First timer

[Gremlin]

Oh yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want to lick that.

How much should i spend on Gloves?

What sort of maintenance do I need to do on my bike?

Gloves, depends on where you buy and what features you want. Store prices are usually $90-$100. Features like knuckle protection, waterproof, finger protection, palm protection etc. are up to you as to what you want.

Maintenance, many good threads, things like lubing chain, checking oil, even things like tyre pressures, Pyro made the Maintenance Mega Thread. Probably a good place to start.

[parsley]

How much should i spend on Gloves?

Up to you, but remember that the gloves you buy in the summer have to last you in the winter as well.

What sort of maintenance do I need to do on my bike?

Get yourself along to the next KB Spanner night. Bloody good value (well, it's free) and it could end up saving your life.

[Snake Rogers]

Got me gear, boots, helmet, gloves & jacket

Just waiting till saturday, then it's out about the block a few hundred times

have only gone up and down my driveway so far as the roads have been wet...lol

[Snake Rogers]

Well started riding to work today, Still abit dodgy with gear changes tho.
Had a mate come around in the weekend and help me out which was awesome. He made me go straight into to traffic and a couple of round abouts that i was hoping to do some othertime...lol
Just been taking it real easy (practice, practice)

When doing 50k are you guys or girls in 3rd or 4th gear?

And how many of you use the rear brakes. I know i was told to use both but my mate reckons leave it alone, that i should only use it in a urgent situation?

[Gremlin]

Bit of argument over the use of the back brake, but I use it all the time, sometimes I don't use the front because I'm only scrubbing off 5k.

In the wet, apply the back first, it makes the bike sit on the suspension, instead of loading the front, which is not good in the wet.

If you don't use it, then you will get used to not using it, and come an emergency and you want to use it, then you won't because you will not be used to using it.

That said, the front does 75% of the work, and that percentage only increases as you brake harder.

edit: gear and speed: just use whatever gear you want, depending on what you are doing. When pootling in traffic, my revs are about 5-6k, so whatever gear makes those revs... if I need lots of power (well, whatever it has) then I'll drop gears until I have what I want (anywhere up to 12k)

[Ixion]

Pretty much as Mr Gremlin m'self. always use the back brake, on its own if I'm just trimming speed, bring in the front if I need to some muscle. Having said that I don't use brakes much at all.

Revs, different bike, so not really applicable, but on Li'l Ratty (same cc), if I'm just doddering along with the traffic , I'll change up to 6th about 45kph. No point wringing the nuts off the engine if you're just going with the traffic flow, 6th is fine to keep up with the Corollas. 50kph is just under 3000rpm, which is start of the first power band. If I'm hurrying I keep it over 7000 , when the second jump on the powerband begins. Thats 2nd or 3rd for 50kph