89macrunner

HOLY CRAP its a LOT harder than i expected....going in a straight line..thats easy...of course i never took it out of first (haha)

I have a 1993 Yamaha Seca II XJ600....it only has 50hp but its sooooo hard to go slow on the thing.....and neutral is really hard to find.


i almost dropped it but its not that heavy of a bike so i caught it because i was going really slow...


Anyways i need to go to a parking lot with my dad and get some just basics finished...i do need brake pads all around, a battery, and fork seals....not a big deal though.


Any tips for new riders would be GREAT! pics will come a little bit later today when i get home.

Elton

yep i love riding my motorcycle to its fun once u get the hang of it

89macrunner

MODS: i didnt even realize i put this in tech....if you could toss this into offtopic that would be great thanks!

yotaluver

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMIT. i'm a firefighter an i wuz up for a couple hours last nite at a bike crash. the guy pretty much needs a new face an he landed in the grass. if he had been wearing a helmit he prolly woulda been up walkin around when we got there he woulda been hurt but not neer as bad. don't let that scare you into not rideing just scare you into wearing a helmit. i have a Yamaha R1 and i love that thing but u aint gonna catch me w/o a helmit. oh and a riding jacket with pads iz good too and gloves. have fun on that bike man an i wanna c the pics.
-Jeff

89macrunner

Yep i dont have a helmet yet (wore my dads today) but between me and my dad we have several riding jackets for all diffrent kinds of weather; and the pants to go with them...and lots of gloves....Pics wil lbe up in a few hours

dwh91102

coming from a guy thats had bikes since i was 4, just my honest opinon. Get a dirt bike first, and get plenty of practice. The road is the worst place to ride even for the most seasoned rider, very dangerous out there. Not just yourself making a mistake, but the old lady that didn't see you and pulls out in front of you. I,m not trying to be down on you, but I've had best friend never rode a bike in his life and he went out and got a zx6, wrecked it 3 times and the last one he didn't walk away from it. Just be very carefull and it takes some time to learn the physics of a bike. Always always wear a helmet and have fun.

mytruck

You will soon find on a street bike that it doesn't turn like you might expect.
To turn at anything above parking lot speed, you need to turn the bars in the OPPOSITE direction than you want to go.
Example: To follow a right-hand curve in the road, you should gently push on the right hand bar, gently pull on the left, while leaning to the right. The bike will respond effortlessly, and follow the road to the right.
If you try turning the bars in the actual direction you intend to go (remember, we're talking about highway speed...not slow parking lot speed), the bike will not allow you to lean into the turn; you will have problems that might include trying to pick a guard rail out of your teeth.
While I never got so much as a scratch on my street bike (1981 Suzuki GS1100EX), I almost crashed it a couple of times until I read an article that talked about this steering issue. After that, with some practice, I found out what that bike could REALLY do. Fast is an understatement.

Be safe.
Jim

justinh

I don't know if i am following exactly what you are saying or if i am just not reading it right. I don't see how "turning" the bars in the opposite direction will help you get around the corner, however, i do see how pushing down on one side of the bars and pulling up on the other side of the bars can help you lean the bike into the turn. but if you physically try to turn the bars in the opposite direction you are trying to go it just seems like a quick receipe to high-side.

also, when i was first learning to ride i found it much easier to turn left than right, i have heard many theories regarding why it is much easier to turn left on a bike but don't know if any of them are valid. anyway, i would practice right hand corners a lot so that you are comfortable taking them at speed.

MeinPappa

Out here in California, the CC Rider courses (offered by the Motorcycle Saftey Foundation and endorsed by the CHP are great for beginner street riders and also offer a way out of the practical exam at the DMV for your class M1 license endorsement as well as an insurance discount w/ most reputable companies. I think their number is still 800/CC-RIDER and they offer classes in all states (I'm just not sure about other benefits). Find a class and book it. You'll learn everything you need to first mount up and be safe.

Once you've been on the road a few months, pick up a copy of A Twist of the Wrist by Kieth Code to help yourself get beyond the basics. The book is geared for those who want to ride track but it offers invaluable advice and techniques for street riders too. It explains very well the difference between your instincts and the right thing to do. A lot of rider's instincts get them laid up.

One more thing, pick yourself up a helmet - I know you say you have your fathers but a poor fitting helmet is almost as bad as no helmet at all.

Stay safe and keep it rubber side down.

MeinPappa

Once you reach a certain speed, gyroscopic forces take over and your attempts to turn the wheel will actually cause the motorcycle to lean. What you would normally do at low speed will actually cause the opposite to occur at high speed. As you attempt to turn the wheel to the left you will push out with your right arm, which will actually cause the motorcycle to lean to the right.

Cornering at speed occurs because of the shape of your tire. As you push on the right bar, and lean to the right, your motorcycle will turn to the right w/o any alteration in the angle of attack of your front wheel. This is because the center section of your tires have a larger diameter than it's sides. As you lean the motorcycle over and make contact with both the center and sides (not sidewall), this difference in diameter between the center and outer sections of your tire force the motorcycle to carve out a turn. It's all physics.

89macrunner

this i have a great feel for already...leaning isnt a problem with me...but of course im not going to go out and go crazy at first...i wont be hitting the rode for awhile...

im gonna stick to parkinglots till im really comfortable...and ill keep gowing from there

and about safety equipment...my dad's helmet fits me PERFECTLY...

ill get one eventually...im broke right now

shazaam

awesome ... when I started riding I had no experience at all. I went to B&N and read the first few chapters in two books, then went and picked up my bike and practised in the parking lot for 10 min and then hit the street and then hit 495 (one of the worst highways in the country) and road it home. It was such an awesome experience to be riding.

I went on a great 400 mile ride today as well up in the hills of fredrick, MD, and west Va. It's a great source of stress release for me. And always wear gear, jacket and helmet is good, but look into getting full leathers, and riding boots

Elton

ok heres some good advice be very carefell at night and the rain i had to ride my bike in the rain with bald tires not fun o and deer if u have any there my mom wrecked her 2004 H-D VROD a deer ran out in front of her she put it in a ditch well 6k will get it fixed

Yamaha+Toyota=Fun

i say buy a dirtbike instead....

but thats just me

justinh

push down or out? the physics makes sense if you mean push down on the bar, the downward force applied to the top of the par would cause the bike to lean to the right. now if you mean steering the bike to the left by pushing the right bar forward then you lost me

whichever, it is, the only time i ever wrecked was the very first time i tried to turn a dirtbike when i was 11, the same laws of physics don't apply to vehicles on two wheels as 4 wheels (I grew up on 4wheelers), i found that out the hardway into the side of an f-250 at my dad's carlot after that i was a quick learner i guess.

streetbikes are great, i learned to ride on an intruder that my dad had at the time and my first bike was a cbr929rr, ripping on that thing through the twisties in the north GA mountains was the most "spiritual" feeling i have ever had. i miss it so much.

Elton

i been riding dirt bikes for 5 years i have had my motorcycle safety program course i did that almost 3 years ago

MeinPappa

You will push on the right bar just as though you were attempting to make it turn to the left. That will cause it to lean. There is very little you, as a rider, will be able to do to counteract the force of those two massive gyroscopes you sit between. I know it sounds counter intuitive but the first time you have the bike up over 30, you'll get the feel.

My first bike was an '87 Honda Interceptor I bought when it was 9 years old. Smooth power, great handling, and pretty tame rider-position. I loved riding, catching the smells (when they were pleasant) of the area around me (I had a strawberry patch near one of the freeways I used to take) and the general additional exposure to the world around me. Even enjoyed riding in the rare So Cal rain. I also really liked the fact I could move through traffic when everyone else was sitting still.

Alright, that's enough. If I continue to wax nostalgic I'll wind up buying a bike again and that would be bad for the finances.