Another Hornet - The swarm grows!

[NOMIS]

Actually that's true... At 149kg dry I suppose it is not that heavy a bike, but it is to me! I had a hard time trying to pick it up when I dropped it. I also find balancing the bike at 10km/hr traffic jam speeds a wee bit tough, and had to stick both legs out like training wheels

Maybe give that basic handling practise ago straight line 10m 17 seconds or what ever you have to do you should be able to come in to trafic idling with ur hand slightli on clutch and brake and roll no problems slow as hell and still keep your balance.

Just keep practising, And how much do you weigh man im 68kg and i can pick my bike up no sweat,

[KelvinAng]

Oh my, sounds like you need to practice some slow speed manoeuvres in a car park for a few hours (it's actually easier to keep the bike balanced if you keep your feet up on the pegs and keep looking up), and get to the gym, if I (*cough* a woman) can pick up my 190+ kg Hornet you should be able to pick yours up (hint: there is a technique to it).

I guess I should drop my bike a few more times (gently on the lawn, that is) and get some practise there! Had seen the youtube video posted here some time ago on how to pick up the bike after a drop, but it's not working well for me (not that I tried for very long, though, as helpful people seem to be everywhere and they came by to give me a hand).

I'm mostly alright with that slow 10m ride thing during basic handling or on my lil' ol'hornet. I stick my legs out more of a preventive measure actually, in case I lose my balance or wasn't concentrating enough... but more than once already my legs came in useful for correcting my balance. On my wee little scooter that I used to have for months I didn't need to do this, and never felt the need to do this as a precaution. Guess I'm just not used to the lil ol'hornet enough?

I'm 1.7m 72kg (hmm maybe more nowadays due to yummy Coupland's pies). The lil' ol'hornet felt a wee bit tall for me though both feet usually can touch the ground flat (depending on which pair of jeans or leathers I wear).

[Trudes]

Practice practice practice, you will become more confident with the weight of the bike and the general feel of its balance points the more you handle it and ride it. Always remember also to look up at where you want to go, as soon as you look down you'll get the wobbles. Good luck, you'll get there!!

[gijoe1313]

Its just a matter of becoming more familiar with your little ol'hornet, more riding helps and just the everyday use will enable you to become more in tune with your ride.

The little ol'hornet is a very responsive machine and it does what you tell it to do, good drills to do is to find a carpark with those painted lines at an angle, and practise riding between them and making a turn and doing a slow zig zag between them.

This improves your handling confidence and slow speed skills, just remember to keep turning your head, look to where you want to go, and keep your head up.

Funnily enough, I find this drill harder to do on my Big Ol'Hornet

Keep at it!

[KelvinAng]

Yeah after riding the lil' ol'hornet for a month she definitely felt easier to handle, but I guess still not spending enough time with her. It's been about 1000 kms so far but most of the time it's straight, speedy roads, not twisties. She's real nice on the straights. I read about other learner-legal bikes struggling or vibrating too much on motorways etc but the lil' ol'hornet sure is taking it easy.

In the last month I've developed a riding pattern, not sure if it's a "good" or "bad" habit. Town commuting, I tend to get up to 4th gear, 4-5k rev, travelling 40-50km/hr. I found this to be quite good, quiet, and... fuel-saving On the open road pootling sessions she goes top gear (6th), 8-9k rev, 100-110km/hr.

Nope, no magical 10k rev is reached often... and really there's no need for it (unless overtaking on the motorway )

[Badger8]

I guess I should drop my bike a few more times (gently on the lawn, that is) and get some practise there! Had seen the youtube video posted here some time ago on how to pick up the bike after a drop, but it's not working well for me (not that I tried for very long, though, as helpful people seem to be everywhere and they came by to give me a hand).

Eat some more pies, and hit the gym
I find she's still light enough that i can pick up the back end and swing it around when trying to wiggle it into the small space in the garage if needed. Havent dropped her yet, so not sure how heavy they are to get upright again.

In the last month I've developed a riding pattern, not sure if it's a "good" or "bad" habit. Town commuting, I tend to get up to 4th gear, 4-5k rev, travelling 40-50km/hr. I found this to be quite good, quiet, and... fuel-saving On the open road pootling sessions she goes top gear (6th), 8-9k rev, 100-110km/hr.

Nope, no magical 10k rev is reached often... and really there's no need for it (unless overtaking on the motorway )

You'll find that's 5th gear you're in round town there... 5th matches pretty well with the speed (i.e. 4k revs = 40 kph, 5k revs = 50k, works fairly well up to 100kph ) i tend to sit in 4th or 5th at 50-60k, dependent upon what the traffic is like. Just be aware if you need to twist the throttle to escape and do it from under about 6k revs, she will be a lot slower.

You'll get the feel of her more and more as you spend more time on her. Try to get out of town for a good long ride, you'll find it boosts your confidence a lot more than the equivelant time in short burst around town

[KelvinAng]

You'll find that's 5th gear you're in round town there... 5th matches pretty well with the speed (i.e. 4k revs = 40 kph, 5k revs = 50k, works fairly well up to 100kph ) i tend to sit in 4th or 5th at 50-60k, dependent upon what the traffic is like. Just be aware if you need to twist the throttle to escape and do it from under about 6k revs, she will be a lot slower.

You'll get the feel of her more and more as you spend more time on her. Try to get out of town for a good long ride, you'll find it boosts your confidence a lot more than the equivelant time in short burst around town

Oh yes... I mean to say I ride in 4th... between 4-5k revs most of the time, and travelling between 40-50km/hr (if travelling 50km, probably the revs are near 6k). Before that, I rode in 3rd... with the engine revving between 6-8k revs, sometimes reaching near 10k. She sounds like she's going really fast, but there is no wind, and a peek at the speedo shows "50km". My puny brain couldn't process this conflict of information...

[Badger8]

Oh yes... I mean to say I ride in 4th... between 4-5k revs most of the time, and travelling between 40-50km/hr (if travelling 50km, probably the revs are near 6k). Before that, I rode in 3rd... with the engine revving between 6-8k revs, sometimes reaching near 10k. She sounds like she's going really fast, but there is no wind, and a peek at the speedo shows "50km". My puny brain couldn't process this conflict of information...

yer, 7k revs = 60kph, so sittin about 50-55 is good in 4th most of the time i find. Still enough zip to nip round munters in cages, without wringin the tits off her. Gives you a better feel for the speed too, as you say

[Choco]

And stay away from the Hornet modding thread! It's evil, I tell ya! Evil!

Muahahahaha!

I cruise around town in 3rd or 4th. Mine makes weird ticking noises at low RPM and I like it when its a bit more responsive at 6k+.

Oh and want some fun? ride around the middle of town in first gear Yay for 10k+