Tony.. do you ride Motorcycles?

You are right though... You can buy an entire Bike for the cost of a set of new PCCB rotors..

 

Graham -

Yes, started on dirt bikes at 14 and then moved over to street bikes (which I said I'd never do)

CT70, SL125, TM125, RM125, 250 Elsinore, CB550, (2) XL350's, GS750, Ninja 600, Ninja 750, Hurricane 1000, GS1100, Katana 750...

Very fond memories of a solo trip to Seattle and a group trip to Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon with three other guys - leaving after watching the GP races at Laguna. Blasting across Death Valley at 150+ was something I'll never forget... at one point we needed gas and it was 10-15 miles in two directions. Instead of talking about it I said we could be there in a little more than 5 min. so let's go NOW - haha

Been a few years since I've ridden though.

 

Hey guys, which are the best suggestions you (expert riders) could give to a novice rider (me)? I mean, the first things that pop into your mind as good advices..

I know it's dangerous, but it gives really unique sansations..and a garage filled with a TT Porsche and a good bike is really cool..!

 

The first thing to realize about Motorcycles is that they can get you into a TON of trouble really, really quickly, the type of trouble that in a Car is quite minor can be fatal on a Bike.

1. Take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course (or similar type of safety course in your State/Country)... Just do it, even if you feel like it's uncool.. It will help you unlearn bad habits and it gets you a discount on your insurance.

2. My advice would be to do some track days on your Motorcycle to get a feel for just how far you can push the Bike; tracks are a great tool for realizing just how much you can lean a bike and still stay on the road, it lets you brake to your maximum, it will let you experiment with body position and the instructors will point out your riding flaws etc.

3. Look further ahead of you.. If you aren't looking far enough ahead, everything seems to happen too quickly and you don't have enough time to react. If you are looking too "short", you can't set your line up for the next set of corners, you won't see debris in the road or bad road conditions etc. One of my friends was complaining that everything was happening too fast on his Motorcycle.. after telling him to look further ahead, he said it all slowed down for him and he felt more comfortable.

4. NEVER, EVER go flat out through the corners on the street.. Just don't.. Always leave a margin for error.

5. If you are going to ride a route and you intend on pushing hard, SCOUT the road FIRST! Just because you were on that road yesterday, doesn't mean that it's ok today. I ride up in the hills around here and there's always something that has changed.. gravel, sand, water, branches, rocks, roadworks, new chunk missing out of the asphalt.. etc, etc.

6. Relax on the Bike... Keep your arms loose; you don't need a death grip on the bars. Rigid arms mean that you can't get the Bike to turn, since you are forcing the bars straight.

7. If you totally screw up a corner, keep trying to get the Bike around it anyway.. you would be surprised at how many people bail off when they could in fact have made it.

8. Balance... Practice, practice, practice.. I ride to work every day, rain or shine.. I play a game of trying to NEVER put my feet down at stop lights.. It means I have to keep the Bike balanced even when I am stopped..

9. Ride in every type of weather you can.. Get used to the wet, the wind etc. After riding in the rain for 3 or 4 days, you feel like Rossi when it dries out.

10. FOCUS and CONCENTRATE! Don't let your mind wander.. If there's one thing a modern Sportbike does, it's make you REALLY concentrate on the task at hand.. it's part of the appeal.. everything else just goes out of your mind// no Work, no Boss, no nagging from the Wife/Girlfriend; just being in the moment on the Bike.

 

Great suggestions Graham

I would also add:

- Always anticipate the person in the car does not see you! Even if you are looking them in the eyes, they can be oblivious as they are conditioned to only look for cars and will easily miss you.

- You will always lose against a car in a collision, please be careful. I tried to only ride for pleasure and not commuting. People are hazy and distracted heading to/from work and between putting on makeup, shaving, brushing teeth and talking on the phone they can easily miss you. I've had people open their doors in stopped traffic to dump coffee as well.

- Wear the proper gear. Cycling boots, good leather gloves and a leather jacket as a minimum. Never shorts or open toed shoes, please.

- If you can get some time on a dirt bike it will help you understand the dynamics of riding - and it doesn't hurt as much when you fall.

- Enjoy yourself!! Riding a bike is a feeling like no other, the wind, the speed the smell of the air - it's intoxicating.

Good Luck.

 

Thank you so much guys! I'll print this advices into my mind and I will try to do my best at following all of them, that's for sure.

I appreciate you took the time to answer my question!

 

I will, no doubt.

This is something that helped me A LOT with my P car. Knowing its limits helps you to "feel" if you're going too fast on the road.


You're right..so many guys got seriously hurt in stupid accidents...wearing shorts...

 

I'll add that when you're learning on a bike there's a tendency to roll on the throttle when you hit a bump. Your weight get's transferred to your wrists and the bike starts to accelerate without you even thinking about it. Try to keep a lower grip with your right hand at first. This will help minimize this sometimes abrupt unintentional consequence of hitting a large bump or pot hole for a newer rider. Also, I wouldn't recommend starting with a liter bike. The thing is these bikes are such extreme machines that they can exceed your skill level in about two seconds. I started on a Yamaha R6 which is a 600 cc bike. I rode it for over three years before I moved up to a GSXR 1000. There is a huge difference between a 600 and a liter bike. Everything else that was mentioned is really outstanding advice. I too took a motorcycle safety course, MSF and it was outstanding.

 

Well, I was looking at a Ducati 749 (I always liked it..), but the sale didn't go well, so I'm in the market again.

I'm thinking now that maybe a Jap 600 bike would be better choice beacuse they cost considerably less than Duc's in maintenance and seem to be more reliable.

So, using the brain instead of the heart, I think a cbr 600 or a R6 would be good choices.

When I'll have enough experience maybe it will be the right time to buy a liter Ducati and fulfill my dream.

 

If you are over 150 lbs, I would also look at the Triumph 675.. It's a STONKING wee Bike.. lots of torque like a twin, but the same top end rush of the Japanese 600's... Handles really well and won the MasterBike four years in a row.. I have had two and my Girlfriend rides one as well and they are just brilliant.

 

WOW! You have just opened my eyes! Didn't know the Daytona...what a stunning looking bike...

I am 180lb, so maybe I could ride it.

I thought that maintenace could have been difficult and costly, but with a quick google search I've just discovered that they are reliable bikes, parts are easy to find and I've got a dealer/shop 30 miles from home!!

 

Any further info on this turbo?

 

I think during testing it did not make any more power than the Billet 16 , not sure if they then gave up or are still going to offer it.

 

Ah, okay, cheers

 

But we all need to know anyway