Confessions of a Newbie Rider

[theglove1978]

Hi all.


Only 1 1/2 weeks since a passed my Mod 2 test, thought i'd share the trials and tribulations of my early biking experiences on the Fazer:


1)  Clunky gear changes.  1st to 2nd especially but has taken me about 150 miles of riding to start smoothing them out.  Mod 1 & 2 lessons do not teach effective gear changing.
2)  Changing down.  For reasons unbeknown, i coasted (clutch in) then went down the gears without engaging clutch.  Mate of mine told me engage clutch at every down shift - works a treat!  Again, Mod 1 & 2 lessons do not teach this.
3)  Cornering.  Still a little clumsy at times or slow but confidence slowly increasing.
4)  Speed!  I think i am going about 100mph then i look down at speedo and oh Foc, i'm only doing 30mph .  Getting used to this now thankfully!  Have to say, haven't enjoyed early motorway experiences!
5)  Other bikers.  Great bunch of folk.  Not a word of complaint, all very friendly and always up for a chat!

[adeejaysdelight]

Welcome to the forum Glove, and to the world of bikes. Your corner speed will come, don't push it to much. Learn your trade over a lifetime, not in an afternoon, and you'll be set  . The sense of speed will pass, its just the feeling of being so exposed that heightens the senses. Get on your bike as much as possible, and riding through one winter is worth 2 summers. And when the summer comes around, you'll be going round them bends like Mark Marquez!!!

[Dead Eye]

1) Fazers are just like that but you will get used to it
2) Strangely, I was actually taught that on my Mod 1 + 2 so thankfully it wasn't a problem for me
3) Expect that for probably the next 6 months until you really start getting used to being on two wheels
4) Yup, definitely remember this one! After being a cager for 3 years and jumping on a bike, its such a different experience and everything seems to be moving sooo fast. I've definitely gotten used to it now though but the acceleration is still a great kick
5) Agreed! Very good camaraderie amongst bikers ^^

Now, stop chatting and get out there on that bike!

[JZS 600]

Happens to us all, don't worry.


Get comfortable with the bike then think about some advanced training,,, makes you smoother and if you want, faster!

[jon]

Cornering faster is easier with a bit of countersteering!






....3,2,1.....l

[JZS 600]

Rear wheel steering!


(well, not quite, shut up Marquez,,,)

[theglove1978]

Rear wheel steering!


(well, not quite, shut up Marquez,,,)

I actually played with this a little today (safely and slowly i may add) and quite effective i thought.  Quite how much this will creep into my day to day riding remains to be seen 

[Dead Eye]

I have never heard of "Rear Wheel Steering" on a Motorcycle before... so a quick Google and... it seems to be basically the same thing as drifting no?

[theglove1978]

Rear wheel steering!


(well, not quite, shut up Marquez,,,)

I actually played with this a little today (safely and slowly i may add) and quite effective i thought.  Quite how much this will creep into my day to day riding remains to be seen 

Ha - sorry i quoted wrong reply!  Needless to say, never played with rear wheel steer, it was counter steering i played with 

[JZS 600]

Just don't shove down on the bar too hard our you'll end up on your ear/hedge! 

[elbrownos]

#1 It helps if you change early from 1st to 2nd, ie. no higher than 4k rpm
#2 What's the problem? I change from 6th to 1st without releasing the clutch in between.

[mr self destruct]

It's a steep learning curve isn't it? 

Ha - sorry i quoted wrong reply!  Needless to say, never played with rear wheel steer, it was counter steering i played with 

You weren't taught countersteering in your lessons? To be honest I don't know any other way of steering.

There's a great video on youtube by a user called roadcraftnottingham that explains it, it's brilliant.

[JZS 600]

It's a piece of piss, you do it anyway when you are riding but probably not conscientiously.


Balance a brush upright on your hand and watch which way the brush moves when you move your hand,,,


Saw a demo once, very interesting.


When you are riding and approaching a bend, say a left hander and push down gently on the left bar, the bike will naturally move left like magic!


When you're in a bend and going a wee bit too fast and you think the bike won't make the corner, that's when counter steering comes into it big time! As well as looking where you want to go as the bike will go where you're looking, like the fast approaching hedge or the back of that transit in front!


Centre of gravity comes into it as well but that's for later (hanging off the bike)

[AdieR]

Clunky changes: Fazers are clunky anyway, and it takes practice to make smooth changes anyhow. It's one of those things where an instructor can advise - but the only way to learn smooth changes, is to do it (take your time changing gear if need be). If your bike hasn't had it, an oil change can take some of the clunkiness out.

Going down multiple gears isn't a problem, it's matching engine speed / road speed, so as not to make the bike lurch: in fact IIRC, block changing is almost a must for advanced tests. Again it's a practice thing.

