Thoughts after first ride

[Blossom]

lol the funny thing is my scooter at the moment actually is more stable if i stick a foot down on the side when making a u-turn only - low speed cornering is not friendly in that thing - left u-turn = left foot out, right u-turn = right foot out - it actually helps haha..

did some uturns when i was taking my vl250 for a test ride though and found it much easier than the scooter lol

my vl250 turns real easy..way easier than the mans rf900. But on the odd round a bout I have been known to slow right down and be tempted to drop my inside foot...I always wonder what the cagers think when they see me..

[Toaster]

Dont forget to learn to countersteer!!! very important amd makes cornering a breeze! Practice emergency braking - it may save your life one day. Its saved me more than once.

[Pwalo]

It all gets easier with the more ks you do. I remember how fast my T125 felt when I first got it.

Believe me, you can still forget the obvious, like sticking your ear plugs in before putting your helmet on, after 3? years of riding.

Anyway just get out and ride as much as you can.

[dyls]

Thanks for the replies, good to know that so many people remember what it's like

My bike's been in the shop sadly but I got it back last night, this morning riding to work I was thinking 'hmmmm I'm SURE something's different....what is it....oh yeah my hands are cold....OH SHIT WHERE ARE MY GLOVES!'...I'd left them on the pavement where I'd hopped on the bike. Zipped back to get them and my flatmate was walking down the drive, obviously wondering how I'd left home 15 minutes earlier and hadn't gotten further than that yet

[varminter]

WooHoo, that was funny, not done that yet, but it's only a matter of time.

[Ehgreiz]

ive driven down to the end of my road once and i was thinking 'hmm my scooter sounds different' - realised i didnt have my helmet on!

lucky no cops were around haha

[Swoop]

Good on ya'! Glad you are having fun.

- shit my visor gets misty! What's the best way to counter this? Other than buying a new helmet that's designed slightly differently?

Ask the people in the bike shop for a "breath guard" for your helmet. This little piece of plastic/rubber puts a barrier between your breath and the visor.
Give it a go before covering your visor with stuff. I'm just holding the visor under a hot tap to clean it now, as the guard does the rest.

[Sable]

Haha, nice. My only problems were cancelling the indicators (No-one told me you press the switch in!) and repeated accidental clutch wheelies due to only having ridden an FA50 before.

[MarkH]

at the point of having a tanty coz the bike wont start and then notice the kill switch has been knocked....

haha - rode my new scoot home and parked it for the night. Next day sun came out and I thought I'd go for a ride. Turned the key on, flicked up the side stand, pulled on the brake and pushed the starter - nothing. What does 'chec' mean on the LCD display? WTF? Oh . . . . . . yeah it's all good!

[<Rhino>]

hillstarts
stalling at a busy intersections in Welly
wobbling around corners
indicators left on (ok that still happens...occasionally)
at the point of having a tanty coz the bike wont start and then notice the kill switch has been knocked....

thought I was reading a bio of my biking life.......

[MarkH]

repeated accidental clutch wheelies due to only having ridden an FA50 before.

Wow - just noticed you have an X7, they must be a classic by now. Back in 1985 I bought my first bike - a 2nd hand 1979 GT250 X7. Top speed was about 155kph for me. Pretty quick on takeoff as it is a light 2-stroke.

I had a pack-rack on mine and if I put a heavy pack on the back then it used to wheelstand VERY easily. I used to put the pack on backwards when I didn't have a pillion passenger, this meant the pack rested on the seat and moved the weight a little forward.

I also remember trying a race position on the bike and putting my feet on the rear pegs - bad idea, I got SEVERE speed wobbles with my feet back like that.