Complete n00b buys S4R - how will it pan out?

[jrandom]

Like the title says.

A fulla I know, who shall remain anonymous, has gone and done it.

Total riding experience, a few hours on a dirtbike.

One of his mates, also with zero riding experience, just bought a Harley, so he one-upped him by heading out and plonking down cash on a 2003 Ducati Monster S4R.

Doesn't even have his learner licence yet.

Bought some cordura gear and a helmet to go with it, and the whole damn lot is now sitting in his garage.

I ain't gonna moralise at him. His money, his life. All I've said is, practice your braking, then practice some more, and expect the rear wheel to come loose and stay on the gas when it does.

Hopefully, if he heeds that advice, any bins he does have won't have overly-nasty results.

Still. What do y'all reckon is gonna happen from here on in?

:corn:

[Qkchk]

At least he hasnt got any fairings to weld up....

[FROSTY]

totally ignoring the whole morality/licence thing.
I think it depends on his temprament.

[The Pastor]

My first real road bike was a 1000cc jap inline 4.

Whats your point.

[Crazy Steve]

Its been done before....By a Very Famous KB ! !

Hes in the top ten list of highest rep points...

Ha Ha...

Crazy Steve

[Zoolander]

Cool, should be some S4R bits up for sale soon then?

Tell him to go easy

Definately not a bike for a beginner

[Tank]

I reckon it comes down more to the rider than the bike.

An idiot will kill himself on a GN250.

A 'reasonably careful and responsible' rider has a good chance of living a long, happy life - regardless of what bike s/he has.

[Storm]

Hopefully he doesnt try one-uping his mate/showing off in front of the ladies and throwing it away in a horribly painful fashion.
Still, you cant make the horse drink eh?

[desmo dave]

Let the man have his fun.?How did the monster make it from the shop, did he ride it or was it delivered in the back of a van.My guess is he rode it and he got it there in 1 peice.If he can already ride a dirt bike that's a big plus in my book.If he keeps his eyes and ears opens learns some road sense and is smooth with the throttle all should go well.Good luck

[CHOPPA]

I reckon the staying on the gas thing works for motocross but i certainly wouldnt suggest stayin on the gas when the back lites up, specially for someone new to riding.... Ive been grabbing the clutch as quick as i can but everyone does it there own way......

[McJim]

I don't kmow the fella so can't really say.....best of luck to 'im.

[dwnundabkr]

just ask a mate who brought a 748 binned after year no license only a small amount of dirt bike riding
come over the brow of a hill a food caravan was turning into a drive way he clipped the back of it
moral of story too fast not enough experience (on road) and a couple of beers
i checked out the scene he had plenty of time to slow down the van being towed was to the left of the road he saw it did not slow down the van being towed did not see him turned into the driveway, mate clipped the back of the van and ended up in the ditch
he was bloody lucky only a few bruises and a cut lip

[disenfranchised]

Still. What do y'all reckon is gonna happen from here on in?

:corn:

He'll ride it once...scare himself silly and leave it in the garage to gather dust?

[nodrog]

i had a 996 as my learner bike (GSXR1000's wernt invented), he will be fine.

[Qkchk]

He'll be fine until he rides into the side of a Merc/Porsche/BMW and has a $50K bill to pay for and a f$#ked bike.

[HornetBoy]

After id sold my 250 hornet which id ridden for about 2 months from nothing,I brought and rode a cb919 hornet for over 6 months , didnt crash it,nor came close .
Guess it would just depend on the type of person he is and if he is easily pulled into racing others etc and showing off and whether he knows what the bike is capable of (which he probably wont by the sound of it):yes:

Not an identical situation i know, but very similar .

[jrandom]

Let the man have his fun.?

Envy? Don't be silly. I'd rather have my bike than his. Heck, my bike cost more than his.

And like I said, I ain't giving the guy a hard time.

I went with the 'stay on the gas' advice because his instinct will be to chop the throttle and highside. It's worked for me in the past. Works better on nakeds with upright riding positions for some reason. Sprotbikes seem to step out more violently when the rear breaks loose. No idea why. Must be all in the mind.

Personally, if I had to bet money on it, I'd say he'll probably be just fine.

I'll get him along to a MotoTT day in August, that'll sort him out.

:niceone:

[CB ARGH]

Sounds like a nice bike. You'll find his local trip to the supermarket will include "Nappies" on the shopping list. Depending on his waist size, he may have to visit a rest home.

