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beyond
21st October 2006, 21:43
I've read heaps of posts on the newbie site and thought to myself,
one thing was missing when I first starting riding and that's what
are the first steps to riding a bike in order to keep safe?

This is a difficult thing for an experienced rider to share
as so much we do automatically and take for granted is completely
foreign to new riders on their first bike.

So, I have to believe that I am just starting out again and try and
convey the real basics to help you guys and gals get confident on your
bikes and in the process minimise the risks involved.

So here are some minimal tips to get you going. There are heaps of tips
to throw at you but I will keep it real simple.

So hear you go:

1. Never think you know it all. With biking, the more you learn
the more you realise how much more you have to learn. So be teachable.

2. Don't skimp on good gear. Synthetics have come a long way but
I truly believe you can't beat leathers when it comes to sliding down
the road. Whtaever you buy, make sure it's relatively tight fitting
as armour can move around if it's lose.
DO, get a good quality full face helmet, gloves, boots, pants and jacket.
I've had accidents in the past, that have removed the chinbar on my full
face, taken the entire left side of my boots out, ripped my gloves and jacket
to shreds, so don't ride without your gear, even to the corner shop.

3. First ride or consequent rides. Throttles are fun, but before you play
with the throttle, it would be a good idea how to learn to stop.
Find a carpark, or deserted country road and start to learn how to brake.
If you can't brake properly at the speeds you travel at, you are going
to cause injury.
Emergency braking: squeeze the front brake lever gently and apply more
pressure as the bike drops down on the forks. Stabbing the brake hard
will cause the bike to dive and because weight transfer to the front takes
time, you will cause lockup and front wheel washout.
Increase pressure harder once the front has dived. In the dry you can stop
real fast with the front brake alone. Heavy braking causes the rear wheel
to almost or to actually break contact with the ground and therefore the
rear brake, except in experienced hands, is next to useless. It is way to
easy to lock up the rear brake under heavy braking and therefore induce a
sideways slide and then an off.

New riders also try to balance the rear brake with the front and therefore
to prevent rear wheel lockup, brake too softly with the front, which
dramatically increases their stopping distance.

Learn to stop quickly with your front brake first, then start applying a
little rear. Under heavy braking the front brake will give around 90%
stopping power on the front brake on a modern sports bike. The heavier
the bike and the longer the wheelbase, the more the rear brake will
be able to handle.

If any wheel locks up, you will drop the bike or increase your braking
distance so immediately reduce the grip on the offending lock up wheel
and then reapply the brakes.

In the wet, the front can washout a lot quicker than the dry, so more reliance
is placed on the rear. You can still brake quite hard with the front but
have to ensure you don't lock up.

4. Until you know the balance point between tyre grip and braking in a corner,
do all you braking before the corner. Slow in and fast out. With experience
comes trail braking ( braking while cornering). Do not do this until you
know your stuff.

5. When cornering, the most common mistake for a newbie, is to arrive at
the corner too fast and brake to late. This causes panic and many people
hit both brakes hard with the result that the rear usually locks up
putting them in a rear wheel slide. Result, a nasty lowside where the
bike drops under them and a long slide occurs. Hopefully nothing solid
is encountered. Or, brake pressure is released, the rear tyre regrips and
tosses you off the top of the bike (highside). Result: a lowside is
way better. A highside generally means, rolling, bouncing, hitting the
ground hard and ending up with broken collarbone, wrist, ribs etc.

The other common fault in a corner, is to stand the bike up and brake hard.
This is worse as you will disappear into the roadside scenery at a fair rate
of knots.

Your bike, will corner a lot more than your brain will lead you to believe.
The chances are that at some stage of your riding experience, you will enter
a corner too hot. Your brain will tell you that you won't make it and you will
do one of the above wrong moves. Lockup the brakes in the corner and lowside or highside, or stand the bike up and brake hard. Either option will more than likely end up in an accident unless you are real lucky.

