[bigguybbr]

I remember doing that. You stall at a light with people behind you durring your first few days of riding. You panic and try to get going too fast, you dump the clutch and stall out all over again. Next time just push your bike off to the side of the road, take a moment, RELAX, compose yourself, and try again. After a week or so, stalling out at lights will be a thing of the past.

A great parking lot drill to work on is the pause and go’s. You’ll learn it in MSF, but if you wanna practice, put the bike in first gear, start and get going. Then pull in the clutch and press on BOTH breaks and come to a stop without putting your feet on the ground, balance for a moment (keep your head up! it makes a big difference in your balance), and then ease out the clutch and get going again. You can do this again and again to help build that muscle memory and for me it was better than just rolling back and forth with my feet down.

It’s also a big help for traffic jams in states that don’t allow lane sharing.

[bigguybbr]

How much gas did you give the bike when you came out of the swerve? My bike is 467lbs but pops right up out of a swerve given enough throttle. Then again I do some PLP everyday before I go out for a ride, a nice benefit of having the BRC course a quarter of a mile from my house.

[bigguybbr]

The MSF CAN be your place to do that, but most likely won’t.

Like I said in another post, mine was a real mad dash free for all and I couldn’t get on the model I wanted to ride. I had to talk to the instructor and show up extra early for the 2nd class to get on a bike that suited me.

They really are pretty intent on keeping you on a single bike if at all possible, just to keep you used to the controls, so you don’t lose rolling time figuring out the friction zone on a new bike. The class is intended on teaching you how to handle a bike, not how to handle your bike. That comes later in the intermediate and expert riding courses when they tailor the class to your specific bike that you show up on.

So moral of the story don’t walk in to your MSF course thinking you are going to try a bunch of different bikes to find your preference, you won’t. If you want to find out what you preference is, go to dealerships, plunk your butt down on every different bike you can find and see what you are comfortable on.

[bigguybbr]

I understand the big guy concerns but it really isn’t an issue. A 250cc will be fine aslong as you aren’t trying to cruise at 80mph on the highway all day. I’m 6’6″ 260+ and my 600cc goes like stink. 600cc’s can get scarey fast before you know it. Most likely it’ll out perform your car by a lot.

[bigguybbr]

It’ll be more than fine for getting around town. I’m 260+lbs and I rode around a Yamaha TW200 on Sunday and it was a real blast. I kinda want one now.

[bigguybbr]

Well I think the consensus is that it CAN be too much to start on and that you may learn a lot faster on a smaller displacement bike. It’s still debated to a certain degree and most will agree that it’s not impossible to learn on a 600cc but it very well might take you longer. I think the big thing is to stress the msf course and make sure riding a motorcycle is even for you before going hog wild. I felt bad looking on our corporate trading post for a woman who is selling her 2008 FZ6 naked bike for $5400 with only 74 miles on it because she jumped in head first only to find out riding wasn’t for her.

[bigguybbr]

2 things that get no love from me:

1) Scooters
2) Yankees Fans

[bigguybbr]

The boss (social director, or live in girlfriend if you will) has a 2006 s40 and it’s having and issue that it back fires like crazy when you shut it off. BABOOOM! I read online that it could be from a dirty carb, but I really don’t have any experience with cleaning one out.

Also I hear they are a real bear if you don’t go out all to winterize them. Does anyone have similar experiences?

[bigguybbr]

Passed my test with flying colors yesterday! I only got 5 points off for taking a corner too slow (I think they were looking for at least one thing to mark me down on, otherwise I had a perfect score). I still have a lot more practice to do, but it feels good that I now have the endorsement. The class really helped me alot (especially once I got on a good bike) and the instructors were great. I definitly recommend this to anyone thinking of getting on a bike.

[bigguybbr]

Just had my last riding day. I used the TW200, and what a world of difference!

All of my control issues went out the window and I was able to easily pass the course.

The little secret my course instructor told me is that if you want to reserve a bike, show up a little early and place your helmet next to the bike. It’s as good as reserving one I was told.

[bigguybbr]

Welcome and enjoy!

[bigguybbr]

I’m going to show up early and have a talk with the instructors before our class room session this week.

Worst case scenario I just go push one of the little people off the bike I need! Dern little people…

[bigguybbr]

It’ll go from zero to upside down on the pavement in 3 seconds flat!

[bigguybbr]

Try the FZ6R if you have your heart set on a new yami 600cc. It’s their attempt at making a beginner sport bike. The motor and transmission are pretty forgiving and it’s a real pussy cat at lower rpms and doesn’t give you a kick in the ass till about 7000. You can adjust the seat to almost an inch lower and move the handlebars aswell. At 5’6″ you may have some trouble getting your feet on the ground though.

If you are more open to other brands really do take a look at a ninja 250. The new ones are pretty sexy. I had a chance to throw a leg over my friend’s the other day and they are a bunch of fun and really nimble. The nice thing is they are also a few grand less than my FZ6R.

[bigguybbr]

What is your bike idling at when you have it warming up? Check your owners manual to see if it is idling too low. There is usually a screw where you can adjust the idle speed if your bike isn’t fuel injected

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