[MIXONE]

If he learnt to ride in the dirt chances are that he wont panic first time the bike slides anyway.If he's got the right mindset he should be alright.:niceone:

[vifferman]

Sprotbikes seem to step out more violently when the rear breaks loose. No idea why. Must be all in the mind.
I think it's more to do with riding position and the extra leverage that the bars on nekkids tend to give. Also sprotsbikes often have more radical (less forgiving) steering geometry: less trail, steeper steering angle, to give quicker (and less forgiving) steering.

[madbikeboy]

I'm all for inappropriate use of excessive horsepower, but in this case...

The guy bought it as a one up after his mate bought a Harley. Sounds like a well reasoned sort of bloke, and if he's doing this based on the back of peer pressure (or one upmanship), then he's likely to be completely safe with his halo of invincibility that he was blessed with.

In case the sarcasm inherent in the paragraph above sails over anyones head, read it slower and add the word TUI at the end of the sentence.

[madbikeboy]

I think it's more to do with riding position and the extra leverage that the bars on nekkids tend to give. Also sprotsbikes often have more radical (less forgiving) steering geometry: less trail, steeper steering angle, to give quicker (and less forgiving) steering.

It'll only step out a little, and you've just got to be smooth with the throttle or a high side will quickly follow. A little highsiding never hurt anyone... :bash:

[FJRider]

There is a LOT of "older" riders out there, the ones that got their licence then learnt to ride on Trumpys, Nortons, and the like. Even when the "big" 750 Hondas came on the market, this was quite legal... not recomended, but legal. A lot even survived to old(er) age. The learning curve was quite steep though.

[boomer]

Envy? Don't be silly. I'd rather have my bike than his. Heck, my bike cost more than his.

And like I said, I ain't giving the guy a hard time.

I went with the 'stay on the gas' advice because his instinct will be to chop the throttle and highside. It's worked for me in the past. Works better on nakeds with upright riding positions for some reason. Sprotbikes seem to step out more violently when the rear breaks loose. No idea why. Must be all in the mind.

Personally, if I had to bet money on it, I'd say he'll probably be just fine.

I'll get him along to a MotoTT day in August, that'll sort him out.

:niceone:

Who knows.. hell look at you, your riding experience and teh number of bins you've had recently..??!!!

life's funny ain't it!!!

[jrandom]

Who knows.. hell look at you, your riding experience and teh number of bins you've had recently..??!!!

If you don't fall off you're not trying hard enough.

One day, when I'm old, I hope to be awesome like you.

:love:

[imdying]

I call dibs on the swingarm/rearwheel and forks :yes:

[Mikkel]

I call dibs on the swingarm/rearwheel and forks :yes:

Then'll take the liver - can't be too long before I need new one of those. :dodge:

[Stickchick]

Just to correct a few facts. This person rode the Duc from the shop to home. Went for a ride over the Wainui Hill, down the coast road and back to his place in Hutt. His reaction......WHOAAA!!!! He is not the type of guy that takes unnecessary risks (think that might the old age thing) It could be possible that he is having a mid life crisis :lol:

[R6_kid]

Whats all this talk of 'lighting up the rear' on a thou?

You'd have to have a serious lack of throttle control or be riding like a complete nutter/hamfisted to 'light up the rear'. Only happened a few times to me, and everytime i've been trying to clutch it up when the road was a bit wetter than it looked - snakies arent as fun but they're fucking intense.

[James Deuce]

Licensed or unlicensed?

Other than that I'm struggling to raise much in the way of care factor.

Everyone deserves the chance to kill themselves properly by stupidity, at least once.

[R6_kid]

Everyone deserves the chance to kill themselves properly by stupidity, at least once.

And godspeed to those who get a second chance!

[jrandom]

Licensed or unlicensed?

No class 6 licence whatsoever. Won't even get a ticket for riding outside his licence terms - he'll be up for a 'forbidden to drive' the very first time he gets pulled over.

I don't think he's really thought the legal and insurance aspects of it through very well, to be honest.

[enigma51]

You guys (Those who say he will bin) are all a bunch of wankers you dont know the guy but yet you blindly label it a stupid thing to do. :blink:

And then you say the police is unjust!

And jrandom you should no better than posting shit like this!

[James Deuce]

No class 6 licence whatsoever. Won't even get a ticket for riding outside his licence terms - he'll be up for a 'forbidden to drive' the very first time he gets pulled over.

I don't think he's really thought the legal and insurance aspects of it through very well, to be honest.
Damn!

Well when he wants to do the license thing, I'll have a very smart 250 for him to do his tests on.