What you need to do is positively reinforce your mind that you will make
the corner. Lean your bike more, drop your shoulder into the inside of the turn, push the inside bar forward slightly (counter steer) get off the seat a little to the inside of the turn to transfer weight. You will be amazed at just how much your bike will lean and 90% of the time, you will actually make the corner.

That's it for this session.

sAsLEX
21st October 2006, 22:02
Heavy braking causes the rear wheel
to almost or to actually break contact with the ground and therefore the
rear brake, except in experienced hands, is next to useless. It is way to
easy to lock up the rear brake under heavy braking and therefore induce a
sideways slide and then an off.



An age old question and there's no right answer. If you like to use the rear brake then do, but if you find it easier to concentrate on just the the front then that's fine too. Only time I would use the rear brake when racing would be if I was running a bit wide in a left-hander to pull the bike back into line (in right handers you cant get to the brake lever anyway), or keep the front down over crests rather than shutting off the throttle and unsettling the bike. Its all a matter of personal choice.

See above for another expert opinion on the rear brake.

Edit: And always listen to that nagging voice in your head, if its saying you cant keep up with the others on the ride back off slow down let them get out of sight and relax and go your own pace. Most new riders crash trying to prove they can keep up, in truth no one gives two shits if they have to wait at the next intersection for five or ten minutes whilst you catch up ( fuck most of them smoke so probably relish the chance for a durry), its a lot better than having to turn around and pick a bike and rider out of the bushes as that ruins peoples days at the very least.

sAs out.

Squeak the Rat
21st October 2006, 22:07
Beyond, you have been doing much reflection lately. Very good post.

May I add one thing, which is implied in you above post.

Beyond is correct to say that you should brake before the corner. BUT remember that if you let go of the brakes and do not use the throttle then you are still under engine braking. Any sort of braking loads the front suspension which is not good going around corners. Always aim to have some throttle on when cornering - i'm not talking about accelerating, I'm talking about maintianing constant velocity using the throttle - keeping the bike in balance.

Good on ya for reading this forum!
StR

sAsLEX
21st October 2006, 22:23
Any sort of braking loads the front suspension which is not good going around corners. Always aim to have some throttle on when cornering - i'm not talking about accelerating, I'm talking about maintianing constant velocity using the throttle - keeping the bike in balance.

Good on ya for reading this forum!
StR

hmm going to disagree and Ron agrees with me


I see too many riders accelerating as they lean into a corner and that causes highsides. You should turn in on a closed throttle and only accelerate once you've reached the apex of the corner and can see the exit. You get the most out of a bike on a closed throttle

And on loading the front into corners


What you need to remember is that it's not just getting on the brakes that unsettles a bike, but its when you get back off them too. I'd trail the front brake, but not at full pressure way into a turn , this would put some cornering load onto the front, so as I let off the brakes the suspension would stay compressed and not snap back upwards. People said I was good on the brakes, but I say I was best coming off them

Squeak the Rat
22nd October 2006, 00:54
Interesting and I will look more into this, but we're in the "Riding Tips for Newbies" section.

Schwanz advocates not accelerating before the apex, quite rightly. I'm not saying you should do this, I'm saying you shouldn't have the front suspension fully loaded throughout the corner (ie through the apex). Best way to do this for a beginner is to enter the corner at the cornering speed and maintain a constant (non accellerating) thottle throughout the corner, past the apex then accelerate out.


You'll never lose the front if you're on the gas

There is a definite correlation between lean angle and braking efficiency. It's all good in theory, but it's something that needs to be practice d and comes with experience. For beginners I still recommend slowing to cornering speed before tipping the bike in. Brake later into the corner once you have more experience.

Happy to be proven wrong, I'd hate to give bad advice to newbies......:mellow:

sAsLEX
22nd October 2006, 01:19
Interesting and I will look more into this, but we're in the "Riding Tips for Newbies" section.

Schwanz advocates not accelerating before the apex, quite rightly. I'm not saying you should do this, I'm saying you shouldn't have the front suspension fully loaded throughout the corner (ie through the apex). Best way to do this for a beginner is to enter the corner at the cornering speed and maintain a constant (non accellerating) thottle throughout the corner, past the apex then accelerate out.




