.
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Jun 27, 2022 19:55
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JSB you remind me of similar conundrum I had last weekend moving from the center to side stand. You have to be on the left of the bike to ensure the side stand stays pointed right. Using or leaving the center stand i usually am holding the tail of the bike with right hand, left hand on the left grip. The problem with this habit is I’m nowhere near any brake this way, and the T120 is just heavy enough to make a little street incline get out of hand. Had myself a close call.
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Jun 27, 2022 20:06
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Dog Case posted:
The clutch is so nice and easy on these that after the BRC I thought something was wrong with the clutch on my bike until I learned mine is just ~*sporty*~ and ~*unforgiving*~ or in the words of Slavvy "I told you it would suck to learn on you dumb gently caress"
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Jun 28, 2022 00:43
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Remy Marathe posted:JSB you remind me of similar conundrum I had last weekend moving from the center to side stand. You have to be on the left of the bike to ensure the side stand stays pointed right. Using or leaving the center stand i usually am holding the tail of the bike with right hand, left hand on the left grip. The problem with this habit is I’m nowhere near any brake this way, and the T120 is just heavy enough to make a little street incline get out of hand. Had myself a close call. Scooters are clearly the superior vehicle, close the forum.
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Jun 28, 2022 01:33
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I finished my MSF yesterday and had a great time! The first day was fun but I was /very/ worried about everything the whole time. Then, on Sunday, after we started practicing more and I got more comfortable on the bike I settled down. I rode a Suzuki tu250 (i think? all identification had been scraped off the bike, along with turn signals and stuff) and enjoyed that. I wish I had played around with a bunch of the other bike styles there, but on the recommendation of the instructor I just stuck with the one bike. The little grom 125s in particular looked like LOADS of fun. I passed the test with full points! Now I've got to figure out what to do next. My area does not seem to have a lot of entry level bikes available to me used. I've been looking for one of these, based on posts in this thread: - Rebel 300/500 - Ninja 250/300/400 - CBR 250/300 I live in Austin TX, so while city riding is a large component for me, I'll always be stuck doing a middle-to-high percentage of highway driving with speed limits in the 70s and 80s. Anyone wanna pitch me other bikes to keep an eye out for that will meet that need while also not giving me Too Much Biek? Also, holy poo poo, preowned bike dealer sites are worse than cars, jesus. A UI straight out of 2005, search that doesn't work, a price filter that will show you "call for quotes" prices. gently caress. I've been primarily looking on craigslist, and I don't have facebook. Are there other services I should be paying attention to? Some cursory checking shows that in some of the other major cities (Houston, San Antonio) the bike market is a bit more active. Has anyone bought their first bike from out of town before like that? How'd you handle it - did you rent a van and load the bike up? Did you pay a service? Thanks for all the resources in this thread, its been really useful to me thus far.
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Jun 28, 2022 02:37
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The lady I bought my Suzuki from drove it up to me from half an hour away. I might have lucked out in finding an especially courteous seller though.
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Jun 28, 2022 03:08
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I got my bike by watching CycleTrader and calling around. I hear some businesses will ship you bikes through CycleTrader but I didn't interact with that.