Cornering: if you've just come off a 125, bear in mind a big bike (and especially a new-to-you, unfamiliar bike) will handle differently; your tyres will have likely more grip than you give them credit for. Part of it is the "look where you want to go, and you'll end up there", part of it is making sure you're sufficiently relaxed on the bike (almost letting the bike "do it's own thing") - if you're tense, you can end up "fighting" with the bike. Try one of those off-road training days (BMW and I think Honda run these, amongst others) - it'll give you a feel for the bike sliding about, and if (when) it happens on the road (fuel, gravel, grain etc) you won't be so inclined to panic.

Speed: it takes time to get used to windblast (and indeed, noise) on a bike (M-ways are even worse), ultimately speed comes from being smooth, and smoothness comes from looking ahead and giving yourself a chance to plan things through. 

[Bitfik]

As JXS says, the best bit of advice I got was to look where you want to go. If you are a little hard on a corner and fast approaching the verge, if you look at the verge and think oh )£&@, that's where you will go. If you look at the line you want to take... You should take it.


I also bought a great DVD called "Police Advanced Riding Techniques" by an ex police bike instructor called Mike Waite. Was very useful in explaining how to read roads, visual or vanishing point, road positioning etc... Also great tips on overtaking etc. totally recommend it, and it wasn't expensive if I recall.


Actually now I dug it out to find the guys name and proper title I think it might be worth another watch.


Enjoy your biking buddy, and stay safe!

[Bitfik]

Sorry Adie, was typing as you posted. Good advice m8. Look where you want to go.

[bri h]

Hi glove. If the gear changing doesnt get less clunky you might want to check your chains not a bit too slack. As for the speed the time to worry is when you feel like your doin 30 but doing 100. Keep it shiny side up mate.

[Slaninar]

Cornering: if you've just come off a 125, bear in mind a big bike (and especially a new-to-you, unfamiliar bike) will handle differently; your tyres will have likely more grip than you give them credit for. Part of it is the "look where you want to go, and you'll end up there", part of it is making sure you're sufficiently relaxed on the bike (almost letting the bike "do it's own thing") - if you're tense, you can end up "fighting" with the bike. Try one of those off-road training days (BMW and I think Honda run these, amongst others) - it'll give you a feel for the bike sliding about, and if (when) it happens on the road (fuel, gravel, grain etc) you won't be so inclined to panic.

Yup, conrering confidence grows slowly and gradually in time, until you fall - then it's back to zero. 

[theglove1978]

#1 It helps if you change early from 1st to 2nd, ie. no higher than 4k rpm
#2 What's the problem? I change from 6th to 1st without releasing the clutch in between.

Fair enough - my mate advised me best practice was to engage clutch at every down shift.  Whatever suits i suppose  !  Interesting to hear what other people do anyway.  Thanks for 1st to 2nd advice too!

[theglove1978]

Thanks to all the advice and feedback - very much appreciated!! 

[Buzz]

-- For smoother gear changes make sure the pedal is at a low enough angle to make it easier for your toes to give it a good positive upwards "click".  When I first got the bike I found that I kept missing up-changes and hitting neutral.  I lowered the lever a cm and never had the problem again. 


-- For cornering it really helps if you keep your knees tight on the tank, your upper body loose and toes on the pegs...for right handers, push with your left foot on the peg and right hand on the bars and vice versa, in other words countersteering.


Have a read of the "Full Control" PDF I've just stuck in the Downloads section, it's very good.

[theglove1978]

-- For smoother gear changes make sure the pedal is at a low enough angle to make it easier for your toes to give it a good positive upwards "click".  When I first got the bike I found that I kept missing up-changes and hitting neutral.  I lowered the lever a cm and never had the problem again. 


-- For cornering it really helps if you keep your knees tight on the tank, your upper body loose and toes on the pegs...for right handers, push with your left foot on the peg and right hand on the bars and vice versa, in other words countersteering.


Have a read of the "Full Control" PDF I've just stuck in the Downloads section, it's very good.

Awesome - cheers dude!  Have hit neutral once or twice only to be met with a screaming engine and no oomph 

[JoeRock]

#1 It helps if you change early from 1st to 2nd, ie. no higher than 4k rpm
#2 What's the problem? I change from 6th to 1st without releasing the clutch in between.

God don't do that! It's incredibly bad for a sequential gearbox to have that done to it, you need to make sure every gear you have has been selected and meshed properly on the way up and down the box to avoid anything being stripped!

[JZS 600]

Interesting,,, I usually block change down from 6 to 4th as there's not a lot of difference between 5th and 6th when slowing down and occasionally block change down 3 gears during a big slow down
 
(not certain but I think I hit the rev limiter on an over take yesterday going from 1st to second,,, )

[Dead Eye]

You don't have to fully engage the clutch on every single shift - just let it bite a little so that the gears mesh correctly on that change, I can still drop from 6th - 1st pretty speedily if I have to