[R6_kid]

You guys (Those who say he will bin) are all a bunch of wankers you dont know the guy but yet you blindly label it a stupid thing to do. :blink:

I think that was the aim of this thread in the first place - to confirm the KB state of mind on such topics.

[enigma51]

I think that was the aim of this thread in the first place - to confirm the KB state of mind on such topics.

That 90%+ such shit out there thumb and all think they are fucking gods? We all new that already

[Coyote]

A 'reasonably careful and responsible' rider has a good chance of living a long, happy life - regardless of what bike s/he has.
I almost got myself killed several times on an RG150 :whistle:

[FJRider]

I think that was the aim of this thread in the first place - to confirm the KB state of mind on such topics.

State of mind(set) CONFIRMED...

[FJRider]

I almost got myself killed several times on an RG150 :whistle:

Careful... if they are seen to be dangerous, somebody will start a campaign to have them banned...

[Mikkel]

No class 6 licence whatsoever. Won't even get a ticket for riding outside his licence terms - he'll be up for a 'forbidden to drive' the very first time he gets pulled over.

And what is the penalty for operating a vehicle you are not licensed for?

I'm guessing less than $400 and 25 demerit points - wouldn't that be ironic.


I don't think he's really thought the legal and insurance aspects of it through very well, to be honest.

I suspect that he hasn't thought any of it through very well, to be honest. Probably more of a "monkey sees, monkey wants, monkey buys" (and that's not to take anything away from your mate, I do that shit myself...).

Let's just hope he doesn't make any mistakes, that noone else makes a mistake anywhere near him and that noone wants to steal a monster.

[Coyote]

Careful... if they are seen to be dangerous, somebody will start a campaign to have them banned...
They are extremely dangerous. They even have that "I want to kill your babies" look to them.

[James Deuce]

And what is the penalty for operating a vehicle you are not licensed for?

I'm guessing less than $400 and 25 demerit points - wouldn't that be ironic.



Nope, forbidden to drive and judge's discretion about seizing the vehicle.

[jrandom]

I think that was the aim of this thread in the first place - to confirm the KB state of mind on such topics.

Exactly.

Like I said in my first post, I'm not moralising at him.

I'm genuinely interested in how all y'all think this will go. It's a truism that learners shouldn't ride big fast bikes, but how much of a problem is that, really?


And what is the penalty for operating a vehicle you are not licensed for?

I'm guessing less than $400 and 25 demerit points - wouldn't that be ironic.

Driving with an expired driver licence, or without a licence that applies to the vehicle being driven; driving contrary to the conditions of the licence; failure to produce licence to enforcement officer without delay when requested; failure to surrender driver licence when suspended, revoked, disqualified or superseded. [sect 31] A fine not exceeding $1,000

And, as far as I'm aware, at that point, you get issued with a 'forbidden to drive' notice, which means that if you get pulled over doing the same thing again, the vehicle can be impounded at the roadside.

Edit: As Jimmy Doose said, they can theoretically impound the bike as soon as he's pulled over for riding without a licence. Generally they don't for a first offence, though.

[desmo dave]

?Is that the important bit, whos spends the most on a bike..Sports bikes stepping out may have something to do with the front end weight bias and the fact that you lean forward on a sports bike.All that stepping out is controlled by the right hand you know

[jrandom]

Is that the important bit, whos spends the most on a bike...

You got it, pal.


Sports bikes stepping out may have something to do with the front end weight bias and the fact that you lean forward on a sports bike.All that stepping out is controlled by the right hand you know

Noooo, that doesn't sound right at all. You obviously have no idea what you're on about.

[FJRider]

They are extremely dangerous. They even have that "I want to kill your babies" look to them.

Must be the high horse (singular) power....:yawn:

[FJRider]

Noooo, that doesn't sound right at all. You obviously have no idea what you're on about.

Since when has that been a prerequisite to post on this site .....???

[Mikkel]

Nope, forbidden to drive and judge's discretion about seizing the vehicle.


Driving with an expired driver licence, or without a licence that applies to the vehicle being driven; driving contrary to the conditions of the licence; failure to produce licence to enforcement officer without delay when requested; failure to surrender driver licence when suspended, revoked, disqualified or superseded. [sect 31] A fine not exceeding $1,000

And, as far as I'm aware, at that point, you get issued with a 'forbidden to drive' notice, which means that if you get pulled over doing the same thing again, the vehicle can be impounded at the roadside.

Edit: As Jimmy Doose said, they can theoretically impound the bike as soon as he's pulled over for riding without a licence. Generally they don't for a first offence, though.

