[jaydog19833]

If this could be a sticky, every noobie rider should read this:

This has to do with what people don't know until they ride a motorcycle:

-Road paint from crosswalks to centerlines are slippery; especially when wet.

-"Tar Snakes"..... that tar they use to fill in cracks in the road are very slippery.

-Always ride on the left side of your lane so an oncoming car doesn't turn left in front of you.

-(Perhaps this is preference) Casually weave back and forth going through intersections so oncoming and turning cars realize you are coming.

-Change your oil after the first 500 miles or pay the price later.

-Practice emergency braking before anythig else, becasue what good is going fast if you cannot stop?

-Never outride your headlight. If you cannot see whats ahead of you at night, you are going too fast.

-Put your feet down when learning to turn at very slow speeds.

-Take the MSF course.

-Yes a Ninja 500 and Suzuki GS500F are good beginner bikes.

-Protective clothing is as important as your bike, so plan on wearing quality leather gear if you still want to be you WHEN you crash.

-And last but not least, please drive responsibly because I hate reading about all the rockets that crashed going 130MPH+. Also I hate looking for the cheapest insurance because people need to drive mach3 and kill a childs mother as she pulls out of her dirveway. And most importantly respect yourself, your bike and the people around you because this sport is much more serious than most people portray.

(If anyone else has anything to add please do)

 

[Madura]

No one worth impressing is impressed with stunting on the road. In fact, that guy you just buzzed may recognize you when you show up for a job interview.

 

[Bluejeans]

Tire pressure matters. Know how and when to check it, then check it frequently, and even MORE frequently when it's cold outside.

 

[GIXXER-Mike]

Bluejeans
Ready for Track Days


Joined: 23 Aug 2004
Posts: 161
Location: Maine
Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 11:31 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tire pressure matters. Know how and when to check it, then check it frequently, and even MORE frequently when it's cold outside.

Good 'ern 'cause I just got a new rear put on. Now my front & back have different manufacturers & of course different psi's.

 

[inspiron]

ALWAYS do a safety check before getting on the bike - check the fluid levels, tire pressure and make sure nothing is loose.

Don't forget to clean and lube your chain every 300 to 400 miles, and also check and adjust the chain tension.

 

[Guest]

why does it have to be noobies? can't it just be novice riders?

 

[Drake]

I recall being told to not put my foot down at all when learning slow turns. The MSF guys wanted us to focus on feeling the balance of our bike and not being tempted to use the crutch of our foot. If you have issues with your balance, then riding (especially a motorcycle) is probably not a good idea for you. This is why it's a good idea to learn on a light small bike so you can get the feel for what's involved with slow speed turning. It's especially advantageous to learn with the MSF bikes because if you drop it, it's not yours!

 

[inspiron]

I've read in several posts about doing slow manoevers with your feet down, but in my opinion, the jury is still out on this one.

In the Hough book, he recommends to leave your feet on the pegs, since putting your feet down can have a negative effect on the center of gravity and cause you to have more balance problems.

Since my bike is pretty heavy (over 550 lbs), I don't think that I could prevent it from going down even if my feet are on the ground. The result would be that I would not only scratch the bike, but I would also burn my leg on the pipe and break it under the weight of the bike. If it's on the peg, I have less chance of it getting caught under the bike when it goes down.

The only way to prevent this is to learn to handle the bike in slow situations, how to work with the throttle, clutch and front and rear brakes to prevent the bike from going south to begin with. And the best way to learn that is to take the MSF course and drop their bikes, not yours.

Sometimes, the gods will sneak up behind you and yell "boo" just to see if you're paying attention. Last week, I was doing a U-turn in a residential neighborhood, and didn't give it enough gas, so right in the middle of the turn, the engine died. Since I've gained some experience in the past years of riding, I was able to squeeze the clutch and hit the starter again before the bike went down. No damage (except to my nerves) ... and the sound of the gods laughing their a$$es off behind me.

 

[themeatmanlandry]

Some interesting takes on the 'feet down' theory.

I put my feet down when I feel uncomfortable making the turn. Ideally, I should be concentrating on putting my weight on the outside peg/leaning out, but sometimes, I feel a little nervous, so I just put my feet down and make the turn granny-style (duck-walk, whatever).

For me, it depends on how confident I'm feeling at the time. If I've just gotten on the bike, or if I've just logged 150 miles without getting off, I feel stiff and underconfident, so I use my feet. Other times, I take advantage of the confident feel to the situation and practice doing it the right way.

What it boils down to, for me, is not dropping the bike. I don't care how I look (ever seen ap picture of me? . . . then you know what I mean. )

 

[rteichman]

My view on the feet down thing:

In the MSF they insist you keep you feet on the pegs because if you let them down during the test its an automatic failure (in PA), regardless of if you do everything else right.

After droping my bike a couple of times, I now keep my feet down when turning and going slow. By slow I mean less than 1 MPH. I feel there is slow and then there is SLOW. I have no problems with turns at slow speeds, but when making a U turn in a parking lot, especially one with gravel and uneven paving, I now keep my legs down. Usually, I would duck walk this manuver so my feet would be down anyway, but sometimes, I like to have the bike do some of the work!

 

[jaydog19833]

This sounds like one of those "nobody knows why, but you're not supposed to" situations.

I can turn around in the street with my feet up but I don't see the reason why I can't put em down. I wouldn't burn my leg or whatever and it feels more controlled.

Now turning around in my gravel driveway is a different story. I HAVE to put my feet down for that. Its so uneven and you need to gas harder for the bumbs...why risk tipping over when you can just drop your inside foot?

Oh well, the MSF here wanted us to learn no footed but we could if we felt the need. He said the no foot down was not necessary but practicing with no feet makes you better anyways; which is true.

 

[Clint]

Of course there are situations that require a foot down, but if you're duck-walking at a walking pace or faster, that's a good indication that you need to practice low-speed riding, and you may need to ask someone how to do it.

 

[wafflehouse]

if you use proper clutch and throttle control

putting a foot down is almost never needed

like rowdy said some situations require it but

in normal riding conditions no matter how slow you dont have to

with more riding experience everyone can keep feet on pegs

its safer than relaying on it or having it be your first reaction

-wafflehouse

 

[inspiron]

The one time that my instructor recommended to put my foot down while moving was to check the road surface ... sometimes when riding you see a strip of pavement where you can't tell if it has loose gravel on top or is all solid. He recommended when moving straight ahead to put my foot down lightly to get addtional feedback if the surface is loose or not, since my boot will give better feedback than my tires.

I've never tried this, but it seems to make sense. Until now, I've been able to spot the loose gravel without having to use my foot for additional input.

 

[Novaz23]

:roll: slow speed riding erghhhh!!!!!!!!! I always figured if you make a slow turn with your feet down, are your feet being down more for balance or for support in case the bike leans to far left or right? Also if its not for balance wouldnt the wieght of the bike falling over crush your legs?

 

[GIXXER-Mike]

soad
Stunted rider


Joined: 03 Jun 2004
Posts: 1035
Location: Detroit, MI
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 7:03 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
why does it have to be noobies? can't it just be novice riders?

'Cause you skilled riders already know this :shock: :lol: :mrgreen: !