Newbie and hooked (ftpchaser@gmail.com)

[ftpchaser@gmail.com]

Hi all im richard im 25, a factory supervisor at an aluminium windows and doors factory and a soon to be bikeaholic.

Ive never owned a bike and until this week had never ridden a 2 wheeler before. I was brought up in a race car household so 4 wheels was the immeadiate option growing up ( also my over protective mother is not a fan of bikes so always kept me away from them).

So raced go karts at a national level for many years till adult life took over and grew out of it. The bug came back after doing an engine conversion on my current car and my first experience at drag racing ( which lead to a full drag season with 3 wins and 1 2nd in my very first season).

Ive never had a great interest in bikes never liked being on the back of them. That is until this week where i just jumped on a bike with no instruction and noone around and i taught myself how to ride a 250 within 5-10minutes.

And now the petrol head in me takes over. Jumping on that bike gave me the same adrenaline rush as lining up on the drag strip. I couldnt believe how much i loved it and the fact you dont have to wait for events to ride you can ride any time.

Well needless to say im hooked and now i am desperately searching to find my first bike. Im looking for a trail bike atleast 250cc preferably honda, suzuki or yamaha. Road legal ofcourse but most importantly something relatively cheap for me to start out on. Something even a bit rough aslong as it has all lights, indicators and a current number plate so ready to go.

I look forward to chatting to you all and learning from all of you.

[jellywrestler]

Something even a bit rough aslong as it has all lights, indicators and a current number plate so ready to go.

the first thing you need to learn is we don't have padded seat belts and a fancy cage around us all. Whatever we do with a bike effects us directly, often physically.
when you can say the same sentence that i've requoted of yours, with the word safe in it, you'll be a motorcyclist.

[Akzle]

"25"... "adult life" bahahahahahaha


welcome richard. you should start more threads.

[Pound]

i just jumped on a bike with no instruction and noone around and i taught myself how to ride a 250 within 5-10minutes.

Woah woah woah!

[ftpchaser@gmail.com]

the first thing you need to learn is we don't have padded seat belts and a fancy cage around us all. Whatever we do with a bike effects us directly, often physically.
when you can say the same sentence that i've requoted of yours, with the word safe in it, you'll be a motorcyclist.

Yes absolutely i forgot to include the word safe well spotted. This is exactly why i signed up to this forum so at the very least i can extract some knowledge from all you kind folk. Theres no such thing as too much advice when doing an activity that can very easily change your life in a heartbeat.

[ftpchaser@gmail.com]

"25"... "adult life" bahahahahahaha


welcome richard. you should start more threads.

Haha sorry but couldnt think of the right wording at the time.

[ftpchaser@gmail.com]

Woah woah woah!

Hahaha no absolutely not i didnt say whether i taught myself very well or not haha but ive ridden a couple of times now and starting to feel like im making very small improvements however i will be seeking the advice and training very soon so i can learn the right way from someone who has lots of experience. But i do appreciate your witty banter hahaha i had feeling when i wrote all of that atleast 1 person would have to give me a hard time but hey thats what i get being a newbie

[Pound]

Well, you certainly have a good attitude, and that alone should keep you safe and grounded.


Protected from Akzle's flavor of sarcasm?


Perhaps not.

[george formby]

Why do you want a trail bike? They feel quick to the uninitiated but in bike terms are not dragsters, more like tracters.

If your hell bent on the versatility, get a DRZ or KLX, bullet proof and dependable. Sadly, 2t trailies are obsolete but are much more fun. No, I'm not selling any of mine.

Fundamentally, get decent training / mentoring. Bikes have a very low forgiveness threshold, getting your head around how to ride them (handling skills) and how to be safe (road craft) is paramount to getting maximum enjoyment and a decent life expectancy.

Have fun.

[oldiebutagoody]

Find an older mentor locally who can knock some of the rough edges off your road technique. This was my introduction to riding and maintenance. Even get the to help inspect a potential bike purchase. Older riders have pretty much seen it all and can spot problems usually before they occur to new riders. They didn't reach old age riding by being stupid.

Take riding instruction courses as a priority.

Take your racing to the track, try to make it to your destination on the public roads with yourself and others in one piece. That means leaving your ego at the door when you put your riding gear on and go riding,.........

Get the best riding gear you can possibly afford. Whatever is left goes towards a bike. Black leather never goes out of style, but whatever floats your boat as long as it is good PROPER riding gear.

Take riding courses as a priority.

Learn your bike inside out as you will be trusting your safety to it. There is nothing quite as comforting as you push the machine into a corner at speed than the knowledge that new set of wheel bearings or adjustment to the steering head you did yesterday was worth the effort, and you can enjoy the corner rather than wonder what the last jackass did when "repairing" it.

Take riding courses as a priority.

Your first five years is the time you are most likely to kill or seriously injure yourself. After that you are home and hosed, until you become a returning rider in your mid forties and then you tend to snot yourself with monotonous regularity. The name commonly used for us bikers was "temporary NZers". Try to prove the cagers wrong every day.

Take riding courses as a priority.

Have fun riding, ignore the scenery. Focus on the road, the surface and other road user hazards. Pull over if you want to gaze at the views.

[YellowDog]

Hi all im richard im 25, a factory supervisor at an aluminium windows and doors factory and a soon to be bikeaholic.

Ive never owned a bike and until this week had never ridden a 2 wheeler before. I was brought up in a race car household so 4 wheels was the immeadiate option growing up ( also my over protective mother is not a fan of bikes so always kept me away from them).

