Finally done it - Got a Bike!!

[Leong]

A friend and I have always wanted to ride bikes but never got round to it. Both keen cage drivers who may have met some of you on the roads around Clevedon, Kaiaua etc on Sunday mornings. We did John Wright's Basic skills course last Sunday, never having been on the front of a bike before, got our Learners Licenses during the week, and by coincidence, both got VTR250s delivered yesterday! It's been quite a learning curve, and lurking in this forum has been extremely helpful - Thank you all!! :2thumbsup

I've done about 60km so far, in the cul de sacs around home. Riding on the road is way more complicated than riding around John's oval and cones tracks, especially at intersections when there are cars around!! Luckily the streets are quiet and I've been able to make up a couple of little "tracks" that include esses and hairpin bends (that require gear changes), with T intersections and roundabouts in between.

Problems? Most frustrating is that I keep forgetting to turn off the indicators, but I'm getting better. Also some difficulty getting my toes above and below the gearchange lever as necessary. This was much easier at John's course where I was wearing normal shoes, but the boots I've bought are much bigger and more cumbersome (though safer). We have both bought Full faced helmets, jackets, pants, gloves and boots, and wearing all this gear complicates things even more!!

Having great fun and would be out on the streets if it weren't raining. :argh:

[crashe]

Welcome to the site...

All I can say is keep on practising.... the more you practise the better it will be for you. You will soon get used to changing gears with the big boots on...

As to turning off the indicators... as soon as you have gone around the corner get it in your head "Indicators" it will soon be second nature to you as well.

Keep an eye on the "Meetings and Events" section... and when you feel up to it come on a ride with us..
When they say "FAST" rides dont go on them.... cos they mean FAST rides.

Within such a short time you will be out there on the roads riding with us all.

[justsomeguy]

Welcome mate. Take it easy and enjoy yourself.

Don't be in a rush just go with the flow. It took Rossi over a decade of riding to become one of the best and another decade to become "the best".

[White trash]

It took Rossi over a decade of riding to become one of the best and another decade to become "the best".

That right? Only took me 15 minutes, who is this "Rossi"?

[Hooks]

That right? Only took me 15 minutes, who is this "Rossi"?

If you ever get around to putting your front wheel down you'll see him in your morror .... :devil2: just .... he ain't on a Suzuki .... :laugh: :kick:

[Sniper]

Welcome to the forum mate, and its good to see you riding a sensible bike and taking a sensible learning curve. Just take your time, you can't learn everything overnight plus if you stick to the forums you will learn a hell of a lot from most of us. Just ignore the guys with red box's (Check out the FAQ for what they mean)

Ride safe matey and welcome to our corner of the biking world.

Sniper

[FEINT]

Welcome to the site. :D

[Avignon]

Hopefully this crap wheather goes away and you can get out more. Forget the city and find yourself some quiet, twisty country roads. Welcome to the wounderful world of motorcycling.

[poorbastard]

Welcome mate and good to see your starting off in the right way. Just keep up the practice

[FROSTY]

good onya dude--Good choice of bike --I found the gearbox on mine to be really slick during its brief stay with me.
Come along and join ya fellow KBers -youll learn a lot and pick up a few hints and tips.
Just dont listen to that White Crash oops trash guy or you'll be pulling wheelies befor ya can get around corners :Pokey:

[Jabez]

Welcome....:)

[fizzer]

Welcome to the wonderful world of motorcycling

[Leong]

Thanks for the replies guys,


Hopefully this crap wheather goes away and you can get out more. Forget the city and find yourself some quiet, twisty country roads. Welcome to the wounderful world of motorcycling.
Well, I got out for an hour when the rain stopped. My riding area is slowly getting larger, and includes more intersections and traffic.

Twisty country roads would be fun, but I think I need more confidence in my ability to handle gears, especially knowing which gear I'm in and braking - using both brakes instinctively.... (my foot sometimes misses the brake pedal!) I still have to think down to change down, and up to change up.

On one of my "tracks" there are some esses that lead into a hairpin, esses in third then down to second for the hairpin and accelerate out and into third. I'm already enjoying leaning the bike and it's quite cool how you can change gears quite quickly compared to a car.

