First Big Bike Advice.... Or Not

[SqueakyBrakes12]

My crappy idea of some advice to those new to the idea of going from a 50-125cc up to their first full size powered bike. Not the best advice in the world but I just wanted to put this out there. Someone may find it helpful (just maybe).

Please feel free to add to contact me for questions or to give your opinions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V-bMr5kEks&feature=youtu.be

 

[ToastToGo]

This is unrelated...but how are you liking that mount/case for your iPhone? I've been meaning to get one for mine. Which one do you have? You like it?

 

[SqueakyBrakes12]

I love it, great for sat nav, link your phone up to a headset and listen to music, have phone calls etc I got a vid on my channel with more about it if you want to check it out. 'Cheap sat nav alternative' I've also got a link in the description where I brought it from.

 

[Mr AusAdventure]

I have visited your video and shared my 2 cents worth there. 600's and 650 sized bikes are the perfect step up from small bikes. People will kill themsleves going straight to an R1 or something similar.

 

[NastyEvilNinja]

I have visited your video and shared my 2 cents worth there. 600's and 650 sized bikes are the perfect step up from small bikes. People will kill themsleves going straight to an R1 or something similar.

Not entirely sure I agree...

If tehy open them up, then Hell yes they'll be splattered over a nice wide area - because like it or not they won't have the skill to either control the bike or assess the surroundings.

But to look at it another way, I borrowed my mates ZX10R for a while, and was amazed by just how EASY it was to ride! Everything was effortless, solid and safe. I honestly think a beginner would be less likely to kill themselves on that bike than I was on my very first TZR125 that I used to ride like a spastic everywhere.

But, having said that, it's also my belief that if you work your way up the cc's it will make you a much better rider. And a 125cc to a 600cc bike is too big a jump, in my opinion.

But then we also need to get into the whole thing about a 600cc cruiser being a completely different animal to a 170mph you'll-never-be-able-to-push-my-limits-even-on-a-track sports 600... :?

 

[Friz]

But, having said that, it's also my belief that if you work your way up the cc's it will make you a much better rider. And a 125cc to a 600cc bike is too big a jump, in my opinion.

This is the same as I believe.

Some time on a 250, 400, 500 or 650cc bike before moving on to a crazy inline 4 600 is far better and will make you a much better rider.

 

[Nerb]

I agree, although it does depend on the rider. Someone with a strong sense of self control, it matters not what bike they get. But for the other 99.9% of us with little self control, your right. Once you get to the biggest bike you start working your way down again.... i went 250, 500, 900, 1100, 1300, 750, 570. I guess i'll be buying a 250 again soon.

 

[Mr AusAdventure]

I have visited your video and shared my 2 cents worth there. 600's and 650 sized bikes are the perfect step up from small bikes. People will kill themsleves going straight to an R1 or something similar.

Not entirely sure I agree...

I probably should have not been so general when I said "people". I probably should have said inexperienced riders or "idiots" do kill themseves by jumping on a big sports bike too early. Sensible and experienced riders should be able to handle the jump a little better.

I agree with what you said about the cc size not being everything too. My first bike was a CBR250RR that was a little screamer. There would have been bigger bikes that would have been safer for me to ride as a first bike, but they were not legal, yet a 250cc race bike was!

I think that it also depends on the weight of the rider. My current bike is 650cc which with my light weight is plenty powerful enough for me. A rider that its a lot heavier might end up with a similar power to weight ratio with a 1000cc bike.

 

[ParisianZee]

I went from a 50cc scooter to 750cc inline-4 bike.

Been riding it four years now, and *knocks on wood* never crashed. And believe me I've travelled with it. England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy... the Alps!

It doesn't depend on the bike, IMO, it depends on the rider.

Ride it sensibly, calmly, get used to it, respect it, don't act like a fool, don't do wheelies, don't do stoppies, don't do burnouts. If you respect that you won't have a problem.

When I say ride sensibly I also mean it. Stay on low revs at all times. Respect the speed limit. Check your mirrors. Respect other drivers/riders. Don't do traffic filtering or lane splitting for a while, and when you start doing it, do it at a very slow pace first. Wear good gear. Don't go out under too harsh conditions (heavy rain, fog, snow, low temperatures) as they WILL affect your concentration and skills. etc. Keep reminding yourself of that. And ever so slowly ride it a tiny bit harder as *months* go by.

It's a question of how capable you are of controlling yourself.

But then - is there a real point in getting anything bigger than a 650 if you're going to ride it like I said above ? That's for you to decide.

 

[Nerb]

Ride it sensibly, calmly, get used to it, respect it, don't act like a fool, don't do wheelies, don't do stoppies, don't do burnouts. If you respect that you won't have a problem.

I would have to disagree with this. Learning how a vehicle feels when it is doing what its not supposed to do is invaluable. Just do your wheelies and stoppies and burnouts in a safe place and with friends and you might fall off but it will be very beneficial to your riding skill.

Self control when riding on the street is the key... knowing when you cant afford to act the goat. You are right about it being the rider, not the bike.

 

[NastyEvilNinja]

Ride it sensibly, calmly, get used to it, respect it, don't act like a fool, don't do wheelies, don't do stoppies, don't do burnouts. If you respect that you won't have a problem.

I would have to disagree with this. Learning how a vehicle feels when it is doing what its not supposed to do is invaluable. Just do your wheelies and stoppies and burnouts in a safe place and with friends and you might fall off but it will be very beneficial to your riding skill.

Self control when riding on the street is the key... knowing when you cant afford to act the goat. You are right about it being the rider, not the bike.

I'd say that applies with any vehicle.

If you only ever use it sensibly, when something DOES go wrong (and it will) you have no idea how to handle it.

This goes back to my 'working your way up' thing. I've always ridden like an idiot. Luckily the idiot crashes I've had were on much slower bikes at much slower speeds, and now I can still ride like an idiot (kneedown at every chance etc) but also back it off and be safe.

Personally, I don't pull wheelies and stuff, but when you ride a bike you'll have a situation where the front WILL lift on you, and you need to know how to handle that.

Recently on a (sensible) ride with a mate we hit a corner that tightened in the middle. I instantly dropped my weight off the side of the bike as I've done a million times getting my knee down, and there was no drama. My mate behind who can't get his knee down ran wide onto the opposite side of the road... Nothing was coming, but it could have been nasty, and it was purely the difference in how we can handle a bike close to the limits that would have kept me safe.

It's for this reason I booked a skid control course teh second I passed my car test, and I wish there were more similar things for bikes.