Experienced beginner looking to trade up bike

[jmillheiser]

Classic for the girls and Custom for the guys

I can think of several women who ride V-Star customs.

to the original poster: if you like your suzuki check out the boulevard "50" series, would be a nice upgrade from your GZ250. As for S vs M vs C, sit on all 3 and get the one that you like the best

[mandyedwards]

thanks everyone for the replies.
i went and sat on the m50 last week, nice bike. a little worried about the size, especially considering i am coming from teh suzuki marauder 250. then on sat i did it. i dumped my 250. came to a traffic light, it turned yellow right at that time that you're not sure if you should stop or go through. so i stop. hit some oil. i think i might have only used my front brake as the bike slid out from under neith and i did a few rolls. i'm ok, got a few scraps and bruises but not i'm wondering if i need some more experience on my 250. if i'm locking the brakes just cause i need to stop fast then obviously my instict isn't there yet. rode the bike to work today and feel a bit better. really i've only done a few rides since gettin my license so i guess i shouldn't be all that quick to get a new bike. this 250 sucks on the bit of highway stretch i got to do coming to work though. and man, the wind sure tosses it around.

[earwig]

mandyedwards, sorry to hear about your fall, if you are doubting your skills and asking yourself if you are ready for a larger/faster bike you probably aren't ready. I find in almost any sport/physical activity if you lose confidence things just get worse. You might just have to take your time and practice a little more before getting a new bike. In the meantime on the highway, if you don't already, try to tuck your head down and keep your arms and legs inward to reduce the wind. Good luck.

[Loonette]

It's also possible that your front tire was on the painted crosswalk lines when you lost traction. Those painted lines offer no traction, so try to avoid stopping and/or starting on the paint.

Is it possible to avoid the highway trek for awhile? Slow speed riding on rural roads can provide a lot of riding experience. Also, riding in traffic on suburban streets is good practice. Take time in a parking lot to practice maximum braking. You can even do it on a quiet street - just pick your stop point and pretend that you're approaching a yellow light. Get your speed up and hit those brakes. If you took the MSF course, remember how they teach to squeeze - squeeze - squeeze the brake - don't romp on it. And this has to be done with a new bike too, as every bike has a different braking distance depending on the type of brakes and whatnot.

I can't really recommend a bike better than anyone else here. In two-and-a-half years I've been through four different types of bikes - it's not easy to find the right fit, but eventually you will.

Cheers,
Loonette

[bok]

Mandy, you learned a lesson about braking and your confidence is shaken a little. What you should do is head to a parking lot as Loonette suggested and practice some hard braking. Your fall may have been just a lack of focus which can happen on any bike out there, the idea is to focus on the ride and the conditions around you.

As for not getting a bigger bike, i'd say you are the only one who can make that decision, but I wouldn't say you are not ready yet since i don't know you personally.

If you can get in the lot and do some practice and get your confidence back up, then ride your marauder another week or two like you have been and then maybe go sit on my personal favorite the Honda Shadow Spirit, it's a pretty comfy ride and not all that top heavy

[sharpmagna]

Isn't Experienced Beginner oxymoronic? I mean, can you be both Experienced at something and be a Beginner too?

I'd say you need to practice your quick stops to the point that you can lock up your tires. Then you'll know the point that your tires lock up so you'll know when to ease off them.

I haven't locked up any of my tires on my bike so I don't even know how much force it'd take. I did lock up the front tire on the Rebel 250 in the MSF course and that wasn't fun. I quickly let go and reapplied the brakes, and I learned my lesson (Squeeze the brake like a sponge).

The way you described what happened reminds me of when I first started driving a car. I would hesitate because I was unsure of what I should do and I think that got me in more trouble. If I had just decided on one course of action it would have been much better.

Glad your ok. Hop back on the horse

[bok]

Isn't Experienced Beginner oxymoronic? I mean, can you be both Experienced at something and be a Beginner too?

experienced: having become knowledgeable or skillful from observation or participation
beginner: One who is just starting to learn or do something; a novice

pretty much exclusive, but not entirely. you can be a beginner and be experienced as whatever skills you know were learned through actively doing them.

[mandyedwards]

thanks everyone.
it's been a few months since my spill and i'm quite confident i'm ready to upgrade now. i have done alot of emergency stopping as practice.
just not sure if i want a naked bike (in a more standard position) or a standard/cruiser type. i sat on some naked bikes today, all too tall for me. i'm only 5'5 so i'm finding it a bit frustrating. i'd like to be able to flat foot the bike. i'm also not sure how the naked bikes would be on the highway. not super long distances but say for 4 hours? would my wrists and back be sore? i definatly dont want a sport bike with farings, i dont like that look at all. what is your guys opinion between a naked bike (say the vstrom) and say a vstar or magna? i test drove a 2000 magna today, that bike sure is nice. sure felt alot more stable than my little 250 marauder. hopping back on my 250 sure felt funny after my test drive. any opinions?
thanks so much!

[flynrider]

so i stop. hit some oil. i think i might have only used my front brake as the bike slid out from under neith and i did a few rolls. i'm ok, got a few scraps and bruises but not i'm wondering if i need some more experience on my 250.

This is one of those lessons that a lot of us learn the hard way. At just about any intersection, the center of the lane will have a deposit of oil from leaky cars waiting at the light. If you have to do any hard braking while your wheels are on that gunk, chances are good that you'll be going down.

I learned it the hard way after having been riding for 5 years. While I normally avoided the center part of the lanes when pulling to a stop at an intersection, I wasn't so conscientous about it if the light was green and I was just passing through. Then one day a car ran a light and I had to break hard while rolling on the oil patch. I was on the ground and sliding across the intersection (passing just behind the red light runner), before I knew what was happening.

From then on I made a concious decision to avoid the center part of the lane at intersections all together. You never know when you're going to have to brake hard.

[sharpmagna]

I can tell you that the Magna V4 engine is a kick in the pants. It is much more powerful than your similar size V-Twin so keep that in mind when rolling on the throttle

Also the bike's size isn't huge so it is definitely manageable for a smaller framed person (like myself since I weigh about 140-150lbs). I've dropped the bike on the lawn and it was easy to lift it up. I can't speak on the standards since this is my first bike, but I'm like you in that I wouldn't want a fully faired sport bike.