Advice for new riders

[lonesoldier84]

Sounds pretty great. And yeah, that stock seat is trash. It really is.

If you're heading up north, honestly, if I were you I'd avoid Toronto. Nothing special there. Montreal has nicer roads from what I've heard around it, but the city itself is epic. Where Toronto is blah, Montreal is BLAM! Lol, I should approach their tourist division and try to sell them that comparison.

If I lived east coast though I would have the Carolina's on the top of my list.

DRAGON!!!

 

[Shamus McFeeley]

I am 25 years old. My wife is 24. We both attended the MSF Motorcycle Beginners Curse on Ft. Campbell Nov. 22-23 2010. We both recognize that we are very young riders and have way to much to learn. I am seeking information from experienced riders to help us out. We purchased a new 2010 FZ6R. I love the bike and cannot wait to ride it. I am currently deployed to Afghanistan. I am just trying to do my best to get as much advice as possible before I return in a few months to ride. Any advice besides "ride like everyone out there on the road is going to kill you" is greatly appreciated. I have seen the "everyone is going to kill me" 1000 times on this forum already. I am not saying that is not good advice, I am saying I know that and will ride accordingly. Thanks in advance for all of the advice.

If you are part of that certain "group" of people. You should look into taking the military sportbike course which will be required after 1 Jan 2011. Even if you don't belong to that group, you should think about taking it after you have had a chance to ride and gain some experience.

I don't have anything to do with the military, but if I did, this is the advice I would have to give: vehicle reg will tell you that those DOD stickers will have to be put on the forks or else the world will come to an end, but none of the gates or police care. I don't know if you have gotten your endorsement on your license yet, but campbell won't let you register your bike until you get one. Whatever you do DON'T loose that MSF card. The (military/DOD) police will ask to see it if they pull you over, even if it just a routine stop. The best thing to go it get your insurance, registration, POM safety sheet, and commanders POM interview, and keep it in a zip-lock bag somewhere on the bike. Believe it or not, they stop people at the gates and ask to see that paperwork randomly. Seek out your local motorcycle mentor within your unit, if they are worthwhile they should be having group rides at least twice a month. Your commander should be able to direct you to who this person is as you're going to have to talk to him and do a risk assessment sheet that determines where you sit on the scale. As a new rider redeploying conus you're most likely going to be high, so he is probably going to mandate that you go on group rides anyway. Don't forget about your super-duper safety belt either. Unless you are planning on wearing a florescent yellow jacket like olympia makes you'll need one. If you plan on carrying a backpack they will give you trouble if the backpack does not have some kind of reflective belt on it. My advice would be to get a decent set of saddlebags.

Good luck.

 

[Lefty]

I too want to thank you for your service. :thumbup:
I've been riding for 40 years now and I'm still learning how to be a better rider and how to avoid and react to emergency situations. Here's a link to an article that I found on another forum that I go to and I found it to be a great help to me. I actually re-read it every couple of months or so just to refresh my thinking, hopefully you can get something out of it too.

The Pace - BARF - Bay Area Riders Forum

Cheers,
Lefty

 

[TampaFZ6]

HI,

Give me your address in Afghanistan and I will send you a Sport Riding book for free. I have read it over and over so ready to pass it on.

You can send me a private message if you want.

[email protected]

Read it once all the way through then pick sections you find interesting and keep reviewing those areas.

the book is:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Sport-Riding-Techniques-Develop-Confidence/dp/1893618072/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291074177&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Sport Riding Techniques: How To Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, and Confidence on the Street and Track (9781893618077): Nick Ienatsch, Kenny Roberts: Books[/ame]

Jim

 

[lytehouse]

Since it appears no one has done this yet.........


:welcome: :welcome: :welcome: to the forum! I hope your wife will be joining also, we could use a few more female opinions here!

And here's to your safe return :iconbeer:

 

[AngelFZ]

Welcome to the forum.

This was previously mention and it worked for me (I started learning with a friends bike last summer, I did the MSF course just a year ago and I got my FZ6 last spring) :
1. Start at a parking lot, safe of traffic, get to know your bike. Go over the drills from the MSF class on your own bike.
2. Go riding on a local road without traffic. Get to know the road and as you ride more there you'll know when/where you can push a little more.
3. Start riding under light traffic.
4. Go to the local road you've been getting used to under light rain
5. Find out for how long you can be on the bike without mayor discomfort by trying "long" trips
6. Add more drills at the parking lot (imagine unexpected situations and have a plan to react). Books and online resources always help.
7. Every ride is another opportunity to practice more.