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Jun 28, 2022 03:51
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Jowj posted:I finished my MSF yesterday and had a great time! The first day was fun but I was /very/ worried about everything the whole time. Then, on Sunday, after we started practicing more and I got more comfortable on the bike I settled down. I rode a Suzuki tu250 (i think? all identification had been scraped off the bike, along with turn signals and stuff) and enjoyed that. I wish I had played around with a bunch of the other bike styles there, but on the recommendation of the instructor I just stuck with the one bike. The little grom 125s in particular looked like LOADS of fun. I passed the test with full points! Now I've got to figure out what to do next. as i was am / was in a very similar boat a few weeks ago; 1) i scoured kijiji (canadian craigslist kinda) , autotrader and the like for weeks. i tried checking out the dealers and gave up pretty much instantly due to what you said, websites from the 90's, or still showing old stock that had been sold months ago, or no prices (I HATE CALLING FOR A PRICE ITS 2022!) 2) out of the 30 or so bikes i 'saved' most were gone within 1-2 days, a few stuck around but the sellers were totally unresponsive or unwilling to nudge on their somewhat insane asking prices 3) i got super lucky in that the 1 bike i stuck with the guy was really friendly , and was patient with me over about 2 weeks of us both trying to wrangle our schedules to match so we could meet up 4) i was lucky again in that my friend is a bike nut and has a trailer, so i showed up inspected the bike, we did the deal and then loaded it onto the trailer and brought it back to my place... crucial here in Canada as you need a safety inspection sticker to put it on the road, and unless the seller does that for you you'll need to find a way to get it to the inspection mechanic. 5) be aware this is probably the worst time to buy a bike and maybe the best time to sell one, everyone is looking to get rid of their old bikes now and make some money off it, and NEW bikes are like unicorns. I probably called 10 dealers for in stock CBR's and the like and they either laughed or said they would put me on the long waiting list. be persistent and patient in checking, be prepared with your budget and once you find someone responsive with an ad don't let them get away... plan to go and see the bike ASAP or it will be gone.
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Jun 28, 2022 04:13
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Jowj posted:Also, holy poo poo, preowned bike dealer sites are worse than cars, jesus. A UI straight out of 2005, search that doesn't work, a price filter that will show you "call for quotes" prices. gently caress. I've been primarily looking on craigslist, and I don't have facebook. Are there other services I should be paying attention to? Some cursory checking shows that in some of the other major cities (Houston, San Antonio) the bike market is a bit more active. Has anyone bought their first bike from out of town before like that? How'd you handle it - did you rent a van and load the bike up? Did you pay a service? You should really look on facebook because thats where most of them are listed now
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Jun 28, 2022 04:54
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Both in WA and now OR I've found about equal content on FB and CL. Used prices are bad here in the Pdx metro area. Dealers that have any new stock are probably over-charging out the rear end and back. That said, I've been seeing far better deals in CL for more remote rural areas. I'm not sure if it's boomers getting rid of bikes or what. I saw a few ads about getting too old, resulting in what seemed like really good pricing for mid-2000 Road Kings / EGs / SGs TotalLossBrain fucked around with this message at 05:10 on Jun 28, 2022 |
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Jun 28, 2022 05:08
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If you're in the market you really want to be routinely checking as many sources as you can no matter how terrible they are, watching for the right price on a bike you like. Craigslist, Facebook's gross-rear end interface, cycletrader, all of the above every day (or whatever goes in your area). Like I did not personally consider cycletrader to be a relevant place to post things but that's where I happened to find my last bike at a great price. That seller seemed almost annoyed at all the out-of-state outreach he'd had, being local helped me jump the queue as it were. Getting a beginner bike home is a challenge, I was lucky to have someone willing to ride mine a couple hours home so I could start riding it around the block. I guess barring that help I'd research I) securing bikes for transport properly (e.g. compressing the front suspension) and how ratcheting straps work, if you haven't had the pleasure and II) the sorts of trailers available for rent that have ramps you could walk a bike up (note that parking by a slope helps). Also, many riders would happily ride the bike they just sold to your place for a lift back and a 6-pack. I'd ride another goon's starter bike home just for shits and giggles if I were in Austin.
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Jun 28, 2022 06:03
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I would love to ride someones bike home for them (I get to ride a different bike for a bit) and if I sold a bike I liked I would love a last goodbye ride actually.