Read the Ron quote more. He is talking about entering the corner with the throttle closed rather than constant which is what I was trying to point out as different to your orig statement.

Kendog
22nd October 2006, 09:45
Awesome Beyond! :sunny:
I'm no expert but I'm just going to add to your "don't think you know it all" statement with the "don't be too cocky" statement. Too many newbies think way too soon, "this is easy, piece of piss, I think I can keep up with Valentino", and then start racing around, then bin it, come crashing to erath with a thud and realise a) they are not invinsible b) they have a lot to learn and c) their confidence is now a little broken.
So sad.:mellow:
I wouldn't consider myself a complete newbie, but enjoy learning as much as I can from threads such as this and the invaluable knowledge gained from others and often from their mistakes.
So thanks
Mrs KD.

Steam
22nd October 2006, 09:55
The first post by Beyond is very good and answers some questions I had. Thanks!

James Deuce
22nd October 2006, 10:02
Neutral throttle on the entry to a corner is a bad. Ron rode the ELF for too many years so his judgement is suspect. I've played with Keith Code's ideas on the track and on the road and he is right about throttle control.

Squeak is right, in that a closed throttle on entry keeps the front loaded. YOu can use your throttle to manage how the bike responds during a corner.

It's a reasonably advanced concept though.

Brake in a straight line, hit your turn in point and then crack the throttle a tiny amount so that the bike is driving through the corner, not rolling around. Gradually increase the throttle as you accelerate through the corner and out. For you hangy off types stay off the side until the bike is upright and on the meat of the tyre. You can get on full throttle way earlier this way.

For you guys who think it is bollocks, coast down a hill with your engine off, brake and then turn in. Prepare to panic as you run wide. Do the same corner again engine on, and marvel at how much tighter the bike turns with even a little tiny amount of throttle.

Works for me, and that's all that matters. If I find something better I'll use it though.

Disco Dan
22nd October 2006, 10:05
Awesome Beyond! :sunny:
I'm no expert but I'm just going to add to your "don't think you know it all" statement with the "don't be too cocky" statement. Too many newbies think way too soon, "this is easy, piece of piss, I think I can keep up with Valentino", and then start racing around, then bin it, come crashing to erath with a thud and realise a) they are not invinsible b) they have a lot to learn and c) their confidence is now a little broken.
So sad.:mellow:
I wouldn't consider myself a complete newbie, but enjoy learning as much as I can from threads such as this and the invaluable knowledge gained from others and often from their mistakes.
So thanks
Mrs KD.

:rockon:

As a recent 'newbie' only been riding just under 2 years, i agree!! The biggest prob i faced starting out was becoming 'over confident' ...thats when i had my first bin. second and (hopefully last) was simply a lesson on following distances and knowing how to brake quickly :innocent:

...when you become 'confident' within a few weeks of riding, watch out! you will start to take risks - and you will not have enough experience in an emergency situation (slide, brake, car etc) to stay on your bike!

..so my advice, leave the ego at home and back off.. ride it like a nanna, and go for some lessons!! ..the mentors on KB are very good... :innocent:

remember it's impossible to 'know everything' so dont be a hero!! much rather go on a slow ride and live, than get overconfident and try and catch up to another bike on the road etc and make a mistake...

oh and one more thing..

In a cage you can get away with having 'a beer' or a 'smokey smoke' and still make it home fine, but on a bike you need to be 100% focused. Dont take any risks with alcohol or drugs on a bike!

...thats why i kept my car, for those afterwork drinks :Punk:

good luck!

Steam
22nd October 2006, 10:09
Can someone help with a question of how far it's okay to lean a GN250, when going around a corner? Thanks! It's here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=796325#post796325

sAsLEX
22nd October 2006, 10:09
Works for me, and that's all that matters. If I find something better I'll use it though.


I find in the right gear, rather than coasting, holding a closed throttle has an effect similar to trail braking but rather than transferring more of the load to the front squats the rear a touch.......