These things are made to go fast, and it only takes opening the throttle to do it, but it is very important to know what you're doing and how to do it right.

I enjoy riding A LOT, I also respect the bike and the road. I'm always aware of the risks and that fear helps me be always alert.
Never be too confident.

Enjoy and good luck,


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[master111400]

Thanks to all that have welcomed me to the site and for my service to our country. I have talked to my wife about this site and asked her to join. She will probably end up after I tell her about the support that I have already received in 12 hours from everyone here. Thank you all very much for that.

TampaFZ6, thanks very much for that offer. I will send you my address after I post this.

Shamus, I have already purchased all of the required gear or won it from the MSF course (reflective vest that exceds the military standards. It is made by Icon,). The only thing that I have not done is get the bike regestered on post. I was unable to get the tags for it prior to leaving to come back out here. My wife is going to take care of that before I get back. We are planning on putting the sticker on the windshield.

AngleFZ, I have already asked the folks at the MSF class on post if we are able to use their course that is set up with painted lines for all of the practice drills. They were more than happy to allow us all (the students in the class) to use their "range" as they call it. The only stipulation was if they had a class going on during that time then we would not be able to use it for obvious reasons. I do also intend on riding with some of my much more expirenced military buddies prior to going out on trips on my own. They have all been much more than happy to show me some ropes.

Lastly, I want to say thanks again to everyone for the support. I am very greatful that you have reached out to me.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

The only thing I got to say is Thank You For Your Service and the sacrafice that you have taken (3 deployments) to keep this country safe.

Let's worry about getting you home safely first, stay focused. The bike can wait. But at least you have another thing to add to your list of things that you can look forward to coming home for.

Let us know when you get back to the USA.:america:

 

[master111400]

Today is my day off! I have all the time to day dream about my bike and riding it today!

Thanks for the support though Vegasrider.

I will do my best to post something up when I get back.

 

[DefyInertia]

Three things:

(1) Thank you for your service.

(2) Don't listen to tcmalker

(3) East TN Riders forum (not sure of the exact spelling, but google it) is a pretty good forum and probably has lots of good advice. Most regional forums have better riding technique / crash analysis sections than bike specific forums.

Peace

 

[tcmalker]

Three things:

(2) Don't listen to tcmalker

I agree, disregard what tcmalker said earlier

 

[Kazza]

I agree, disregard what tcmalker said earlier

I totally agree - we should ALL disagree with tcmalker.

You NEVER stop learning on a bike NEVER. No matter how much experience you have, you will always learn something new.

To the OP :welcome: to this great forum. You've got a great bunch of people from all over the world giving you advice and opinions.

Remember, ATGATT, don't be a squid and stay safe.

But most of all ENJOY RIDING YOUR BIKE! :thumbup:

 

[Shamus McFeeley]

As far as places to ride go:

Clarksville is a DEATH TRAP, but you probably already know this. I can tell you to specifically watch out for the off ramp on exit 4, even though there is no stop sign there, people love to slam on their brakes at the last minute because they don't realize that they have their own lane to merge into.


Some good places to ride would be HWY 79 in the sango area (by exit 11), HWY 107 between oak grove and hopkinsville, and HWY 164 that runs from oak grove to LBL. You should be able to find some curves there with minimal traffic volume. If you're inclined I also suggest riding the trace from paris to cadiz, the trace has a slow speed limit (55) but plenty of curves and will definitely help you with the dynamics of turning the bike. When you feel up to it, it would be a great place to ride two up as well.

 

[ozzieboy]

G'day mate. My pearls of wisdom, would go something like this.....

1. Plan ahead. Always keep in mind, 2 or 3 escape routes, and plan new ones, constantly to meet the changing situation. I also like to sit at reasonably high revs to allow instant acceleration out of trouble.

2. Watch drivers, hands, and heads, and body language as well. This can tell you a lot about what they may be about to do.

3. Don't just rely on braking to get you out of strife. You can accelerate, and the bike takes up small amounts of space, so you can dodge out a lot of the time. Remember your horn, can help too.

