Favorite tips for newbies

[stoinkythepig]

Suspect it's been done before but I thought a thread for experienced folks to share their favorite riding tips with less experienced folks would be a good idea.

I'm buy no means an expert rider but here are some of my favorite tips:

Keep your elbows loose and bent
Don't have a death grip on the bars
Look as far as you can see around each corner
Concentrate on breathing while cornering

I've got more but don't want to monopolize the thread (assuming mine won't be the only post).

[benVFR]

Practice emergency braking once or twice each time you go out on a ride by yourself.

Don't do it in the middle of a group ride.

[RSVMILLE661]

Look where you want to go. (use taget fixation to your advantage)

Be easy on throttle transitions. (smooth not abrupt)

if the corner suddenly decreases its radius push harder on the bar. It will turn. (Counter steering and trusting your tires)

Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly. (stay with in your own limits)

[NHViffer]

Good thread:

Countersteering, countersteering, countersteering...having this skill as second nature has saved my skin when it require me to react without thinking.

Although it is opposite of joe-racer, go-fast thinking, take the outside of corners when riding on the street. This allows: 1) Seeing more through the corner, 2) Staying farther away from the center of the road when that cage comes around the opposite direction half in your lane! I think that I heard that lane obstacles/sand are more likely toward the inside, also.

Drive within your limits...don't necessarily try to keep up with the crowd. Your bike may be able to do it, but the skills and psychology to do might not be there yet.

If a dog chases out at you let off, then roll back on. The dog will tighten his approach for the slowing bike, then when you accelerate it will not be able to compensate.

Be aware of your own visibility. Look ahead of the traffic and position yourself so that cages pulling out can see you.

On the highway use lane position to help be seen. I drive the Everett Tpk everday and consciously do four things: 1) Drive just a little faster than traffic 2) be aware of the cage blind spots -and don't ride there 3) I like to position myself close to the dotted line (lane divider) - this way I tend to be visible in the cages mirrors longer - also it to me is a more aggressive "in your face" position that makes the cage drivers think twice about cutting me off.

Cold tires = bad!

That's about all I can think of right now. Maybe a book is in order?

[NHViffer]

Here's one:

Ride once in a while with people who have been sportbiking for 20+ years and learn all that you can. 2nd hand experience is valuable.

[Matt K]

haha, I love it when dogs come out after me, all barking and shit... hit the clutch and give it a quick blast up to like 12K scares the crap out of 'em, ain't no dog that can bark THAT loud (go kerker go) It works almost every timew, and there are like 4 dogs in my neighborhood that ALWAYS run along when I go by their yards..

[scootertrash]

- A lot of bike accidents happen at intersections. I bet a lot of them are not the riders fault. Always assume there is some old Q-tip (or young punk, etc) that doesn't see you. Assume that someone will run the stop sign, or run a red light. Look both ways even if you have the right of way. Be mentally prepared to hit the brakes hard at every major intersection.

- Pick your fights. Some loser in a cage may cut you off, but a 500 pound bike mixing it up with a 3000 pound cage is not good. You will lose if the cage driver doesn't back down, and you will get hurt a lot worse than he will. If you feel the need, follow him until he stops somewhere and then have it out with him.

[bemused]

some good stuff above... here are a couple that occur to me:

- re: lane position... if I'm slabbing it, I usually line myself up so I can see the face of the driver in front of me in one of his/her mirrors. that doesn't guarantee that they'll look in the mirror & see me, but it increases the odds...

- practice smoooooooth. when I first tried to go fast, it was choppy, dangerous, and scared the hell outta me. after I concentrated on smooth shifting / braking / transitions... faster was a lot more fun (as well as a helluva lot safer).

- assume that anybody (or critter) you see out there will do the stupidest imaginable thing, or the thing that will do you the most damage. MSF teaches something like this, too. if you assume the worst, you can prepare for it & get surprised a lot less.

- clock a bunch of empty-parking-lot time, especially starts / stops. when you're stopped in traffic w/ a soccer mom backing her rig out of the driveway directly in your direction, you wanna be sure that you can scoot away w/out stalling. or emergency stop w/out locking up.

- practice swerving while commuting... nothin' but droning on behind the cage in front of you? pick a rock or a stain or something in the road ahead and swerve around it as though it was an obstacle you HAD to miss. will come in handy some day, guaranteed

(it'll also increase the distance the SUV behind you will give you, 'cuz they'll think you're crazy )

[bemused]

oh... and resist the temptation to give that little hottie a ride until you're really comfortable on the bike. riding w/ a passenger ain't that hard... but it requires that you be familiar w/ how the bike handles before you throw another body on it...

[Gangsta SV]

only thing I got is . .

Watch for pot holes
and
Don't give too much gas in corners


I've only been riding for 1 years so Thats it . .

[ShredHed]

Nice thread, can't resist:

- Slow is smooth and smooth is fast! (Throttle, Brake, and Steering)

- Maintain posture and initiate movement with your gut and lower back (If your hands are numb and elbows locked, you ain't doing it).

(the following tip stirred some controversy; it could be mis-interpreted by traffic as flashing the high beams telling them to go/turn, or mistaken as a blinker, so use with caution if you choose to try it!!)
- At busy intersections with oncoming traffic, flash high/low beams a couple times to attract attention (or any time you come upon a left-hand turner in opposing lane). Loud pipes, engines, and clutches don't always do it.

