cornering

[jamie]

finally someone who is not going to shoot me down look man im just on here 4 help and learn my buddy told me about this. what was your first bike guys i bet it was not all 250s and 500 hund.. i had a enduro but no insurance so not much street, lots of dirt, im 30 years old, i just want advice im not the government coming to take your money guys.

[SMITE]

First street bike was a 1963 50cc DKW, first "Big" bike was a '59 650 B.S.A Golden Flash.

[mizoufiziks]

alright, bro i'm gonna try to tell you what you want to hear. most of the people here will go right ahead and say SELL SELL MSF MSF, but that's not what you came here for is it!? so what kind of questions do you have bro? i'm gonna come right out and say, i didn't take the msf, and i started with a 750 bike like you. NO BIG DEAL. everyone makes it sound like you're gonna kill yourself.

first things first, sit on that bike for a while (with your feet down of course), and just feel the weight and power of the thing. get used to the feeling of the bike, gently rock it slightly from left to right, but only far enough to start feeling the weight of it. when you sit on an upright bike, your mind doesn't realize you're sitting on a 500+ lb. rocket. don't even feel bad about dropping your bike when you learn, it's something most of us have done. Since you sound like a big guy, just do your best to carefully lay the bike down, or just muscle it back up if you can manage. adrenaline is an amazing thing.

as for learning to ride, go somewhere without traffic. start up the bike in neutral, clutch in and shift down to first. this next step is VERY important.

you want to BURN into your head WHERE the friction zone is in your clutch, until it becomes second nature to you. slowly release the clutch until the gear engages and the bike starts moving forward. keep your feet on the ground. don't touch the throttle for now. move forward a foot. stop. slowly release the clutch again and move forward a bit, then stop.

you basically want to learn how to snap your hand open just to the point of the "friction zone," so when you're on the road, you don't take 5 seconds to start moving at a traffic light and "pee" everyone off.

another tip, try to use your pointer and middle finger only when using the front brake. 2 fingers are ALL you need to apply enough pressure to the break. if you squeeze the brake with your entire hand, you'd probably brake to hard.

once you feel like you're good with the clutch, find the friction zone, then slowly apply just a TINY bit of throttle. not too much. if the bike is idling at 1800 rpm, just give it enough gas to go to 2000 rpm. you'll begin to accelerate. release the clutch all the way and drive down a parking lot or something. instead of trying to turn for now, try just putting it into neutral when you're at a complete stop by clutching in and kicking up with your left foot and then just use your feet to walk the bike around to face the other direction.

rinse repeat, rinse repeat. let us know how it goes

[jonnythan]

finally someone who is not going to shoot me down look man im just on here 4 help and learn my buddy told me about this. what was your first bike guys i bet it was not all 250s and 500 hund.. i had a enduro but no insurance so not much street, lots of dirt, im 30 years old, i just want advice im not the government coming to take your money guys.

These people are trying to save your life.

My first bike was (is) a 535cc V-twin cruiser.

The bike you have purchased is the type of bike that kills newbies for pleasure. It is a rocket on wheels. It's a true racing bike, designed exclusively for performance in the hands of a highly skilled rider. The throttle is extremely sensitive, the brakes are extremely sensitive, and it has enough power to peel your eyelids off.

On this type of bike, even the smallest mistakes are amplified a great deal. It is not a newbie's bike. It is not a bike to learn on. It is not a bike that will forgive you when you make a mistake. It's a bike that will *kill* you when you make a mistake.

I'd advise you to sell the bike and get a more appropriate bike. It's not all about the CCs. You don't need a 250cc bike that will be screaming for mercy at 70mph, but you do need a machine whose throttle, brakes, and steering geometry were not designed to be used by very experienced riders.

[Sev]

Speaking of bad advice:
1) Don't wear gear.

[mizoufiziks]

i'm on jamie's team here, he can do it with this bike. he knew the risks when he got the bike, he's not oblivious to the fact that it's dangerous. keep in mind it's a 1990 too. he didn't go out and get a 07 gixxer 1000 as his first bike, THAT would've been a mistake.

[jamie]

i understand, and my experiance on bikes has tought me how to use a clutch ... its mostly the traffic im worried about..

[jonnythan]

i'm on jamie's team here, he can do it with this bike. he knew the risks when he got the bike, he's not oblivious to the fact that it's dangerous. keep in mind it's a 1990 too. he didn't go out and get a 07 gixxer 1000 as his first bike, THAT would've been a mistake.

So if it was a race bike in 1990, it's a beginner bike today?

Heh.

I remember watching a video of some bike tests a few months ago. The guys went out and obtained race replica bikes of various vintages. IIRC, the oldest one, which was from the late 80s, ended up winning.

[mizoufiziks]

So if it was a race bike in 1990, it's a beginner bike today?

nah man. you know what i'm trying to say. my point is he can manage. i learned on a 87' 750 and i'm not nearly as big as he is.

[jamie]

are you being sarcastic or what..