I think I might enjoy this world of motorcycling... :2thumbsup

[sels1]

I think I might enjoy this world of motorcycling... :2thumbsup

Beware...it can be addictive. :)

Welcome aboard the site

[Krayy]

A friend and I have always wanted to ride bikes but never got round to it. Both keen cage drivers who may have met some of you on the roads around Clevedon, Kaiaua etc on Sunday mornings. We did John Wright's Basic skills course last Sunday, never having been on the front of a bike before, got our Learners Licenses during the week, and by coincidence, both got VTR250s delivered yesterday!..
Excellent choice of bikes!! I love mine. It'll last you right through the learning curve and beyond. Great commuter too, as the available torque means less gear shuffling in traffic. Hope to see you on an organised ride soon.

[Scorpygirl]

Welcome aboard Leong and I hope you enjoy motorcycling. Won't be long and I should be back out practising too. Small steps for me too but I will get there.

[BLACKYOSHI1000]

best we see you on sunday then :scooter:
for a :chase: then youll be one of those bike you have seen :ride:
this ride will cater for all levels of riders :baby:
:nya: BLACKYOSHI

[limbimtimwim]

A friend and I have always wanted to ride bikes but never got round to it. [...] both got VTR250s delivered yesterday! It's been quite a learning curve, and lurking in this forum has been extremely helpful - Thank you all!! :2thumbsup Never too late to start! Well, okay, maybe 100 is to late. I'd like to complement you on your fine choice in motorcycles. While the others are eating fish fingers, we sir, are eating caviar. What year is it?
I've done about 60km so far, in the cul de sacs around home. Riding on the road is way more complicated than riding around John's oval and cones tracks, especially at intersections when there are cars around!! Luckily the streets are quiet and I've been able to make up a couple of little "tracks" that include esses and hairpin bends (that require gear changes), with T intersections and roundabouts in between That's the idea, keep the rides short and on roads you know to begin with. If you are like me, you will get tired quickly for some time. Take it easy. I had my bike for 5 months before I rode it around the whole country..
Also some difficulty getting my toes above and below the gearchange lever as necessary.I have the same problem on my VTR, I don't know what an instructor would think; but I leave my toe away from the lever unless I am dancing on it on the twisty stuff. I don't think the Japanese had my feet in mind when they made it.
Having great fun and would be out on the streets if it weren't raining. :argh:You will have to learn to ride in the wet somtime, force yourself to do it when you have got the confidence up. One day you may have to ride in the rain and you won't have any choice in the matter, so better you get used to it when you are on roads you know and feeling in positive frame of mind than when you are tired and in the middle of nowhere. But don't do it right now, for obvious reasons :-)

[Wellyman]

That right? Only took me 15 minutes, who is this "Rossi"?

If could keep your bloody bike on 2 wheels instead of one eh Jimmy!
GSXR Wheelie thousand.
Welcome mate.

[cowboyz]

You got the bug now, there is no getting away from it. Indicators.. well.. what are they again>? I more often forget to turn them on rather than forget to turn them off cause when I do use them I leave my thumb on the switch until I turn them off again.

Gear changes. I have heard of a couple of guys complain about the gear lever on the VTR250. I have never ridden one so I don't know if it is just a design thing or a lack of ecperience thing. You will soon get used to your own bike though.

Best if luck with it. I am still having withdrawl symtoms cause I haven't been on a bike in over a week now.

[zadok]

Onya. Now you know what you have been missing all these years. I believe those VTR's can get up and go too. Have fun. Stay safe. :niceone:

[Leong]

Thanks for the welcome!!


best we see you on sunday then :scooter:
for a :chase: then youll be one of those bike you have seen :ride:
this ride will cater for all levels of riders :baby:
:nya: BLACKYOSHI
Would if I could.... but will be escaping the cold for the warmth of Fiji for 2 weeks..... downside is I won't be able to ride my bike!!

Thanks for taking the time to reply limbimtimwim!

Never too late to start! Well, okay, maybe 100 is to late. I'd like to complement you on your fine choice in motorcycles. While the others are eating fish fingers, we sir, are eating caviar. What year is it?
Another benefit of doing it now, I'm 45 ... it's brand new!!

That's the idea, keep the rides short and on roads you know to begin with. If you are like me, you will get tired quickly for some time. Take it easy. I had my bike for 5 months before I rode it around the whole country..I have the same problem on my VTR, I don't know what an instructor would think; but I leave my toe away from the lever unless I am dancing on it on the twisty stuff. I don't think the Japanese had my feet in mind when they made it.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found it tiring. I'm reasonably fit but ... well yeah!! Getting better with the changes...

