Got Learners licence, bought new jacket, boots & gloves plus 89 Ninja all in 8 hours!

[mikemike104]

Hi all

GREAT FORUM PPL !

Am about to go get above bike from current owner, passed learners licence this morning at 9:30, bought all new gear (ex pants) at lunchtime, woop, bring on the challange !!!!

Before BHST 2 weeks ago I hadnt been on a bike in 4 years, so this afternoons mission to ride said bike home (bout an hour from ham's) will be a big ask... Am up to it. geared up.. mentally ready... have licence ROCK ON..

calm, collected, responsible.... but what about all the other traffic?

Will post once I is back safely to advise you all of my learnings :yes:

mikemike104 . out

[Bren]

Hey mikemike105...Welcome to the forum and watch out for all the mad bastards here (thats 99% of us...)

I do hope you got your new bike home....Let us know how the first ride went...

I have 2 of the older Ninjas, one is an 88, the other is a 89...Hopefully they will eventually make a good cafe ninja soon

Anyway good luck

[Genie]

Hi and yeeehaaa, four years is not much of a gap, i'd been about 12 and that was a quick blast in the rain so before that was , ummmm, 23 years. it never leaves ya.

congrats on the new blue licence. pretty blue and that bright yellow 'L' plate is pretty special too.

ope the trip home was smooth and don't forget to wave (or at least nod) to all the others bikers on the road.

[DJSin]

welcome to kb

hope the trip home went well :)

[Bikemad]

good on ya mike and welcome to KB..........be careful out there

[sinfull]

Hi mike mike mike , we've met alan alan and steve steve
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[Tink]

Hey mikemike105...Welcome to the forum and watch out for all the mad bastards here (thats 99% of us...)

erm does that put me in the 1% ha

[Tink]

:niceone:
Hi mike mike mike , we've met alan alan and steve steve
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Now this dude is another story...completely mad!

[crazyhorse]

Hi and a big welcome.

Make sure you get your pants too - they are important. Always good to hear another biker has got their licence. May you have many happy years of riding :scooter:

[Bren]

erm does that put me in the 1% ha

well, you could be a mad b**ch....who knows, I dont know you well enough to work that one out:Pokey:

[mikemike104]

Made it !

Matamata to Hamilton at a nice easy pace.... all went well till I stopped in Morrinsville to have a chat to the wife who was my ride there, when the bike conked and was NOT so keen to continue :-(

I had been motoring along since Matamata (not giving it heaps) so it was well and truly at operatng temp and I figered it had flooded ! and it bloody had too !
Gave it some time to sort it's s*!t out and it was cool cool and home time.

No issues with other traffic, only the above hiccup and the ear to ear grin the whole ride, I'v been waiting a long time for that first journey on my own bike.

Cheers for the above posts, am planning on some Draggin Jeans asap.

HAHA, just caught myself planning to ditch said wife to go for a quick spin to rag's tomorrow, wonder if iI'd get away with it.

[sil3nt]

Good too see another GPX in Hamilton! Too many of those new ninjas around :bleh: We shall have to ride sometime :yes:

[Tink]

well, you could be a mad b**ch....who knows, I dont know you well enough to work that one out:Pokey:

food for thought there... !

[howdamnhard]

Welcome to KB Mike,mike104 . Enjoy your new (to you) bike , take care and enjoy. Riding is good for the soul. Beware of all the other mad bastards on the road and don't become one yourself.

[CookMySock]

a quick spin to rag's tomorrow...Watch it for the first few weeks. You will have at least one scary moment, probably to do with steering the thing, so just make sure you keep some space around you and don't go crackling into corners way too quick - thats the biggest thing for now. Google "countersteering" please, and read-up.

Remember, a full day on taupo race track is only 100bux.

Hey and welcome to KB and to biking! :niceone:

Steve

[rie]

8 hours! impressive. :)

[mikemike104]

I Love riding ! took bike on a two hour street tour around Hamilton today (instead of going to raglan), VERY educational. I just spent my time crusing and getting used to watching other traffic like a hawk, one little old lady tried merging into me but lucky for me she turned her head and saw me in time for me to not have to do much.

I understand the theory on counterstearing.. tried using the technique a bit today at diff speeds, (kinda like snowboarding.. i can do it to the right but cant turn left)

Enough pratice will see me right.

sil3ntwar, i'm real keen to arrange a ride, as soon as I am done moving after this weekend.

Cheers

[CookMySock]

I understand the theory on counterstearing.. tried using the technique a bit today at diff speeds, (kinda like snowboarding.. i can do it to the right but cant turn left) Enough pratice will see me right.It's critical to get that down and solid before you do much more consolidation, or you will cement the wrong things in place permanently.