I see, it was just because I stumbled upon a ticket given for operating a vehicle without a valid license in all the junk when I took over my current office. And I just noted that it wasn't a very large amount of money and there were no demerits noted.


As for how it will go - well if your mate is equipped with a brain (circumstantial evidence so far suggest this may not be the case) he could be all right.
However, on a bike like that it only takes an instant of testosterone induce imprudence to land yourself in big trouble!
If he doesn't get any nasty surprises before he's gotten used to the bike and he's not the panicking type I wouldn't be too concerned.

However, he's taking a huge risk financially! I don't think he's any more likely to bin it than a 15 year old on a 250 ccm crotch rocket with a learners license.

[Coyote]

Must be the high horse (singular) power....:yawn:
You wouldn't be yawning when riding the beast of terror that is the RG150

[chrisso]

My first real road bike was a 1000cc jap inline 4.

Whats your point.

I went from a 1976 Rd400 to a Gsx1100 - once I learnt to stop riding home pissed from the Pub I was OK.:Oops:
Its all in the connection between your brain & right hand

[bladerider97]

My first road bike was a Fireblade. I was scared shitless of it for ages, but that I think was a good thing.
Quite different than riding dirtbikes.

[Maki]

His first bike was a 500 and see how he ended up:

"THIS BIKE IS NEW,THE GUY BOUGHT IT AND FELL OFF AT THE LIGHTS UP THE ROAD FROM THE BIKE SHOP,ITS DONE 90 MILES ONLY,IT HAD SLIGHT COSMETIC DAMAGE WHICH HAS BEEN REPAIRED,REVINNED AND ALREADY TO GO"

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-166316374.htm

I voted for the titanium club...

[Renegade]

i kinda met a guy once, i saw him and his mate ride into town, heard the bike coming and had a look out the window, tl1000s and another bike, watched them pull up at the cafe/bar just up the road.
hour later here them heading back out of town and didnt think much of it.
10 minutes later im looking at him, deceased, i hate seeing shit like that.
turns out plenty years mx riding, few months road, TL1000s first bike.
that ruined my day, and made me evaluate my motorcycle ownership.
i dont wish that on anyone and wish ya mate best the best of luck and safe riding.

[McJim]

Must be the high horse (singular) power....:yawn:

The S4r Testastretta puts out about 128 ponies I think...which for a little bike is quite a bit....especially when the power is delivered on the back of a flat beefy torque curve.....Not to be confused with the M900 at all.

[Ixion]

Exactly.

Like I said in my first post, I'm not moralising at him.

I'm genuinely interested in how all y'all think this will go. It's a truism that learners shouldn't ride big fast bikes, but how much of a problem is that, really?



Driving with an expired driver licence, or without a licence that applies to the vehicle being driven; driving contrary to the conditions of the licence; failure to produce licence to enforcement officer without delay when requested; failure to surrender driver licence when suspended, revoked, disqualified or superseded. [sect 31] A fine not exceeding $1,000

And, as far as I'm aware, at that point, you get issued with a 'forbidden to drive' notice, which means that if you get pulled over doing the same thing again, the vehicle can be impounded at the roadside.

Edit: As Jimmy Doose said, they can theoretically impound the bike as soon as he's pulled over for riding without a licence. Generally they don't for a first offence, though.

No, "Forbidden to drive' is only if you don't have a valid (ie non expired etc) licence. If you have a valid licence , but the wrong class, or no required endorsement, you can get fined and demerits but no forbidden to drive. One of the effects of the fact that you only have ONE licence- the contra is the fact that if you lose it for being naughty on the bike, you lose the car bit as well. Quite a common issue in the truckie world I believe.

[Stickchick]

You know what fucks me off about this. This guy is close to my family and after my sister losing her boyfriend to a bike accident, I have had to work ULTRA hard to get my family to respect the fact that I love to ride and its my passion. He can take this away in a split second of stupidity on a bike that is WAY out of his skill zone. :angry2:

[Maki]

I have a number of problems with people who get bikes that have more performance than they can handle.

1. They paid for more performance than they can use, they wasted money.

3. They are likely to bin it, sending insurance and medical costs up for everyone.

3. They would actually have more fun on a bike that they can push a little, give it full throttle, etc.

4. They would learn faster on a bike with less performance because they would not have to be so scared of the bike.

5. Their bike is usually nicer than the one I have got.

[madbikeboy]

Whats all this talk of 'lighting up the rear' on a thou?

