second ride today - my experience and thoughts.

[0okami]

second ride today. - my experience and thoughts.

Today , I went out on my second ride. My first ride was only a mile long and lasted about 15 min going in circles around my neighborhood.
(see first ride post for more info --http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/fo...-thoughts.html-- )

I set out for the parking lot at fox lake using the rural back roads. Before i took off i checked all lights and gear. (i forgot to check mirrors again!) In total I drove 15 miles today. Not a single car behind me. That was quite relaxing. For the first part I didn't go over 30mph. I was a little nervous because i know locals drive around there at about 50mph. Many hills, not enough turns, 2 stop signs. the fear of being hit on the rear was constantly there. Some of the roads were a little beat up and i had to figure out how to swerve without loosing control. Not a good idea to learn on the road. I still feel the bike is heavy for swerving or i'm doing it wrong.

I arrive at fox lake only to find there were cars there. Usually the place is empty. It's not a really big parking lot but its the safest one to drive to. I didn't get to practice slow handling and take offs like I wanted due to fear of damaging someone's car... So, I set back out onto the rural roads to get a feel of acceleration and brake.

Bugs! bugs! arg!
Driving through the back roads it was mainly farm lands. Lots of cows, bulls and horses and other mammals I have no idea what they were. I had to stop and clear my helmet because it seems i went through a cloud of lady bugs and took on about 10 at a time into my helmet. It sure does not feel good when they are crawling around in there going towards your ear! And the smell! ew... Face shield solves that problem but... Every time i would breath out the shield would fog up for a second. (any solutions to this? would that rainX anti-fog stuff work?) I could not imagine getting a wasp or a bee stuck in my jacket.... that would horrific.

Gloves...
I don't think i'm pleased with my current gloves. Maybe i ordered a size too large... But they feel a little bulky, air does not pass through and my hands get pretty hot. Not to mention i cant really feel if i'm near the edge of the handlebar... turning on and off my turn signals is a little troublesome as the tips of the gloves have a little too much space. I will be bringing these back to the dealer to see if i can exchange them for a smaller, more breathable set. Unfortunately, they don't have much to choose from. (see attachment for what i currently have)

stopping
using both breaks so much better than just front or just rear. I can feel the bike stop faster within control without a fight.

steering
i noticed at higher speeds when turning one has to push the handle bar the opposite way since the bike seems to want to turn harder towards the direction its being leaned. is this what is called counter steering? Once reached a straight way I accelerated up to 55mph for a moment. The ninja seems to glide right through the wind with little to no resistance. Steering changed big time. It feels tighter, heavier, and a lot more sensitive to change. Turning my head to check lanes is not a comfortable safe feeling. It feels like the wind wants to rip my head off.

Signals
yes i forgot to switch it off on more than one occasion. oops! ^_^

I returned safely home after driving 15 miles. I will be going back out to the parking lot later today to see if it cleared up. But first im going to do something about these gloves and check for some boots.


PART 2 continued below this one....

[0okami]

PART 2


Ok, I got back from the store and was able to exchange the previous gloves i had for these ones. (see attachment)

Size is XL, they fit snug, but not tight. I can move my thumb pretty much unrestricted. No extra at the tip of my fingers. The price was 14.00 less than the other pair. I'm about to head out and try these out.

EDIT
---- im back. I fell down! Im ok! so is the bike!

I set out again to fox lake to go practice in what usually is an empty parking lot. I get there, LOTS of people! LOTS!! The lot was full! oh no! Looks like i will have to get up at 5 and be there at 6am to do some serious practicing. I refuse to take the highway to get to the bigger lots.
So, once again, i drive off to follow the road and just practice handling....

Suddently! out of nowhere! DOgs! everywhere!!! right when i was about to make a turn! The dog broke my concentration and I proceeded straight. I did what the book said.... do not kick. just drive. Crisis avoided.

Once i get the feeling im about to get lost, I decide its time to turn back and go home before something stupid happens. I end up at a Y intersection in the back rural roads, and I decide to turn there. As i approach the intersection, i check traffic, nothing coming from anywhere... So i start making a u turn but i had forgotten to down shift. As im turning the bike starts stalling. It didnt help that it was on an incline. I tried shifting during the turn... ((BAD!!) and when i accelerated, it lurched forward. i grabbed the bars tight... ((BAD)).. throttle accelerated... So i pulled the clutch in... I was headed towards the ditch at 5mph bouncing back and forth quite a bit while my brain was trying to process wtf was going on! what to do next! ...aside from hitting both brakes at at the same time and just stall it for once. (in the middle of the road? naa). Took 3 seconds. I was on my side bike in the ditch, My foot was caught under the fairing and the concrete road... Bike slid off my foot into the grass. I hit the kill switch and proceeded to pull the bike out of the muddy ditch.