Start with swerving left and right on a straight bit of road @ about 70km/hr. Sit more upright, no leaning heavily on the bars, and apply gentle pressure forward on each bar, one at a time, without using stiff wrists or elbows. You should be able to get quite a deep swerve going left and right only by pushing on the bars.

When that starts to feel fine, then try some sweeping turns at about 70-80km/hr. Choose your position in your lane, and stay there accurately, only by using bar pressure.

The idea is to get so used to it, that in an emergency you instantly and automatically revert to a deep evasive swerve, rather than getting a fright and locking your brakes up, as most people do (and then die, unfortunately.)

Well thats the theory anyway. Good luck with it all! :niceone:

Steve

[Smifffy]

As well as googling countersteering, you might also want to have a look around a few threads to see the kind of advice offered by the above poster, and usually the overwhelming response to much of it.

Always remember that a licenced motorcycle instructor once agreed with him.

[CookMySock]

As well as googling countersteering, you might also want to have a look around a few threads to see the kind of advice offered by the above poster, and usually the overwhelming response to much of it.

Always remember that a licenced motorcycle instructor once agreed with him.Instead of snide and disparaging remarks, you might want to offer constructive criticism? I invite it.

Perhaps it is more your way to cast doubt, put people down, pull apart self-esteem, and prevent anything useful from being achieved? Prove me wrong. I invite you. If you can.

Steve

[Smifffy]

Apologies. Do what DB says or die (unfortunately).

Nothing snide or disparaging DB, just inviting the guy to do a little background research. You have some good things to say and I sometimes find myself agreeing with you wholeheartedly.

Other times I read your posts and wonder if you've been hitting the P pipe a bit too hard.

I doubt anyone here believes that you are at risk of suffering low self-esteem from anything posted to an internet forum.

[Smifffy]

Double post removed,

But apparently my character, or lack of it is on display again, so I get red bling.

Oh well.

[mikemike104]

Bad news all. bike turns out to be mechanically not so flash :-(

Took it to have valves gaps checked plus a service and find out it needs $1200 ( or more ) spent with a list of faults longer than my freckin arm !

F*#k it !!!!

All good tho I'll spend the money to fix it, then it will be mint and all mine to ride & enjoy. sigh, its only money.

Have read all i can find on counter steering, pratice makes perfect huh ? technique is breed from experience etc etc.

Will still keep trying,, not so easy though. it will come I'm sure.

[Genie]

Well that's just a buggar!

[mikemike104]

HAHA, its my own stupid fault, I blame myself.

A friend works for a dealer here in Ham's, he told me I should have spent $5k on a 250, I spent $2800 and look where it got me, it got me a $1200 repair bill, now thats just funny !

[mikemike104]

sad :-( .. no bike, its still in the shop.. also yet to find out how much its going to cost to fix it. thinks bill is larger than 1200 now. shop has had bike since thursday and havnt yet been able to price the repairs because there are so many needed.

just to give you an idea, it needs:

chain & both sprockets
carb rubbers
cam chain & tensioner
valve gaps i asked that they check and lucky too cause 4 of the 8 were tight !
oil and filter
replace fan swich cause it currently doesnt work

and all the rest i cannot remember right now. cant wait to get it back fixed, its going to be brand new !

[Genie]

oh that is a bit of an annnoyance, but you sure are going to have one mean as bike when it's finished. Is that it in your avatar? Looking good.:Punk:

[rustyrobot]

Oh, ya know, I was seriously thinking about that bike when looking for mine. It really is a nice lookng ride!

[mikemike104]

Oh, ya know, I was seriously thinking about that bike when looking for mine. It really is a nice lookng ride!

you should be stoked rusty, cause when i took it to the mechanic he said that its a great looking piece of shit.

[mikemike104]

k, heres my guess, im thinking the bill will beeeeeeee................... $1389.27 * crosses fingers, hope's for less *

[Tryhard]

k, heres my guess, im thinking the bill will beeeeeeee................... $1389.27 * crosses fingers, hope's for less *

DAM! Oh well the are fun little bikes when they are going well.

Not that I have ridden anything else except for a GN250 over 20 years ago.

[mikemike104]

HAHA, I was close, it was 1347.49 but excluding a new front rotor and pads which is optional. might do it anyway tho, then it will be sorted for quite some time.

[Scorp]

Got Learners licence, bought new jacket, boots & gloves plus 89 Ninja all in 8 hours!
Man I'm jealous. I got my BHS a weeks and a half ago, learners licence yesterday, and still feel like I'm weeks away from actually buying anything. Being a total noob and no longer a young man, I’m gonna have to do it the slow way… more training from an instructor… get some gear… test ride some bikes… buy. By the time I’m on the road it’ll probably be mid-winter!!

[R-Soul]

`

HAHA, just caught myself planning to ditch said wife to go for a quick spin to rag's tomorrow, wonder if iI'd get away with it.