But what works for you works for you.

James Deuce
22nd October 2006, 10:16
I find in the right gear, rather than coasting, holding a closed throttle has an effect similar to trail braking but rather than transferring more of the load to the front squats the rear a touch.......


But what works for you works for you.

The point I was trying to make is that YOU should be in CONTROL of the motorcycle at all times. No brake or throttle and you are at the mercy of inertia.

That closed throttle, right gear thing used to work for me until I started wicking things up on the track a bit and started losing the front a couple of times a meeting. Read "Twist of the Wrist" and only ever lost the rear from that point on. But that's a different story.

andrea
22nd October 2006, 11:10
:rockon:

As a recent 'newbie' only been riding just under 2 years, i agree!! The biggest prob i faced starting out was becoming 'over confident' ...thats when i had my first bin. second and (hopefully last) was simply a lesson on following distances and knowing how to brake quickly :innocent:

...when you become 'confident' within a few weeks of riding, watch out! you will start to take risks - and you will not have enough experience in an emergency situation (slide, brake, car etc) to stay on your bike!

..so my advice, leave the ego at home and back off.. ride it like a nanna, and go for some lessons!! ..the mentors on KB are very good... :innocent:

remember it's impossible to 'know everything' so dont be a hero!! much rather go on a slow ride and live, than get overconfident and try and catch up to another bike on the road etc and make a mistake...

oh and one more thing..

In a cage you can get away with having 'a beer' or a 'smokey smoke' and still make it home fine, but on a bike you need to be 100% focused. Dont take any risks with alcohol or drugs on a bike!

...thats why i kept my car, for those afterwork drinks :Punk:

good luck!

yep your right on that note, i found myself a lil over confident at times and when coming up to some corners ive nearly binned. hmmm<_< i ride like a nana all the time except when im pissed off i leave the bike at home and take me car so when im relaxed and in a better mood i jump back on my bike.
anyways beyond this is some very good reading cheers for that:niceone:

t3mp0r4ry nzr
22nd October 2006, 18:22
good stuff, keep it coming....

in regards to trail braking, I am more comfortable scrubbing off speed with the back brake as Im conscience of not overloading the front tyre too much. I know the popular advice is to use the front brake IF you have too in a bend, so today I tried using the front on a tightening blind unfamiliar bend (too hot) and the bike stood up and I exited wide, lucky the road was clear. I guess I used too much brake? needed to be more gentle on the lever? what do you more experienced guys think?...

Jamezo
22nd October 2006, 18:47
With regard to the above, is the idea with emergency mid-corner front brake usage to actively steer in at the same time as applying the brake lightly, to balance the 'stand-up' effect?

Sounds like it would be pushing the traction to the limit, but better than running wide....

Sketchy_Racer
22nd October 2006, 18:56
In most situations, You cant stand the bike up mid turn. there is a reason for the corner, and that because you have to around it or you hit stuff,

I think ya learned that one the hard way unfortuantly (Jamezo!)

It's better to fall off trying to make the turn, than fall off by trying to stop mid turn, because as beyond said, 90% of the time you will make it!!

-RG

terbang
22nd October 2006, 19:07
Paul you are a legend and good on you for starting this thread. And for us more experienced posters; lets keep in mind that its aimed at newbies on the road so lets put all the track riding technique (like tricky back brake stuff into corners and all) on the back burner for later.

My usual rant includes (and you will get sick of hearing me say it) as a general philosophy to riding you need to think about and continue to concentrate on three skills or skill areas.

(#1) Develop and maintain good handling skills.
Cornering, braking Etc..

(#2) Mental skills.
Read the road, look for obstacles/danger areas and know your road craft/rules.

Both of the above will be an absolute waste of time and useless to you if you don't get #3 sorted out..

(#3) Develop and maintain your self control skills. In other words get a grip on that thing between your ears that is easily allured by hormones (like testosterone) and other similar.

#3 is a a very important skill to develop on any bike..