You will have to learn to ride in the wet somtime, force yourself to do it when you have got the confidence up. One day you may have to ride in the rain and you won't have any choice in the matter, so better you get used to it when you are on roads you know and feeling in positive frame of mind than when you are tired and in the middle of nowhere. But don't do it right now, for obvious reasons :-)
I got caught out in the rain on Sunday... rain was threatening and every time I got back home, it looked like it might be OK for another few minutes, so I'd go out again...and again till I got caught out!! Actually avoiding rain just to keep my shiny new toy clean..... I will learn to ride in the rain at some time, good learning experience from what I've read...


You got the bug now, there is no getting away from it. Indicators.. well.. what are they again>? I more often forget to turn them on rather than forget to turn them off cause when I do use them I leave my thumb on the switch until I turn them off again.
That's the problem with indicators.... leaving them on is way worse than not using them at all!!

Oh well, weather's better today... hopefully can go out for more practice this evening...

[Ixion]

Thanks for the welcome!!


..
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found it tiring. I'm reasonably fit but ... well yeah!! Getting better with the changes...
..
..

Shouldn't be tiring , under several hundred kilometres. Probably you're tensing up, natural thing with early riders. Just try to relax, get your seating position right so that you're comfortable, and let the bike do the work. Road riding (assuming you're not going to extremes) doesn't require much effort, no more than driving a car.

Relax, arms loose, kneessis gripping the tank, but not locked on, let the natural progression of the bike take you through the corners. Should be able to get off after a few hours riding and still feel fine. I'm totally unfit so it's nothing to do with how fit you are (racing type riding , on the track or the road, and off road stuff, is another matter - I'm talking about sane road riding)

[Leong]

Shouldn't be tiring , under several hundred kilometres. Probably you're tensing up, natural thing with early riders. Just try to relax, get your seating position right so that you're comfortable, and let the bike do the work.

I think you're right about the tensing up... I rode around for about a hour after work tonight.... actually rode in the dark cos I didn't want to stop!! Not so tiring this time. Not having to concentrate as much on my foot positioning. Getting much better with the indicators.... Only problem was the occasional, ie twice, selection of neutral when going from 1st to 2nd.

Question: If you are in a busy shopping centre car park, and it's difficult to find an empty car park, where do you park?? Obviously I haven't taken any notice till now.....

[MacD]

Question: If you are in a busy shopping centre car park, and it's difficult to find an empty car park, where do you park?? Obviously I haven't taken any notice till now.....

You can often find gaps/spaces between pillars, planters etc that cars can't fit into. You can sometimes park on footpath areas as long as they're not too busy and you aren't blocking pedestrian flow. Just keep your eyes peeled and use common sense. It's better to back into spaces so you can ride out too.

I avoid taking up normal carparks as some drivers will decide that their car is more important than your bike and move your bike so that they can fit. Parking between parallel-parked cars is asking for trouble from drivers as well as they will often back into your bike - remember they have trouble seeing trucks let alone bikes!

The ACC has put together a site called Ride Forever (http://www.rideforever.co.nz/index.html) which has some good advice about road awareness for riders. Well worth a read.

Good choice of bike too, they look good and appear to go really well. :)

[Ixion]

You can often find gaps/spaces between pillars, planters etc that cars can't fit into. You can sometimes park on footpath areas as long as they're not too busy and you aren't blocking pedestrian flow. Just keep your eyes peeled and use common sense. It's better to back into spaces so you can ride out too.

..

Also, look outside the "car parking" area. around the sides of the buildings etc. There are often areas that are not big enough to park a car, but you can get a bike into OK. And round the shopping cart thingies.

[limmy]

good to see another rider out the east side. feel free to pop me a PM if you want to go out for a ride.

[limmy]

Question: If you are in a busy shopping centre car park, and it's difficult to find an empty car park, where do you park?? Obviously I haven't taken any notice till now.....

Regardless of weather it's busy or not I don't usually bother taking up a parking spacing unless there's more than one bike with me. Usually I'll just park on the pavement. Being out in Howick I assume u're referring to Botany Shopping Centre. I usually just park it on the pavement near a lamp or just next to the car if it's parallel parked or something like that. As long as it's not in the way of anybody then you should be fine.

The only provision to this rule is not to park in front of a hotel. They will tow your ass.

[Phurrball]

:o
I think you're right about the tensing up... I rode around for about a hour after work tonight.... actually rode in the dark cos I didn't want to stop!! Not so tiring this time. Not having to concentrate as much on my foot positioning. Getting much better with the indicators.... Only problem was the occasional, ie twice, selection of neutral when going from 1st to 2nd.

