Another n00b wanting advice

[nathanwhite]

Getting helmet, jacket and gloves on the weekend.
Found some draggin jeans on trademe in good condition

And how necessary are boots for the first few weeks of riding?

[ducatilover]

Getting helmet, jacket and gloves on the weekend.
Found some draggin jeans on trademe in good condition

And how necessary are boots for the first few weeks of riding?

All the gear, all the time.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Getting helmet, jacket and gloves on the weekend.
Found some draggin jeans on trademe in good condition

And how necessary are boots for the first few weeks of riding?

as necessary as any other bit of kit.

tramping boots will be better than nothing, something that covers your sticky-out ankle bones anyway. I went down the road a few years ago on some spilled diesel on a roundabout, and my bike slid down the road with my boot underneath it for a ways. I walked away, but the leather over my ankle bone was worn through. that would have been nicely abraded had I not worn boots.

even on the scooter I wear ankle boots, just cos of that.

[nathanwhite]

Very well. Boots it is then!

Maybe I can even get a package deal

[ducatilover]

Very well. Boots it is then!

Maybe I can even get a package deal

QuasiMoto has a special on leather gear this week, well worth investing in some.

[nathanwhite]

WOO! got my bike today! haha, and with no prior experience, went out and rode it for about a hour.

Only stalled it half a dozen times, and almost dropped it once.
Still it was awesome!

One thing i'm wondering though, do you end up building an awareness of what gear the bike is in? because after about 30s of riding around a residential area I had no idea what gear I was in.


and some pics of the bike, as promised...

[4AGE]

You definitely do. I've only ridden my bike dozen times but you end up knowing what gear by the revs at certain speeds etc. Kinda like when driving a manual car. You instinctively know without looking at the gear stick etc.

[unstuck]

You will get better at judging what gear you are in the more you ride. Ride ride ride.

[nathanwhite]

Sweet

Just one more question

Does holding the clutch just below the biting point ready to take off wear something out? ie, better to have it all the way in when waiting at the lights?

[AliJax]

Hi, good to here you ended up with a bike, I was in a similar position 12 months ago, and nearly went down the Scorpio route. My first real bike is a VTR250 and as I commute Howick to Avondale everyday I thought like your uncle said the Scorpio might be under powered for the motor-way over a long distance.

As previously commented on Ride Ride Ride! get as much ride time as you can, do not rush there is no need as what I have found is that I wait in traffic until all lanes has come to a halt & then make my move in between vehicles at traffic lights.

In addition your gear is paramount, I bought boots & trousers (jeans in summer with armour) and these were called into action early as a piece of timber fell from a truck once & struck my leg on the shin (fortunately armoured, a bit of a butt clencher I can tell you).

As for the Clutch I have no Idea, I tend to take it out of gear with foot brakes on and wait until the lights are due to change & pull away easily.

Take it easy.

[Bumblebeeman1150]

Best to be in gear while you wait at the lights as you never know when you might have to take evasive action to avoid someone behind or beside you who hasn't seen you. Clutch all the way in, left foot down, right foot on the brake until you're ready to roll. That way you get into the habit for hill starts. The more you slip the clutch (at that point where it starts to bite) the more it wears. A little is okay, like when you're doing a tight turn or i heavy traffic, but a lot isn't good for the friction surfaces inside the clutch.

Nice bike; have fun and learn heaps. +1 on the boots. A pair of hiking boots will do for now.

[nathanwhite]

cheers,

I have started looking at the other sides traffic lights to predict when my lights will change and keeping the clutch in until then. Works pretty well