Blog Comments

  1. baptist's Avatar
    The one I did with a radio link was with Rider Skills in Auckland info@riderskills.co.nz and was a Confident Rider Course, worth every penny. The guy out west is Phil.
  2. Anita's Avatar
    Thanks d.path. I will look for a mentor. What riding programme was the one that you mentioned "one on one with radio link"? I'd be interested in that too!
  3. baptist's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Spearfish
    I'm in the "system" now and to be honest, its a very very short amount of time when your busy learning the craft of riding.
    Plus unless your self motivated the current system can make you legal but rather unskilled.
    It is also as Anita says. I did an additional ride with an instructor before I even sat on my new bike (it was tempting) and I am glad I did. Those three hours of one on one practical learning while riding (using a radio link) taught me so much and was so much fun as well. It may not go down well with some but I think personally that the ride I did should in some way be part of a compulsory (not a popular word on here) training program. I have driven cars and trucks etc for over 25 years, and I felt very little of that had any real relevence to riding the bike for the first time.
  4. p.dath's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Anita
    HOWEVER, I am now allowed to ride in traffic! No guidance. No lessons. No one to teach me tricks to make this easier.
    Try searching on here for Mentors in your region. You'll find riding with more experienced riders helps a lot. Also you could ask the BHS centre if they know if any rides for learners in your area that you can join.
  5. Anita's Avatar
    Thanks for the comments. I agree that the 6L test is just too easy. I have been a car driver for nearly 30 years and only just got my 6L. It is way too easy. But that suited me. I am way more worried about learning to ride than the road rules. I have them under my belt already.
    What worries me is that I did a "learn to ride" course and my BHS test on the same day. I have never been on a motorbike before, I sat on one for a morning, did all sorts of activities with the motor bike. I LOVED it. It was a lot of fun. The BHS test worried me a little, but that went fine too.
    HOWEVER, I am now allowed to ride in traffic! No guidance. No lessons. No one to teach me tricks to make this easier. I know the road rules, but can not ride a motor bike. Every trip is an adventure. It is fun. Please do not get me wrong, I enjoy it immensely. But I truly wish I had someone who could watch me ride and teach me. All I did that one day was ride around a car park with cones at 20 to 30 kph. Now I am supposed to go with the traffic at 70kph. There is no middle ground. With learning to drive a car at least you get a few lessons....can this not be improved?
    For all I know I am developing a whole heap of riding habits that are less than desirable. They are setting me up to fail in future. I do not know what brake to use when. I can use both, or just one, or none at all....but what is better? Can someone help me in this? I read and read.....but once I am out on that road it is just me and my beautiful bike. I just want to make the most of it. I feel that there should be a lot more training available and made compulsary!
  6. Spearfish's Avatar
    I'm in the "system" now and to be honest, its a very very short amount of time when your busy learning the craft of riding.
    Plus unless your self motivated the current system can make you legal but rather unskilled.
  7. Spazman727's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by p.dath
    Before you can get a learners licence you have to sit a theory test demonstrating your knowledge of the road rules. This is before you can even ride a motorcycle on the road. So if you know all the rules already, you can simply book in and sit the test.
    I know, but being able to fill out a multi choice scratch test doesn't really mean that you are able to put that knowledge into practice in a stressful situation (most of the incorrect options are stupid and obviously wrong). Holding a full licence of some sort, however, means that you are more likely to be able to do that. I know that conditions are totally different for car and motorcycle drivers, but having a full licence in one should have some bearing on the time or conditions of the other.
  8. p.dath's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Spazman727
    However, I do think that being able to drive a car does have some impact on how you ride a bike. For example, if you have a full car licence,you should (theoretically) know the road rules and have some knowledge of the dangers of driving. This appears to be what the learner stage of a licence tries to teach new riders/driver.
    Before you can get a learners licence you have to sit a theory test demonstrating your knowledge of the road rules. This is before you can even ride a motorcycle on the road. So if you know all the rules already, you can simply book in and sit the test.
  9. Spazman727's Avatar
    I agree that motorcycling requires different skills that driving a car, and I agree with all your points. However, I do think that being able to drive a car does have some impact on how you ride a bike. For example, if you have a full car licence,you should (theoretically) know the road rules and have some knowledge of the dangers of driving. This appears to be what the learner stage of a licence tries to teach new riders/driver. As such I think that maybe the learner stage of a motorcycle licence for a full class 1 licence holder should be shortened or altered. This means that maybe the period of holding a learner motorcycle licence should be shortened for people who hold a full car licence. My 6L test was so easy I think I could have almost done it straight after I did my bike handling skills test, after never riding a bike before, I just needed to know how to give way etc. Obviously having a passenger on a bike makes a much bigger difference on handling etc than in a car, which is why I think the restricted stage of a licence should stay the same length but the learner stage should be shortened if the person concerned has a full car or bike licence if going for the other.
    I don't know why older riders/drivers have a shorter learner/restricted period because there is proof ( I cant find any likes to studies) that older people learn slower than younger people.
    I do agree that different skills are needed for riding and driving, but I do think that some changes should be made to licensing policies.
  10. p.dath's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by KelvinAng
    I've got a Suzuki M50 and the brakes on this bike is not the strongest. In one occasion where I needed to brake in a hurry I (if I remember correctly) applied the rear, then then front, then the "oh shit it's still not stopping!" thought ran through my mind and then I shifted down to third (from fifth) and then to first... when I finally hear a distinctive screeching sound. That last bit (engine braking in first + hard brakes applied) seem to slow the bike the most (or it could have been just the adrenaline kicking in).
    I'll take a punt that you didn't close the throttle, and were driving the engine against the brakes to begin with (hence the poor stopping power). And it's a real common mistake.
    Try this for an experiment. Engage the clutch and rear break simultaneously, then the front brake. Then you are guaranteed that the engine wont be driving against the brakes. See if that shortens your stopping distance in a practice session.
  11. Gibbo89's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Neshi
    don't agree...
    80% of attention used on riding the bike, 20% on what's happening on the road... where did you come up with with these numbers?
    I'm not saying an L-plate is a target for cagers, I never experienced anything bad when I had the L-plate attached.
    I took it off because I want to do a 100km on the motorway, which is a lot safer in my opinion than doing 70km while all other traffic is doing a 100. You will be holding cars and trucks up, who will get irritated with you, want to overtake you and do so with every opportunity they get, even if it might be a dangerous opportunity.
    Furthermore, if you do a 100 while wearing the L-plate, you make it incredibly easy for cops to give you a fine for doing 30km over the speedlimit..
    So, I don't wear an "L"plate, don't do anything stupid to attract attention of police.. and happily doing a 100 on the motorway. Although I might be biased. I rode the car quite frequently for 3 years before getting on a motorcycle, so situational awareness is already something I have developed. I commute the bike and ride with every possible opportunity I get which resulted in me having ridden more than 5000km in just short of 5 months..
    would tend to agree with this. i havnt done long motorway stints yet so do not remove my plate as i am still getting used to my bike, i will hop on the motorway when ready.