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Jun 28, 2022 07:00
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Slavvy posted:Never, ever coast in neural or with the clutch pulled at any kind of speed. Aside from it being horrendously wrong technique, you can and will gently caress things mechanically on lots of bikes by doing it. Never ever. Would you be willing to elaborate a little bit on this? I usually down shift through gears until about 10-15 miles per hour then roll with the clutch pulled in to get to stops when I'm riding in traffic, and while I definitely understood your earlier post about why coasting is bad form from a weight/geometry standpoint, I had never considered that coasting could be bad mechanically. Like, what exactly is happening inside the transmission/clutch that's bad? Is it a function of the plates never completely disengaging so you create huge amounts of...dunno the term here...no grip friction and heat? On a related note, on my XSR700, if I engine break beyond the recommended down shift speeds, I'll often not be able to get the next gear. As in, I push the shifter down and it goes into a state of limbo, no gear or neutral until I release the clutch a bit and it grabs and registers the gear, but I'll often have to do that through each gear till I roll for a minute in gear with no clutch again. Say fourth to third just comes up blank, I can be almost sure that it won't find second too. So much to learn.
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Jun 28, 2022 08:51
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Rolling to a stop while coasting for a few car lenghts isn't bad for your bike. I tend to coast the final 10 or 20 meters when coming to a stop in traffic, while of course being in the appropriate gear. 2nd when i'm still mostly moving, 1st when i am definitely coming to a full stop. Light bikes will probably need 1st gear in both cases, the SV has a lot of low rpm power. If it can be done smoothly, do try to stay in gear. Pulling in the clutch too early is a fail if you try and get your license here. What is not good form, is to already pull in the clutch well before you come to a stop. It's easy to forget which gear you're in, then release the clutch when you suddenly need more speed, and either lurch forward due to unexpected engine braking, or lug your engine because you're at a too low road speed for the gear you're in. What is bad, is coasting down hills/bridges/tunnels/mountains. You lack an important sense of control. You heat up your brakes because those have to dissipate all the energy, while normally the engine would've taken that job (which doesn't get hotter than normal when engine braking, because you're not or only barely injecting fuel). Furthermore, there can be a lubrication issue. I am not very knowledgeable in that area. Something something shaft not spinning = no gearbox lubrication = bad times. But before accepting that as truth, wait for someone else to chime in.
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Jun 28, 2022 11:03
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Fluffs McCloud posted:Would you be willing to elaborate a little bit on this? I usually down shift through gears until about 10-15 miles per hour then roll with the clutch pulled in to get to stops when I'm riding in traffic, and while I definitely understood your earlier post about why coasting is bad form from a weight/geometry standpoint, I had never considered that coasting could be bad mechanically. Like, what exactly is happening inside the transmission/clutch that's bad? Is it a function of the plates never completely disengaging so you create huge amounts of...dunno the term here...no grip friction and heat? You can have a situation where eg the engine is spinning but the gearbox isn't so critical bearings get no lubrication splashed their way, that kind of thing, varies by design. Not a factor at low speeds. You should be able to downshift at basically any rpm within the permitted range. You need to blip the throttle as you downshift, you can't just let the clutch out like in a car. Because it's a dog box, you need to momentarily break the driving torque on the gearbox so the dog gears have a chance to move, the clutch is a slow and clumsy way of doing this and you'll find this as you get better at cutting throttle on upshifts/blipping on downshifts, you'll need the clutch less and less until you're basically just using it for stops and low speed stuff. All of this is much easier to learn on a small bike...
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Jun 28, 2022 11:29
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If the transmission/clutch speed approaches idle, shifting gets hard. If you're stopped in a high gear for some reason, rock the bike forward a bit while gently pushing on the shift lever. Alternatively, let out the clutch just a tiny bit while gently pushing the lever, and it'll slip into gear, usually. A combination of old oil and hot weather can trigger hard shifts too, it's a clear signal that you're well overdue for an oil change. It's a matter of practice. You know you're doing it right if you only have to give the gearbox the suggestion that you require a shift. I only need a tiny bit of pressure on the lever and it'll click into the next gear almost by itself, if i'm doing it right. Super satisfying. Forget clutchless shifting for now though. It can be done, it won't harm your bike if done properly, but first you gotta learn to shift properly with clutch. If it's smooth and without loud bangs or rattles with the clutch, you can start doing the same without. Though clutchless downshifts are pretty hard. Don't recommend.
