briderdtNow I’ve got a LOT of road BIcycling experience (racing and road riding in traffic), and drive a stick, so I’ve got the “heads up” attitude along with an eye for the things that people can and often will do. I know how to work a clutch’s friction zone. So for me it’s a matter of translating how the bike turns/leans (a big difference between a 350+ lb motorcycle and a 17 lb bicycle) and getting comfortable with that. Yes, the throttle is touchy, and in that regard I wish that I could have started out with something that doesn’t respond quite as… fast? But I also spent the first two weeks (at least) never even venturing out onto the public roads. Just tooling around in a parking lot that’s less than a block away (on pretty much private roads). I’ve only had 4 rides out on the road. I start my MSF course on Monday.
I don’t think that it’s so much the displacement of the bike, or even the hp. I think it’s the ability of the rider to work the friction zone, be able to close it down when things start going a little quickly, and the attitude. Having that bicycling experience helps a lot, but I’m not deluding myself into thinking that it’s any kind of suit of armor.
