10 things I have learned in the past 5 days.

[-df-]

5. Lane-splitting is fantastic fun, almost enough to make me go back to a traffic pile up, and do it all over again to laugh at the look on peoples faces as I cruise past.

Just watch out for the wankers that open the drivers door directly in front of you so you can't go past...only happened once...but once was enough

[Griff]

I5. Lane-splitting is fantastic fun, almost enough to make me go back to a traffic pile up, and do it all over again to laugh at the look on peoples faces as I cruise past.

YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!

Lane splitting is better than a day out in a Theme Park!

[Griff]

3. You should see the amount of sex you get when you own a cruiser then

Ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha... Brilliant!

Are you Baron Von-Munchhausen?

[LilSel]

Glad to hear the new bikes going well for ya Enjoy & ride safe

[EJT]

Spent heaps on gear, because the last thing that I want to be thinking after I crash is "I wish I spent more money on decent gear".

2. Practicing every day is the only way to improve.

5. Lane-splitting is fantastic fun, almost enough to make me go back to a traffic pile up, and do it all over again to laugh at the look on peoples faces as I cruise past.

7. The motorcycle community is amazingly supportive, any questions that I may have, or problems, there are always a big group of people that will offer to help you, as they all seem to remember what it was like to be a learner.

Good on ya! You seem to have the right attitude and seem to be keen on improving (as we all are). Agreed on the gear. It will also last for ages, so it is money well spent.

I was a bit reluctant to lane-split at first, but do it everyday on the motorway now. As others have said, be careful, but I'm sure you are. One of the things I do when splitting on the motorway is have my lights on full beam. Others might disagree, but I reckon it is better to be seen. Oh, and I try to wave to cars that make an effort to pull out of the way. Better to be nice to them so they do it for others!

[Boob Johnson]

2. The other is a doosey. They get closer and closer because they are looking past you and not really seeing you, they're maintaining a following distance on the vehicle in front of you! Using your mirrors, adjust your position in the lane so that your body is directly in the drivers line of sight. They'll move so that they can see. You subtly move into their line of sight again so they can't see past you. If you have to do it a fourth time, that would be rare because you suddenly realise they've dropped back!

Works every time.

That sure is a doosey!! Ha, nice one mate

[Angusdog]

Tailgating: tap your back brake to flash your stop light; if that doesn't work, get out of their way - it's not an argument you want to lose.

Don't get wound up by other people on the road, just maintain a safe attitude. You will quickly develop a sixth sense (actually it's a tenth sense) for the movement of other vehicles on the road, and anticipate just by their placement on the road, their car etc as to what they're going to do. Keep an eye out for "escape routes", like if that car jams on it's brakes to pull into a park, where are you going to go? Plan ahead, so when the 'unexpected' arises, you're already reacting.

And relax - being too tense is as bad as not paying attention.

[Tank]

Adding to the list of things learnt by a newbie. I was at the Auckland Wednesday night training last night (Thanks to all who give their time for this).

Anyway - we were doing U-Turn training and I was struggling. Kneee goes out wobbles, foot down. In short - Crap!

Anyway I was taught where to look (i.e. where you are going to end up) and how to use clutch to control speed - and volia! U-Turns are a breeze. I took the long way home after to cover some corners that had been causing me grief - the different was amaizing.

Learning everyday. Personally I'm passing on the lane splitting - there seems to be many more basics I need to learn before I put my self in a position where I need some skills that I dont have yet.

[marioc]

On the way in to work this morning I opened the throttle wide open mid corner on the white line,shit I thought those things were only slippery in the wet! .Not so it would seem got a bit out of shape.

[PirateJafa]

The biggest thing I have found is to appear confident.

If you don't appear confident, it's like blood in the water... the cagers can smell it from a mile off, and they will home straight in on you. But if you appear confident (even if you aren't), usually they settle down and play nice(ish).

[avgas]

nobody waves to scooters.

Not completely, every now and then if i see a respectful Mod (usually on a vespa - with extras) i will give a respectful rocker head nod and get one in return.
We are no longer at war, just like North and South Korea. Respective nods are allowed in the DMZ.

[The Lone Rider]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha... Brilliant!

Are you Baron Von-Munchhausen?

Which bit about him are you referring to? Him riding canonballs, or him getting divorced.

You should see the photo collection of these girlies I've met through biking. Yummmaaay

[captain_andrey]

Welcome mate.
Whereabouts do you ride? I have a yellow GT250R and I saw a few black ones so maybe i've seen yours too.
I ride from town to the hutt every day and back in the evening. Maybe i'll see you around.

[PuppetMaster]

filtering can be done at A MAX of 60

I dont like to brag, but i went 62 the other day. Ive broken the "max".

[vifferman]

There is two strategies to use for tailgaters ...

There's at least three (3).
I used to get tailgated over the Harbour Bridge not infrequently, and found that slowing down and l turning around to look back at them always worked. Sometimes I embellished this with a "get back" waving motion with my hand. The "staring technique" is especially effective if you've got a dark visor, as there's the 'menace factor' of not being able to see who's behind it. Yeah, it's potentially hazardous turning around for a few seconds, but the "slowing down" bit ensures there's a gap in front anyway.