Another "got my full" thread

**mister.koz** · 13th January 2009, 23:27

Well, i am pretty stoked. I passed my full licence test yesterday morning.

Its been quite a journey:

Basic Handling skills with ward fischer.

$600 GN250 was busted (coils, sparks, CDI, rectifier, battery, valve clearances, cush drive, rear brake drum and pads) and it was all good, spent another $500 to get it going.

4 months riding the GN250 - i got comfortable enough to know when i was beyond the GN250 (specially over 80km/h)

Sold the GN250 for $900

Then i got a '89 zxr250a for $1000 this was broken when i bought it and i spent another $1000 getting it on the road and legal (engine oil, sparks, tuned/cleared the carbs, fork seals & fluid, front and rear brake piston seals and fluid, misc cables, new headers, polished lots of stuff)

6 months riding the zxr250a this is where i really learned allot, the zxr was twitchy and QUITE a step up in handling and power, i learned to ride on the zxr but i wouldn't have stood a chance on it without the experience on the GN

Advanced driving training with ward fischer - i did this initially so i could shorten the licence period so i could go for a bigger bike but i learned a whole lot on this course.

Bought my 2005 zx6rr, its been race spec'd and it was quite frightful to start with but much better in the end because it can haul my heavy ass about without stress. The experience from the 250's was more than valuable, and now i am just learning how to corner and ride and grow into my bike.

Sold the zxr250a for $1800 bought quasi racing suit, gloves, a good helmet and good boots - for allot more than $1800

Got my full licence yesterday on a borrowed 250 ninja, the test was good, the guy really did guage everything he needed to, the test was cut a little shorter than LTSA would mention because he was confident in my ability.

Now i am allowed to ride my bike!!

The things that helped me the most:

Patience in all areas, gives you good perspective especially in traffic.
Respect for the bike, the road and everything around my on the road.
Pulling the bikes apart with mates who know what they are doing gave me an excellent aspect on the bikes and made the experience even better.
Listening to people who know and finding out where their advice came from rather than taking it as gospel, not questioning them but finding out where the knowledge comes from.
Spending the money on good gear parts and servicing, leather protects why not be well protected.
Keep it interesting, until i got my 600 i was riding for more than 30 mins a day and normally about 2 hours, i would plan routes that put my in the face of difficult traffic so i kept learning.
Ask for help! both with riding and maintaining the bike, there's always people around or people on here who are happy to give advice or lend a hand.
Always think of yourself as a learner, you can always learn more.
Surround yourself with people who share your passion - good people will make the whole experience better - leave the other guys to themselves.

So anyways, i could go on and on for hours, good luck and enjoy

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

**Subike** · 14th January 2009, 05:07

That was worth reading.
What a great jouney from noob to rider.
Your tale is almost a set of rules on how to do it the right way, Mr Koz.
Im sure we will hear from you often in your travels now you have a full licence

**slimjim** · 14th January 2009, 08:37

awesome...nice to read how you have taken it all in and are on your own passage.. good stuff..

**mister.koz** · 14th January 2009, 09:06

Thanks guys, i had a blast doing it

the mechanical side gave me a new fount respect for engineering took me days to get my head around the quad-carb's in the zxr and figure out how they worked.

**Blossom** · 14th January 2009, 09:09

Yes Congrats. Sounds like you have used your restricted licence time very wisely.

**mister.koz** · 14th January 2009, 09:19

Originally Posted by Blossom

Yes Congrats. Sounds like you have used your restricted licence time very wisely.

Thank you

Yeah i had to, i have the nasty habit of almost always getting caught when i break the rules so i stuck to them as much as i could (apart from riding the 600 a bit too often on my restricted).