Welocome to our world, constantly trying find a gap for a ride and a banter...heehee

[R-Soul]

As well as googling countersteering, you might also want to have a look around a few threads to see the kind of advice offered by the above poster, and usually the overwhelming response to much of it.

Always remember that a licenced motorcycle instructor once agreed with him.
Yeah - although to be fair his advice so far this thread seems to be good.

Remember without contersteering you have no steering.

[mikemike104]

Man I'm jealous. I got my BHS a weeks and a half ago, learners licence yesterday, and still feel like I'm weeks away from actually buying anything. Being a total noob and no longer a young man, I’m gonna have to do it the slow way… more training from an instructor… get some gear… test ride some bikes… buy. By the time I’m on the road it’ll probably be mid-winter!!

yes, but you prob wont buy a bike that needs serious money spending on it or it will most likley fall apart whilst you ride it......

[emerald]

Enjoy the riding, i got my learners about 14 months ago at age 53. Now on restricted and next month doing the final test. I see more and more bikes all the time. Pity car drivers dont always see us. Use your mirrors and always look to the sides when turning. Some car drivers think they can pass you on the inside and outside. On State Hwy 16 a mad car driver passed me on the inside at about 130 kmh. Lucky i was using my mirrors and saw what was about to happen. All the best.

[Genie]

Man I'm jealous. I got my BHS a weeks and a half ago, learners licence yesterday, and still feel like I'm weeks away from actually buying anything. Being a total noob and no longer a young man, I’m gonna have to do it the slow way… more training from an instructor… get some gear… test ride some bikes… buy. By the time I’m on the road it’ll probably be mid-winter!!

but, you know you will get there....now smile.

:lol: Luv your avatar

[mikemike104]

pick up the bike on sat morning, moving last of our stuff on friday, Cannot wait, its going to be soooo cool with all that money Iv spent on it.

soooooooooooooooo keen to go for a ride. Im gonna suit up on sunday & go crusin.

rusty you keen ?

[mikemike104]

Today, i learned to not change gears whilst moving around a roundabout. I shifted up and the bike moved sideways somewhat upon letting out the clutch, jeeeesuss, what a fright i got !

[emerald]

Hi all, enjoy the riding. Passed my full licence on Wednesday. Feel pretty good for a new biker at age 53 to have done that. My ninja 250 has been a great bike to learn the skills. Preparation for my test was going to a local school playground over the easter break and practising tight turns, U turns, braking and throttle control. Really paid off.

[mikemike104]

Right - an update.

Bike now owes me ummmm... lets see, add that and this and todays bill...... thats ummm.. call it $4400 all up.....

Lads down at Honda Hamilton advised me today that when they went to fit its new cam chain the old one was streched on and the wrong size :-0 shit.

The service manager looks me in the eye and say's "dont spend any more money on it" and I bloody agree ! only paid $2800 for the bike...

Still, struth it goes well now, its now got a real urgency to its exaust note, and comes on alot quicker than it did before they fitted the new chain this morning.

So yay, it was all worth it for me.

The sad thing is after the weekends ride to Kawhia and back I REALLY like the look of Insomnias Blackbird...

Sigh. I have enough expensive things to do without needing a bigger bike but.... I want one....

[R-Soul]

Today, i learned to not change gears whilst moving around a roundabout. I shifted up and the bike moved sideways somewhat upon letting out the clutch, jeeeesuss, what a fright i got !

the instructor explained this to us at the ART course. When you are in a corner and settled, you are "set", and when you are accelerating in a straight line, you are "set" (i.e. the suspension is settled and the weight distribution between wheels is constant). when you are changig between being set one way and being set another way, then you are in "transition".

Transition is when weight is changing from one wheel to the other. This is when you are most likely to lose traction on the wheels. any transition should be done as smoothly as possible, and preferably not when leaned over in a corner (because this is when the wheels alreay have traction demands on them, and adding more traction demands could cause them to break away) .

[sil3nt]

Right - an update.

Bike now owes me ummmm... lets see, add that and this and todays bill...... thats ummm.. call it $4400 all up.....

Lads down at Honda Hamilton advised me today that when they went to fit its new cam chain the old one was streched on and the wrong size :-0 shit.

The service manager looks me in the eye and say's "dont spend any more money on it" and I bloody agree ! only paid $2800 for the bike...

Still, struth it goes well now, its now got a real urgency to its exaust note, and comes on alot quicker than it did before they fitted the new chain this morning.

So yay, it was all worth it for me.

The sad thing is after the weekends ride to Kawhia and back I REALLY like the look of Insomnias Blackbird...

Sigh. I have enough expensive things to do without needing a bigger bike but.... I want one....Keep forgetting to ask you this when i see you but why do you go to Honda Hamilton?

[mikemike104]

Keep forgetting to ask you this when i see you but why do you go to Honda Hamilton?

I kno a guy.