4. Keep scanning constantly.

5. I take the laws with a grain of salt....being in the right doesn't make you heal any faster.

6. Try and keep some space between you and the big hard things with people in them that can hurt you. If this means getting out ahead at the lights, then that is an option, even if filtering is not strictly legal where you live (see no.5).

7. Keep your bike well maintained and do regular checks of tires, brakes etc. You may be needing them.

8. Avoid the diesel lane on hills. Trucks and buses etc. use the slow lane, and drop oil and plaster the road with diesel. I also like to avoid the slow lane where there is a service station, on a hill or near a bend as some people like to overfill their tanks, and there is often a trail of spillage in such places.

9. try to avoid manhole covers, and lines (especially in the wet).

10. Place your bike in a position in the lane, where the biggest danger likely to hit you can more easily see you. For example, coming up to a set of lights, and someone is turning across in front of you, and there is a car between you and them, just move across in your lane far enough to be seen.

11. Use other vehicles as protection. I like to use other vehicles entering an intersection to run interference sometimes....that way if someone wants to hit me they need to smash their way through the big 4WD first...lol.

12. Learn the roads. Track knowledge is a big portion of the picture (this is especially true on the roads), and eventually you will learn which lane you need to be in to avoid places where people suddenly stop or do weird last minute manouvres a lot. It'll help you decide where to position you bike in your lane to avoid that "nasty pot hole in the road, that surrounds that manhole cover".

13. Check your mirrors a lot and don't let people come up beside you and cut off one of your escape routes. I'm not sure why, but around here people feel the need to try to catch up to the motorbike, and sit just next to it. They don't go past...just fly up next to you and sit there....like they want to kill you:spank:.

15. Check your mirrors if you are thinking of stopping fast to avoid something....people often sit too close to a bike, as they don't realize how quickly you can stop...and don't care 'cause you are soft.:spank:

16. Relax, and enjoy yourself...lol. It's not all bad. Just stay alert, and you can stay out of trouble more often than not, and you can get where you're going quicker, and with joy of riding a bike:rockon:.

17. In the twisties don't ride faster than you can see/avoid/stop, for gravel, oil, water etc. This will depend on your tires, the road surface, temperature, and loading of the bike, suspension and skill level. So take learning slowly. Head out with some more experienced, but not insane riders, and get them to show you the ropes a bit.

18. Stay on your side of the road....the other side can get nasty fast.

19. Don't sit too close to other bikes on group rides. Give yourselves some space, to avoid collision, target fixating, and having them block the view of something nasty on the road coming up.

20. Don't let your ego make you do rash things. I've overtaken folks after waiting for a safe spot and so missing out on some prime twisties, only to have them fly back past me on a straight bit, 'cause they've got something to prove, and then had to watch them nearly die, at the first sight of corners, 'cause they can't ride. Or they speed up when they see you come up behind them, instead of just moving over a touch and waving you on through...then nearly die again.

Phew...I have typer's cramp...lol.

Listen to your instructors. They probably already told you all this stuff...lol:thumbup:.

Hope some of this helps. Remember, you are relying on you to keep you alive, so don't trust the cagers.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

G'day mate. My pearls of wisdom, would go something like this.....

1. Plan ahead. Always keep in mind, 2 or 3 escape routes, and plan new ones, constantly to meet the changing situation. I also like to sit at reasonably high revs to allow instant acceleration out of trouble.

2. Watch drivers, hands, and heads, and body language as well. This can tell you a lot about what they may be about to do.

3. Don't just rely on braking to get you out of strife. You can accelerate, and the bike takes up small amounts of space, so you can dodge out a lot of the time. Remember your horn, can help too.

4. Keep scanning constantly.

5. I take the laws with a grain of salt....being in the right doesn't make you heal any faster.

6. Try and keep some space between you and the big hard things with people in them that can hurt you. If this means getting out ahead at the lights, then that is an option, even if filtering is not strictly legal where you live (see no.5).

7. Keep your bike well maintained and do regular checks of tires, brakes etc. You may be needing them.

8. Avoid the diesel lane on hills. Trucks and buses etc. use the slow lane, and drop oil and plaster the road with diesel. I also like to avoid the slow lane where there is a service station, on a hill or near a bend as some people like to overfill their tanks, and there is often a trail of spillage in such places.

9. try to avoid manhole covers, and lines (especially in the wet).

