Thoughts after first ride

[dyls]

Bought a bike, little gn250, picked it up and rode it back from Upper Hutt to Wgtn city today. Took me 2.5 hours cause I wanted heaps of practise before hopping on the motorway.

Thoughts:

- helmets are great. Not only do they protect your noggin, they also hide your red face when you are parked outside someone's house for 15 minutes looking for neutral

- leaning / cornering is actually fucking scary if you're not used to it...haven't quite shaken that inner, instinctive fear that leaning over is going to tip the bike

- shit my visor gets misty! What's the best way to counter this? Other than buying a new helmet that's designed slightly differently?

- always remember to check whether your kick stand is up before you ride off....lol

- there is nothing in the world more annoying than.....putting on your glove lining, putting on your gloves, putting on helmet, realising you can't figure out your helmet's chin strap with the bulky gloves on, taking the gloves off, doing your helmet's chin strap, putting your gloves back on....and then accidentally pulling the key out of the ignition and dropping it on the ground. START AGAIN

- I WANT MORE!!!!

Time to head out tomorrow and get heaps more practise in! :)

[hayd3n]

- shit my visor gets misty! What's the best way to counter this? Other than buying a new helmet that's designed slightly differently?


leave your visor open a little bit and practice breathing not so hard

[fridayflash]

yea i just leave my visor open, when your going a bit faster and need to close the visor again youll find the vacuum created by the passing
breeze seems to help.
i only ever have my visor down for short periods..but thats just
a personal preferance and a habit ive formed.
good luck with the practice by the way.
if i was down your way id come out for a tootle on my gina too.

[Trudes]

That's awesome!! Good for you!
Go to Wellington Motorcycles or most of the other shops stock it too and ask for some "Cat crap". This stuff is a very cheap (about $10 and will last you probably bout a year if reapplied once a week) and effective way to stop the visor fog, or buy an insert (about $60, lasts forever or until it gets scratched, so don't wipe it with anything rough).
Good luck, sounds like you're a mad keen biker already!!:niceone:

[Mom]

Bought a bike, little gn250, picked it up and rode it back from Upper Hutt to Wgtn city today. Took me 2.5 hours cause I wanted heaps of practise before hopping on the motorway.

Thoughts:

- helmets are great. Not only do they protect your noggin, they also hide your red face when you are parked outside someone's house for 15 minutes looking for neutral

Sometimes these bikes of ours are mean and dont select neutral easily. GN's love to tease this way for sure. TIP: find 2nd and very slowly release the clutch until you feel the first grabbing sensation, it will feel like a bit of a lurch. Quickly pull the lever back in and minutely tap down on the gear lever, hopefully you now have neutral. If not turn the bike off and then hey presto, the horrid thing will select neutral in a flash!
- leaning / cornering is actually fucking scary if you're not used to it...haven't quite shaken that inner, instinctive fear that leaning over is going to tip the bike

The bike will not fall over! Practise heaps...change the tyres if they are still original.

- shit my visor gets misty! What's the best way to counter this? Other than buying a new helmet that's designed slightly differently?

leave it open a crack, and relax! Chances are you are breathing a bit harder than usual.
- always remember to check whether your kick stand is up before you ride off....lol

- there is nothing in the world more annoying than.....putting on your glove lining, putting on your gloves, putting on helmet, realising you can't figure out your helmet's chin strap with the bulky gloves on, taking the gloves off, doing your helmet's chin strap, putting your gloves back on....and then accidentally pulling the key out of the ignition and dropping it on the ground. START AGAIN

ROTFLMAO!

- I WANT MORE!!!!

Time to head out tomorrow and get heaps more practise in! :)

Welcome to the world of two wheels! You sound like you are having fun already!

[kevfromcoro]

haha..good onya..ive been riding for 40 yrs..and still forget to do my helmet up.......just one of things that goes with bikin

[Subike]

Welcome to the world of the Steel Horse Rider. dyls.
find yourself an empty car park, take a couple of coke bottles with you to act as cones, spend an hour going around them in figure 8"s. that will get you use to the "lean" of the bike. and practice a bit of emegency braking at the same time.
Unlike a cage, which any idiot can drive under NZ laws, bikes need LOTS of practice to refine the skill needed for safe riding. but its good fun learning those skills too.

kevfromcoro... um, senario... wet day, going to work, tog up inside house to stay semi dry... lock house, (spring latch) walk out to bike..... where are the keys???
In my jeans pocket of course....under the wet weather pants...which are over the leather pants.....which are over my jeans....which contain the keys ....in a back pocket no less!!.....to make it worse....house is locked so have to access the keys in the pouring rain.....so much for keeping dry!

