- This topic has 11 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 7 months ago by owlie.
Former lurker in San Diego, California
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September 9, 2009 at 5:21 am #3410chipshotParticipant
Hello everyone!
Just joined after about a month of lurking. Really like the site and the support for beginners here. I enjoy viewing elwood’s videos quite a bit.
I took a beginners course about a month ago at a local motorcycle school, and just completed my MSF course this weekend. I now own a candy plasma blue 2007 vulcan 900 custom, despite the fact that I really did consider a used 250cc for my first bike. I agree with all of the points made here about why a 250cc is a better choice for learning, but I could never find one that fit me comfortably. I was getting leg cramps from shifting on the little 250cc’s in the classes I took, just not enough leg room for me.
Two things that I really learned over the last month were how important the head turn is in cornering, and feathering the clutch in slow speed maneuvers. I ski alot, and cornering is really similar to skiing the bumps in my opinion. Look through the turn, reach out with the downhill hand (just like countersteering) and increase the speed (roll on the throttle) as your lower body follows around. I know it’s not the same, but that analogy really helped me understand how to do it so it isn’t as scary now as it was at first.
Anyways, just wanted to say thanks to all those involved with keeping this site going, it really has been a great resource while I have been getting introduced to this fantastic sport. I keep kicking myself for waiting this long! Tomorrow is my first ride to work on my bike, I’m stoked! Later!
September 9, 2009 at 9:49 am #22257MunchParticipantAlthough a bit big for a starter…. good choice in bike. I have the Classic LT version. Sat it beside a custom the other day man I did not realize how skinny the customs front tires are.
Welcome to the site. Keep us updated on your progress!!
oh and pics…we need pics!September 10, 2009 at 3:00 am #22265owlieParticipantWelcome to the site. Glad to hear your enjoying your new bike! Good luck on your ride tomorrow.
September 10, 2009 at 5:14 am #22275chipshotParticipantI agree, it is larger than I wanted to start on. The weight difference from the 125’s and 250’s I learned on is substantial. However, the throttle is really easy, so I don’t feel like the bike is just going to take off on me. That, and I haven’t felt cramped at all, so overall I’m really happy. After I had to rule out the 250’s I saw the Vulcan 500 review and looked for one of those, but they can’t sell them in California! The closest used one was 100 miles away in LA. So I looked at some other Vulcans and the custom was a nice fit at a really nice price. $5000 with only 2000 miles on it and no damage. I do wonder how that skinny tire is going to track in grooves, but I haven’t tried to find out.
So, I took my first ride to work today, and had one driver try to run me off the road. I was in the center lane on an overpass, and there was an off-ramp from the freeway merging into the right lane. A school bus was merging over, and it had a trail of cars behind it. The SUV immediately behind it and next to me swerved right over and into me in my lane. Probably suffering road rage from having to follow the slow school bus. I braked hard because there was a line of cars on my left and I didn’t think I could swerve over. I even tried hitting the horn, but I pressed the blinker instead, so my horn was late. The driver looked back and waved to me, then shot ahead in front of the school bus and immediately turned right! They couldn’t wait the extra few seconds behind the bus. Oh well. At the very next light, I was still thinking about it and stalled on my start (I never do that). The drivers around me probably thought I was a goner and soon. High drama on my first ride to work. I hope that doesn’t happen every day. Next time I’m going to move all the way over to the left lane before I hit that overpass.
I’ll get some pics, but I don’t have a working camera at the moment, and the ones I took with my cell phone aren’t coming out well enough to post up. I’d love to show it though. I really like that blue color.
September 10, 2009 at 6:58 pm #22287eonParticipantThat drama will be an everyday occurrence but you are already anticipating it and thinking of ways to avoid it. Soon you will barely notice these things as you are avoiding them before they develop into a potential situation.
Welcome to the world of 2 wheels
September 13, 2009 at 7:59 am #22322chipshotParticipantWoke up early this morning and took a ride up the coast highway from San Diego to Oceanside. It’s a really easy ride, no twisties, but lots of stops through the coastal towns. It was actually pretty educational, because of all the stop and go, my gear shifts became totally automatic. They used to be a bit of a thought experiment, but by the end of the ride it all became muscle memory. The road goes right along the coast at some points, then heads into the towns for a bit, and back to the coast, and you ride right by Torrey Pines Golf course at the end in San Diego. I probably spent a little too much time looking at the water, but man that was fun. Felt like, well, I don’t know how to describe it, but I know I had an ear-to-ear smile the whole time.
I’m also playing a game with manhole covers in the streets where I swerve around them, but I don’t do it in traffic. At one point, I was swerving around one and came upon a large spring in the road mid-swerve. Swerved around that too! I got the idea from one of my MSF instructors who says he does that to keep sharp. Also said it saved his life one time when he swerved around one in Mexico that didn’t have a cover! Yikes!