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Jun 28, 2022 12:31
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MSPain posted:The lady I bought my Suzuki from drove it up to me from half an hour away. I might have lucked out in finding an especially courteous seller though. You really are quite lucky, the bike looks pristine and well cared for, and you get delivery thrown in.
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Jun 28, 2022 12:57
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Jowj posted:
I also recommend firing up an FB account for buying to expand your options.
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Jun 28, 2022 13:32
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offerup is also an option, depending on your area
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Jun 28, 2022 16:40
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:
When I first hooked my sidecar up, I realized there is a bump stop designed to catch the valve cover on the GS and keep the bike from tipping all the way over onto the sidecar (this is a leaning rig, not a fixed frame). Decided I'd try it out to make sure it works. I was holding onto the bike to let it tip over towards the sidecar as gently as possible, and once it got past a 30deg lean or so there was no way I could've held it up. Good thing that bump stop does work, but it won't keep the handguards from touching (so much for the new paint on the sidecar). Newbies reading this - go watch some videos on how to pick your bike back up if you dump it. It's not that difficult if you do it the right way, but the right way is not pulling the bike back up from horizontal. I couldn't get under my GS to push it back up off the sidecar, and pulling 600-odd pounds from laying near flat to standing vertical is drat near impossible to do by yourself if you're not built like the Rock.
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Jun 28, 2022 19:54
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Coasting to a stop in traffic is potentially dangerous and a point of exam deduction in countries that actually take licensing half seriously. I thought i remember someone posting they got dinged for that, SEKcobra maybe? I'd say, especially if you're in the city with cars all around, always be in gear unless you're at a stop with your clutch in.
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Jun 28, 2022 19:54
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Slavvy posted:You can have a situation where eg the engine is spinning but the gearbox isn't so critical bearings get no lubrication splashed their way, that kind of thing, varies by design. Not a factor at low speeds. I think that might be backwards, the way I understood it is that most oil pumps are driven off the crankshaft, and in most bikes (Harleys excepted, like you said) the gearbox and engine have a shared sump. So if you're coasting with the clutch in, or the bike in neutral, you've got the transmission spinning fast and the engine (and therefore oil pump) idling, so you may be oil-starving the transmission. If you're engine braking, then the engine is spinning and the oil pump is pumping and you're fine.
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Jun 28, 2022 20:32
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Phy posted:I think that might be backwards, the way I understood it is that most oil pumps are driven off the crankshaft, and in most bikes (Harleys excepted, like you said) the gearbox and engine have a shared sump. So if you're coasting with the clutch in, or the bike in neutral, you've got the transmission spinning fast and the engine (and therefore oil pump) idling, so you may be oil-starving the transmission. How does this play out in engines where the transmission just sits in the sump? (Like the 125 Honda uses in the Grom/Monkey/CT)
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Jun 28, 2022 20:41
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You absolutely get dinged for pulling in the clutch too soon. This goes for both car driving (stick shift is standard here) and bike riding. You shouldn't overdo it either. Don't keep it the clutch engaged if you'd be lugging the engine if you'd go from engine braking to driving the wheel, and if you're coming to a definitive stop, it's also not always necessary to shift down to 1st, let out your clutch again and in 2 seconds pull it back in again. Though that varies per bike a bit. On my SV i can pull away in 2nd gear just fine if i unexpectedly have to accelerate again, as long as i'm rolling at any speed faster than a good walking pace. On the FZR, i really gotta shift down to 1st because 1st on that thing is ridiculously tall, let alone 2nd, and it's not exactly happy at low revs.
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Jun 28, 2022 20:49
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LimaBiker posted:You absolutely get dinged for pulling in the clutch too soon. This goes for both car driving (stick shift is standard here) and bike riding. You previously said you coast in the last 20m to junctions which is exactly what gets dinged on tests.
