How long does it take to learn to ride a sprot bike

**Lazy7** · 16th June 2006, 20:53

Originally Posted by N4CR

OKay dude there are a few threads on this search confidence I have said to get into a carpark without ya fairings and do figure 8's around obstacles many a time. You lean over more and more untill it will start sliding or else you'll scrape something probably won't on the 7r they have better peg height than the 2r etc lol.

I used to spend hours doing that a week for a long time made me much more confident, also who you ride with helps if you ride with someone quicker than you then you will push yaself to follow them..

Something like this

http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/599285/

thats not a bad idea. its generally the slower corners i have problems with. i'm still not fast around teh fast corners - but i aint as scared of them as i am of the slower ones. fairings off and into a carpark might be a plan! thanks

**ZeroIndex** · 16th June 2006, 20:54

Originally Posted by swanny

Wanna buy my Hyosung Andrew?

You'll learn so much and be absoloutely frustrated with the lack of power that within 5 months you'll be looking for a bigger bike.

and how much is that selling for? if you think you're frustrated with your 'lack of power', try 15bhp.. to turangi, or to auckland, or just down to the bike shop..

**SwanTiger** · 16th June 2006, 20:59

Originally Posted by ZeroIndex

and how much is that selling for? if you think you're frustrated with your 'lack of power', try 15bhp.. to turangi, or to auckland, or just down to the bike shop..

PM me if you are genuinely interested. Its cheap.

15bhp, almost as much as my bucket, good for wheelies.

**Madness** · 16th June 2006, 21:01

For me it's a time and place thing. Under the right conditions and perhaps more importantly, the right frame of mind and I'll take corners hard. Add wet, dark, gravel, or a bad head-space and I'm a nana. It's suprising how well the big Zed goes round when pushed, good grip is essential.

I've ridden for 20 years and have never been on a track. My riding has improved gradually over the years and for me control has been the hardest lesson to learn. There's 2 things that need controlling on a bike, the bike and the rider. To have them in-sync is to be in "the zone".

**Toast** · 16th June 2006, 21:05

Originally Posted by N4CR

Mmm I just got excited thinking about the last time I saw Gremlin with a camera.

Yeah it is a bit of a faggerish pic eh... Oh well just something to show the shenanigans of a carpark. Shitty lean in that one too, can see me cheating with my toesliders

hahaha...all good.

I used to do the same thing around roundabouts in Gulf Harbour when there were roads but not many houses yet...it is good for your skills...gives you a good feel for the front tyre I reckon...something I've lost lately, so maybe I should go back to that school...

**Ixion** · 16th June 2006, 22:04

Why worry? I've been riding for 40 years, and I wouldn't know a racing line if it bit me on the toe. But I do have a SHITLOAD of fun riding.

Do you ENJOY your riding ? Are you having fun?

If you are, where's the problem? If not, trying to learn to go faster probably won't help.

There's a hell of a lot more to riding than going fast.

Put 20km behind you, with the engine purring in just the right bit of the rev range, leaning over just nicely through the bendy bits, feeling the tyres squirming just that LITTLE bit as they wibble around on the shoulder of the tread, flicking through the apex of the corners just SO, all smooth and effortless so that you don't even feel you're going fast -- who gives a STUFF if it's not how Rossi would do it.

I believe that the folk who can't see anything more in motorcycling than "how fast can I go" and the wankerism of "getting the knee down" will not last the distance.

After a while they'll get bored, decide that they can't go through there any faster , and sell the bike to buy a Subaru. I've seen them come, blow on about how good they are , and go. Good riddance. The REAL bikers are still there , burbling along. Sure, Rossi could do it faster. So what?

Go out and ride. Don't stew about whether you're going fast or not. Just enjoy the feel of a corner taken exactly right - the grin of coming out the other side thinking "hey, that was SWEET". Bugger Rossi.

And the bonus is, set yourself to try to do the "racing way" and it's near certain you'll crash. Which is a good way to lose all interest in riding (maybe in living!). Forget about trying to be a racer on the public road and not only do you have more fun, you don't get hurt!

**Gremlin** · 16th June 2006, 22:07

First up, I agree with everything said, but I'll add a zx7r perspective.

Fact. It is not as easy to ride the 7 quick as a brand new 600. I rode one, not fast, but was amazed how quickly I could go with little effort. If I thought I was going a bit quick, a touch on the brakes, and everything was sorted. The 7 is far more demanding to ride as fast. It doesn't drop into a corner simply by looking at the corner.

