My First Ride

[phenchick]

Ok.. so it wasn't THAT big of a deal. I only went in circles in first gear!! But still much more fun then going up the driveway only! Of course I did lay it down twice . But not like hard.. Just I would stop.. lose my balance.. and it would start to go down and I would struggle for it to NOT go down.. but considering it weights ALOT more then I it was Bike 2 Me 1. No real damage done. well really none. It was already done from the broken foot peg ordeal. But I got back on it and continued doing my circles. NOW to find a straight way to learn to shift gears and such!!

 

[WenMark]

Good Place to learn. Enjoy the ride. Congrats.

 

[Blue-Sun]

If you continue to have problems learning the bike, you might want to buy an older used dirt bike, like an old YZ125 or YZ250, they can be dropped repeatedly without suffering any damage or new damage. Then once you have the balance and shifting down, sell the dirt bike off and enjoy your FZ6R

Just my 2 cents...

 

[phenchick]

I am going out to ride a racing four wheeler this week. That way I can get a feel for controls and gears on four wheels. I have enrolled in the Motorcycle Beginner Riders Course but that is not until Middle of June. I just have to get drilled in my head to put both feet down once I come slow enough before I stop to get ready to brace myself. But most deff taking the riders course before I EVER consider getting out of first gear in a parking lot/driveway before I get on the roads!!!

 

[phenchick]

Plus did not help that my boyfriend (god bless him with all the love in the world) has NO patience and tends "explain" in a very loud tone and made me VERY nervous! haha. I tend to work better under positive.. thats ok.. keep trying you will get it. Try this instead of this.. then I do to WHY DID YOU DO THAT?? THAT NOT HOW YOU DO THAT... haha. I see I will be the one to teach his little one to drive a car!!!!!! *sigh* yet I understand his view also.. I am sure he only saw $$$ for what I may be able to mess up!!!!

 

[Blue-Sun]

Plus did not help that my boyfriend (god bless him with all the love in the world) has NO patience and tends "explain" in a very loud tone and made me VERY nervous! haha. I tend to work better under positive.. thats ok.. keep trying you will get it. Try this instead of this.. then I do to WHY DID YOU DO THAT?? THAT NOT HOW YOU DO THAT... haha. I see I will be the one to teach his little one to drive a car!!!!!! *sigh* yet I understand his view also.. I am sure he only saw $$$ for what I may be able to mess up!!!!

Might be cheaper to buy an old dirt bike, learn it and sell it then fix up your new FZ6R. Your boyfriend won't have to worry about fixing up an old YZ(dirt bike) if you are going to re-sell it after you learn. You might loose a few bucks, but not that much. Also, an old YZ is lighter and having it fall on you vs. your FZ6R might hurt less... Again my 2 cents

 

[RandiZ]

My First 80 miles

I bought my first bike a bit more than a decade ago. It had 300 and change miles on it. It was barely a weekend toy for the guy who owned it. But, it was REALLY well cared for and by everyone who seemed to know anything about such things said it was a great deal. Basically it was a new 800cc cruiser.

I registered for the motorcycle safety class, scheduled for 3 weeks later. Then had my friend ride the bike to his house. I did my first 80 miles on that bike in his apartment complex parking lot in 1st gear over that weekend. He rode the bike to my house the next weekend. I put another 50 miles on the bike just riding in my neighborhood, got it up to 3rd gear, trying not to stall at stop signs.

A week or so after the MSF course I got brave enough to take it on the highway. Haven't looked back since.

Dropped that bike once while trying to get it out of the parking shed. Learned how to pick up my bike by itself. Dented the tank. And that was the last time I dropped that bike.

More than a decade later, I dropped the FZ6R twice while maneuvering it in and out of parking on the very first day I owned the thing. Very glad I had the sliders because this plastic is expensive. Haven't had problems since.....<knock, knock, knock.> I am registered to take the ERC at the end of July to get better with this particular bike. And although I'm only 1/2" from flat footing, I am strongly considering lowering it another 1" just to have the control when maneuvering. I'll decide after the ERC.

This is a really long way of saying, ride your ride the way you want to.

 

[Insure Gal]

I am going out to ride a racing four wheeler this week. That way I can get a feel for controls and gears on four wheels. I have enrolled in the Motorcycle Beginner Riders Course but that is not until Middle of June. I just have to get drilled in my head to put both feet down once I come slow enough before I stop to get ready to brace myself. But most deff taking the riders course before I EVER consider getting out of first gear in a parking lot/driveway before I get on the roads!!!

