- This topic has 37 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 2 months ago by Ixecapade.
Bought my first bike today
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January 18, 2010 at 11:47 am #24060ddollarParticipant
What skills do u think certain people lack the make them unable to ride?? I took the MSF with some out of shape men and women in there 50s and most were able to ride with no problems, I don’t understand what you are saying.
January 18, 2010 at 2:41 pm #24061BouncingRadicalParticipantPlease do not speak in all caps.
Also, are you trying to start it in the cold. My KLX250s has the same carb and engine as the 250cc Ninja. They are a bitch to start in the cold. Have you had it for a while and this is new or did you just come into this bike and trying to fire it up. I usually keep the choke out till it reaches about 5k RPM when it is cold. If it has sat for awhile get some carb cleaner in the tank and drain the bowl on the carb if you have trouble starting. It is a little Allen screw on the bottom of carb. Again let it rev for a while with the choke when it is cold.
January 18, 2010 at 3:33 pm #24062Sean_DParticipantWell I don’t think he actually mentioned lacking skills. I won’t try to put words in the OP’s mouth, but I think for some people it is a mental thing. The eldest of my two sisters would be a good example of this. She purchased a scooter for herself with the intent of riding it downtown. She thought she would save gas and parking by commuting in what she thought would be a fun and fuel efficient way. As it turns out, the first time she took it outside her neighborhood and into traffic it terrified her. Now she takes it only around the neighborhood. She still says it scares her. Here is a case of someone who probably shouldn’t be riding.
Just read a forum post over the weekend. I can’t recall if it was here or elsewhere since I read a few. The poster purchased a used bike with almost no miles on it. Apparently the original purchaser bought the thing, rode it home, decided it wasn’t for her, and garaged it until the new buyer purchased it. Another case of someone who probably shouldn’t be riding and realized it.
January 18, 2010 at 3:57 pm #24063MunchParticipantSkills to lack….
Balance
Fear management
Stress management
Concentration on tasks at hand
Inability to quit texting
Visual (blind spots, legally blind, cataracts, tunnel vision etc) limitations
Hand, eye, feet coordinationJanuary 18, 2010 at 4:09 pm #24064IBA270ParticipantI think most people CAN ride. Here are some things, in no particular order that I’ve seen over the years that might “preclude” people from being safe riders:
1) Right mental attitude, which includes accepting and managing risk, understanding their respective personal limits, and accepting 100% responsiblity for everything that happens to them on a motorcycle. It sounds funny, but you will be safest on a motorcycle when believe that everything that occurs when you’re riding is YOUR responsibility. Otherwise, you’re toast.
2) Situational awareness. Part of this is described above, but there are a lot of things that are happening when you ride a motorcycle, and you need to be aware of all of them. Many people struggle with this..they can’t seem to process all of the information that they are revieving as they ride (or drive) and get into trouble because of this. If you know someone who has a lot of car accidents, whether it’s their fault or not, they might not be good candidates for motorcycling.
3) Coordination. Lack of coordination alone shouldn’t preclude someone from taking the class and learning, but the skills needed to safely operate a motorcycle are perishable. If you don’t right often enough, and you don’t practice ALL of your skills, EACH time you ride, then you’re going to get in trouble. If you lack the coordination neccesary to manipulate all of the controls, you’re going to have problems. Not everyone can dribble a basketball or play ping pong. Having said that, everyone SHOULD be able to learn, but then those who struggle the most must practice the most.
I can think of few physical limitations (legal blindness, paraplegics, quadraplegics) that would preclude a person from riding. I know of people with missing limbs for instance that ride, and I know of one who won a national flat track championship…with one arm!
Hope that helps…
January 18, 2010 at 7:03 pm #24065JackTradeParticipantare you keeping the choke out? As Bouncingradical says, carbed bikes can be very cold blooded and need time to warm up, esp. in the winter…you have to give it a fair amount of choke…or however one describes using it…maybe it’s *not* giving it choke, but you know what I mean.
Your owners manual should tell you, when using the choke, what rpm range to keep in the engine in while you’re using it.
Pull the choke out when you start it, and then gradually back it off to keep the rpms in that range as the bike warms up. Pretty soon, it’s all the way in and the bike is running fine.
January 18, 2010 at 7:36 pm #24066CBBaronParticipantNot from NY but my sister lives in Rochester so I’m familiar with the area. There is a huge difference between up-state and down-state(NYC) in NY. The suburban area around Rochester is pretty small and the area is pretty rural otherwise. And you are close to some pretty good riding in the Finger Lakes region and the other hilly regions nearby. The city is pretty small so its easy to get out of. Nothing like the urban areas of CA. Outside of a moderate rush hour traffic is usually not too bad.
However riding is more of a 6month thing in Rochester. It is the snowiest major city in the US!As for the 250r, I have an ’06. It has a surprising amount of power. Plenty to out accelerate all but the fastest cars from a stop and exceed any speed limit. It is pretty light and the fairings make it easy to be blown around but it is still very capable on the highway. Best part is they are cheap and readily available. Just about the most common bike out there. And insurance is cheap too.
Craig
January 30, 2010 at 8:58 pm #24291IxecapadeParticipantSkills to lack….
Balance
Fear management
Stress management
Concentration on tasks at hand
Inability to quit texting
Visual (blind spots, legally blind, cataracts, tunnel vision etc) limitations
Hand, eye, feet coordination^this
I’d be inclined to say its has as much to do with character flaws rather than skill sets-
Some things just come naturally to people than others also: I.E: my roommates a fighter- I’m not- I’m a dancer. Fighting comes naturally to her- she’s quick- has good judgment and lightening fast reflexes that traininly only enhances what comes naturally AND her character makes it a good fit. She’s agressive when she needs to be and confident but not overly assertive as a whole.
I’m agressive but in the wrong way and I don’t read people’s bodys well when they go on offensive and it gets me into trouble. I can on the other hand transmit emotion through dance where she has no ability for that- I have good balance and smooth transitions from one thing to the next.
Both of which take a lot of training to bring the best out- but we have characters that FIT what we do.
I suspect a lot of people don’t take all the factors into consideration.
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