How was your ride? There's nothing to fear, just ride defensively and you should be able to have enough time to react to any situation that might occur.
Need Some Encouragement!
- Thread starter RiderInRed
- Start date
Thanks for asking and the words mate. I ended up taking it out for a short ride in the traffic, never got to where I wanted with the twisties. However it was fine. I was expecting local drivers to be morons with bikes but they were pretty fine to ride with so far. The weather was pretty bad and I barely avoided some eavy rains.
Looking forward to Saturday so I can go out for another run like that and if all is good I'll get to the twisties on Sunday! Really excited
I don't recommend going to the twisty on the weekend, there will be a lot of (weekend) bikers doing the same, and some might be riding aggressively, which can be intimidating and might catch you off guard if they fly past you fast or overtake you in a corner.
If you do intend to go anyway, remember to just stick closer to the road shoulder area, and give them way/let them pass, so that they are not tail-gating you which also might make you lose focus/feel pressured to go faster since someone is behind you.
What I would recommend, if you can, is to search for a quiet/less traffic area, and just ride round and around, practice your throttle control, braking, turning/u-turn, once you start to get comfortable with all that, you won't even think twice about riding on the streets, all your experience in handling the bike will be instinct to you by then.
If you do intend to go anyway, remember to just stick closer to the road shoulder area, and give them way/let them pass, so that they are not tail-gating you which also might make you lose focus/feel pressured to go faster since someone is behind you.
What I would recommend, if you can, is to search for a quiet/less traffic area, and just ride round and around, practice your throttle control, braking, turning/u-turn, once you start to get comfortable with all that, you won't even think twice about riding on the streets, all your experience in handling the bike will be instinct to you by then.
Some good advice there. To be honest I haven't seen a single rider out on that road. It's usualyl got 3-4 cyclists and that's about it. And a few cars. It's where I used to practice car driving when I was young. Basically it's a very unpopular road, got some twistes (not tight corners though) and some good amount of straight road, perfect to practice smooth shifting.
As for u-turning riding slow, been practicing this from the very first day, I think this is one of the most important skills. Especially breaking and taking off at low speeds or doing a u-turn from a take off. So far I've grown more confident with the takeoffs, I used to stall a lot the first few days.
Just keep building on that confidence and your skillset. I taught myself to ride on a Ninja 250 and I dropped it twice the first week. Remember all the basic skills and practice practice practice! Find a big parking lot you can get to easily and just ride in circles. Once you're moving, thats the easy part. Slow speed maneuverability is where you'll find the most issues starting out
MotoMisc
Move along, nothing to see here!
- Sep 16, 2016
- 124
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- I ride a
- Cbr 954, cbr f4 stuntbike, fiddy =)
Usually what I say to my friends when they gonna try some new combo or trick
"Let me record... might be a youtube crash" 
Nice bike man. dont worry about trafic, just make sure you hit the throttle at the beginning of the stretch and you should have that half a mile in like 10 seconds straight
Alright guys very awesome to keep this going.
Little update. I've been practicing for awhile now. I rode around 30+ miles today thru the downtown up to the hills. Got stuck in traffic on my way back. Basically rode back at night. I hadn't ridden in full traffic at night. This was a crazy cool experience!
Little update. I've been practicing for awhile now. I rode around 30+ miles today thru the downtown up to the hills. Got stuck in traffic on my way back. Basically rode back at night. I hadn't ridden in full traffic at night. This was a crazy cool experience!
It would infact be safer to attempt to ride along at the speed of the traffic, rather than riding slower, and all the traffic is having to overtake you?
Nice looking bike, plus sporty with it. Are you finding you are leaned forward, to reach the grips - like a typical sport bike position?
To be honest, that might not be the best riding position to start out. A bike that sits you more upright, might give you more confidence (plus feel more natural), plus you'd be able to see further up the road then too (being sat higher and more upright).
As you are doing, take it slowly and get out during busier times more and more, to build confidence.
Plus its better to be more cautious (as you are), than a false sense of confidence, which gets you into an accident.
Keep at it !!!
Oh plus night riding is probably more difficult than riding during the day !! ...but sounds like you handled it well.
...but sounds like you handled it well.
Thanks for the bike complimentIt would infact be safer to attempt to ride along at the speed of the traffic, rather than riding slower, and all the traffic is having to overtake you?
Nice looking bike, plus sporty with it. Are you finding you are leaned forward, to reach the grips - like a typical sport bike position?
To be honest, that might not be the best riding position to start out. A bike that sits you more upright, might give you more confidence (plus feel more natural), plus you'd be able to see further up the road then too (being sat higher and more upright).
