born again biker - maybe

[Benplym]

Had a few bikes of all kinds now not a biker after having a pretty nasty smash into an OAP on his phone, now mangled, but the BEST bike in the world ever, for a beginner or advanced rider is the Street triple, simply amazing. Yes I used to ride like a ***** and it's so forgiving but not boring, before this I had an 06 R1 and used it properly, it was the best change I made, the S-Triple would batter it on my daily ride. But like I said not intimidating at all.

A "cbr 600" etc etc is by far the worst way to go, all the in line 4 600's are either painfully slow or at the peak of their power, there's no in between, I like this but it's no good for a beginner, sv650 would be a good choice.

As for the cost of gear......I learned the hard way had a mediocre leather jacket, average gloves, average lid and cheap "titanium jeans"...... a simple back protector would have probably saved my back..... Now having metalwork put in my spine next week and can't really walk and will loose movement in one leg completely, neck is battered, scars everywhere, and this was nearly 2 years ago. There's no such thing as cheap bike gear

 

[Bellow]

I think you're right Phil. It's hard to be certain, but I think I felt the back end slip then backed-off the throttle. Very annoying, not so much for the money (add damaged helmet and top box to the previous list) but it's spoilt the pleasure I had for biking. I think I'll book another tuition day. I knew my slow speed control was a weakness, now I have the reason to fix it.

Phil's analysis will be correct. To some degree a large motorcycle at slow speed will always be difficult given it has no inherent stability until the wheels have gained some rotational velocity.
Handling the tail stepping out is as much about detecting it immediately it happens and not being scared of it. There will be occasions where it is better to stay on the gas and let it spin round. However, your BMW isn't the bike to practice this on. A trials bike is.
Do you have a mate who has a trials bike and access to another? An afternoon spent together in the mud will be a real education. If that isn't viable any smallish offroad bike and suitable terrain will allow practice - including the difference that raising yourself from the saddle makes in controlling the bike. Don't laugh, but I use a go-ped on a slimy surface to get a handle on poking the tail out with the throttle. When I get it wrong I just jump.
Don't let your tumble put you off though. When you are back up to normal speeds it will be completely forgotten, except for when it matters - exiting junctions.

 

[Chalpkin]

Phil's analysis will be correct. To some degree a large motorcycle at slow speed will always be difficult given it has no inherent stability until the wheels have gained some rotational velocity.
Handling the tail stepping out is as much about detecting it immediately it happens and not being scared of it. There will be occasions where it is better to stay on the gas and let it spin round. However, your BMW isn't the bike to practice this on. A trials bike is.
Do you have a mate who has a trials bike and access to another? An afternoon spent together in the mud will be a real education. If that isn't viable any smallish offroad bike and suitable terrain will allow practice - including the difference that raising yourself from the saddle makes in controlling the bike. Don't laugh, but I use a go-ped on a slimy surface to get a handle on poking the tail out with the throttle. When I get it wrong I just jump.
Don't let your tumble put you off though. When you are back up to normal speeds it will be completely forgotten, except for when it matters - exiting junctions.

Hi,
I completely agree, riding a trail bike off road is a good way of learning a motorcycles handing characteristics at a reasonable slow pace, how to handle rear wheel sliding, drifting and how to avoid the dreaded high side without the mega speed needed to learn on the road.
I learned many a trick that you can transfer to riding a road bike on an old DT175MX on waste land when I was younger.
Regards,
Chalpkin.

 

[Sp!ke]

Could it be that you were a little nervous, perhaps a bit stiff and gripping the bars a little too tight?

This, combined with the cold tyres is in my mind the most likely combo.

 

[wemorgan]

Yes I was quite nervous as it had been 5 months since I last road the bike and I had only been riding for less than a year before that. More practice need.

 

[developer]

Chin up Will - it's done now and thankfully a rare occurrence .

As my lad's guitar instructor used to say - if you made a mistake, you've gotta get back on the horse .

 

[Hawkwind]

Yes I was quite nervous as it had been 5 months since I last road the bike and I had only been riding for less than a year before that. More practice need.

This is probably the crux of the matter and knowing what went wrong will help you avoid making the same mistake again.

Take things easy and you'll regain that confidence, but you'll have gained a lot of experience as well

 

[Sp!ke]

It's just like anything new, it takes a while for it to become second nature and to not have to think about it.

The sooner you sling a leg back over the bike and go for a ride the better.

The best advice is to relax your arms and ride with as little input on the bars as possible. Use your hips and weight on the pegs and most importantly, look where you want to go and you will find that the bike will pretty much go where you want it to with almost no input.

 

[Branchman]

Having recently given up Motorcycling I would suggest you look at Triumph Trophy which is a good Day to day and touring bike with some weather protection Honda Goldwing 1500 /1800 more for touring but still has presence on the road for day today Triumph Thunderbird 900cc (not later 1600cc Version) very nice commute bike easy to maintain, please do not be offended but if like me you are born again biker or new to Bikes some of the suggested bikes are what we call fast Plastic really fast and tempt the rider to take risks once you get use to the speed you start to use it and can cost far more in insurance to "new" bikers, I know others will disagree but I have enough experience to justify my comments. One other thought is on MANY trips I have seen those on Fast Plastic complain about back problems whereas I can get off my BIKES in comfort even after trips to Belgium France Italy Ireland Germany. Please Note this is only my Opinion you must make your own mind up

 

[st13phil]

I think some confusion has crept in on this thread.

Will has a nice R-Series oil-head Boxer that he dropped at the weekend. I don't think he's looking for advice on what bike to choose next, but if anyone has any constructive comments regarding how he can improve his low speed riding skills and general riding confidence, I'm sure he'll welcome them

 

[Ted]

but if anyone has any constructive comments regarding how he can improve his low speed riding skills and general riding confidence, I'm sure he'll welcome them

Ride faster. Then you'll be less likely to fall off.

 

[Jonwatson]

I bought a zx9r when I passed my test, loved that bike easy to ride but let it rev over 10000 and u better hang on, got a fireblade now

 

[wemorgan]

To begin with I've now booked another 1 day course. Coincidentally the cost of the course is the same as the cost of second-hand bits I've bought to repair the bike.

I'm also looking into local trails centres.