Enjoy..

beyond
22nd October 2006, 22:35
good stuff, keep it coming....

in regards to trail braking, I am more comfortable scrubbing off speed with the back brake as Im conscience of not overloading the front tyre too much. I know the popular advice is to use the front brake IF you have too in a bend, so today I tried using the front on a tightening blind unfamiliar bend (too hot) and the bike stood up and I exited wide, lucky the road was clear. I guess I used too much brake? needed to be more gentle on the lever? what do you more experienced guys think?...


Ok, trail braking is an area I did not want to get into for the sake of new riders but since it has been brought up, I will cover a few areas.

1. Firstly, do not even attempt trail braking until you know your bike, it's cornering capabilities and how well your rubber works in the dry and wet.
It's more of an advanced technique when you are pushing the envelope.

Warning: New riders do not go here till your have covered several thousand k's on your bike and know you have your straight line braking sorted out.

2. I push harder than I should on the road. It's something I am dealing with on a daily basis and each time I see a friend go down. In light of the above warnings, inspite of what many say about making sure your braking is over by the corner, you can actually brake quite hard into and through a corner, but Oh boy, you better know your limits. As the reality shows say: "don't try this at home" :)
By trail braking, front or rear brake into a corner you can go in hotter, faster and cornering speed will be higher and exit speed will give you an edge. Great on the track, real risky on the road unless you know your stuff.

N.B. get it worng and too much front brake will cause your front to wash out real fast. Too much rear and your arse will swing around to overtake your front.

So, at conrer entry, you may be using 60% of your tyre grip, which means you can use 40% of your braking capability as you enter the corner. At or near the apex you are using 100% of your tyre grip if you are pushing real hard, so at this stage you are right off the brakes. BUT, before the apex you might be at 90% traction limits which means you can still use 10% of your braking force before it all lets loose. As you clear the apex, your bike begins to stand up which means you go from 100% to 90% to 80% tyre traction limits which means you can turn up the wick, 10% 20% 30%. etc.

Stay on the brakes too long and you use up all available traction and you will go down. Open the throttle too early and you will surpass available traction from cornering and you will go down.

It takes an experienced rider to know their traction limits. It is different for every bike, every tyre, different weight riders etc and comes by experience. The tell tale twitch from the front or rear that your are approaching traction limits under braking or throttle: fail to recognise the early signs which come on quick and you are deep trouble.

I honestly recommend, that unless you have covered 5,000kms on your bike and better 10,000kms, don't even go here.

When trail braking, I personally hardly ever use the rear brake as the rear is too easy to lock up and cause a lowside. However, I ride a sports cruiser which is heavy, has a lesser degree of trail than a full on sports and a lot of front wheel weight bias under heavy braking. Therefore I use my front brake quite heavily into corners. On a full on sports bike, or a lighter machine, this can cause front wheel washout.

I am reluctant to pass on this technique to newbies so please heed my warning here. A lot can go wrong, very fast whe trail braking into corners.

Once again, when into a corner too hot, you can brake quite hard into the corner, but the braking severity MUST be reduced as your lean angle increase or grip will be severely compromised.

I hope this covers the question without putting at risk those who are at the early stages of learning.

Nutter34
23rd October 2006, 00:37
-One good tip I read a long while back was to keep your arms bent at the elbow, anywhere between 60 to 90 degrees.... Trying to control the bars in the same plane as the forks with straight arms is really difficult. With the elbows being bent and RELAXED, the bars can move around a bit without affecting your body position too much.

-Another tip is not to grip the bars too tight. A light grip, sufficient for the throttle not to close, is more than enough...

-Learn to ride with a finger or two covering the front brakes and clutch. In an emergency you don't have to first reach for anything, since you are already covering them...

-That said, set the controls for your personal comfort. If you but a second hand bike, the lever angles could be too high or low ( more-so the foot brake), so it pays to adjust them so your wrists are straight with your hands resting on the levers when in you rcomfy position... It may take a bit of playing with since you may change your position depending on where/how you ride most...