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Jun 28, 2022 21:29
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Phy posted:I think that might be backwards, the way I understood it is that most oil pumps are driven off the crankshaft, and in most bikes (Harleys excepted, like you said) the gearbox and engine have a shared sump. So if you're coasting with the clutch in, or the bike in neutral, you've got the transmission spinning fast and the engine (and therefore oil pump) idling, so you may be oil-starving the transmission. I think you misunderstood my post cause that's exactly what I'm saying, I phrased it badly. But yeah generally in unitary engines the gearbox is expected to have lubrication proportionate to it's rotating speed which can't really happen if the engine is idling and you're zooming. knox_harrington posted:You previously said you coast in the last 20m to junctions which is exactly what gets dinged on tests. Don't stop the blind leading the blind in this, the most vision impaired of all threads.
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Jun 28, 2022 22:01
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Slavvy posted:I think you misunderstood my post cause that's exactly what I'm saying, I phrased it badly. But yeah generally in unitary engines the gearbox is expected to have lubrication proportionate to it's rotating speed which can't really happen if the engine is idling and you're zooming. Oh absolutely we're agreed on the actual thing that's happening, if you go back and look I bolded the part of your post that I thought was backwards from what we're talking about. My bad if I've got something hosed up. TotalLossBrain posted:How does this play out in engines where the transmission just sits in the sump? (Like the 125 Honda uses in the Grom/Monkey/CT) Without knowing a little more (ie how much of the transmission is bathed in the sump) it's tough for me to say and I'd have to defer to someone who's seen the guts of one.
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Jun 28, 2022 22:55
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The cub engine is ancient enough that just about the whole thing is splash lubricated so it doesn't really care what you do.
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Jun 28, 2022 23:02
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Russian Bear posted:Coasting to a stop in traffic is potentially dangerous and a point of exam deduction in countries that actually take licensing half seriously. I thought i remember someone posting they got dinged for that, SEKcobra maybe? I'd say, especially if you're in the city with cars all around, always be in gear unless you're at a stop with your clutch in. Nope, I don't ride much with a disconnected drivetrain, I was heavily trimmed toward economic driving which means I do a lot of engine braking and have to actively reduce that habit in the context of biking.
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Jun 29, 2022 00:53
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Mmhmm, next thing you'll tell me is that it's bad to cut the engine with the kill switch rather than the key ignition
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Jun 29, 2022 01:35
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Always stop your engine by jamming a rag into the intake
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Jun 29, 2022 01:53
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Here in Finland you fail your test unless you stop the engine by jamming your balls into the carburettors. That's why you only ever see 2-cylinder bikes on the road here 
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Jun 29, 2022 04:16
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You stop your engine by forgetting you’re still in 1st and putting the kickstand down duh. (May not work on all bikes)
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Jun 29, 2022 04:36
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The correct way is to switch off the fuel tap before you arrive and come to a stop at the very moment the engine splutters to a halt.
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Jun 29, 2022 04:47
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metallicaeg posted:Mmhmm, next thing you'll tell me is that it's bad to cut the engine with the kill switch rather than the key ignition If I recall correctly they will fail you in California if you don’t turn the bike off with the kill switch 
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Jun 29, 2022 05:59
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In California you can just do a ridercourse for your M1 and spend the whole time being told push harder push harder until you scrape your pegs and learn it's not the end of the world, get your license without touching a U-turn box and then spend the next 7 years coasting gleefully toward every stop with a grin on your face, and if your bike lives to be rusty you get a license plate frame that says "Slavvy was wrong" but nobody has got one yet, that might be an urban legend.
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Jun 29, 2022 06:10
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I got warned not to engine brake while learning many years ago, the reason given being that you're not displaying a brake light while slowing down  Obviously, I engine brake all the time now..
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Jun 29, 2022 11:13
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Russian Bear posted:You stop your engine by forgetting you’re still in 1st and putting the kickstand down duh. (May not work on all bikes) Wait it's bad to let the kickstand Killswitch turn the bike off?
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Jun 29, 2022 11:26
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