Riding: First Day

[ethics]

Instead of taking it easy, I didn't. Plain and simple. My cousin came and we rode off on our bikes from the shop today, that was 10:30AM, I just got home an hour ago. Went to NJ, through SI, through a few bridges.

Good news? I made home alive!
Bad News? I dropped the bike---TWICE!
Good news again? It was going 1mph when I did--both times by the curb.

Why? I need to work on my hills and valleys and anything over the right side. Apparently, both times I tried to come out of a little dip, my bike stalls and it's like a friggin airplane when losing power, it just goes plop. No damage though, a few scratches on the bottom but nothing a little touch up couldn't do. This is my first bike and it's not for putting it on the pedestal to look at, if you know what I mean. Besides, I'd rather do that at standing still than going 80MPH.

First time I hit the highway and I got better as the hours clicked by. Something you need to be aware is the friggin wind. Going even at 50mph with crosswinds, man, there's a little "oh my God" moment here and there, but the bike was always steady. There's just a split second where it FEELS like you will be blown off the bike but... that's just lack of experience talking.

Let me just say something before I forget to include this part in the post: This wasn't mentioned in school or by many people I know but I will say it to you now: riding a motorcycle is a SPORT. It's not luxury, it's not a hobby (although they can be both but only secondary) but it's a DEMANDING sport. All your senses have to work in coordination. You body needs to become one organism with the bike, with very little room for an error. My body feels like I worked out for 8 hours and I am BEAT! My muscles hurt all over--and you really don't know that you are using so MUCH of your body until you get off the bike.


Where do I need to work on?


Slow speeds. Taking off from 1st gear was giving me a lot of problems from the beginning. The friction zone was slippery and I needed some time with that.
Handling while getting cross winded. I held my own but I need to get better so that my confidence will grow in conjunction.
Turning, need better, more accurate turns.Some words of wisdom for newbies:


Don't do your first day like I did. I do it because I like to get hard things out of the way.
It may be hot with your jacket but it can get REALLY cold with the same jacket in no time.
Practice low speeds first.
Always assume car drivers WANT to nail you.That's really it. I had a blast, the bike is just unreal. Agile, fast, comfortable.

[Andy]

So when you heading down the shore? ;)

[ethics]

Once I get a few more miles under me. :)

[MNeedham73]

Sounds like you encountered some of the same things I have so far. Although, I haven't dropped mine yet ;)

Glad you had a good time and made it through safely bro.

By the way, I saw your bike in person at my dealership today. It looks even more evil in person lol.

[Violet1966]

You're not the first to drop a bike Leon, and this stuff is exactly what I have fear of in learning myself, being on the small side physically. I'm not so much worried about faster speed, it's that slow speed that you need to put your feet down, or pick them up while letting clutch out, that scares me. LOL

You weren't hurt, bike is fine, all is good. :happy:

You know it's funny you say bike is like a sport because it really is. I've never actually operated a motorcycle, but I've rode regular bicycles hard and also atv's more recently, and the control you need and movement on them to take turns or bumps, bracing, etc, it does hurt at first. I'd imagine your wrist feels a little something today after the ride maybe from throttling? Braking makes hands achy a bit too with the atv I know. I know my throttle finger which is my right thumb for the atv used to get so achy the first few days I'd do more riding on it. The calves too. Controlling motorized things you have to steer and brake and shift and move with for safety, you do feel it when you first start. I did at least with the atv. I rode my atv like a horse. Only thing I ever enjoyed more was horseback riding. It's very similar really in the way you have to move with the machine, and you feel it after a few hours just the same. I'd imagine the strength one needs to build for a motorcycle, would be the same. You're going to have some massive arms and legs after this I'd think. :)

This is where I'm really amazed by people who ride motorcycles. We've had a few bikes with my husband now and each bike has it's own feel too from what he says. Some want to lean more, others fight you hard.

My ex husband had his first bike on a hill one time at a light, way before we met, let off the clutch and popped a wheelie backwards. He jumped off ok but after hearing that can happen, this is why I'm freaked out with motorcycles and have a lot of respect for good riders who can handle those situations. I know what a bitch my 69 Mustang used to be stopped on a hill, and it's got to be hard to get used to on a bike too.