Equally, at least with my current setup, you really do have to muscle the bike into quick left-right combinations.

Learning to ride a 250 to the limit will help a lot, but also expect to take a while to adjust to a bigger bike. I'm still happy with the 7, and if I can ride that to the limit, I should have no worries handling anything to a certain extent.

Confidence will be your biggest issue. If you are uncertain coming into a corner, the bike will feel uncertain. And the opposite is true as well, hence a bike being a machine that you ride with all senses. Naturally the soaking wet is not the best time to be trying to improve your confidence.

Either the carpark, which tristan really seems to have benefitted from, or a section of road with very tight 25s/35s, one after each other. Having someone you can follow may help too. In the beginning you don't necessarily need to be able to follow, just realise you can do better.

You WILL get faster over time, I have always found that true, just how soon you want to be faster.

**N4CR** · 16th June 2006, 22:08

Nice point there Ixion. I am quite content pootling along most of the time but sometimes I will get into the grove.. I get a bigger rush riding faster with nice lines and brake points than burbling along. I guess L7 just wants to feel that... for me it's what I love about a big ride. Happens every few of them not everytime. It's what distinguishes bikes from other pleasurable things I guess - the zen feeling of being one with the bike, pushing it a little and knowing YOU are in control. And great scenery and stories.

**Clivoris** · 16th June 2006, 23:05

For me one of the joys of motorcycling is the endless potential for improvement. So I understand wanting to ride faster. Have a read of Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist, he has some awesome insights into riding. Mostly applicable to racing, but racing does improve the breed. One day when I'm big enough I'll get a street-stock bike and go racing. It has to improve your skills without busting the bank.

**T.W.R** · 16th June 2006, 23:29

One thing is you never stop learning to ride motorcycles, there's always something new to experience.
Learning comes in stages, you learn something then become complacent with it, get smug & casual, then start making basic errors. It's learning to minimise making basic errors and knowing how to rectify those situations and becoming aware of the variables, it's a cycle that goes on & on.

Being fast is a fixation & a myth, becoming smooth & flowing in your approach & style to riding, learning the feel of the bike and understanding the messages it sends you whilst riding is more rewarding. Having all the HP in the world isn't any good if your rough with it, it'll cause more damage than good, but being smooth with what ever HP you have will make you deceptively quick.

As said spending time on a trail/MX bike develops the sense of feeling the bike. Trackdays let you experiment with developing handling skills & finding limits.
blanking off the bikes speedo used to be handy for developing speed, just riding on the feel of the bike & not being drawn into glimpsing the rate of knots your doing.

Trying to emulate your favourite racer on the road has never worked & never will. Enjoying the ride for the experience and making it a smooth ride is more rewarding and in the long term you'll be supprised how much speed comes from becoming smooth.

**Mrs Busa Pete** · 17th June 2006, 06:25

Why don't you pm CaN and ask him about the ride rite ride safe course that he runs out at whenuapai airbase and then maybe go on rides with him it's a really good course to do.

**iwilde** · 17th June 2006, 06:42

A big thing is knowing the roads you're riding on. No point pushing it on a road not ridden before. Evertime you use the same road try a wee bit faster but keeping in your comfort zone

**Maha** · 17th June 2006, 07:57

Originally Posted by busa pete

Why don't you pm CaN and ask him about the ride rite ride safe course that he runs out at whenuapai airbase and then maybe go on rides with him it's a really good course to do.

Thats a good idea, i think all those who feel the same as Lazy should do that.
Recently went to the Puhoi from here with 3 others, 1 of them had a 05' 750 and only had for 2 weeks, we all left together from Warkworth and we waited for about 7-8 mins at the Puhoi turnoff for him. Not judging him, he had just come off a gn250 to that Suzuki and the cornering really needed to be adressed, confidence is a bastard to master sometimes

**FROSTY:Me** · 17th June 2006, 08:23

Short version--don't sweat it dude.

Long version
Thit time of year I'm not brimming with confidence on a sprot bike either. There are just way too many extra variables to deal with to go hurtl;ing into a corner with the knee down etc --MY OPINION anyhoo
Reading what you are saying I'd suggest you have a good strong survival instinct working there.NOTHING wrong with that
If it would help I'm happy to take ya bike for a ride but I bet I ride as slowly as you do.
Doing a trackday or two will help and a tuition session with a ride instructor will help too.
One other thing that might help is to pick a section of windey road and ride it slowly checking out the slippery patches etc then just ride up and down it a few times.
Ohh and i agree with above posts --maha man and doing the ride right course --