[Andrew]

I rolled on the throttle a bit during my first few quick stops in class. No big problem just get used to releasing the throttle and then grabbing the brake.

[Andrew]

Craigslist and http://www.cycletrader.com are the places I looked hard. I didn’t need to have a new bike though.

[Andrew]

Stupid is as stupid does. I feel sorry for the families loss but these tools are the tools that give the rest of us a bad name.

[Andrew]

Practice stopping and starting in a parking lot. Thats how I got better. what also helped was that I can now here the engine noise change when it hits the biting point. Thats where the clutch starts to slip. As soon as I hear that I roll on the throttle and keep slowly releasing the clutch. Practice makes perfect.

[Andrew]

Sweet. Looks good in white. Don’t think you will get much wind protection from the look of the windscreen though. It looks really low.

[Andrew]

Good to know I’m not the only driving and thinking about how I would be riding the same road. I also take corners at 20 in the car and I should be able to do it on the bike but I’ll aim for slower to start with. I haven’t done much traffic driving at all as I want to get as comfortable as possible with the bike first. I’ll have to take the plunge before the riding season disappears here in sunny IL though.

[Andrew]

The tank protector is to stop the tank paint getting chipped by bags or jackets etc. My Ninja had a couple of small chips on it when I bout it 2 weeks ago and I think I put the 3rd one on there from my leather jacket. I’ll be putting a protector on.

My bike was bought privately from a guy who does all his own work so there are no service records at all with mine. The bike was in such good shape that I bought it anyway. He had recently changed the oil and adjusted the valves. I had a guy at work who also does his own stuff to look it over for me. He said it was a nice bike that had been looked after so I was happy with that.

[Andrew]

I think I have been slipping the clutch and using the brakes for things like cornering in 2nd gear. I was just using it the same as I would in first to trim my speed but I can try to avoid it if I shouldn’t be doing it.

[Andrew]

It also helps to know how to pick up a bike. Some guys will get away with not doing it right on smaller bikes but on the heavy ones few people are arm lifting a 600 lb bike.

[Andrew]

The lurch forward is due to my timing being off sometimes and releasing too fast which is the same as popping, or I would say dropping, the clutch.

[Andrew]

I always release the clutch slowly. If I am too fast the bike will lurch. You ideally want a smooth shift up and down the gears. Down is harder IMO. Don’t know about that other bit. You have to use the clutch for some of those maneuvers, using the brakes won’t always give you the control you want.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I avoid hills because there’s no way my 250 would be able to take them.

[Andrew]

As a noob I have to look at my speedo to know my speed. I can’t tell without looking right now. I assume that will come though.

[Andrew]

I have ABS on one of the cars and I have hardly ever used them. I don’t really care for them because I should never be fully locking the brakes anyway. I prefer the control I have on the car without them. It may be an illusion in a true panic situation but if you have them you need to know how they will react so it’s not a surprise.

[Andrew]

So you drive on the left. Your ready for England then.

[Author]

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