So raced go karts at a national level for many years till adult life took over and grew out of it. The bug came back after doing an engine conversion on my current car and my first experience at drag racing ( which lead to a full drag season with 3 wins and 1 2nd in my very first season).

Ive never had a great interest in bikes never liked being on the back of them. That is until this week where i just jumped on a bike with no instruction and noone around and i taught myself how to ride a 250 within 5-10minutes.

And now the petrol head in me takes over. Jumping on that bike gave me the same adrenaline rush as lining up on the drag strip. I couldnt believe how much i loved it and the fact you dont have to wait for events to ride you can ride any time.

Well needless to say im hooked and now i am desperately searching to find my first bike. Im looking for a trail bike atleast 250cc preferably honda, suzuki or yamaha. Road legal ofcourse but most importantly something relatively cheap for me to start out on. Something even a bit rough aslong as it has all lights, indicators and a current number plate so ready to go.

I look forward to chatting to you all and learning from all of you.

Welcome Richard, great to have you on board.

Keep that positive atitude going and you'll be fine. There will be a few on here whom will do their best to suck the life out of you, but just ignore them and you'll be fine.

BTW: Each time I click on your KB Handle, it opens up the entirity of your 'One Drive' data store. Isn't that stuff supposed to be private ?

[ftpchaser@gmail.com]

Welcome Richard, great to have you on board.

Keep that positive atitude going and you'll be fine. There will be a few on here whom will do their best to suck the life out of you, but just ignore them and you'll be fine.

BTW: Each time I click on your KB Handle, it opens up the entirity of your 'One Drive' data store. Isn't that stuff supposed to be private ?

Why do you want a trail bike? They feel quick to the uninitiated but in bike terms are not dragsters, more like tracters.

If your hell bent on the versatility, get a DRZ or KLX, bullet proof and dependable. Sadly, 2t trailies are obsolete but are much more fun. No, I'm not selling any of mine.

Fundamentally, get decent training / mentoring. Bikes have a very low forgiveness threshold, getting your head around how to ride them (handling skills) and how to be safe (road craft) is paramount to getting maximum enjoyment and a decent life expectancy.

Have fun.

The only real reason i was wanting a trail bike is for the versatility of still being able to ride offroad to a certain extent. I realise that a road bike would be far nicer to ride the majority of the time but still like the idea of being able to ride on the beach or on trails in the bush. Thank you that is much appreciated i will take that all on board.

[ftpchaser@gmail.com]

Find an older mentor locally who can knock some of the rough edges off your road technique. This was my introduction to riding and maintenance. Even get the to help inspect a potential bike purchase. Older riders have pretty much seen it all and can spot problems usually before they occur to new riders. They didn't reach old age riding by being stupid.

Take riding instruction courses as a priority.

Take your racing to the track, try to make it to your destination on the public roads with yourself and others in one piece. That means leaving your ego at the door when you put your riding gear on and go riding,.........

Get the best riding gear you can possibly afford. Whatever is left goes towards a bike. Black leather never goes out of style, but whatever floats your boat as long as it is good PROPER riding gear.

Take riding courses as a priority.

Learn your bike inside out as you will be trusting your safety to it. There is nothing quite as comforting as you push the machine into a corner at speed than the knowledge that new set of wheel bearings or adjustment to the steering head you did yesterday was worth the effort, and you can enjoy the corner rather than wonder what the last jackass did when "repairing" it.

Take riding courses as a priority.

Your first five years is the time you are most likely to kill or seriously injure yourself. After that you are home and hosed, until you become a returning rider in your mid forties and then you tend to snot yourself with monotonous regularity. The name commonly used for us bikers was "temporary NZers". Try to prove the cagers wrong every day.

Take riding courses as a priority.

Have fun riding, ignore the scenery. Focus on the road, the surface and other road user hazards. Pull over if you want to gaze at the views.

I couldnt agree more everything. Thank you for your wise words this is exactly why i wanted to join up here so i can pay particular attention to all these areas including the many i hadnt thought of as they are what you learn with experience. No matter how small something can seem when your on a knife edge everything must be treated with alot of thought and consideration.

[OddDuck]

Hi Richard,

Nice to hear from you, nice to see the attitude you're showing... willing to learn, willing to admit mistakes. Willing to improve. Good stuff, keep it coming.

Pound's advice is right on the money so I'll add in where I can.

Tyres, helmet, brakes, boots, gloves, jacket, pants. Never save money here. On that note, if and when you purchase your first road bike, if the tyres are more than five years old, change them immediately. Rubber gets old, goes hard, and then loses its grip. A skidding car will skate, a skidding bike will simply go splat. Or catch and then flip, which will suck big time. New tyres are a lot cheaper than crash repairs, put it that way.

LEARN TO COUNTERSTEER.

Caps intended, the sooner you learn this the better. The most probable cause of a crash is failing to make it around a corner which tightens up or is tighter than you thought it was. That shit about "lean the bike and it'll turn"... nope, forget it. You've got to direct the bike consciously and countersteer is most of that.

The last thing I'd recommend is getting a half decent first bike, either dirt or road. Save up if you have to but get something good. Bikes get a hard life, spares are pricey compared to car stuff, you get the idea.

[WristTwister]

On a bike, you have to be alert. Everyone could potentially ruin your day and it's your responsibility to minimise your risk. Knowing how to ride safe and having good safety gear (All The Gear, All The Time!) could save your life.

This video covers a lot of useful safety tips.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i29QHGd_LQk

Get your BHS and licence.

Check out Ride Forever http://www.rideforever.co.nz