    i have been driving cars since 2006 and find it annoying with the speed limit being 70k's, when i have driven around a lot of the south island, even after 10pm and before 5am
  12. KelvinAng's Avatar
    Good read, thanks for the write-up.

    I've got a Suzuki M50 and the brakes on this bike is not the strongest. In one occasion where I needed to brake in a hurry I (if I remember correctly) applied the rear, then then front, then the "oh shit it's still not stopping!" thought ran through my mind and then I shifted down to third (from fifth) and then to first... when I finally hear a distinctive screeching sound. That last bit (engine braking in first + hard brakes applied) seem to slow the bike the most (or it could have been just the adrenaline kicking in).

    I remember being amazed at lucky I was.
  13. Neshi's Avatar
    don't agree...
    80% of attention used on riding the bike, 20% on what's happening on the road... where did you come up with with these numbers?
    I'm not saying an L-plate is a target for cagers, I never experienced anything bad when I had the L-plate attached.
    I took it off because I want to do a 100km on the motorway, which is a lot safer in my opinion than doing 70km while all other traffic is doing a 100. You will be holding cars and trucks up, who will get irritated with you, want to overtake you and do so with every opportunity they get, even if it might be a dangerous opportunity.
    Furthermore, if you do a 100 while wearing the L-plate, you make it incredibly easy for cops to give you a fine for doing 30km over the speedlimit..
    So, I don't wear an "L"plate, don't do anything stupid to attract attention of police.. and happily doing a 100 on the motorway. Although I might be biased. I rode the car quite frequently for 3 years before getting on a motorcycle, so situational awareness is already something I have developed. I commute the bike and ride with every possible opportunity I get which resulted in me having ridden more than 5000km in just short of 5 months..
  14. Sable's Avatar
    Fuck off. Go and put an L plate on. I did it for shits and giggles and I got tailgated by a Pajero most of the way home.
  15. Squiggles's Avatar
    Good shit
  16. p.dath's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Gibbo89
    a few things i would add is that the speed restriction is 70km per hour, not 80 as mentioned above.
    Thanks for the correction. I will update the blog article.
  17. Gibbo89's Avatar
    well thought out p dath.

    a few things i would add is that the speed restriction is 70km per hour, not 80 as mentioned above. so 30km per hour can be quite dangerous at times, but as a learner at the moment i avoid any long straight 100km per hour roads, twisty ones are all good.

    something i think i have found handy was i rode scooters for a few years first before i stepped up to a 250cc. so in regards to the "only 20% left to concentrate on the road" comment, scooters were very useful, as they just run full throttle 95% of the time and of course have no gears. i think that has held me in good stead for when i moved up to a bigger bike.
  18. Spearfish's Avatar
    p.dath has hit the nail square on the head with this post.

    I also think the "cars pick on L plates" thing can grow excessively if the rider doesn't find some balance between what they perceive is happening to what is really happening. I found myself falling into that trap, all it did was steepen my learning curve.
  19. p.dath's Avatar
    For those of you that used the superglue that came with the grips to stick them on - I've since found out that plain acetone removes the superglue. So if you need to remove grips that have been superglued on, just squirt some acetone in. Apparently takes about 30s to break the superglue down.
  20. Rogue Rider's Avatar
    Cool explanation, I decided to wire mine to the ignition so that they only work when the key is on. Had a mate who's battery kept draining and running flat and wanted an easy solution and easy use. I like the Oxford console, it fits discretely out of the way out of direct sight.
    I do like the one on my mates BMW better, the switch system is way more convenient. Just dont like BMW's lol.
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