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Your mom warming up to this whole thing at all? You're taking a motorcycle course, have all the protective equipment and purchased a bike with ABS brakes....come on mom
Yeah, she's more comfortable with it, but doesn't want me to ride on one particular highway in my state lol
Get something used, slow, simple and easy to ride. After taking a riding course take some time riding in empty parking lots and dirt roads. Fall off a lot. Pick yourself up and keep riding. Then you can get something better, faster and prettier. Just keep the old bike and ride it often enough that it does not get lonely.
I learned to ride a 350 Honda and a BSA 500 single on snow, ice and water covered back roads. What I learned there saved me from a fall when my back tire came off the wheel at 75 mph on a California expressway.
So, I'm in South Carolina for spring break and holy crap, there are so many motorcyclists here and a good majority wear short sleeves and don't have a helmet! What is wrong with these guys????
Watching these people just makes me feel much more safe knowing how much good gear I bought.
Just because the other guys are playing "watch macho me" does not mean you have to. Ride your OWN ride.
I have been riding for about 45 years and I still wear a helmet, shoes (sometimes too hot for boots), long pants, leather jacket and gloves. Protecting your hands in a fall is nearly as important as protecting your brain.
So I took the MSF course and I've been practicing around my neighborhood to just get comfortable before going out on main roads. I have a few questions/concerns.
1) I was going downhill around 25 mph in 2nd gear and all of a sudden I was going like 30-35. I brought in the clutch and braked a little, but when I let off the clutch, the bike just lurched forward. What can I do to make this more smooth? Should I even be grabbing the clutch to brake?
2) After downshifting, when you ease off the clutch, do you then apply throttle (just as you do when upshifting)? I've been reading a lot about blipping the throttle, but people say to just get regular downshifting down before you try this? So if someone can just confirm the regular downshifting technique, that would be perfect. My bike also has a slipper clutch if that changes anything.
The MSF course is good, but they don't really spend any time on shifting
Last edited by Yankees1212; 04-13-2016 at 01:39 PM..
So I took the MSF course and got my first bike and I've been practicing around my neighborhood to just get comfortable before going out on main roads. I have a few questions/concerns.
1) I was going downhill around 25 mph in 2nd gear and all of a sudden I was going like 30-35. I brought in the clutch and braked a little, but when I let off the clutch, the bike just lurched forward. What can I do to make this more smooth? Should I even be grabbing the clutch to brake?
2) After downshifting, when you ease off the clutch, do you then apply throttle (just as you do when upshifting)? I've been reading a lot about blipping the throttle, but people say to just get regular downshifting down before you try this? So if someone can just confirm the regular downshifting technique, that would be perfect. My bike also has a slipper clutch if that changes anything.
The MSF course is good, but they don't really spend any time on shifting
My $.02 (of course)....
When riding a bike, while in motion try to be in gear as much as possible. Don't coast in neutral (or with clutch in) any more than you have to, even when coming to a stop. Run down through the gears instead. Personally, the only time I'm coasting with the clutch in is when I'm coming to a stop and I get slow enough that I'm starting to get real low in the revs in 2nd 9or 1st depending on the bike and my mood). At that point, I grab the clutch and coast the rest of the way to a stop. Otherwise, I'm always in gear. It gives you better control, and you also have options if you need to hit the throttle last-second (like someone coming in behind you way too hot). I find it smoother as well.
Don't worry about blipping the throttle too much right now. Heck, I've been riding for years and I still don't really 'blip'. If I do anything, I'll hold the throttle open ever so slightly while letting the clutch out, but for the most part I just feather (or dump) the clutch out, let the back squirm a little, and deal with it. It's a weird feeling for sure to have the back end squirm on you (or chatter/bark if you got real aggressive with the downshifting), but trust me. It's NO BIG DEAL. Unless you just downshifted 3 gears all at once or something ridiculous like that, the bike will handle it just fine and will stay upright just fine as well. Remember, the gyroscopic forces in the wheels WANT you to stay upright; once that wheel stops squirming around it will come right back to standing up. And with that slipper, it shouldn't jump around on you too much anyway.
To further this, the Reason you want to stay in gear/under power is so you have the ability to maneuver. While you can always let the clutch out, if you've changed speed enough that you're now in the wrong gear, you've lost the ability to get yourself out fo harms way. Brakes are you #1 *best* weapon for situations, but being under power is #2... and it's the Only way to avoid being rear-ended (the only type of multi-vehicle accident I've had, multiples of times now).
As for the throttle while shifting, to "blip" is simply to match the engine RPMs with the transmission disengaged to what it'll be like when you re-engage it by releasing the clutch. You can simply raise the RPMs too by holding the throttle more open. This is only something you need to worry about when downshifting, and while it's nothing to worry about for a Single gear change, not doing it when trying to change multiples of gears can put you on the ground (not always, but it can ~ I think more and more bikes have slipper clutches to mitigate this these days as yours does, and that essentially removes the risk. Still not the best riding technique).
As for normal downshifting:
Pre-load the shift lever with a little pressure, simultaneously roll off the throttle a little and pull in the clutch till the shifter moves into the next gear (up or down is the same), then release the clutch lever and get back on the throttle as needed. Repeat as necessary... and you can easily pre-load the shifter Well ahead of when you need to shift.
I'm about to turn 22 in a week and I'm graduating from college next semester. I want to buy a bike during the spring as I have the whole summer off before I start my full-time job in the fall. I have never ridden a motorcycle before, but I plan to purchase it completely on my own and take care of all the expenses. Still, my mom is reluctant and constantly tells me how unsafe it is to ride. I have told her I plan to take the MSF course and will ride responsibly, but she doesn't seem to listen. What are your thoughts on this? It hurts me that she is going to worry, but I'm an adult and should be able to make these decisions. I live in New Jersey by the way.
Second question, would you guys recommend a 300cc or a 650cc as my first motorcycle? I was originally going to get a Ninja 300, but people have told me I'll outgrow it within a month, so I'm now looking at the Ninja 650. Suggestions?
Why do you think you'll outgrow it. I've loved smaller motorcycles for all of my life, and I never outgrew them. Btw, I still love riding 125cc. 300cc is very good for lifetime. Don't go for what people say.
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