No traffic. Two old people staring at me from across the street. i just looked back and gave them the peace sign to assure them I was ok... (Not sure if they cared or not but just in case.) I took off happily with a new experience. I was scared... i was shaking but I was ok.

My new gloves protected my hands from what would have been rocks stuck in my palms and my high-top shoes protected my ankles from qhat could have been a slight roadrash AND at the same time saved my bike from getting scratched on the hard road. ^_^
So all went well during that fall. not a single cut or bruise or scratch on either part.

I really need to get to an empty parking place.

BUGSSSS!!! Look what i found crawling on me after falling in that grassy ditch.... ugh.. I HATE ticks!!! *shivers*

[Army_of_Ninja]

yes that is called counter steering. Congratulations on your ride it gets better and better after each one! I would suggest trying to find some mesh gloves that have knuckle protection and leather palms. Much better at breathing than full leather.

[GeorgiaRider]

Ditto on the mesh gloves. Very nice in the summer.

Don't forget the mirrors. It's easy to do and not see someone coming up behind you.

Enjoy!

[McGrude]

Someone pointed me to the Wikipedia Article about counter steering. It was quite informative.

I highly recommend that you read this : Countersteering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also check out the "No B.S. Machine" & watch the video.

Superbike School :: No B.S. Machine

[cmptrmn.1]

Very cool. It does get easier to look behind you without worrying about the wind taking your head off.

[daemon]

so far as the fogging issue!!!
scorpion makes a fine helm that has a guarantee to not fog.
i do not own one so i just use a bit of "Dawn dish detergent" on the inside and wipe it till it is clear.
works for a short period of time and it is a quick fix for chilly weather riding.

other than that.....just don't breath!!!

good on you for taking little steps in learning.
i suggest you find an alternate place to practice just in case one is full!!!

[evmo]

Your braking should be about 80% front and 20% rear. Using only the rear brake is a quick way to go flying off your bike should you lock up the rear wheel.

You want your gloves to fit as skin tight as possible, When you buy them they will seem to small but some use will loosen them up and you'll find them quite comfortable.

I have a scorpion helmet and the visor doesn't fog at all, What helmet do you have? Try messing with the vents in the front if it has them one of them should direct some air onto the inside to combat the fogging. If that doesn't work then cracking it open a bit should help.

LOL post 1234 for me

[slaponte]

Another tip : I read somewhere motorcycle gloves have the seams on the outside. Just by coincidence (or a good salesman), mine do. They have protection across the knuckles and on the palm side. I am driving mine in the Florida heat (91 F today) and no heat issues so far.

[River__Queen]

Hi Ookami
Sounds like you are really getting hooked on riding and are doing pretty well with your practicing.
I saw this youtube link via a message on here about countersteering. I thought it was pretty good, and enjoyed it...
YouTube - Counter-Steering Explained

[0okami]

all updated. I added some pictures and finished part two.
Thats all for today's riding. Tomorrow is another day.

[McGrude]

Originally Posted by 0okami

---- im back. I fell down! Im ok! so is the bike!

Oh no! I am very glad you are ok.

Originally Posted by 0okami

So i start making a u turn but i had forgotten to down shift. As im turning the bike starts stalling. It didnt help that it was on an incline. I tried shifting during the turn... ((BAD!!) and when i accelerated, it lurched forward. i grabbed the bars tight... ((BAD)).. throttle accelerated... So i pulled the clutch in... I was headed towards the ditch at 5mph bouncing back and forth quite a bit while my brain was trying to process wtf was going on! what to do next! ...aside from hitting both brakes at at the same time and just stall it for once. (in the middle of the road? naa). Took 3 seconds. I was on my side bike in the ditch, My foot was caught under the fairing and the concrete road... Bike slid off my foot into the grass. I hit the kill switch and proceeded to pull the bike out of the muddy ditch.

No traffic. Two old people staring at me from across the street. i just looked back and gave them the peace sign to assure them I was ok... (Not sure if they cared or not but just in case.) I took off happily with a new experience. I was scared... i was shaking but I was ok.

You will remember that for the rest of your life. This will make you more cautious, more attentive, and less panicked if it happens again. You could not ask for a better fall to learn the lesson. Plus you've graduated from one who will drop their bike to one who has dropped their bike -- note that this resets every time you get a new bike.

Originally Posted by 0okami

My new gloves protected my hands from what would have been rocks stuck in my palms and my high-top shoes protected my ankles from qhat could have been a slight roadrash

And don't ever forget that. Always wear your gloves, always. Imagine how much harder it would have been to get home with four square inches of road rash on your palm or the skin scraped off your ankle.