Question: If you are in a busy shopping centre car park, and it's difficult to find an empty car park, where do you park?? Obviously I haven't taken any notice till now.....


Congratulations Leong! You sound like you're on about the same point on the learning curve as I am...I've got a couple of hundred kays under my belt on the Bandit, and have been hanging out for the weather to improve so that I can commute in to town on the beast. (I've been lurking tapping the KB for wisdom and unwisdom for quite a bit longer :devil2:)

I still have issues sometimes remembering to turn off the indicators, and do the 'neutral' thing between first and second on occasion (I feel like a real twat when I do that - our Bandit has a sports exhaust, and everyone can hear my gumbyness for blocks around :o ) I'm getting heaps better in general though, and have even managed the odd sly filter in the commuter traffic!

I have to mentally tell myself to relax when I'm on the bike - it's so easy to tense up without knowing it - I ride noticably better, and enjoy it more when I tell myself to relax! Keep getting out and about! It's looking promising for a fine day tomorrow...I'll cross my fingers for both of us...

Oh, welcome to the KB Gargre!

[madboy]

Ahh... 45 years old... that explains why you're so sensible about the learning experience! Probably means you'll survive the learner phase in 1 piece too. You've probably heard it before, but CBTA. I cannot speak more highly of these courses. I did it in Wgtn so don't know the Auck crowd, but if it's the same deal then I think it rocks for learners moving through the licenses.

I highly recommend getting out in the country for a good old fashioned ride. Not knowing the Auck area, I'm guessing the coromandel or SH22 would be good. Go for one of the group rides (not the FAST ones!!), that way you'll find your motivation to ride a longer distance will help, and next thing you know you've just popped out 200k of riding without really noticing. You'll think you're slow until you realise that there are prob 3 other people in exactly the same boat as you on the ride. Reason I say country rides is that you'll get into the flow of the bike without the distraction of intersections and general round town stuff. Easier to get into the biker rhythm. Round town is so stop start, soooooo many things to concentrate on that you WILL be tense all the time just thinking about them, let alone the bike.

Good luck fella.

[SPman]

Good on you , mate. You will find it tiring, initially - its the concentration thing - you are learning spatial skills at a lot of levels - things that experienced riders take for granted - like actually RIDING the bike have to be mastered and reduced to a subconscious effort level, before you lose that initial tiredness and can start to really enjoy.
Just get out there and do it!
SP

[Patrick]

...Problems? Most frustrating is that I keep forgetting to turn off the indicators, but I'm getting better....

An important one, newbie...nothing worse than a cage thinking you're going to turn left into the road he is pulling out of, just in front of you... :doh:

Saw a snake on a bike do it....once.......he shat his draws, as I did in the car...but nothing came of it once he immediately realised his BIG mistake... :nya:

[Leong]

Thanks for all the replies and encouragement guys.... currently in sunny Fiji with an hour to kill.....closest I can get to a bike is the 700cc Jetski they have here... great fun!! Looking froward to getting back on my bike on return... hope I haven't forgotten everything!!




The ACC has put together a site called Ride Forever (http://www.rideforever.co.nz/index.html) which has some good advice about road awareness for riders. Well worth a read.

Good choice of bike too, they look good and appear to go really well. :)
Yes, I saw the ACC site via a link here.. it was very helpful, esp about riding gear. Thanks


.....You've probably heard it before, but CBTA. I cannot speak more highly of these courses. I did it in Wgtn so don't know the Auck crowd, but if it's the same deal then I think it rocks for learners moving through the licenses.
I've seen it mentioned, but will have to look into this more..... I'm guessing to look at the Passrite website, any pointers?

.....I highly recommend getting out in the country for a good old fashioned ride. Not knowing the Auck area, I'm guessing the coromandel or SH22 would be good. Go for one of the group rides (not the FAST ones!!), that way you'll find your motivation to ride a longer distance will help, and next thing you know you've just popped out 200k of riding without really noticing. ....

On the day we left NZ I took my bike out of our subdivision, down Pakuranga Highway, and back via Ti Rakau Drive.. ie all busy city roads. Stopped at Botany, bought something and found somewhere to store it, and then went out to Whitford... ie some country riding. All went well. No probs in the city. Out on the open road I'm having to judge entry speeds into corners, and having several "bites" at a corner...... diesel utes were going thru corners faster than me!! AT least I'm very comfortable riding at 70km/h now... in a straight line. I've got 3 free days when we get back before starting work, so look forward to getting more practice in!! Thanks Guys :ride: