first ride............. woohoo

[oscar the cat]

well after a week of owning the bike today was the frist time i could take it for a ride been the longest week ever

so up early this morning off to motomail ( after reading the ad here on line )

what can i say what a great group of people supper freindly and very helpful ( no this is not a paid ad just credit where its due )

back in the cage to orewa with new gear in back

get home and suit up and yes i am a newbe so frist thing i learn is jacket , helmet and then gloves in that order after spending a few minutes trying to do up helmet straps with gloves on

as i am still getting use the the bike and bike riding in general i go looking for a low volume traffic area around the side streets off i go

pass the young ones playing out side get a wave and a shout form them all but i had gone pass by the time i was readly to find the horn button

around the block a few times and stop off at local beach just so i can tell any non bike riding people what i did in the weekend ( they wont understand the thrill of just going for a ride )

two things come to my mine 1st i better stop at servo and get some gas and then 2nd the lotto shop as i can feel this new lifestyle been addictive and expensive

better head back home as the rain gods look like they might be about to tell me something

on to the main road i see two bikers heading in the oppersite way i try and give then the universal nod with the head and look like i know what i am doing and not just in the wrong gear and too much clutch ( been guilty of that too )
well it must have worked caused to got two nods back what a feeling if i smile any more i would have had to get a bigger helmet

around the corner the the young ones are still playing out this time i am readly with the horn they wave and shout ...........not sure if they would , since i snobbed them the frist time i toot , they cheer and give me the thumbs up .......... all is good


my frist ride ..................woohoo


now a question for you

where should my left foot be when not changing gears
ie moved back form the gear peddel or close enough the change gears with out having to move my foot ???

[Karma]

now a question for you

where should my left foot be when not changing gears
ie moved back form the gear peddel or close enough the change gears with out having to move my foot ???

I generally leave my foot underneith the gear lever, as if I were going to change up.

[Jackrat]

Oh dear,I have a cat named Oscar.
No shit mate,I call him oscar the shat.
Little black fluffy thing with a real bad attitude.
Maybe your related.

[oscar the cat]

hes named oscar from the sesame street the one that lived in a trash can when i got him hes hair on his neck was all matted

[Jackrat]

hes named oscar from the sesame street the one that lived in a trash can when i got him hes hair on his neck was all matted

Cool cat,cool bike too.
Cheers.

[dangerous]

I generally leave my foot underneith the gear lever, as if I were going to change up.
Hey dude.... same as above unless doing a hard leftie were you need more clearance then I would tipi toe on the pegs.

ps: good write up

[Rashika]

get home and suit up and yes i am a newbe so frist thing i learn is jacket , helmet and then gloves in that order after spending a few minutes trying to do up helmet straps with gloves on


aint it funny the things you do automatically after awhile on a bike...its funny to see it spelt out and ya think "Oh yeah thats right I remember having to learn that"
figuired the sunglasses one yet??? Oh yeah thats right you guys prob dont use them up there too much rain :)

Good on ya for getting on ya bike... damn its nice to have a new toy eh??

And its a Virago, my first :love: ok mine was a 750 but the 250s are a nice bike to start with too i think....

keep up the good work dude! :ride:

[Gremlin]

Talking of procedure, also remember to put your key in the ignition before putting on your gloves :no:

Quite a few times I have got completely ready, then realised that my keys are in the jacket top pocket... :lol:

Almost the same time is spent trying to dig the key out with fat fingers, as is taking off one glove.

[crashe]

now a question for you

where should my left foot be when not changing gears
ie moved back form the gear peddel or close enough the change gears with out having to move my foot ???


Congratulations on getting a Virago 250 cruiser... well done...

Ok the foot to change gear..
Having to think about this as I just do it all the time without thinking....lol

Around town, I don't leave my foot under the gear lever.... I only move my foot under it when I need to change gears... or on top to change down.

When you are in top gear, rest your foot on the footpeg as you are cruising.

I rest my foot on the footpeg, but always ready to move it at a moments notice.

Mind you I tend to rest my foot on the outside edge of the footpeg.
(Charlie Chaplin style)

I guess the only way to describe it is to show you....