[1 Free Man]

Thoughts:

- helmets are great...... hide your red face when you ......15 minutes looking for neutral

- leaning / cornering is actually fucking scary ... leaning over is going to tip the bike

- shit my visor gets misty!

check whether your kick stand is up before you ride off....

there is nothing in the world more annoying than.....putting on your glove lining, putting on your gloves, putting on helmet, realising you can't figure out your helmet's chin strap with the bulky gloves on, taking the gloves off, doing your helmet's chin strap, putting your gloves back on....and then accidentally pulling the key out of the ignition and dropping it on the ground. START AGAIN

- I WANT MORE!!!!

Time to head out tomorrow and get heaps more practise in! :)
:laugh: Had a good laugh over this one DYLS. Took me back to my first ride not that many months ago. the whole Keys, wallet, glasses, helmet on gloves off, chin straps, zips, buttons, velcro,thing... FUCK THIS I'LL GO IN THE CAR!! wondered there for a minute or two what the hell I'd got myself into. What a fuck'n performance. :laugh::laugh: First ride was Tauranga to Rotorua and back. THEN I KNEW WHAT I HAD LET MYSELF INTO. A wonderful world of freedom and fun.
Don't ya just love it!!!
:clap::clap::clap:

[Rollestonchick]

:laugh: Had a good laugh over this one DYLS. Took me back to my first ride not that many months ago. the whole Keys, wallet, glasses, helmet on gloves off, chin straps, zips, buttons, velcro,thing... :clap::clap::clap:
Omg havent we all been there, that also was me, not so long ago too....

Congrats DYLS :banana::woohoo: on starting out on your new:ride:.
Good luck with your next practice ride tomorrow. Very time you go out, you will learn and settle more into your bike and riding

[sinfull]

Good on ya mate Have fun ! Like Trudes said go get ya an ainti fog thing that ya stick insid ya visor ! Well worth it in the wet stuff !
Subikes comments on carparks and cones is the go, practice ya braking ! In the dry practice using both, trying to keep in a straight line using more front than back ! then see what happens when you brake with ya front on a bit of paint (in said carpark) in the wet ! Biggest read on KB is hearing how new riders lose the front on paint in the wet (handy to know whats gonna happen before it does, out there with cars ready to run ya down if ya bin it )!

[Griffin]

Good on ya dyls - many more experiences ahead of you. My main concern at this point tho has to be the rapidly growing number of digitally altered DangerousBastard avatars around this site... have I missed something?

[captain_andrey]

From paintball experience, to stop our goggles from fogging up we used to spray soapy water on the glass and let it dry out. Havent tried that with a bike helmet yet because didnt really have a fogging problem.

[varminter]

Great, I thought it was just me that forgets things (hey, I'm old, so that's an excuse). Let's see, forgot the following: do up helmet strap, switch on headlight, keys in pocket, can't find neutral, forgot to turn on petrol (was thinking about taking it to the fixer man) ride off with side stand down (whats that rattling noise) forget to cancel indicator or flip it too far and it's on for the other way (this is a bad one) not all on the same trip though. faaarrrk, there's so many thing to do. But I'm getting better and my hands don't shake so much before I head out. Was stopped at the lake at the weekend, just waiting for my son to turn up, bloody gust of wind almost blew me over !!

[mstriumph]

......... - always remember to check whether your kick stand is up before you ride off....lol......... i still have problems with that one on the '73 honda :no: ..........

glad you are having fun!!

[fizbin]

- shit my visor gets misty! What's the best way to counter this? Other than buying a new helmet that's designed slightly differently?

I have massive issues with this. even if i leave the visor open a bit on rainy mornings the visor still fogs.
i have found Rainx really good for most of the time. i little bottle only costs around $10 or something like that.:first:



- there is nothing in the world more annoying than.....putting on your glove lining, putting on your gloves, putting on helmet, realising you can't figure out your helmet's chin strap with the bulky gloves on, taking the gloves off, doing your helmet's chin strap, putting your gloves back on....and then accidentally pulling the key out of the ignition and dropping it on the ground. START AGAIN

ROTFLMAO thats some funny shit right there:lol:

[Badjelly]

You forgot to mention failing to cancel your indicator. And stalling.

[tate35]

- helmets are great. Not only do they protect your noggin, they also hide your red face when you are parked outside someone's house for 15 minutes looking for neutral. LMAO 2 very good points,

- leaning / cornering is actually fucking scary if you're not used to it...haven't quite shaken that inner, instinctive fear that leaning over is going to tip the bike. It sure is when you are not used to it lol

I went out for my first decent ride on the weekend (half hour) and what I thought was scary was trying to do road speeds, with cars behind you :(

[LittleAngel]

Bought a bike, little gn250, picked it up and rode it back from Upper Hutt to Wgtn city today. Took me 2.5 hours cause I wanted heaps of practise before hopping on the motorway.