As you are doing, take it slowly and get out during busier times more and more, to build confidence.
Plus its better to be more cautious (as you are), than a false sense of confidence, which gets you into an accident.
Keep at it !!!
Appreciate it. I'd say it's inbetween. I tend to lean a little forward when riding in traffic but my foot position is not as high and behind as on an R6 for instance. I can ride upright (the handlebar position does let me do that, or I just have long arms haha) when I'm riding on lower speeds. I just find tad bit lean forward gives me a little more comfort when riding in traffic aerodynamic-wise.I've already ridden in the city a few more times. Got home today during a very busy hour. It was a little scary but nothing unmanagable.
I hear ya about the traffic speed. I tend to ride with the traffic but on the lower speed lanes.
As for riding at night, it really is way more difficult. Tons of unexpected glares, flares, etc. You do get used to it eventually I'd imagine. I had my second ride today in the dark. If it wasn't the very heavy traffic (it took me 30 minutes to ride 3 km, downtown life eh?) it'd be all fine with me
Yeah, riding at night, its a lot more difficult to calculate distances (of vehicles ahead / bends / even the apex of a bend) - as you have limited visibility, more so if you ride along rural roads at night (with little to no street lighting plus no other vehicles). You might also not spot hazards in the road! Plus as you say, there's glare, and all sorts of light reflections going on. But you indicate your night riding was mostly urban?
I upgraded my Headlight bulb, to help me see quite a bit further, for night riding, it helps but still isn't brilliant. At least it gets rid of the 'glow worm in a glass jar' look, I had before!
But I'm seriously considering a HID headlight kit for the best light output. Even in daylight, I ride with lights on, to give car drivers the best chance of spotting me!
Your bike! I actually had to zoom in to your Photo, looking at the stickers (signage), to realize it WASN'T a Kawasaki / Suzuki / Honda, or similar. It does look quite impressive.
Plus compared to a smaller 125cc bike, you should find more performance out of yours, being a larger capacity.
At the end of the day, confidence and experience comes down to just getting out on the bike and riding - be it in the day, at night, in sun or rain !! Ride safe.
Plus as you say, there's glare, and all sorts of light reflections going on. But you indicate your night riding was mostly urban?I upgraded my Headlight bulb, to help me see quite a bit further, for night riding, it helps but still isn't brilliant. At least it gets rid of the 'glow worm in a glass jar' look, I had before!
But I'm seriously considering a HID headlight kit for the best light output. Even in daylight, I ride with lights on, to give car drivers the best chance of spotting me!
Your bike!
I actually had to zoom in to your Photo, looking at the stickers (signage), to realize it WASN'T a Kawasaki / Suzuki / Honda, or similar. It does look quite impressive. Plus compared to a smaller 125cc bike, you should find more performance out of yours, being a larger capacity.
At the end of the day, confidence and experience comes down to just getting out on the bike and riding - be it in the day, at night, in sun or rain !! Ride safe.
Yeah, riding at night, its a lot more difficult to calculate distances (of vehicles ahead / bends / even the apex of a bend) - as you have limited visibility, more so if you ride along rural roads at night (with little to no street lighting plus no other vehicles). You might also not spot hazards in the road!
I upgraded my Headlight bulb, to help me see quite a bit further, for night riding, it helps but still isn't brilliant. At least it gets rid of the 'glow worm in a glass jar' look, I had before!
But I'm seriously considering a HID headlight kit for the best light output. Even in daylight, I ride with lights on, to give car drivers the best chance of spotting me!
Your bike!
Plus compared to a smaller 125cc bike, you should find more performance out of yours, being a larger capacity.
At the end of the day, confidence and experience comes down to just getting out on the bike and riding - be it in the day, at night, in sun or rain !! Ride safe.
I am riding in the most dense part of the city. That means a lot of cars with very irresponsible drivers haha. The city is similar to Milan/Paris: pretty small streets, a lot of cars, bad traffic and no place to park. Man I miss LA and the wide roads and parking lots! The streets are lit but the bulbs are pretty weak, so you still need a good set of headlights.
Thanks, yeah it's none of those, although I slapped a set of Yamaha stickers on mine haha. Awkwardly enough, most people don't care. They see the bike and be like DAAAAMN. The other day I saw an 899 Panigale, the only one in this country. When I showed the photos to others most people were like "this is the same bike you bought right?". Guess most just look for a shiny red motorcycle
I find this to be a great learner bike to be honest, it's my first bike and I'm happy I didn't go with anything like 600cc. I'd totale it in a week. I did drop this one once and fell with it pretty badly and this bad boy is a liver! Just two tiny scratches that you won't even notice. I do want an R6 in a year or two though 3
Overal, yes, it's all about confidence and skills and that they both match! Nothing worse than false confidence.