Again I am so glad that you are ok.

- Mike

Originally Posted by evmo

Your braking should be about 80% front and 20% rear. Using only the rear brake is a quick way to go flying off your bike should you lock up the rear wheel.

Evmo is correct. Avoid the rear brake on street bikes!

If you're too hot into a corner, lean, counter-steer (it comes naturally) and gently roll-on the throttle. Think "steer with the rear..."

[ninjacolin]

good job bro i hope i get off as lucky as you did if i ever fall once i get my ninja

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by AlphaZed

Evmo is correct. Avoid the rear brake on street bikes!

Do not avoid the rear brake. Just learn to use it correctly.

Anyone who thinks that there's anything hazardous about utilizing the rear brake on any bike needs to go back to school and learn how to operate it correctly.

If you're locking up your rear brake, you need to adjust it, not avoid it.

[Obsidian16825]

How big is your yard? I started out on a Ninja250 in a pasture. It still didn't get me entirely comfortable with tight turns, but it helped. I put out milk jugs, weighted a bit with water, a few feet apart as a center of figure eights. Using first or second gear, practice making large enough circles to enter the pair of milk jugs straight, looking far around through your turns. Turn your head and look further than it feels like you need to. For me, a pleasant result of off-road practice is that I'm more comfortable taking my bike off the pavement. I don't ride unpaved roads on purpose, but I'm way out in the country too. Starting out on rough ground, rough roads aren't so bad. Once I was ready to take my basic rider course, I was more confident that I could ride than I was when I started in that pasture.

So you know, I've done the same thing with a slope and a ditch. I was up to riding back and forth in front of the house, but still turning wide, using part of the yard (no curbs out here) to have enough space to turn. I ended up with the bike on its side, belly up hill, off the road across from the house. I had to have help standing it back up.

[0okami]

Originally Posted by Obsidian16825

How big is your yard? I started out on a Ninja250 in a pasture. It still didn't get me entirely comfortable with tight turns, but it helped....

...So you know, I've done the same thing with a slope and a ditch. I was up to riding back and forth in front of the house, but still turning wide, using part of the yard (no curbs out here) to have enough space to turn. I ended up with the bike on its side, belly up hill, off the road across from the house. I had to have help standing it back up.

My yard is so tiny. I cant really practice in my neighborhood because the guy at MGT is a huge ******* on an evil power trip. So, to avoid random conflicts with him, I just go out in the rural roads.

Those slow sharp turns! whats the trick to that? off road practice seems like a good idea. Thats how i learned standard. Less grip, a little more forgiving since traction wont launch you off hard core... do you know of any videos showing the practice of slow sharp turns or u turns??

[Scrambler81]

Originally Posted by 0okami

Those slow sharp turns! whats the trick to that? off road practice seems like a good idea. Thats how i learned standard. Less grip, a little more forgiving since traction wont launch you off hard core... do you know of any videos showing the practice of slow sharp turns or u turns??

"Ride Like a Pro", it costs about $35.00. A lot of guys on here have used it, it really does cover some important points. I've watched it, and then gone up to the high school to practice what I learned.

[0okami]

Originally Posted by Scrambler81

"Ride Like a Pro", it costs about $35.00. A lot of guys on here have used it, it really does cover some important points. I've watched it, and then gone up to the high school to practice what I learned.

YouTube - Ride Like a Pro Rider Skills Show
same people?

ah topic of u-turns!
YouTube - Having a hard time making a U-turn?

more on turning...
YouTube - U-Turn Challenge

[Obsidian16825]

There you go.

It can be done on a Ninja250. It was hard, but my husband and I were riding a pair that had been wrecked so the left grips were bent, and would squish the left thumb against the fuel tank. Do you have a friend who has been riding a long time? Another thing I did was have my husband take the bike to the parking lot where the msf course was during hours when there wasn't a class going on. I followed in the car, then got on the bike in the parking lot. If you can get someone to get the bike to a school parking lot when nobody is around, you can use the parking space lines as guides for a virtual box.
Secrets are look further around than you think you need to, have the engine good and warm so it idles better than it does when it's cold, use second gear. If it feels a little wobble, add a touch of throttle. Speed stabilizes the motorcycle. If you're unsteady in a slow turn, slowing will make it more unstable. You need the momentum.
Practicing alone is tough. It's hard to judge the maneuvers, but working the clutch, see how slowly you can keep rolling in straight lines without putting your feet down, then start applying some of that to turning. I didn't think slow creeping was all that useful ,but use it a lot, creeping in a line of traffic at lights and stop signs and some in funeral processions. We use tight turns a lot too, in parking lots on group rides.
Keep at it. You'll get it. Control is hard work, and your determination is invaluable.