Thoughts:

- helmets are great. Not only do they protect your noggin, they also hide your red face when you are parked outside someone's house for 15 minutes looking for neutral Those are two very good points - whats better is when you get a mirrored visor then all that people can see is themselves and not the red glow underneath! :doh::rofl:

- leaning / cornering is actually fucking scary if you're not used to it...haven't quite shaken that inner, instinctive fear that leaning over is going to tip the bike I can so remember that feeling - My big thing was I struggled to get up to 70k!! And then when I did 100k I was nearly packing myself!!!! My poor husband :whistle:

- shit my visor gets misty! What's the best way to counter this? Other than buying a new helmet that's designed slightly differently?I believe that Cat Crap and RainX are very good products, I used to use white vinegar in a little water on both outside and inside of the visor and this would work really well :2thumbsup (can't do it on tinted/mirrored visors though :crybaby:)- but when you are stationary it does help to leave the visor open a wee bit

- always remember to check whether your kick stand is up before you ride off....lol It also helps to make sure your stand is down and the bike is fully stable!! :Oops::doh:

- there is nothing in the world more annoying than.....putting on your glove lining, putting on your gloves, putting on helmet, realising you can't figure out your helmet's chin strap with the bulky gloves on, taking the gloves off, doing your helmet's chin strap, putting your gloves back on....and then accidentally pulling the key out of the ignition and dropping it on the ground. START AGAIN Ya try having glasses on also then ya forget to get ya keys out of ya pocket so off come the gloves etc mean while ya glasses are fogged completely and ya can't see shit!! :slap:

- I WANT MORE!!!!

Time to head out tomorrow and get heaps more practise in! :)

Practice makes prefect or at least limits the amount of :doh: moments!!! Keep practicing and have fun!! :rockon:

[Mom]

I want to go on record here about the side stand cut out switch.

Noob or not them bastards will find a way to :o you. I promise :yes:

[LittleAngel]

I want to go on record here about the side stand cut out switch.

Noob or not them bastards will find a way to :o you. I promise :yes:

I hear ya on that one!!

Trap for young players!! I wondered what the hell had happened the first time my RF did it!!:gob::shit: Great idea when ya know it exists!

[Big Zappa]

All I can say is... it's kinda like a drug...

[1 Free Man]

I have massive issues with this. even if i leave the visor open a bit on rainy mornings the visor still fogs.
i have found Rainx really good for most of the time. i little bottle only costs around $10 or something like that.:first:


ROTFLMAO thats some funny shit right there:lol:
Hey Fizbin. I was in supa cheap the other day and saw that they have Rainx wipe cloths. If I remember right the packet for the Rainx was a bit cautious with regard to getting this stuff on ya paint. Has I had any effect on your visor at all??

[<Rhino>]

Hey Fizbin. I was in supa cheap the other day and saw that they have Rainx wipe cloths. If I remember right the packet for the Rainx was a bit cautious with regard to getting this stuff on ya paint. Has I had any effect on your visor at all??

I use RainX on my visor, no ill effects on the plastic, seems to work for a little while but you need to apply often! :zzzz:

[1 Free Man]

I use RainX on my visor, no ill effects on the plastic, seems to work for a little while but you need to apply often! :zzzz:
Cheers for that Rhino. I think I will give it a spin.

[mazz1972]

hillstarts
stalling at a busy intersections in Welly
wobbling around corners
indicators left on (ok that still happens...occasionally)
at the point of having a tanty coz the bike wont start and then notice the kill switch has been knocked....

aaahhhh those were the days....

sounds like you had a ball dyls....keep it up and practice practice practice!!

[Blossom]

Can I add the trauma of those first few rides where I dangled my feet down close to the ground for as long as possible when I first took off, until I felt I was going fast enough not to tip over and then subsequently realized how much of a dork I looked like. :baby:

[CB ARGH]

Can I add the trauma of those first few rides where I dangled my feet down close to the ground for as long as possible when I first took off, until I felt I was going fast enough not to tip over and then subsequently realized how much of a dork I looked like. :baby:

And don't we all wish we could look back on video at our first rides... I'm lucky enough to have my first ever pushbike ride recorded, god that was a good laugh, now I'm going no handed down the main road at night haha.

