i got 2 miles now!

[VermilionX]

im willing to take any advice, except get another bike to practice.

what other practice can i apply to the condo?

so far, i tried...

1. practice on speed bumps
2. swerving slow using imaginary cones
3. accelerating/downshifting (only up to 2nd gear though)
4. U turns (but i can't do it w/o putting 1 feet on the ground yet)
5. practice using turn signals on corners
6. keeping a steady use of throttle

i need tips on leaning, especially since i need to break-in my tires.

[Toyuzu]

Practise hard braking - panic stops like you're trying to avoid an accident. That will teach you good brake modulation so you're prepared if an emergency comes up while on the road. Sportbikes have VERY strong brakes, and many riders have accidents due to overbraking.

Basically, try to think of any emergency maneuver you might have to face on the road, and practise riding those maneuvers.

[jmillheiser]

Sounds like you are doing good so far. spend lots of time getting to know your clutch and get your clutch control down to a science. That is the key to keeping that 160hp beast under control.

The ONE advantage to a 1000 vs a 600 in traffic is its power is available down at lower RPMs so you dont need as much throttle or as much shifting as a 600 rider would need.

[jmillheiser]

Oh and standard advice to those new to sportbikes. Dont use your arms to hold yourself up, squeeze the bike with your legs. If you are bracing with your arms to hold yourself up you have a lot less control over the bike.

Keep your arms low and bent while riding, you will find this to be much more comfortable than going straight armed (straight armed is usually the first thing most of those new to sportbikes do when they get on the bike).

[VermilionX]

hard braking...

i did have a semi-panic stop the other day. but i wasn't going fast, so it's no big deal. i was in the middle of accelerating but then i saw a car coming from my left on the driveway. so i released the throttle and braked w/ both brakes. slowed and stopped and let the car pass.

clutch practice...

im having a lot of this one, and i need to be stronger since my clutch is really stiff. i have no problems from squeezing it but after many laps around our condo, my hands hurt from covering/applying clutch whenever i encounter the speed bumps on the 4 corners over here.

im going to sleep now, i have work tomorrow.

thanks for the tips.

also, pls post tips on leaning. thanks in advance.

[Toyuzu]

Probably the most important thing to remember when leaning is when you're going slow, you have to use the throttle to push yourself through the corner. Many new riders drop their bikes in slow, tight corners (like a U-turn) because they are afraid to use the throttle, or use too much throttle. This is where your 160 HP beast will be very unfriendly. Even a little throttle will make it want to leave the earth at escape velocity. Teach yourself throttle control. Learn to move that right hand ever-so-slightly to give the bike just enough power to propel itself slowly around a tight corner.

For that tight clutch - build your muscles.

Get yourself a set of these things and build up your fore-arm strength:

[Kal]

If you were considering buying a 1000cc sportsbike I'd be weighing in with lots of good reasons why it isnt a good idea, but you are way past that.

You really wouldnt consider getting a beater to get your roaddrills down on? Even for a little while?

As Paul said sometimes the odds can be beaten and a drop neednt be the end of the world if you are prepared.

You said you've fitted frame sliders, which is about as much as you can do for the bike.

So next look to your gear. Aside from your helmet what are you wearing on the Bike?

Something else just occured to me - are you serious when you said you arent interested in the Buikes power?

Over here we have a restricted licence that means a rider is limited to 33bhp.
Because there are so few 33bhp bikes on sale here restrictor kits have become a populer way of meeting the licencing laws.

Being a sportsbike culture its relatively easy to get 'restrictor kits' for sportsbikes. How would you feel about restricting the 160bhp down to 33bhp?

[Nibblet99]

Probably the most important thing to remember when leaning is when you're going slow, you have to use the throttle to push yourself through the corner.

Just a quick note, that this is where it gets really dicey.... because (as has been previously mentioned) you have brand new tyres.... A lot of people bin their bike on the straight and flat on new tyres, but you are really going to have to find the right mix and err on the side of caution here

Whilst I feel the same as the rest here, and would probably recommend this bike last to people. I appreciate that there's no going back in your decision. I wish you luck when you get out on the roads, as people never stopped trying to kill me here in the UK.

As soon as you can, you need to start practicing emergency stops from a minimum of 25mph (again the mix of new tyres and aggressive brakes will be your worst enemy) since you are on new tyres, until you've hit a minimum of 50 miles, you want to apply the brakes evenly as if you're on a slippy surface (assume ice). After that, you want to be lightly applying the front, then a little on the back to steady the bike, then progressively more on the front brake, until you reach 80-90% braking on the front, and 10-20% on the back.

On an extream bike like this you NEED to make this second nature, otherwise in the first emergency, your instinct will be to grab the front brake, causing you to come off.

Finally it's worth mentioning that there are hidden dangers you would never normally consider in a car.... that patch of diesel on the road surface, the gusty winds, the need to sneeze (this last one is gonna be VERY dangerous on you bike for the first few times)

As I said, I wish you well, and I hope you don't have an accident. But I do hope you question whether you made your choice for the right reasons. (In my not so humble opinion, style is not a reason for learning the wrong way)

Ride safe
Andy


Ps.. do look into the restrictor option, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to fit one to that bike, and still make it run

[DivideOverflow]

Definitely practice emergency braking. Funny thing about the whole "remembering to lean forward" thing... you are leaning forward, if some mentally challenged pulls in front of you and you pull too hard on your front break, you might perform a "stoppie" and flip yourself over your bike. I have heard from numerous people who have done this.

I know it seems like everyone is telling you to get another bike, and you dont want to, but here is the cold hard truth. You will not be riding this bike at its potential for a very very very long time. You might never reach it due to the fact that you were not able to gain the skills and confidence achieved from riding on a smaller bike.

Anyways, good luck, I hope everything works out.

EDIT:
Also, you should be able to U-Turn without ever putting a foot down. Also, turning is less about body leaning, and more about pushing the handle bars. Take the MSF. Also, then, go practice in a no-traffic situation for another 100 miles.

Make sure to get top quality gear. I recommend that for everyone, but especially for you... face it, you will be more likely to crash starting on that bike than a smaller one. You have to practice and be very serious about it to make sure that you are in complete control of your bike.

[VermilionX]

restrictor kit?

hmmm... that's interesting, could you post links? if not, have to got to work so i'll just google it when i get home today. there's no side effects to using it, right?

right now i only have a leather jacket, some thick gloves(not sure of the material), and a RF-1000 Shoei helmet. im saving up for a track suit and boots.

about not being able to ride this bike to its full potential for a very long time or not at all. my goals are not that big. like i said on my 1st post, i just want to be some day good enough to make those turns that your knees almost touch the ground. i have no interest in bike stunts.