-Not sure if it's been said... Look where you want to go... ALWAYS! If you're half way through a corner and get distracted, force yourself to look where you want to be. Target fixation is a bad thing and many experienced riders get caught out.

beyond
23rd October 2006, 09:38
I know the popular advice is to use the front brake IF you have too in a bend, so today I tried using the front on a tightening blind unfamiliar bend (too hot) and the bike stood up and I exited wide, lucky the road was clear. I guess I used too much brake? needed to be more gentle on the lever? what do you more experienced guys think?...


Sorry, in answering the questions raised on trail braking I forgot to answer the obvious question in your response.

Rear brake use into a corner will cause the bike to drop in quicker which can be useful. Front brake usage into a corner will cause you to run wide.
In both cases, the effects are catered for by using counter steering to adjust the drop in or swing wide rates so that you accomplish your cornering with as smooth a line as possible.

i.e. When front brake trail braking you you will need to push the inside bar forward a little to compensate for the bike wanting to go wider and the reverse is true when you rear trail brake.

Yes, as has been mentioned, a tight grip will severely curtail the bikes ability to absorb road irregularities and maintain a good line. If you muscle the bike too hard between corners you can also set up head shake which can lead to a tank slapper (explained in other threads).

So, relax your grip on the bars, do keep your arms slightly bent so you do not lock your arms and therefore the bars and ensure all movements and controls into a corner are smooth. It takes very little to upset most modern sports bikes once into a corner. All movements, be it throttle control, braking of any sort, weight shifting, all need to be done gently and smoothly and the more your lean angle the smoother you need to be.

terbang
23rd October 2006, 09:48
-

-Not sure if it's been said... Look where you want to go... ALWAYS! If you're half way through a corner and get distracted, force yourself to look where you want to be. Target fixation is a bad thing and many experienced riders get caught out.

This is a real good point and there is a lot to be said about it. Keeping your head level and looking into the corner to where you want the bike to go is important. It is a very common thing, especially in a bend that has an unexpected tightening, to end up looking toward the outside of the turn. This is often because you are going into some sort of survival mode and are doubting the bikes or your ability to turn. At this stage any backing off of the power will add to your woes. You generally end up going where you look. There allways comes a time when the bike just cant thighten the turn up any more whether it be tyre limits or clearance or whatever and if the corner tightens then you are in trouble. You have hit the limits, you have over cooked it..! However many people often overcook the corner in their minds only (the riders limit) and as a result start some life saving type of manouvre or tactic that sees them sailing off the edge on a bike that was very capable of doing better. This sort of undoing often starts with a glance in the wrong direction.
Know your bike's limits, know your own limits and ride below both of them.

samwp
23rd October 2006, 10:35
Hi I have only been riding for a few months and really apreciate these kind of posts.

But as Jim and Squeak said trail braking is an advanced skill - I'm still learning what loss of traction feels like along with listening to and feeling what the engine is doing and trying to read the road surface and possible obsticles.

I've found I get into the least amount of trouble with the engine rolling with the bike rather than dragging or pushing the bike through the corner.

My two cents for riders who have just started is to read/learn heaps, take it easy, look after your bike and if possible go for a thrash on a dirt bike in a paddock.

terbang
23rd October 2006, 10:59
if possible go for a thrash on a dirt bike in a paddock.

Some great advice there...

Terminated
23rd October 2006, 13:54
Can someone help with a question of how far it's okay to lean a GN250, when going around a corner? Thanks! It's here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=796325#post796325

Just read your link thread and offer the following for this thread here:

Here's how I approached the bike leaning and .....peg scraping:

Find an empty carpark put down a line of markers [cones - I used tennis balls cut in half] use 6 or 8 of them space them out evenly. Start with them fairly close and practise slow bike control weaving, then spread them further apart and increase your speed gradually each 2nd or 3rd run through this slalom exercise. [You are not trying to get the pegs down here but rather you will get a good feel for counter steering as you increase your speed and have the markers at a comfortable distance apart.]

