I'm writing this... sorta think it might want to be made sticky in the newbies section eventually... gotta make it good enough first though. Any suggestions?
The things that you need to know when you start riding.
I started riding about a year ago, because parking expenses were too high to keep my car near my work. I knew a little about biking from extended family members, and hoped I could get by on a little luck and a little help from my friend the internet.
Sadly, I didn’t know a lot of basic and obvious things that could have caused a real disaster had I been put in a tricky situation. Thankfully I didn’t push limits very far and a few people popped out of the woodwork to help improve my riding skills, and make my bike safe to ride.
First off
When you get a bike there are things you need to do immediately, before you ride it, first being locating the toolkit and checking that the handlebars are at a comfortable level and you can turn them all the (“locking the steering”) way both ways without them hitting your legs or the tank. Test the brakes (lock them), and make sure everything is within reach. Most bikeshops for some strange reason set everything up for a four or seven foot tall person.
Don't try to save money of helmets, jackets, brakes or tyres. These things are there to save your life. If you do go down, get away from the bike and any objects. Sliding across the road and getting gravel rash is much less permanent than hitting a solid object and breaking bones. Good leathers will reduce the gravel rash too. Honda and most other bikers will have a great story to tell you about this.
Never ride when tired. You're supposed to enjoy yourself, so just take a nap or coffee or pit stop. If you slow your reactions by being tired or by using drugs, you're really just asking for trouble.
KEEP YOUR BIKE MANUAL!
This is invaluable and they can cost the earth to acquire again. They have things like tyre pressures, oil amount, fuel types, wiring diagrams… all the things you’ll need one day.
And the fuelcock! Make sure it is on. It is a valve, usually on the left side of the bike, and has 3 settings, “on, off, and reserve.” or (on, reserve, prime) Reserve is a couple of spare liters for when you run out. Don’t run your bike on this all the time or when you run out you’ll be pushing it home, but do run it for a few kilometers after filling up to make sure the pipes are clear and working and you won’t get stuck when you run out. The bike CAN run in “off” mode but will only run for a few hundred meters before spluttering and stopping and will confuse you. Prime I'm told is for vacuum operated valves, and fills the carbs with fuel so you can start. Don't run your bike for too long with this on or you'll get terrible fuel efficiency and might be doing damage to your motor by running rich (too much petrol in the engine).
If you have a cell phone, keep it charged and carry it. Make sure you have the Insurance company, bike shop, and a friend-with-a-towbar programmed into contacts. A friend with a cage can get a trailer from most petrol stations.
If you’re on ice, snow, new paint, oil, wet road markings or wet steel, you will find the surface is slippery. Try to stay upright and moving in a straight line and keep the throttle still… It also helps to be in a low gear and not going around a corner. You can try and ride over it slowly with a foot down if you like, but avoiding this is the best bet. Car tyres will move most of these out of the way for you so that’s why we follow the right hand tyre mark.
Some bikes require you to let the clutch out a little to change back into first after an emergency stop.
Maintenance
Set aside an hour each week to do the TCLOCK and other maintenance.
TCLOCK stands for Tyres, Cables, Lights, Oil, Chassis (and chain), and Kickstand.
• Tyres need to be checked to make sure they are inflated to the correct pressure, aren’t damaged. They go down a few psi a week, keep checking. A good pump or pressure check is good because the station's meters vary a lot. Check the spokes are tight (they should “ring” if you tap them with a spanner, if it sounds dull tighten them) and that the rims aren’t warped. Honda has a "tyre panda" which fills up the tyre with foam and allows you to get to the bikeshop... I am going to get one when I find one.
• Cables (throttle, clutch and brake cables) all need to move smoothly and not be frayed or damaged. Check the gear shifter, brakes and kill switch are all working.
• Lights need to work. Check them by starting the bike in neutral and walking around it checking each light (brakes and indicators too) is working and aren’t damaged. If you can check the horn too. And check the lights work at full beam too. I didn’t do this after someone backed into my bike and was riding with no light for a month before I realized this and now I hang my head in shame…
• Oil and brake fluid should be at the right level, and not be leaking. Your bike might leave a mark below the sprockets (those toothy cog things) on the ground but if that is thick and black that is chain oil.
• Chassis (and chain). Check they aren’t damaged or cracked; lubricate the chain with some chain oil. Check your suspension works.
• The Kickstand needs to be able to keep itself up when you’re riding, and shouldn’t fold up when you’ve parked your bike. Check it to make sure it isn’t loose or too tight in any of these positions.
• After doing these, take the bike for a spin (wheelie or stoppie or whatever) to flick off the chain oil so it doesn’t leave marks everywhere.
You’ll hear people talking about tappets. I haven’t found them yet on my bike and let the bike shop do that maintenance for me. Don’t attack anything with a spanner unless you’ve got knowledgeable help on how to put it together again. I’m getting braver, but still need help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Practice
Things you should practice in a car park:
• Emergency stops in an upright position
• Doing U turns at with steering at full lock – this is tricky
• Weaving between points
• Checking over your shoulder while moving
• Try low speed lock-ups to learn your brake's limits
• Practice riding at walking pace, to learn about clutch and throttle co-ordination, and feather braking
• Practice getting your feet up quickly, and doing all turns with your feet on the pegs
• Practice looking where you want to go. Look through the corner, not AT the corner. It is often referred to "leading with your chin". However this leads to “target fixation”
• Don't 'target fixate'. This means, you go where you look. So if there's a potential hazard, or something alarms you, don't stare at it, but instead look at the path you need to take in order to avoid the hazard / obstacle. Put up a couple of cones or bits of card in the car park and try dodging them, looking forward at the next clear space to drive. If you keep looking at one, you’ll turn your body and drive towards it without knowing, so keep looking at the gaps. This applies in traffic too.
• Practice riding in the rain, puddles and oil if you can find it on a carpark. Car parks are level and have plenty of puddles, unlike most roads. Try some grass and gravel too, and feel the difference it makes to braking and turning.
Confidence and practice equal skill
Finally
And we're all part of the biker brotherhood, even though we needle each other a lot sometimes... Sibling rivalry? Make friends with other bikers. Some of us are big, ugly and monosyllabic, but we're part of the same family, and sometimes understand what is going on. Don't be afraid to ask for help from us, cause if we can't help we'll point you towards someone who can.
Kudos to Honda, justsomeguy, Storm, Hitcher, Blakamin, Mattt, TonyB, XJ/FROSTY, moko, and Jim2 for helping out with this.
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duh!
Now here's another document I need to study.........
Originally Posted by justsomeguy
Flat tyres.
good work
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