10. Place your bike in a position in the lane, where the biggest danger likely to hit you can more easily see you. For example, coming up to a set of lights, and someone is turning across in front of you, and there is a car between you and them, just move across in your lane far enough to be seen.

11. Use other vehicles as protection. I like to use other vehicles entering an intersection to run interference sometimes....that way if someone wants to hit me they need to smash their way through the big 4WD first...lol.

12. Learn the roads. Track knowledge is a big portion of the picture (this is especially true on the roads), and eventually you will learn which lane you need to be in to avoid places where people suddenly stop or do weird last minute manouvres a lot. It'll help you decide where to position you bike in your lane to avoid that "nasty pot hole in the road, that surrounds that manhole cover".

13. Check your mirrors a lot and don't let people come up beside you and cut off one of your escape routes. I'm not sure why, but around here people feel the need to try to catch up to the motorbike, and sit just next to it. They don't go past...just fly up next to you and sit there....like they want to kill you:spank:.

15. Check your mirrors if you are thinking of stopping fast to avoid something....people often sit too close to a bike, as they don't realize how quickly you can stop...and don't care 'cause you are soft.:spank:

16. Relax, and enjoy yourself...lol. It's not all bad. Just stay alert, and you can stay out of trouble more often than not, and you can get where you're going quicker, and with joy of riding a bike:rockon:.

17. In the twisties don't ride faster than you can see/avoid/stop, for gravel, oil, water etc. This will depend on your tires, the road surface, temperature, and loading of the bike, suspension and skill level. So take learning slowly. Head out with some more experienced, but not insane riders, and get them to show you the ropes a bit.

18. Stay on your side of the road....the other side can get nasty fast.

19. Don't sit too close to other bikes on group rides. Give yourselves some space, to avoid collision, target fixating, and having them block the view of something nasty on the road coming up.

20. Don't let your ego make you do rash things. I've overtaken folks after waiting for a safe spot and so missing out on some prime twisties, only to have them fly back past me on a straight bit, 'cause they've got something to prove, and then had to watch them nearly die, at the first sight of corners, 'cause they can't ride. Or they speed up when they see you come up behind them, instead of just moving over a touch and waving you on through...then nearly die again.

Phew...I have typer's cramp...lol.

Listen to your instructors. They probably already told you all this stuff...lol:thumbup:.

Hope some of this helps. Remember, you are relying on you to keep you alive, so don't trust the cagers.

Abbreviated version....Riding is 90% Mental, safe riding is using your eyes and mind.

 

[Have2BeFree]

Welcome to the Forum and thank you for your service. My son is stationed at Ft Campbell and being deployed to Afghanistan again in February.

I should be down that way in July so maybe I'll see you then!

As for advice:

ATGATT - ALL THE GEAR ALL THE TIME! Even when it's hot and 100 degrees down there!

Also just take it slow - technique comes before speed. Always ride within 75% of your ability (and that may be stretching it) and NO more on the street (track days are different LOL).

 

[master111400]

Well I guess I will just have to be patient and read books until I can get home to ride. I am just so excited about it all. I really wish that I could go out and ride now! I would love to go out on a ride with you. I should be in the Campbell area then so feel more then free to send me a pm as to exactly when you will be there. Yes that is mostly all of the same advice I was taught in the MSF course. I thank all of you for this great advice (except tcmalker). LOL

 

[Motogiro]

:welcome:master111400 !!!

Thank you for your service to our country. Safe home to you!

Most of the advice has been really great and pretty thorough. You're hearing a lot of collective years experience.
The scariest riding I do is riding in traffic with cages.
Attitude is one of the most important parts of riding.

Enjoy this great group of friends on the forum! :rockon:

 

[Goop]

My little addition to all of the great stuff posted already...

Find a group to ride with that has experienced riders that you can learn from. Doing this has helped me immensely. I hang back and watch how they ride and ask questions and soak up all the knowledge I can. Have one of the experienced riders follow you during a segment of a ride and give you feedback on your riding.

Lee Park's "Total Control" and the Nick Iaentsch books mentioned above are great too.

 

[master111400]

Well thanks again for the new support! I am always happy when people are grateful for my service. I tend to be fairly modest about it though...sorry cant help it...It is just my job. Here is a pic of my bike that you asked for. My Camaro is also in the backround.

I hope that worked the way it is suposed to.