[Elias]

Well at least I don’t have to worry about deer down here! I’ve had some encounters with animals up north and they scare me enough in a cage. Always chilling on the side of the road at night, or taking their sweet time crossing the road on a corner. Good advice about not riding during sunset and sunrise if wild animals are present. I’ll just keep my focus on looking out for the darting J-walkers

[Elias]

I hear this term a lot: “Close Calls.” When I ask people to be more specific about what their close calls were, they say things like getting cut off, people coming into their lane, cagers running stop signs and lights, and other things that cagers do all the time (at least in Phx). These things happen to me on a daily basis, making me somewhat adverse to calling them close calls, because it’s just how the crazies in Phx drive. I feel that a “close call” is reliant on a person’s experience on the road and what they are used to in their environment. If cars are constantly cutting you off, it’s going to be more like routine than close calls. Granted, before I get called out on it, I don’t have a bike yet and these things happen to me everyday in my cage. But imagine how I feel knowing that my big 4 door extended bed pickup truck is blind to other cagers. And yes, before I get reemed, I will point out that close calls on bikes can be very different than in cages. Not only is there more chance of injury in an accident, but there are always oil/sand patches, objects on the road, and braking in turns. I’m simply pointing out that usually when I hear a rider talk about a close call, it’s about a cager on the road entering a collision course with the bike, or coming close to contact, which is something I wouldn’t designate as a close call as per my wonderful city and it’s impatient (and air-headed) drivers.

Eon, I agree with everything you are saying. I do the same thing: learn from my mistakes and ask others what their mistakes have been. Glad to hear it will help me in the long run!

[Elias]

Found out that here in the desert, motorcycles are required to get their emissions tested. Now I’m trying to figure out where the cat is located on the bike. Don’t motorcycles typically have the cat inside the muffler?

Might just end up switching out the pipes for emissions…or not getting one

[Elias]

Good advice. What do you use for weight if you don’t have saddle bags (i.e. sportbike)? I was thinking a backpack with weight in it with the straps really loose so that the bag itself is actually on the seat. lol, i’m so ghetto

[Elias]

My brother rides a DRZ 400 off road, but doesn’t ride street. He loves his bike but I would be aware of a few things, as I have ridden it as well:

1. You’re going to be shifting a lot
2. Usually dual sports have a seat height that is considerably higher than other bikes . I’m 6′ even, and I’m on my toes with the DRZ. This means a higher center of gravity, which is not always beginner friendly.
3. The seat is built for the dirt, not the street. It’s designed more for a temporary rest between running over bumps

On the other hand, one of my friend’s only mode of transportation is a KLX 250. I recommend getting at least a 400, because he had to practically rebuild the engine to get the power he wanted, and he wasn’t too happy about it. However, he rides it every day, he’s shorter than me, and a lot more picky about things like comfort..but he has no complaints about his dual sport other than the low power.

Guess I would recommend sitting on one, that would tell you a lot.

[Elias]

Your manual is pointing out, that if you downshift at too high an RPM, that RPM will increase after you come out of the shift. So if you are at 5000, and you downshift, you’ll be coming out of the shift at around 8,500. And that’s just fine if your redline is at 14,500. However, I think your over-cautious manual is trying to point out that if you downshift at, let’s say 10,000…that sucker is going to jump to near redline, and it’s going to be a bitch and you might lose it.

When you downshift, you are going to a lower gear. Lower gears accelerate much faster than higher gears (depending on where you are in the RPM range). So if you are cruising along and require instant acceleration, you will downshift, throttle up, and then shift back up after you are at the speed desired. That is what they mean by downshifting to speed up. Slow accelerations are still possible by throttling in the gear you are already in…but why wait?!

Let off the throttle for the split second when you switch gears, don’t gas it. Letting the clutch out slowly will be your biggest ally in learning how to shift. Learning where the gears start to catch is something even experienced riders have to do when they get on a bike they’ve never been on before. Once you get the concept down, you’ll get much more efficient at it. PLP is key here. Dealing with everything that comes with driving on the street ON TOP OF learning how to shift is going to be too much for you to focus on.

[Elias]

Damn GRNLT11 for me today

[Elias]

If you do decide to get it, go in with $6,000 (or even $5,800) cash and tell them that it is all you have, and point at the bike you want. They will either take the cash, or they won’t because they were going to add on shipping, assembly, tax, title, license fees. I have dealt with my fair share of dealerships, and I’ve always ‘driven’ out with a stupid amazing deal. Amazing what a little excited pacing combined with some fake phone calls to other dealers will do to a salesman’s nerves. Be firm and you’ll save. My bet, you’ll be driving home on it.