You'd have to have a serious lack of throttle control or be riding like a complete nutter/hamfisted to 'light up the rear'. Only happened a few times to me, and everytime i've been trying to clutch it up when the road was a bit wetter than it looked - snakies arent as fun but they're fucking intense.

It's not like you get clouds of smoke and a hissing noise as the tire destroys itself, but it'll lose traction if you find a polished piece of concrete or some slipperyness. My thou often spins up on greasy roads, for example heading up the harbour bridge on wet days, if you open the throttle, meaning rolling it on, it'll hunt for traction. It's the torque that makes the difference, a 600 has similar(ish) horsepower...

And for the record, I ride like a complete Nana, even Carter could keep up with me, in fact his Nana could could keep up with me. :innocent:

[madbikeboy]

You know what fucks me off about this. This guy is close to my family and after my sister losing her boyfriend to a bike accident, I have had to work ULTRA hard to get my family to respect the fact that I love to ride and its my passion. He can take this away in a split second of stupidity on a bike that is WAY out of his skill zone. :angry2:

I was going to take the piss, but you summed it up well. The whole "bikes are scarey and dangerous" ammo that people seem to throw at me comes from people who have seen something like this, the resultant (inevitable) bin. I know heaps of people who are in their 50's who have ridden since birth, and they love and respect their bikes/lives/families. Each time I've heard/seen/witnessed people buying "too much" bikes, then the bike ends up getting tossed down the road with monotonous regularity. This sport is dangerous enough without adding stupidity.

[Ixion]

There are situations that may occasionally lead to a novice rider starting out on a overly-powerful bike. Great Uncle George has died, and left you his Gixxer, f'instance. In such circumstances the new rider may do well enough . He is starting out beyond his depth, but he has not chosen to do so , and realising that is the situation , may proceed with caution

But this is not such a case. Rather, it is a novice who has decided that he should not be limited by the same caution and respect with which others approach a task where the rash and foolhardy are soon eliminated

That bespeaks a confidence , indeed an arrogance, coupled with a propensity to wilfully disregard the law, which usually ends in pain.

The problem is not that he is starting out on a powerful bike. It is that he clearly does not accept his own limitations as a novice. The problem si not the bike. It is the attitude.

Perhaps Mr Rossi might have been able to climb about a Gixxer 1000 as his first ride , and survive. In reality , very few people have such extreme natural talent. The gentleman in question obviously believes he does. Others may be more doubtful. If he does not, he will undoubtedly pay the price.

[bungbung]

Is he dead yet?

[MIXONE]

What worries me more then this is my neighbour considering trading his '06 HD Road King Custom for a '08 yam R1.:gob::crazy:

[jim.cox]

<B>e: All of the above</B>

The seductive power of the 4 valve motor will overcome any initial caution

The mad Ducati grin will take over

And he will need that fix again & again

Unitil...

He'll give himself a big brown trouser moment

Quite possibly just at the moment he bins it

The bike will then sit in the garage - possibly in "still-binned" condition

Assuming that is, that the Gentlemen of the Constabulary don't get to him first...

[James Deuce]

What worries me more then this is my neighbour considering trading his '06 HD Road King Custom for a '08 yam R1.:gob::crazy:

It's more dangerous going the other way. He'll be fine.

[Swoop]

Enough of the unimportant stuff... Has anyone taught him how to wave at other bikes???

[jrandom]

Enough of the unimportant stuff... Has anyone taught him how to wave at other bikes???

He's got to actually ride the thing before he can wave at other bikes.

[avgas]

if he rides he will crash, if he doesn't then the bike will seize.

[FJRider]

The S4r Testastretta puts out about 128 ponies I think...which for a little bike is quite a bit....especially when the power is delivered on the back of a flat beefy torque curve.....Not to be confused with the M900 at all.

I was actually refering to Coyote's "beast of terror that is the RG150" :lol::lol::lol:

[breakaway]

The RG150 actually goes pretty hard compared to most non-IL4 250s I've ridden. GSX250, etc seem like a barge in comparison. But my impression of how much power the RG makes may be influenced by the fact that it was the first motorcycle I had ridden.

[inlinefour]

Who rightfully knows? Considering the bike, I'd just say Fookin neow!

I think some people might be green with envy? I know Id loved to have that as my first ride. The guy has bought the riding gears to go with is so he is obviously aware of the risks. :confused:
Also something else to ponder, Im sure he is educated, would need a good job to be able to fork out the coin for one of these. Who ever it is, enjoy the bike, the ride and laugh at everyones' bullshit comments here... :whocares: