after action report ... and more lessons learned
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:32 am
So, yesterday was a big day for me. I hooked up with a guy I met on the internet (words I hope to never hear from my daughter). We started at 7:00am and didn't get back home till 1:00 that afternoon. Put on about 120 miles. Up till this point I've been just limiting myself to my local neighborhood streets, so this was a huge step for me.
He took me on some really cool back roads and empty highways. Got my ninja 250 up to 80 and realized that while she had more to give ... I don't think my nerves would take much more. Besides, the wind at that speed was really something ... I felt like I was being lifted out of the seat from the negative pressure.
Anyway, we also found some good sections of road to practice emergency stops ... from 30, 40, 50 and 60mph. Found some good twisties to practice leaning technique.
I dropped my bike twice ... both times during the "practice" sessions where I was riding harder than I normaly would.
Anyway, here are the lessons I learned.
1) I learned a new acronym "ATGATT" stands for All The Gear All The Time. My two falls made me really appreciate having on proper equipment. A motorcycle jacket is not a motorcycle jacket unless it has the proper elbow, shoulder and back pads. And why in God's name would you get on a bike without a helmet?
2) Trust your tires. For us newbs I would say that the tires (properly inflated of course and not bald) have more grip than we have nerves. The one time I fell during my practice turns at speed, was because I was to afraid to lean the bike. As soon as I got it through my head that leaning the bike allows the bike to "carve" ... it just clicked. Of course making sense logically and applying it to the road are two different things.
3) Throttle is fun, but braking saves lives. Learning to do max brakes is a must for everyone. Knowing where maxium brakes on your bike is, is as improtant as wearing all your gear.
4) Make a head check everytime you change lanes. Twice while preparing to change lanes, my mirrors were clear, but a quick head check revealed a car sitting in my blind spot.
5) Last but not least ... getting a used, small bike was definatly the right thing to do when learning to ride. A monster sport bike with thousands of foot pounds of torque and brakes is not a proper vehicle to learn the intricate finesses of throttle and brake control. Plus you wont be crying so hard when you drop your bike.
6) One more lesson I just thought of ... you're a newbie ... you've got nothing to prove to anyone. So be cautious and don't take any chances you are not comfortable with.
Anyhow ... had tonnes of fun. Increased my confidence in both my bike and myself ten fold.
If, as a newb, you can find someone willing to show you the ropes (not how to do wheelies and stoppies) count yourself lucky and make it happen.
Thomas
He took me on some really cool back roads and empty highways. Got my ninja 250 up to 80 and realized that while she had more to give ... I don't think my nerves would take much more. Besides, the wind at that speed was really something ... I felt like I was being lifted out of the seat from the negative pressure.
Anyway, we also found some good sections of road to practice emergency stops ... from 30, 40, 50 and 60mph. Found some good twisties to practice leaning technique.
I dropped my bike twice ... both times during the "practice" sessions where I was riding harder than I normaly would.
Anyway, here are the lessons I learned.
1) I learned a new acronym "ATGATT" stands for All The Gear All The Time. My two falls made me really appreciate having on proper equipment. A motorcycle jacket is not a motorcycle jacket unless it has the proper elbow, shoulder and back pads. And why in God's name would you get on a bike without a helmet?
2) Trust your tires. For us newbs I would say that the tires (properly inflated of course and not bald) have more grip than we have nerves. The one time I fell during my practice turns at speed, was because I was to afraid to lean the bike. As soon as I got it through my head that leaning the bike allows the bike to "carve" ... it just clicked. Of course making sense logically and applying it to the road are two different things.
3) Throttle is fun, but braking saves lives. Learning to do max brakes is a must for everyone. Knowing where maxium brakes on your bike is, is as improtant as wearing all your gear.
4) Make a head check everytime you change lanes. Twice while preparing to change lanes, my mirrors were clear, but a quick head check revealed a car sitting in my blind spot.
5) Last but not least ... getting a used, small bike was definatly the right thing to do when learning to ride. A monster sport bike with thousands of foot pounds of torque and brakes is not a proper vehicle to learn the intricate finesses of throttle and brake control. Plus you wont be crying so hard when you drop your bike.
6) One more lesson I just thought of ... you're a newbie ... you've got nothing to prove to anyone. So be cautious and don't take any chances you are not comfortable with.
Anyhow ... had tonnes of fun. Increased my confidence in both my bike and myself ten fold.
If, as a newb, you can find someone willing to show you the ropes (not how to do wheelies and stoppies) count yourself lucky and make it happen.
Thomas