- When it's time to look at new components to lighten your bike, do yourself an even better mod and lose some weight off your ass.

Cheers,
-Jack

[FazerChic]

Here's a great site for more info too....

Beginner Bikes

[beet]

Originally posted by T-595 Greg
don't forget...

"take the MSF course"
it won't make you an instant expert, but it will give you a fighting chance on the road.

& you sure need a fighting chance on the road

[NHViffer]

Originally posted by ShredHed
pipes, engines, and clutches don't always do it.

OK, please tell me about loud clutches???

Also, I am leary about flashing lights - people often mistake that for a signal that you are waiving right-of-way. Then they procede to pull out right in front

[ShredHed]

Originally posted by NHViffer
OK, please tell me about loud clutches???

The dry one's, especially when the kook who owns it throws on a "vented" clutch cover (who, me?)

Also, I am leary about flashing lights - people often mistake that for a signal that you are waiving right-of-way. Then they procede to pull out right in front

Good point, although I only flash it a couple times and I got no rhythm so I don't worry much about that mistake...

[beet]

saved my ass more then once "jefffffff" " smooooooooth " ya cant drive a sport bike like a jerk . get it!

[FazerChic]

Oh yeah....don't be an idiot and talk on the cell phone while riding. I've actually seen this happen MORE THAN ONCE!!!

[benVFR]

Originally posted by NinjaChic
Oh yeah....don't be an idiot and talk on the cell phone while riding. I've actually seen this happen MORE THAN ONCE!!!

If you're going to that you are doomed to crash anyway but I can add these that I've seen:

- Don't smoke when you ride (Lots of Harley guys do this to look bad-ass.)

- Don't drink and ride @ the same time

- Don't take pictures and ride at the same time. (Yep seen this too)

- Don't take your dog on the bike with you. Talk about cruel.

[NHViffer]

Here's one:

You have 100% traction (if conditions are perfect). If you use 80% in a corner, then attempt to get another 50% for breaking....you are mathematically in trouble!

[Degsy]

1. Every get-off is optional. Every parking job is mandatory.

2. If you push the bars left, the bike goes right. If you push the bars
right, the bike goes left. That is, unless you continue pushing the bars
all the way, then the bike will go down.

3. Riding isn't dangerous. Crashing is dangerous.

4. It's always better to be on the sidelines wishing you were on the
track than on the track wishing you were on the sidelines.

5. The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

6. The rear wheel is just a big fan on back of the bike used to keep the rider cool and his butt relaxed. If going into a corner too fast, slamming on the rear brake causes the "fan" to abruptly stop. When this happens you can actually see the rider start sweating and butt become tense.

7. When in doubt, slow down. No one has ever hit something too slow.

8. A 'good' ride is one from which you can walk away. A 'great' ride is
one after which you can use the bike again.

9. Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to
make all of them yourself.

10. You know you've left the sidestand down when all left turn are Bat-turns. You know you've left the centerstand down when your in 1st gear at 4000 rpm going nowhere.

11. When traction is sparse, the falling down is inversely
proportional to the angle of lean. Large angle of lean, small
probability of falling down and vice versa.

12. Never let an motorcycle take you somewhere your brain didn't get to three seconds earlier.

13. Stay out of fog, The tailights you are following may be a Winnebago parked in the middle of the road. Reliable sources also report that eighteen wheel trucks, large SUV's and deer have been known to hide out in fog.

14. Always try to keep the number of times you put your parking stand down equal to the number of times you put the parking stand up.

15. There are two simple rules for riding smoothly and fast in
snow and on ice. Unfortunately no one knows what they are.

16. You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.

17. Cars can't make turns; they're just so heavy the road doesn't have enough strength to throw all of them off, (but it tries, watch).

18. If all you can see in your mirrors is sparks and all you can hear is screaming from your passenger, things may not be as they should be.

19. In the ongoing battle between objects made of metal, rubber and fiberglass going 100+ miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose. Same holds for cars, large trucks, and animals taller than you. Draws don't count.

20. Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.

21. It's always a good idea to keep the headlight end going forward and the tires below you as much as possible.

22. Keep looking around. There's always something you've missed.

23. Remember, gravity and centrifical force are not just a good ideas. They're laws and are not subject to repeal.

24. The two most useless things to a rider are the braking distance behind you and nine-tenth of a second ago.

[bemused]

degs, you nutter... you fuckin' kill me

all true, tho... esp. like #23

[need4speed]

When you ride, assume that everyone is out to get you.

[RandyO]

DON"T freak out if you slide a little, continue to do what you are doing smoothly.... ride on a gravel road occasionally will help in getting use to momentarly losing traction

[need4speed]

Originally posted by RandyO
DON"T freak out if you slide a little, continue to do what you are doing smoothly.... ride on a gravel road occasionally will help in getting use to momentarly losing traction

You'll also get use to the pucker affect as well.

[SV1KScott]

- At busy intersections with oncoming traffic, flash high beams multiple times to attract as much attention as possible (or any time you come upon a left-hand turner in opposing lane).

I would agree that all the people that flash there lights at me when I'm at an intersection in my truck are telling me to go ahead and so far that's 100%
Now if I'm riding my bike and I flash my lights at an intersection I'm tell them to go ahead. Not unless I'm stopped and I want them to go.
I don't want to test this theory on my bike moving.