Happy Bike Day!

Message

DirtClodimus · Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:44 am

I've been lurking for a while. Took the MSF class and got all of my gear... now I have a bike to go with it!

http://homepage.mac.com/lemkes/PhotoAlbum24.html

#2 Unread post by **Wrider** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:24 am

Very cool, be careful, those things have torque! But that's not always a bad thing either! Congrats and have fun on your new bike!
Wrider

#3 Unread post by **NWTrtle** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:38 am

Nice looking bike! I've been thinking about one of those for my 2nd, and letting my wife have my current bike.

DirtClodimus · Thu Sep 27, 2007 9:00 am

Thanks!

I get to take my first ride on it tonight. I'll update on how it went

Thumper · #5 Unread post by **Thumper** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:03 pm

Nice

I have a 2007 SV650...tons of fun, just take it real easy on the throttle, it can be kind of twitchy.

I found the stock mirrors to be pretty much useless, but some extenders did wonders. And handlebar risers made the ride a lot more comfortable... but I'm old, I needed to be just another inch or so upright.

DirtClodimus · Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:48 pm

So, I had my first ride this afternoon. It was interesting indeed. One thing that really took me by surprise is that the clutch did not have much of a friction zone. It has a very short throw and grabs very quickly. I'm not sure if this is how the SV's are or if I need to get it adjusted. Any ideas? And yes... the throttle can be very twitchy.

In the MSF class, we got to do a little weaving with the cones, and I thought that I was getting a feel for countersteering... I was wrong. I most definitely got a feel for it during my ride today. Maybe it's because the bike is a little heavier and I was going a little faster than in the class, but I got a lot better idea of what pressing on each grip is like.

I can't wait to get back out there again to get some more practice. I quickly realized how a motorcycle can get away from someone if they panic. The amount of torque that my bike has compared to the class bikes is incredible. So far so good, though, and I'm very happy!

Thumper · #7 Unread post by **Thumper** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:04 pm

It's not so much that the friction zone on the SV is narrow...you can play in a pretty wide range on it when you're doing very low speeds. But when you're really moving, it doesn't take much to shift; you can pull, shift, release pretty freaking quick.

It'll feel more natural pretty soon. Lots of low speed practice will really help you get to know the friction zone on the SV.

erbgottie · #8 Unread post by **erbgottie** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:09 pm

sweeeet, keep riding and keep getting better and keep posting about your adventures.

DirtClodimus · Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:31 pm

Well, I've been on a couple more rides and was on the bike a lot today. I've gotten pretty used to the clutch and throttle. And I figured out why the bike was handling so much differently than the class bikes. The tire pressure was too low! I checked the pressure in both tires and they were both off by about 20 psi. Well, I put them where they are supposed to be, and I am having a much easier time controlling the bike.

It's probably good that this happened. Now, I will make sure to check the tire pressure every time before I go out for a ride. I picked up a tank bag so I could store some stuff in there. That has been nice. More storage is definitely a plus.

All in all, I am gaining a lot more confidence on the bike compared to that first time out. I just want to ride it all of the time now

roscowgo · #10 Unread post by **roscowgo** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:41 pm

Congrats

And yes, keep your eye on those tires.