[stunz]

get home and suit up and yes i am a newbe so frist thing i learn is jacket , helmet and then gloves in that order after spending a few minutes trying to do up helmet straps with gloves on :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: it sucks trying to zip up your leathers with your lid and gloves on too...



now a question for you...where should my left foot be when not changing gears
ie moved back form the gear peddel or close enough the change gears with out having to move my foot ???I used to ride with the footpeg in the wedge where the heel meets the sole of the boot and the toes under the lever, but found out soon enough that "out, around, up then down" was too much hassle for shifting down. If your on the balls of your feet, you make the decision of up or down, then just move your foot forward to be in just the right place. so much simpler.

:ride: enjoy your ride...

[thealmightytaco]

Yeah, I gotta work glasses into the procedure too. And gotta ensure I hook the right arm of the glasses in over my ear first, it's more blunt and likes to slide around my hair over my ear, completely useless. And I try to remember to put the keys in before I put on my gloves, but don't seem to have terrible dramas if I forget. I must have reasonably thinnish gloves, they're winter ones though.

[Ratty]

Good to see another rider on the roads.... :rockon:
I ride with my foot usually under the lever but always where it's comfy. Sometimes when I'm hooning I have the fronts of my feet on the pegs (tucked out of the way) as they tend to hit the ground a little less but then you have to slide your foot forward to change gear. But normally it's the relaxed position.
One other thing to remember is depending what sort of wet weathers you may have or use in the future, keep your wallet somewhere handy. I used to have an old one piece wet weather suit (the budget model without cut outs for you to access your trouser pockets). A couple of times (I'm a slow learner it would seem) I got all warm and ready for the usual (s)wellingbum trip and the first stop was to fill up with gas. Then I had to strip off my gloves, helmet etc and then the top part of my wet weathers to get my wallet out. Talk about feeling like an idiot, now I have a better set of crap weather gear so I don't have to feel like such a tossa holding up everyone else wanting gas. :doh:

[Scorpygirl]

Good one mate on the choose of a Virago. A mate of mine had the same colour Virago and I would have loved to have bought hers but couldn't get it organised at the time and she wanted a quick sale. I always try to get kitted up before I put on my gloves as I find this easier to coordinate. Good luck with the riding and keep tooting to the kids they love it. :2thumbsup

[FROSTY]

Welcolm to our addiction.Forget ya booze or ya drugs--ours is a lifetime addiction. Good call getting a lil V twin -darned good bikes.
Re the gear change foot thing I prefer to rest my foot on top of the gear lever. Its a personal thing I think --i like to be ready to go down a gear if i need to. But I wouldnt sweat the small stuff fior now--just do whats comfortable for you.

[Karma]

Talking of procedure, also remember to put your key in the ignition before putting on your gloves :no:

Quite a few times I have got completely ready, then realised that my keys are in the jacket top pocket... :lol:

Almost the same time is spent trying to dig the key out with fat fingers, as is taking off one glove.


I tend to leave the bike in 1st whenever I park it anywhere, so when I come back I stick it in neutral and start it up before I even do anything else.

Then I'll go through the process of putting minidisc earphones in, then zip jacket, then helmet and gloves... by the time I've arsed around with all that the bike is usually ready to go, makes a bit of difference with the cold weather recently if the bikes given time to warm up.

[Sniper]

Good work mate

[Odin]

Nice bike, i like the choice and good write up.

The hole foot / gearleaver issue will resolve it self over time, just have to get used to it all. And don't worry about starting in the wrong gear after a corner or the like, Just give it a little time mate ;)

[vifferman]

Welcome, Oscar. :wavey:
And for everyone else: Dear, oh dear, oh dear.
Not good to see people answer a sensible question with whatever is their habit, not necessarily the best answer.
If you are likely to be changing gear soon(ish), then your foot should be in a comfortable position for doing so. If you are cruising along for any length of time, then both feet should be positioned so that the ball of the foot is on the footpeg. This offers the best feel, and the best control of the bike, and also means that you can help to absorb any bumps with your legs more effectively.
If you have your foot positioned above the lever, then (esp. as a newbie), you are more likely to inadvertantly tap the lever and go down a gear. If you have your foot under the lever, then when you go around a left-hand corner you're more likely to scrape your foot, as you have less ground clearance.

Saw this guy this morning (are you on KB?) who was riding his Bandit 1200 with his left foot pointed almost straight down. Looked really weird, and bloody uncomfortable. Must've gone to TheSchoolOfMentalRidingPositions.