But I do wish my first motorbike (XR100) ride was recorded... :(

[Trudes]

Can I add the trauma of those first few rides where I dangled my feet down close to the ground for as long as possible when I first took off, until I felt I was going fast enough not to tip over and then subsequently realized how much of a dork I looked like. :baby:

haha, I remeber that well myself! And also realising that the bike is actually more stable when your feet are up on the pegs, especially when trying to take a corner... :lol:

[Blossom]

haha, I remeber that well myself! And also realising that the bike is actually more stable when your feet are up on the pegs, especially when trying to take a corner... :lol:

omg yes......hahahahaa
lovely mental pics going on in my head now

[Ehgreiz]

lol the funny thing is my scooter at the moment actually is more stable if i stick a foot down on the side when making a u-turn only - low speed cornering is not friendly in that thing - left u-turn = left foot out, right u-turn = right foot out - it actually helps haha..

did some uturns when i was taking my vl250 for a test ride though and found it much easier than the scooter lol

[Blossom]

lol the funny thing is my scooter at the moment actually is more stable if i stick a foot down on the side when making a u-turn only - low speed cornering is not friendly in that thing - left u-turn = left foot out, right u-turn = right foot out - it actually helps haha..

did some uturns when i was taking my vl250 for a test ride though and found it much easier than the scooter lol

my vl250 turns real easy..way easier than the mans rf900. But on the odd round a bout I have been known to slow right down and be tempted to drop my inside foot...I always wonder what the cagers think when they see me..:lol:

[Toaster]

Dont forget to learn to countersteer!!! very important amd makes cornering a breeze! Practice emergency braking - it may save your life one day. Its saved me more than once.

[Pwalo]

It all gets easier with the more ks you do. I remember how fast my T125 felt when I first got it.

Believe me, you can still forget the obvious, like sticking your ear plugs in before putting your helmet on, after 3? years of riding.

Anyway just get out and ride as much as you can.

[dyls]

Thanks for the replies, good to know that so many people remember what it's like :D

My bike's been in the shop sadly but I got it back last night, this morning riding to work I was thinking 'hmmmm I'm SURE something's different....what is it....oh yeah my hands are cold....OH SHIT WHERE ARE MY GLOVES!'...I'd left them on the pavement where I'd hopped on the bike. Zipped back to get them and my flatmate was walking down the drive, obviously wondering how I'd left home 15 minutes earlier and hadn't gotten further than that yet :)

[varminter]

WooHoo, that was funny, not done that yet, but it's only a matter of time.

[Ehgreiz]

ive driven down to the end of my road once and i was thinking 'hmm my scooter sounds different' - realised i didnt have my helmet on!:shit::shit::shit:

lucky no cops were around haha

[Swoop]

Good on ya'! Glad you are having fun.

- shit my visor gets misty! What's the best way to counter this? Other than buying a new helmet that's designed slightly differently?
Ask the people in the bike shop for a "breath guard" for your helmet. This little piece of plastic/rubber puts a barrier between your breath and the visor.
Give it a go before covering your visor with stuff. I'm just holding the visor under a hot tap to clean it now, as the guard does the rest.

[Sable]

Haha, nice. My only problems were cancelling the indicators (No-one told me you press the switch in!) and repeated accidental clutch wheelies due to only having ridden an FA50 before.

[MarkH]

at the point of having a tanty coz the bike wont start and then notice the kill switch has been knocked....

haha - rode my new scoot home and parked it for the night. Next day sun came out and I thought I'd go for a ride. Turned the key on, flicked up the side stand, pulled on the brake and pushed the starter - nothing. What does 'chec' mean on the LCD display? WTF? Oh . . . <clicks kill switch> . . . yeah it's all good!

[<Rhino>]

hillstarts
stalling at a busy intersections in Welly
wobbling around corners
indicators left on (ok that still happens...occasionally)
at the point of having a tanty coz the bike wont start and then notice the kill switch has been knocked....

:rofl: thought I was reading a bio of my biking life.......

[MarkH]

repeated accidental clutch wheelies due to only having ridden an FA50 before.

Wow - just noticed you have an X7, they must be a classic by now. Back in 1985 I bought my first bike - a 2nd hand 1979 GT250 X7. Top speed was about 155kph for me. Pretty quick on takeoff as it is a light 2-stroke.

I had a pack-rack on mine and if I put a heavy pack on the back then it used to wheelstand VERY easily. I used to put the pack on backwards when I didn't have a pillion passenger, this meant the pack rested on the seat and moved the weight a little forward.

I also remember trying a race position on the bike and putting my feet on the rear pegs - bad idea, I got SEVERE speed wobbles with my feet back like that.