Most Important Things to Know For a Motorcycling n00b.

[ralpfsbud]

ive seen a couple of things that kicked my memory since my last post.

#1 my rule is 2 WHEELS, 2 BEERS. thats it.....

also watch the guy ahead of you if there is one, but keep your eyes on the road/trail. pick your own line and try them, just keep an eye out for clues; like hes slowing down , hes cutting in for a corner etc. he has even more forward site than you do, just dont follow his line because he rode it, use your advance knowledge, be using his indicators(like slowing or moving over) as a pre vision of whats coming, but ride what you can see, i dont think you can look far enough ahead, so if somebody is ahead of you use their reaction to whats coming around the bend, to GUIDE you , not LEAD you where you are going

[ralpfsbud]

oh yea,

NOBODY can see you, thats what they say anyhow, flash that brake light as much as you can before you have to slow down or stop. WATCH all the vehicles around you when your on the hardball, and the trees when your on the dirt, they really sneak up on you. i got in a head on collision with a car my second year riding, kid came the wrong way out of a blind one way and hit me at a combined 45. i was fine(due to having my helmet etc, on and having a backpack full of laundry from the laundrymat, i almost ripped him out of the car and broke him in half, but alas, he was 15 with 3 girls in the car, ive been there. never hit a bike, but i sure could have. NOBODY is thinking about a bike coming at them or around them, there busy with all the crap cages have standard now. just pay attention, and most of all


HAVE FUN(and stay on the back roads as much as possible)

[Todd-Squad]

Originally Posted by Tucson Jim

Everytime you stop use the same techniques you would use in an emergency. I start with light rear brake to scrub a little speed and then apply the front right afterwards, using BOTH brakes together. May not be the right way but it works for me.

I'm not sure why you think using BOTH brakes together is the wrong way? Using both brakes together is absolutely the best way. The majority of your stopping power is in your front brake. You also use the rear to keep the bike going straight, otherwise the back end is moving faster than the front and it will slide out on you. Conversely, if you only use your rear brake, the back end will skid out and one of two things will happen. If your lucky, it will just take longer to stop and you skid the back tire a bit side ways. If your not lucky, the bike gets sideways and catapults you in what is known as a high side.

I'm teaching my 9 year old daughter to ride a dirt bike right now. The main thing I try to get into her head is to do most of her slowing down with both brakes before she gets to a corner. Once she starts turning, only use the bake brake in the corner.

I'm sure someone will pipe up and say that you can use both brakes in a corner, which is technically correct. What your trying to avoid is locking up the front wheel in a corner. The instant you lock up the front wheel in a corner, the bike washes out from under you in what is known as a low side.

Good luck, and have fun out there.

Todd-Squad

[LuciferMutt]

Originally Posted by Todd-Squad

You also use the rear to keep the bike going straight, otherwise the back end is moving faster than the front and it will slide out on you.

I didn't realize the back end of the bike slowed down at a different rate than the front...

[DADODIRT]

[quote=MotoMusicMark]

Could you help my research by answering the following question...”What did you wish someone told you about motorcycling when you first started out?”



How addicting it is. I thought I would use the bike for fun a few weeks of the year. Twenty years later and most sunny days it is all I can do to stay focused on anything but 'when do I get to ride'.

[oldairhd]

I like that, too. But take it a bit further: It's always up to you, and never someone else's fault if you run out of traction, space, braking distance, physical stamina, visual or mental acuity.

Otherwise, when you crash because it was the stupid driver, the deer, the gravel in the road, or whatever, it'll be just as painful but you'll never learn.

My favorite practical tip is "always aim the front wheel for somewhere you want it to go." We get to feeling pretty invincible, driving over stuff in a car that will get you killed on a bike...

[Schickmeister]

Originally Posted by ralpfsbud

#1 my rule is 2 WHEELS, 2 BEERS. thats it.....

as a new rider...I'm going with 2 wheels, 0 beers.

doesn't rhyme as well, but I think the end result is better.

[eskimo]

-- When following a car or truck, stay in a line behind one if its wheels. Dead skunks and other debris often surprisingly emerge from under the center of four-wheeled vehicles.

-- Painted lines on roads, especially turning arrows, are slippery. Especially when slightly wet.

[duck]

Metal plates are slick when wet.

When riding grooved pavement or metal bridge decks, relax and keep the front wheel pointed forward. Depending upon the tires and bike, different ones will tend to make the front wheel want to track to some extent. All you need to do is not fight it and keep the bike pointed in the general direction you want to go.

[®êšïš†ø®]

Originally Posted by DevilNinjaDog

I didn't realize the back end of the bike slowed down at a different rate than the front...

I think he meant the back of the bike wants to go faster than the front if you dont use the back brake. If the back is going faster, you're already starting to spin.

Anyway. n00b advice? Leave room in your budget for proper gear. It seems a lot of people start out with bare minimum, right at the time when they are (statistically) most likely to need it.

You don't wanna get killed on this thing. Use some sense and take it slow. Enjoy the ride.

[DAKEZ]

Originally Posted by jts5032

as a new rider...I'm going with 2 wheels, 0 beers.

doesn't rhyme as well, but I think the end result is better.

Good. No, Great call.

[Fishenough]

Great tips.

Only ride when you at 100%, and if; your on medication for a head cold or such, emotional due to problems at work or home, or even just lacking on sleep and have had too many hours in the sun – park the bike, it’ll still be there when your back to being yourself. Have heard great, and not so great, biking advice over the years but if you’re not up to the ride don’t. Have seen friends go down hard with only a bad hangover and late night as an excuse. My only street off was due too much Sudafed and delayed reactions resulting in a minor low side. The good stuff is these times are few and far between.

Didn't see this advice mentioned.

[Mobius Trip]

First - keep asking questions, it shows a real desire to stay healthy!

Ride as though you are invisible

At night don't overdrive your headlights even if you know the road, especially in deer and moose country.

The paint used on streets is some kind o' slick when when it's raining and busy intersections are particularly greasy when wet.

When slabbin' on a multilane highway try to get into a clear zone with minimal vehicles anywhere around - once saw a highway worker lose his grip on a 30' section of drainage pipe and it started rolling across the highway as I changed lanes easily and rode by. In my mirrors I witnessed the absolute chaotic shitestorm in the group of vehicles that were a few seconds back as they tried to avoid it

[Aussijussi]

I dont know how much riding you do at night, i mean outside the build up area,no street lighting, it's a different ball game again, most bikes headllight's are fairly poor to say the least, if you have to ride at night, slow down! With all this information, your head must be spinning by now! Somebody was talking about braking in one of the post's before, i'll mention it again, practice using the front brake again and again, untill it comes a second nature, dont worry so much about the back, folks have gotten hurt and killed as they stomped on the back brake only, this, throttle is you friend, is true, but so is the front brake!

[MustTourEurope]

Originally Posted by DevilNinjaDog

I didn't realize the back end of the bike slowed down at a different rate than the front...

I guess he's referring that when you're braking your front without the back...obviously the rear tire will still be turning a bit stronger/faster than the front tire, thus, the skid. It usually happens when you're on a lean. Not much if you are riding VERY perpendicular to the road. Just look at the guys doing doughnuts with bikes. Hard front brake and a liitle lean...and it goes around

I use both brakes all the time regardless of speed. I may look like a twat(by braking both when slowing from 10kph to zero)to others...but it's the habit that counts.