Draft - help please? "The things that you need to know when you start riding."

[TonyB]

Just remembered another one: using the vanishing point in a corner- as you are going around a corner, watch the point where the two sides of the road converge and the road disapears. If this point is staying the same distance away from you the corner has a constant radius- keep a constant speed. If it's moving towards you the corner is tightening up- think about scrubbing off some speed. If its moving away the corner is opening up- open the taps and go.

[justsomeguy]

Alright.


Document finished.

Will start working on smaller bit that could be used as a wallpaper/ checklist
Big thanks to everyone who contributed with the biggest thanks going out thehollowmen

This document is not exhaustive in any sense, but it does point the new rider in the correct direction and gives him or her enough material to begin biking.

EDIT: Deleted draft copy as I have now added the newer version in a more recent post.

[FROSTY:Me]

A couple of things came up in discussion last night -I would definitely ammend this document mate.
Braking. --
Of course your tyres have tread and are propperly inflated, You have propper riding gear on. etc etc-The tyres must be warmed up
What you need is a straight / flat piece of tarmac to practice on.
Mark a spot you want to stop by --maybee a lampost or maybee just mark a spot in chalk
Whatever spot ya choose make 100% sure that no matter what you will stop without hitting something (even potentially)
First of all get up to 50km/h and then when you think is the right time use both brakes and pull to a stop on the mark you chose.
Easy wasn't it ??. Now what you want to do is brake A LITTLE harder and a little later --OOPs -did ya get a little squeak from the front tyre?
This time try pulling the front brakes on a little bit then pull em on as hard as you are comfortable with.
WOW --You stopped short of the mark diddn't you.
What you did was load up the front suspension and tyre a lil bit before you actually braked hard.
Now we just keep practicing-- a little bit harder and a little bit later -Youll find the back brake will get less and less effective and the front will get more and more effetive as you brake harder.
Now most important--You WILL stuff it up -thats why you are practicing.
You will overrun the mark -you may even have a squeak/skreech out of the tyres -
Emphasis is on comfort zone here so shorten your braking distance down in easy steps
Cornering.
The same idea really applies here ---Find a stretch of tarmack with maybee 8 corners in it -preferably with easy turn around zones either end.
Ride these 8 corners at 1/2 your normal riding pace-noteing any diesel/gravel etc to watch out for.
the idea is to get round in a smooth arc using constant throttle or accelerating out of the corner.
So first corner-you are barreling along -You will brake -using the knowledge of your brakes you already have .
You will give yourself the widest possible line round that corner you can.
Wide into a corner will mean tight out of a corner-it gives you so many options.
so a left hand corner you are almost on the center line aiming for the left side of the road -youll come out of the corner still to the left with half your lane to play with. the reverse applies to a right hander
Looking at the exit of the corner we select out line and lean in
What we want to acheive initially is a constant throttle round the corner and a smooth sweeping motion -rather than a series of bites.
Again--You WILL stuff it up but you are not out to prove anything to anyone.You want to be a smoother more consistant rider.
I personally put little emphasis on how far you lean over on the tyre.
But for this exersize just mark a line from side to side of your tyres.
Youll be amased how much further you will lean the bike once you have mastered smooth cornering.
Speed is definitely NOT an issue here so ride at a comfortable pace

[justsomeguy]

I did include the bit about braking Frosty, but I seem to missed quite a few details.

I have added your notes on Braking and Cornering (including selecting lines)

Can someone put up some easy to understand info on countersteering next??

[justsomeguy]

The latest version of the draft:

Need some easy to understand info on countersteering next :

[scooterboy]

thanks you guys and girls am thinking of getting my first bike soon , learned afew things , most impotant i think is too have fun as little as posible (safety first) oyeah US spellcheck! if you look in the tool box theirs an english option

[Rainbow Wizard]

Braking. Mark a spot you want to stop by --maybe a lampost or maybe just mark a spot in chalk and make 100% sure that no matter what you will stop without hitting something (even potentially) etc.

I was going to post a new thread "Do I have to amputate my right leg/foot in order to stop braking le Voxan too hard on the rear?" but I did a search on the topic first (will that get me another merit point or two?) so as to not unnecessarily clutter the message boards. And yay, there it is, and only a day old too. Such synergy.

All very good advice XJ/Frosty, but I have just adjusted my mechanicals to help achieve the desired effect:
1) Foot brake now adjusted LOW so as to be less accessible and therefore encourage more front wheel braking (at least by default).
2) Front brake lever now modified to totally eliminate the free play and bring the lever a little closer to the handlebars.

On first test I now find I can front brake with one finger. Less freeplay also means less distance travelled before the brake forces a drop in speed. At 120k you travel more than 8 metres in a quarter of a second, and if any lever lag exists you WILL be compromised.

I'm sure looking forward to the Merkel training day on 14th Feb at Taupo. Any of you KB'ers want to add to the 12 to 18 of us intending to be there. Warning, you could end up being relieved of up to $250 for the privelege but word is it's well worth the money.

PM me if you want further info as I'm the organiser.