Many wishes and prayers for safe riding days for you and your cousin. Be careful and good to know you realize how bad cars are with bikes. Some people in cars really are clueless or just don't care. :(

[ethics]

I'd imagine your wrist feels a little something today after the ride maybe from throttling?

Omg... you nailed it. I am feeling them so bad right now as I type this. It's unreal how much muscle you use in riding. My sides hurt from leaning (countersteering and then leaning).

My ex husband had his first bike on a hill one time at a light, way before we met, let off the clutch and popped a wheelie backwards. He jumped off ok but after hearing that can happen

On these bikes? My problem was not giving it throttle as I eased off the clutch. Ended up with about 12 stalls for the day today. Know what? It's normal and you DO get much better at it.

[Piobaireachd]

There is a saying in aviation that "Flying is the second greatest thrill known to man. Landing is the first".

I guess it does translate to motorcycles as well. "Riding is the second greatest thrill know to man. A controlled stop is the first".

:)

[Violet1966]

Freaky thing to experience on a bike and you kind of feel it in a car even, is going over grated joining areas on bridges that are able to rise to let boats through. They have one on Route 46 in Little Ferry, NJ, and my ex used to say that that was a very strange feeling for the rider, so be prepared. As a passenger it felt a little wiggly but not bad really, but first time is freaky. LOL I know it's something you feel a little weird driving on, even in a car. It's like plates of steel, that has holes that are rectangles, all joined. Makes a noise too when you're on it. Hit some motorcycle forums and check out what people talk about with pavement stuff and all that kind of thing, even like the wind thing you experienced, if you haven't looked into it yet. You might even want to look and see if there's like biker maps with notings of any abnormal roads or situations that can give you a head's up. These days with the net, there's got to be something out there with info if you know where you might be riding on a given day.

[Piobaireachd]

Rain grooves in the pavement in SoCal used to scare the crap out of me when I first started riding.

[Biker]

Bad News? I dropped the bike---TWICE!


Heh.. You get the nipple!

Many clubs make members wear a pacifier whenever they drop their bike. Doesn't matter what the circumstances are, you drop it, you wear it. Makes for some incentive to NOT drop the darned thing! :haha: You pray for someone else to drop theirs so you can pass the nipple.

[Brazbit]

Glad you are having fun Leon. A lot of what you are describing is first time jitters and such. Like anything else your mind will adjust and it will become second nature before long. Once things start going from thought to instinct riding will become much easier on you. Eventually it will switch from being a wearying sport to an unlikely mixture of adreniline and relaxation that can only come from riding a motorcycle.

Let me just say something before I forget to include this part in the post: This wasn't mentioned in school or by many people I know but I will say it to you now: riding a motorcycle is a SPORT. It's not luxury, it's not a hobby (although they can be both but only secondary) but it's a DEMANDING sport. All your senses have to work in coordination. You body needs to become one organism with the bike, with very little room for an error. My body feels like I worked out for 8 hours and I am BEAT! My muscles hurt all over--and you really don't know that you are using so MUCH of your body until you get off the bike.

I did not mention this for tree major reasons.

First of all I rode my bicycle all the time as a kid. I had not just any bike but a big heavy bike with full front and rear shocks. I was a passenger on a motorcycle since I was 4. When I started riding motorcycles at about 12 everything was already instictual, I had spent 8 years analyzing everything my parents did when driving a car and riding the motorcycle, learning how to listen to the motor and know when to shift and which way to shift. I pretty much got on and went. The motorcycle to me was just like my bike but without having to pedal. My first day at motorcytcle camp I was doing jumps and riding over obsticals while other kids were stalling and falling over. So basically I never really thought about it.

Secondly, I think your choice of motorcycle has a lot to do with what you are feeling. A crotch Rocket forces you to ride in a very unnatural position. Unlike most bikes, where you sit as in a chair, a crotch rocket forces a hunched over position you probably never have been in before, let alone for hours on end. Holding any unnatural position gets painful after a while, ask any drill instructor. Also that bike appears to have a rather high ceter of gravity. The higher the center of gravity the more the bike will want to tip over so the harder you must work to keep it upright in corners and in the wind. My Gold Wing might be a bigger bike but the center of Gravity on it (unloaded) is near the foot pegs so this is also something I don't have to fight with.