[Elias]

Start over.

First, this is a great forum for beginners. Myself, as well as countless other beginner riders have gotten sound advice from skilled riders, as well as fellow novice riders here, that will potentially save our lives. Even in our argument here, you have learned something- don’t do stunts as a beginner. Second, your definition of “safety freak” is what translates to “survival freak” on the streets. So call us safety freaks, call us whatever you want, we don’t mind being labeled SAFE MOTORCYCLISTS. Which, I might add, is the exact opposite genre of freak that you are. You, my confused young collegiate friend, are a “speed freak.” And as much as that might be tolerated by your poor reasons for being one, it isn’t tolerated here. We will be more than glad to give you useful and sane advice, if you will commit to being a sane and safe rider (which requires not trixing on the streets, taking learning seriously and SLOW). There is a debate as to whether the 650R (as well as SV650) is a good beginner bike, and there are plenty of threads that discuss it, including one I created here on BBM. The 650R is generally accepted as a beginner bike because it is down-tuned for a beginner and it’s a P-Twin, making it more torque-oriented as opposed to HP focused. Would this make the 650R a good bike after 3 months? IT DEPENDS ON THE RIDER, and since you mentioned wheelies and stoppies, we recommended the slowest path to race-tuned bikes as possible. But, a 650R would be a much better choice than a GIXER for any beginner.

So, Ryan, if you want to do some good research here with BBM, you’re going to have to knock off the cool college squid attitude. Otherwise, there are hundreds of forums out there that will be more than glad to support your raging GIXER interstate stunt galloping. They, are what set us “safety freaks” apart.

[Elias]

try again next week!

[Elias]

Awesome, you found out how to access it on a data capable phone. But, I should clear this up to save us some time. I’ve been doing it for weeks, and have figured out that you don’t actually have to go to that site. When you get a text response, it will have some code next to the URL they send you. For instance, the code you received was GRNLT11. I know this because I’ve gotten it plenty of times, and when you plug it into the browser, GRNLT11 always corresponds to “Exclusive Content – Play Next Week” aka You Lose! Here is the list of known codes/prizes so far:

GRNLT8 = Poster
GRNLT9 = Monster Energy Drink
GRNLT11 = Exclusive Web Content (Loser)

Oh, and surprise surprise, they have 9 physical prizes. I’m thinking, the lower the number, the bigger the win.

As for getting spammed by Saki by phone…I can’t make any promises, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave you a call. But, I’ve been sending them texts for weeks and haven’t gotten a spam call yet.

[Elias]

Dude, half of us can’t even tell what you really want, or if you’re joking. Yeah, you have your questions all nicely numbered, but do you even think before asking them? You come to a forum that is all about promoting safe and user-friendly experiences for new motorcyclists, and then ask when you should start popping wheelies? How are we supposed to take that seriously? How did you expect us to react? Of course we’re going to poke fun at you, you’re asking for it because you’re trolling.

Personally, I am glad my rents didn’t allow me to get a bike for as long as they did. If I got one when I was your age, I imagine I would be out of the sport by now for one reason or another. I mean, all the street smarts I’ve gained by simply driving a cage for so many years would have translated much differently on a bike in similar situations. But right now, that’s not going to sway you one way or another. You’re dead set on getting a bike and that’s that, isn’t it? Get a 250, and do everyone a favor and don’t trade up until you’re out of college (if you make it that far). You will learn SO much in that time. There’s no rush. And if you think there is, then you should seriously reconsider this entire decision for the safety of everyone around you. Oh, and there’s NO good time to start doing wheelies or endos. Respectable riders will judge you on how well you can keep your wheels ON the road, not off it.

TAKE.IT.SLOW.

That is all

[Elias]

ERRRRRRM…didn’t wanna link-drop like a spamming troll, but ok Munch, just for you…

< sarcasm >
For those of you that didn’t know, Kawasaki’s website is at:
http://WWW.KAWASAKI.COM
< /sarcasm >

Heh heh, sorry Munch, I know I’m an ass. Joking aside, here’s the direct URL for everyone:

Kawasaki Green Light To Win

[Elias]

A month later, I bet it’s perfect now (well when the rain stops)…pushing triples down here in Phoenix. Looking to make a career move to Denver soon and I’m stoked…

[Elias]

HAHAHAHAHA…

…squids

[Author]

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