Again thanks for stopping by my thread. I'm gonna be doing some cool interview podcasts with other fellow riders form this forum and whatnot, if you're interested in answering 20 random questions over skype, keep an eye on my channel.
Rirder in Red
My Honda PC800's headlight was about as useful as a glow worm. I added a pair of these.
What a difference! Single LED each, but low current draw, and bright enough that I could barely see my stock low beam's footprint when these were on. Go for the 25* beam angle rather than 45* to put the light where you want it. I mounted them low on the forks to not blind oncoming drivers. And the red ones (which matched that bike) were $5 cheaper.
My Shadow came with a light bar but it shorted out and I had to remove it, so right now I only have an LED bulb in the stock headlight. It's all right, but when I have a bit more money I plan to buy another pair of these (chrome this time) to really light up the road, and be seen better during the day.
What a difference! Single LED each, but low current draw, and bright enough that I could barely see my stock low beam's footprint when these were on. Go for the 25* beam angle rather than 45* to put the light where you want it. I mounted them low on the forks to not blind oncoming drivers. And the red ones (which matched that bike) were $5 cheaper.
My Shadow came with a light bar but it shorted out and I had to remove it, so right now I only have an LED bulb in the stock headlight. It's all right, but when I have a bit more money I plan to buy another pair of these (chrome this time) to really light up the road, and be seen better during the day.
those look cool. My only problem with what I have is the fact that it puts out light a few feet away from me, it's good to see upcoming bumps and all to dodge but you don't see the imediate neighboring area. Might get something like this. Although for the most part, visibility ain't a problem for me at night. It's the glares and well, the traffic.My Honda PC800's headlight was about as useful as a glow worm. I added a pair of these.
What a difference! Single LED each, but low current draw, and bright enough that I could barely see my stock low beam's footprint when these were on. Go for the 25* beam angle rather than 45* to put the light where you want it. I mounted them low on the forks to not blind oncoming drivers. And the red ones (which matched that bike) were $5 cheaper.
My Shadow came with a light bar but it shorted out and I had to remove it, so right now I only have an LED bulb in the stock headlight. It's all right, but when I have a bit more money I plan to buy another pair of these (chrome this time) to really light up the road, and be seen better during the day.
The LED units look neat. But would only really compliment a Touring / Adventure / Naked type bike?
Where might you mount some on a Sports bike, as there's no sticking out bits, its all sleek and covered by the fairing?
I was looking into Lighting kits for inside the fairing, to light the bike up a little at night (for style, plus to be more visible to car drivers) - but routing electrical cable around a boiling hot engine, probably isn't the best decision. Also in a lot of cases, such a kit is illegal on a bike used on public roads (at a show would be fine).
Kinda thing...
Where might you mount some on a Sports bike, as there's no sticking out bits, its all sleek and covered by the fairing?
I was looking into Lighting kits for inside the fairing, to light the bike up a little at night (for style, plus to be more visible to car drivers) - but routing electrical cable around a boiling hot engine, probably isn't the best decision. Also in a lot of cases, such a kit is illegal on a bike used on public roads (at a show would be fine).
Kinda thing...
damn didn't know about the illegal lighting. I think cops here won't mind. Honestly, I'm pretty positive that there is not a single law that is motorcycle oriented. You pay the same price for parking here same price for everything else as you would with a car, despite the difference in dimensions and all. I guess it's just that they're not used to it yet. There are barely 100+ motorcycles in the entire city (and I'm in the capitol lol) and most of them don't commute, they just ride around on weekends and all.The LED units look neat. But would only really compliment a Touring / Adventure / Naked type bike?
Where might you mount some on a Sports bike, as there's no sticking out bits, its all sleek and covered by the fairing?
I was looking into Lighting kits for inside the fairing, to light the bike up a little at night (for style, plus to be more visible to car drivers) - but routing electrical cable around a boiling hot engine, probably isn't the best decision. Also in a lot of cases, such a kit is illegal on a bike used on public roads (at a show would be fine).
Kinda thing...
I guess I'd go with led strips. There are kits for sportbikes. Guess it'd be easier to mount on the fairings and not bother with the engine. I've seen some mounted above the front forks. Looks pretty neat but honestly I'm too lazy to think about any mods lol
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