Last but not least, you are not 16 anymore. Your body is not going to react like mine did when I first got my license. :haha:

Oh and speaking of dropping your bike I have a word of advice, be careful of stop lines at intersections. Some of them are built up and perfectly smooth. Some of them have no traction so if you get your front wheel on it and you are facing down a steep hill only one wheen has traction and that might not be enough to hold the bike in place. This is also a good reason to only put your left foot down at a stop while keeping your right foot on the rear brake, since if the front wheel is the only one with the brake on and it has not traction I hear that it can lead to dropping a bike.... :whistle:

[MNeedham73]

Secondly, I think your choice of motorcycle has a lot to do with what you are feeling. A crotch Rocket forces you to ride in a very unnatural position. Unlike most bikes, where you sit as in a chair, a crotch rocket forces a hunched over position you probably never have been in before, let alone for hours on end. Holding any unnatural position gets painful after a while, ask any drill instructor. Also that bike appears to have a rather high ceter of gravity. The higher the center of gravity the more the bike will want to tip over so the harder you must work to keep it upright in corners and in the wind. My Gold Wing might be a bigger bike but the center of Gravity on it (unloaded) is near the foot pegs so this is also something I don't have to fight with.

For giggles, I was just looking at the specs of the R6, and I think you're right about the center of gravity, Braz.

The seat height on it is at 33.6 inches, which is quite high. Even higher than my dad's Goldwing. For comparison, the seat height of my V Star is 28.1 inches. I haven't had any problems keeping my bike upright, even though it weighs nearly twice as much and Leon's R6 (668 pounds versus 366).

Not dissing your bike in the least, Leon. When I looked at one identical to yours in person yesterday, I was drooling. It's beautiful. Don't think my 6'3" would be comfortable on it though.

[ethics]

No, that's fine, R6 is NOT for everyone. And yes, it's high, it's why I dropped it twice on a curve both times. By the time the bike was on the way down, the right foot wasn't able to "catch it" since it wasn't touching the ground in the first place.

Hey, you live and learn. I'd rather drop it at that speed (no speed) than anything above 10mph.

[MNeedham73]

Agreed...dumping it at speed would ruin your whole day :)

[Brazbit]

Not dissing your bike in the least, Leon. Ditto. I was merely making some observations. There is no questioning that it is a sweet bike.

[MNeedham73]

Leon, I did some searching, and found an inexpensive accessory for your bike that could save you some wallet pain later on.

A friend of mine with an FJR1300 has these on her bike, which made me think of them for yours.

They're called frame sliders (http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/Sato_Frame_Sliders_Yamaha_R6--611654.html?source=cleverset) and mount on your bike in the fairing area to prevent damage in case of a drop. My friend swears by them. The obvious idea is, if you drop the bike, the slider takes the damage and not the bike's bodywork.

http://www.kneedraggers.com/image_storage/d/6e/d6efabd67e669cf83728ff7c582b19e8_rough.jpg

[ethics]

Already ordered those, will be installing them on Saturday.

[MNeedham73]

Well fine then! ;)

[Cariad]

No, that's fine, R6 is NOT for everyone. And yes, it's high, it's why I dropped it twice on a curve both times. By the time the bike was on the way down, the right foot wasn't able to "catch it" since it wasn't touching the ground in the first place.

Hey, you live and learn. I'd rather drop it at that speed (no speed) than anything above 10mph.

My brother has the R6 and it's not fun to be on the back. Twice on the mountain roads he almost left me sitting on the friggin tarmac talking to the sheep. The thing is fast, take it easy, don't get over confident, watch out for the horrible car drivers, and NEVER ride it without your jacket.

[Biker]

Forgot about something. Start carrying a "hockey puck" with you. This is a round piece of wood that you place under the kick stand when it's very hot, or you're in grass. The wider footprint allows the bike to stay upright instead of the kickstand sinking into the hot asphalt or dirt. The one I carry is about 6 inches across and about 3/4 inch thick.

[MNeedham73]

Great idea, Tom. I have a chunk of 1"x6" in the garage that should serve that job quite well.

[ethics]

My brother has the R6 and it's not fun to be on the back. Twice on the mountain roads he almost left me sitting on the friggin tarmac talking to the sheep. The thing is fast, take it easy, don't get over confident, watch out for the horrible car drivers, and NEVER ride it without your jacket.