I love motorcycling.
September 16, 2009 at 1:05 am #22352chipshotParticipantThanks Munch, owlie and eon for the welcome! Forgot to say that before…but I hope it’s never too late to say thanks!
So today I rode into the DMV with my learner’s permit and MSF certificate, and left with my full M1 motorcycle license. That means freeways, night driving and passengers are all legal for me now. Of course, “licensed” and “skilled” are two completely different things, but it feels good to have that done. As far as I’m concerned, if I never see a freeway on my bike, that’s just fine with me. As for night driving, I guess that’s okay, but I’m not that interested in it. At least I won’t feel the pressure of having to get home at sundown anymore.
I did some parking lot practice on Sunday, and having a heavy bike like the 900 definitely makes the learning curve steeper. If anything, it’s just the newbie anxiety from thinking about having to pick it up. But I already crashed once on my first ride a few weeks ago, and I don’t want to replay that. I just started out really wide and easy with my u-turns getting tighter as I grew more confidence. I also worked on leaning more until my peg feelers touched a little. I have one turn on my way into work that’s just like the 135 degree turn in the MSF course, and my pegs have touched twice while doing it, so I wanted to get comfortable with that. This particular turn is bordered by curb on both sides, which is a heck of alot different than cones, so I thought it would be good to work on that without the extra distractions. Last week, someone even honked at me right before it because I had slowed down so much. All I could think was “Thanks! Because that’s just what I need right now! More pressure!”
Does anyone use the rear brake while doing slow speed driving? I tried it while doing my slow driving practice and I think it works out pretty well. Use the friction zone, and open the throttle a little more than usual and ride the rear brake slightly. The bike feels considerably more balanced at slow speeds when I do that. Then I just let a very little bit of clutch out if I need some more speed, and then come back in and gently ride on the rear brake if I need to slow. I still need quite a bit of practice with it, because it’s another thought experiment right now, but I can definitely feel my balance improve. Of course, starting out with a lighter bike would have been ideal for all of this practice.
Anyways, I’m going to head out for a celebration ride around the bay and some dinner. Later!
September 16, 2009 at 1:34 am #22353MunchParticipant“Does anyone use the rear brake while doing slow speed driving? I tried it while doing my slow driving practice and I think it works out pretty well. Use the friction zone, and open the throttle a little more than usual and ride the rear brake slightly.”
That is the PROPER way to do it.
September 16, 2009 at 2:19 am #22355owlieParticipantI wouldn’t be carrying the torch if I didn’t mention the “Ride Like a Pro” video.
It is a good video with solid suggestions on doing slow maneuvers. He spends a lot of time talking about/ demonstrating the clutch & rear brake thing. I think it is one of those things that you learn in the MSF, but all goes fuzzy in the haze of stuff they try shoveling into your brain over three days.
September 16, 2009 at 4:43 am #22359chipshotParticipantI’ll check that video out. Thanks!
I heard about that technique from a friend at work, he’s been riding for a very long time. Since before I was born in fact! He gives me his Cycle World magazines after he has finished reading them. Today at lunch, I was sitting with him and two other fellas who also ride, and told him how I had tried that and it really seemed to work. The other two fellas had no idea what I was even talking about. They’ve been riding for years as well, but had never heard of using the rear brake at all for slow driving.
In fact, my MSF course didn’t even cover it. We practiced the slow speed drill and the pause, but they never said anything other than just use the friction zone. Actually, when they discussed slow speed driving and u-turns, their advice was to just power walk and drag your feet. They said that we had to do it right for the test, but in real street driving just walk it around so as not to risk dropping the bike or running into something.
September 16, 2009 at 10:54 pm #22371eonParticipantSeems like odd advice to walk the bike in U-turns. I can honestly say all the PLP I did really paid off and I’m now completely comfortable pulling off a u-turn in a gas station or busy street in front of packed coffee shop. I don’t even think twice now about those things, I just whip it around and I’m on my way.
I think in my BRC they mentioned the use of the back brake but did not want you to use it at the time. It would probably have been too much for everyone. And in my IRC on the slow cone weave the guy in front of me was told off for using it. Basically there was no need so he was using it to make life easier for himself when he should have been able to manage without it.
September 17, 2009 at 2:45 am #22377owlieParticipant+1 Eon.
Those are some totally weird things to say to new riders. There is no reason that you shouldn’t practice and become proficient with slow race, cone weaves and U-turns. The rear brake is essential to all of these. Your tires are made for moving across the pavement at 10-15 miles per hour with 400+lbs of load. Your boot soles were not. Yes, I still drag my feet some (using Eon’s example- doing U-turns at gas stations), but if I am a year from now, I haven’t learned how to ride my bike properly and I’m doing something wrong.
Check out the video. You might also check out Capt. Crash’s videos too.
Good luck!
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