Now pick up all the markers and just have two placed at a reasonable distance apart so you can practise a figure eight - it is durng this practise when you are feeling comfortable with the counter steering that you may encounter the wee touch down of a peg without even trying to lean over too much. Getting the practice as outlined in the previous paragraph and then moving to figure eight brings together several elements of balance, counter-steering, and looking where you want to go. Remember in the figure eight you will be constantly looking back over one shoulder and then the other.

Give it a go and let me know how you get on.

Regards
Heads Up and Enjoy

ZeroIndex
24th October 2006, 09:19
Hi I have only been riding for a few months and really apreciate these kind of posts.

But as Jim and Squeak said trail braking is an advanced skill - I'm still learning what loss of traction feels like along with listening to and feeling what the engine is doing and trying to read the road surface and possible obsticles.

I've found I get into the least amount of trouble with the engine rolling with the bike rather than dragging or pushing the bike through the corner.

My two cents for riders who have just started is to read/learn heaps, take it easy, look after your bike and if possible go for a thrash on a dirt bike in a paddock.


Some great advice there...

and what a thrash it was.. the lap at WINJA's started at 55.44 seconds, and then The Dover put down an amazing lap time of 48.37 seconds, which Sayam5 beat with a 45.11, which was the day's record.. GO THE STREET MAGIC!!

XP@
24th October 2006, 09:51
1. Never think you know it all. With biking, the more you learn
the more you realise how much more you have to learn. So be teachable.


Keep learning!!!

Learning by other peoples mistakes is less painful.

The more you learn the more fun you can have and you will be able to have fun for longer.

Guzzigirl
24th October 2006, 11:53
Fantastic to know that i am not alone with my theory - i am a very green newbie, - i very much go with the idea that nana speed is not all bad, some days i'm more confident than others but definitely ride with the attitude that i have a lot to learn and try to stay away from situations and stunts that cause a rectum clench.

XP@
24th October 2006, 12:29
...i very much go with the idea that nana speed is not all bad...
You will learn more riding "Nicely" at nana speed than you will giving it everything.

Concentrate at getting corners right at a pace you are happy with. Give it time and your "happy place" pace will gradually get quicker and quicker. The bonus is you are less likely to end up in the hedge.

And did I say Never stop learning?

Kendog
24th October 2006, 13:14
You will learn more riding "Nicely" at nana speed than you will giving it everything.

Concentrate at getting corners right at a pace you are happy with. Give it time and your "happy place" pace will gradually get quicker and quicker. The bonus is you are less likely to end up in the hedge.

And did I say Never stop learning?

I agree, there's something to be said for "Nanna riding".
I nanna constantly and often feel that I am not getting any better, but when I manage to keep up with other people that would normally have left me in the dust 6 months ago, I realise that I am probably improving.
I don't like to feel scared by my own riding, I personally don't like feeling out of control, or needing to change my undies after a ride, so nanna along I will. Improving at a steady pace without crashing your bike or loosing confidence is key to being a.........
Nanna Nanna Nanna.:scooter:
Mrs KD.

topher
24th October 2006, 13:31
Yeah, front brakes tend to stand the bike up, rear brakes tend to pull it round the corner. Rule one: don't over cook the corner. Rule 2: If you do, and you will, a BIT of rear will help pull you round the corner. Also, raise your eyes to where you want to go - as far round the corner as you can see. You tend to end up where you look so don't look at the metal at the side of the road and don't look down!

Insanity_rules
24th October 2006, 19:46
The one thing I've learn't over the years is just when you think your 10 foot tall and bullet proof is when you discover you aren't!

samwp
24th October 2006, 22:06
and what a thrash it was.. the lap at WINJA's started at 55.44 seconds, and then The Dover put down an amazing lap time of 48.37 seconds, which Sayam5 beat with a 45.11, which was the day's record.. GO THE STREET MAGIC!!

Most fun I've had on two wheels :D

and I've also been looking where I want to go and OMG! i make it.

Big Dog
24th October 2006, 22:12
Most important advice of all time, take all advice with a grain of salt.

Don't take as gospel any advice from anyone you would not pillion with.