Kham check this site out...

[RevHappy]

Here is a website that you should look through some good tips for group riding and riding style's
~Doug

http://www.joe250.com/ride/ride.htm

[Kham]

I don't know about advising all newbies to get scooters.

I have also been reading a lot of tips and tricks from websites like ezboard.com, cbr600f4.com, and sportriders.com. Lots of good advice.

What I really need is practice practice practice and play follow the leader, experience riders. I wish it's summer now.

[SVixxer]

Thanks for the site Revhappy. My wife will be starting her first riding season next summer and this site is right up her alley.

[ShredHed]

Originally posted by Kham
What I really need is practice practice practice and play follow the leader, experience riders.

If your bike runs okay, fits you, and you've got good gear, spend most of your bike money on rider training, and the rest on tools/manuals to learn how to adjust/maintain/fix it. Do lots of rider courses & track days to increase street and cornering skills.

Spend as much time leading as you do following, even (especially) if you feel uncomfortable leading. You only get a fraction of the benefit by following. You are forced to perform when leading and you'll get valuable feedback from the experienced riders behind you.
-Jack

[VinceF2]

Anyone catch the section about this guys bike and brand new leathers being stolen on Monday the 18th....

they took his bike (R1 I think), leathers and boom box from his truck...

ouch... I hate people who can't get their own shit so they grab someone elses....

I ain't rich but I manage to have a house and toys... GET A JOB YA FUCK!!!

I'm better now....

Cool site though... lot's O' info....

[Kham]

I just might quit all together. sounds like I need to spend everything I got on riding and the bike, which I dont have.

OK here's my goal. I'm not shooting to be a racer. I just need to be a good street riders, which includes safety issues. I consider myself very alert, but I won't overestimate.

I'm taking it step by step. I'm pretty comfortable riding at normal speed right now. I don't think I'll see the track any time soon, but does that mean I can't be good at cornering speed that I could feel the adrenalin rush coming off the highway ramp? ie. I understand the cornering posture, the entering speed, point of entry, the position of ball feet, the albow bent, shift your ass, did I miss anything? While there's more margin for error on track, but like I said I don't think I will see the track any time soon. For now I'll practice on street.

That first long ride I went with you guys, I was trying to practice shifting my ass off the seat and I know how it feels. I will try to get somebody to video taping my ass when I can.

oh and forget leading. I'm leading anybody as yet.

[Kham]

I reread your post and I think I misunderstood your point. Forget what I said ealier. sorry

[rui93]

Rev nice site. It had some cool stuff on there.....so are you ready for the snow.....

[RevHappy]

Glad some of you found the site informative,

Rui Ready for the snow geesh remember the ride..The snow hasnt left us! Its ok you southern guys get a mild winter
Time for some more mods to the bike I guess. cha ching....

[Joe250]

Originally posted by RevHappy
Glad some of you found the site informative,

Hey! That's my line!

Just dropped by to say thanks to RevHappy for mentioning my site.

I also wanted to encourage Kham. Sounds like you are new to riding and are eager to learn a lot. I started out a few years ago knowing nothing about motorcycles and with no experience of any kind. Luckily, fellow riders were there to assist me in getting up to speed. Looks like they are doing the same for you. Take advantage of it. And if you have the cash, I highly recommend doing a track school. They can really give you a lot of feedback in a controlled environment.

And I hope you don't think I recommend all new riders buy scooters I started small and I recommend others do the same for several good reasons I discuss on my site. If the F4i is your first bike, that's cool too. Of course you can and will still learn on a 600, you just have to be extra careful is all. As I said on my site, you can't enjoy riding if you're dead.

Anyways, good luck out there and if I can be of any assistance just let me know.

Joe250

[Kham]

I haven't read everything on your site yet, but I do understand the stuff I've read so far, such as the braking chart, the dynamic, lower body, etc. Once you understand it then you need to get a feel for it which I believe is call developing skill, which means practice anyway you can. I was hoping to get tips and advice here and there from the experience rider such as yourself and just go practice and not rushing myself into anything. If everyone I ask tells me to go take the advance class or go to the track, then what else can I say.

Thanks for all your advice.

[ShredHed]

Originally posted by Kham
You make it sound so hard... I just might quit all together. sounds like I need to spend everything I got on riding and the bike, which I dont have.

Whoa, I must have worded it wrong...most of my posts are off the cuff blurbs, I'll be more carefull next time. Don't want ya to go broke or lose interest in riding, Kham. You're obviously having a blast with this.

I was responding to your training, training, training, bit. Adding whatever suggestions I though might help. I have a lot of hobbies (too many, I'm told) and time spent on each is focused on "training". When I ride, I'm always working on better lines and smoother throttle. But training's what I get off on, that's all, and to me good training is many times uncomfortable. I try and drink a lot of water out of firehoses...ain't easy, but it's fun. Everyone has a different styles and motivations. Whatever it takes to keep the grin on your face, right?

Riding on the street has multiple variables that we have no control over. Riding on the track greatly reduces these variables and allows you to focus much more on rider technique on some pretty awesome twisties. Most well run trackday's have groups that don't like to race around. They work solely on technique in a non-competative environment. You'd be surprised at how much confidence you gain in just one day of this, and it's relatively cheap too. About as much money as a night out with your buddies(okay, maybe a hard-drinking night out...). Anyway, if you do an instructor led group, the instructor leads you around for a bunch of laps, showing [by example] the good lines and places to brake and accelerate. After doing this until you get it down, they'll ask you to lead for a lap or so. After your done with the "who me?" bit, you'll lead the group for a few. I guess it'll make more sense when you do it, but you'll see the benefit of having to think for yourself [while using what you've just learned] and find that you get another element out of leading that can't be learned by following. Nothin' to be intimidated about. The beauty of the track is that you can push it harder on good surfaces without worrying about drifting/sliding into a tree or oncoming traffic. But I'm getting redundant here, plenty of posts on this site about the benefits of the track.

However, NESR is about streetriders and folks have been riding the street for decades without a whiff of a trackday so it don't mean you gotta ride the track to improve, it just helps that's all.
If all you can spend on the bike is money for gas, then that's all any of us need to enjoy your company on the road.

Jeez, I've been babbling away up there, huh? Must be the coffee today....

Hey, whoever built that site RevHappy turned us onto did an awesome job!!!! Did ya see that Aprillia 50??? Damn, what a cool little ride that must be.
-Jack

[Kham]

now you're rushing me. Track sounds like much more fun.

OK I'm looking for advance class next year. How much will it cost me, ball park.

[rui93]

Joe250 as I mentioned nice site and welcome to the board......

[ShredHed]

Originally posted by Kham
Track sounds like much more fun.
OK I'm looking for advance class next year. How much will it cost me, ball park.

Don't worry about looking now, they'll pop up in the Spring. They're about 150-200 for the day. There are gear requirements though: over-the-ankle boots, gloves, full helmet, jacket, pants (usually you can get away with jeans, but I wouldn't want to be sliding across the pavement in 'em).

Better info is at trackday.com

BTW, we got a nice track up near Laconia, NH if you don't already know.

-Jack