Thanks for the advice. All good. And yes, the thing is very fast.

Forgot about something. Start carrying a "hockey puck" with you. This is a round piece of wood that you place under the kick stand when it's very hot, or you're in grass. The wider footprint allows the bike to stay upright instead of the kickstand sinking into the hot asphalt or dirt. The one I carry is about 6 inches across and about 3/4 inch thick.

That's a good idea.

[ethics]

Here's I relaxing with cousin at Dunkin Donuts. That's his bike (Vulcan Classic) on the right.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ethics13/2429185742/

[Kangaroo]

I hope you don't end up in the hospital. Take it easy and ride smart.

[ethics]

Thanks, that's the plan. :)

[tke711]

Sounds like you had a great day and did really good!!!!

[ethics]

All things considering? I think so.

I couldn't go today because of things I had to do around here, but already jonesing for the next weekend. :)

[tke711]

You mean you're not going to ride into work tomorrow morning? ;)

[Biker]

Yeah, really.. Gotta love those weekend wannabe's. :rofl:

[ethics]

Yeah, really.. Gotta love those weekend wannabe's. :rofl:

If I was a weekend wannabe wouldn't that make me NOT ride on weekend, just want to? ;)

Nah, not ready for NYC commuting on an R6. Not yet.

[Biker]

Naw... Weekend wannabe's are those you only see on the weekend, yet they want you to think they ride a lot more than that. ;)

[ethics]

AH! I will be riding tonight after work. :P

[MNeedham73]

lol you and me both, bro.

[ethics]

It's addictive ain't it? ;)

So glad that I pestered, annoyed, whined about it to my wife all these years. She finally gave up!

[MNeedham73]

See, I had the opposite issue. My dad had been bugging me about getting a bike for YEARS lol.

[Violet1966]

Don't forget there's bike blessings that go on too beginning of nicer weather. Both of you need to check around for cool events, even if you don't participate, fun stuff always going on at them, and you meet interesting people. Up here, we have what they call rodeo's that go on in summer months and it's like a nice family event even. Bikers have to do things, like cones, etc, or show special about their bikes somehow, nicest, loudest, etc, and you get prizes and trophies even. Check around. Always fun at those things and they have to have them around you guys too. ;)

[ethics]

My MC are going to CT this Sunday for the day for an event. Meet up at the Bronx at 8AM and then we gone!

[MNeedham73]

Yep, dad and I are going to a bike blessing the first weekend in May. Dad always rides charity rides during the summer. I'll join him for a few of them, I'm sure. :)

[Biker]

Practice, practice, practice... Then you get to do fun things like barrel racing, slow race, pickle bite, etc. Some events are solo events, some are two up where the passenger also gets involved.

[ethics]

Yah, that's the plan. LOADS of practice. Going out tonight.

[Brazbit]

Practice, practice, practice... Then you get to do fun things like barrel racing, slow race, pickle bite, etc. Some events are solo events, some are two up where the passenger also gets involved.That is the kind of Thing Els and I excelled at. Fun times.

[Violet1966]

Yeah the rodeos were great to take the kids to even. We have two nice ones locally. Hubby would take the bike and I'd go in the car with the kids and watch. Lots of kids too. I even won something one night as a spectator in a raffle I entered at one of them. Husband has a few trophies from rodeos and also one from a show they held in NH. A bbq like event with lots of fun stuff and music. The blessings, you usually get a patch or something to add to vest. Leon, you need to get a vest too forgot to tell you. For casual biker wear out and about. LOL ;) You too Mike. Gotta put those patches somewhere if you get them. ;)

[Violet1966]

Yah, that's the plan. LOADS of practice. Going out tonight.

He's talkin rodeo stuff I believe. You have to know how to do some silly stuff and need to practice. Like riding a 2x4 without slipping off it with both wheels on, stuff like that. Going slowly around cones without putting feet down at slow speeds, etc. It's really fun and very safe too. All slow stuff or show stuff. Like coolest paint, etc. Tricked out, etc. Find one Leon if you can. Lot's of fun. Watch and then see what they do, they do them weekly usually. Then practice and go back and get some cool prizes or trophies. LOL ;) And bragging rights! ;)