Congrats on the purchase hun and I hate to burst your bubble, but a quad is completely different to ride than a bike, also the MSF will teach you to put only one foot down when stopped, right foot should be on the back brake.
If you are putting both feet down that means you are only using the front brake to stop. Front brake on a bike is VERY sensitive and what happens with most noobs (I know this personally ) is that they tend to grab the front brake hard resulting in the bike gradding to the right and dropping.
Just squeeze both brakes ever so slightly with the back brake about a second before the front. Also keep your head up. most noobs tend to look down at the bars and then the bike goes down (again known from personal experience - I dropped my old bike twice)
I would wait till the after the MSF to ride your own bike, it's ok to drop theirs they are very used to it but for the sake of a couple of weeks I would not risk the new bike.

Main thing is relax and enjoy!

 

[elderproctor]

Ok.. so it wasn't THAT big of a deal. I only went in circles in first gear!! But still much more fun then going up the driveway only! Of course I did lay it down twice . But not like hard.. Just I would stop.. lose my balance.. and it would start to go down and I would struggle for it to NOT go down.. but considering it weights ALOT more then I it was Bike 2 Me 1. No real damage done. well really none. It was already done from the broken foot peg ordeal. But I got back on it and continued doing my circles. NOW to find a straight way to learn to shift gears and such!!

Just wanted to ask, "Are you able to flat foot your bike?" I had that problem when I started last year and once I lowered my bike, the problem ceased and I have not dropped the bike since.

 

[phenchick]

Just wanted to ask, "Are you able to flat foot your bike?" I had that problem when I started last year and once I lowered my bike, the problem ceased and I have not dropped the bike since.

No not on both sides. I am on the balls of my feet. I do believe that is part of the problem. Going to look for riding boots this week. Also my bf seems to think he can lower the front a bit without changing to much. He did just tell me that he and a friend has the wrecked katana running again. Have to make a few adjustments on it, but once that is done it will be my learning tool! That way if I drop it no damage done cause its pretty much finished anyway. That makes me happy. Now I can learn without the stress of thinking I will hurt my new baby!!!!!

 

[_serge]

I also started on the parking lot. Though I rented a bike for 3 days, it was some yamaha vstar cruiser, quite heavy but not bad at all for learning. All 3 days I spent riding on the parking lot, learning some basic maneuvers from BRC: u-turns, emergency breaking, swerving, etc.

 

[Chip]

Not sure why no one has mentioned it, but I'd highly recommend you take the MSF course. You learn on their bikes, so if you lay it down, its not a big problem.

 

[Insure Gal]

Not sure why no one has mentioned it, but I'd highly recommend you take the MSF course. You learn on their bikes, so if you lay it down, its not a big problem.

That's what I said

Congrats on the purchase hun and I hate to burst your bubble, but a quad is completely different to ride than a bike, also the MSF will teach you to put only one foot down when stopped, right foot should be on the back brake.
If you are putting both feet down that means you are only using the front brake to stop. Front brake on a bike is VERY sensitive and what happens with most noobs (I know this personally ) is that they tend to grab the front brake hard resulting in the bike gradding to the right and dropping.
Just squeeze both brakes ever so slightly with the back brake about a second before the front. Also keep your head up. most noobs tend to look down at the bars and then the bike goes down (again known from personal experience - I dropped my old bike twice)
I would wait till the after the MSF to ride your own bike, it's ok to drop theirs they are very used to it but for the sake of a couple of weeks I would not risk the new bike.

Main thing is relax and enjoy!

 

[99vengeur]

It's nice to see that you are trying to learn. However, it may not have been mentioned here yet, so I will just go ahead and say it. It is best that you wait until AFTER the MSF beginner's course to start riding your bike. For a number of reasons: 1) they teach the basics of the controls, 2) you are on their bike and the damage is on their dime, 3) they are trained instructors that will not yell at you for mistakes and they understand that newbies will make those mistakes, 4) if you develop bad habits or techniques in the weeks before the course, you will have to relearn the proper habits and techniques.

Ok, with that out of the way, it sounds like you are having troubles with keeping the bike upright at stops. Two reasons are likely, the bike is too tall and it needs to be lowered for you; or, you are not keeping the handle bars straight when coming to a stop. If the first is true, get the Roaring Toyz lowering link. If the second is true, make sure that when you are slowing down to come to a stop, look ahead and not down and keep the handle bars straight. If they are turned, the bike will surely want to dive that direction.

Enjoy the bike, don't be discouraged, and after your MSF beginner's course get out and use that new knowledge!! :thumbup:

 

[TigerGenetics]

Not sure why no one has mentioned it, but I'd highly recommend you take the MSF course. You learn on their bikes, so if you lay it down, its not a big problem.

If you look at post #4 in this thread, she says that she is enrolled in the MSF course, but it is in mid-June.

 

[phenchick]

awwww. I can breath a little easier now. We got the Katana running. Just have a bit more work to do on it to make it safe then I can practice on it without having to worry about damage as I learn!! We figured we will keep it up for those after me in the group that wish to learn, that way they can use it as long as they replace what they mess up for the next one!!!

 

[Detrich]

Great place to practice

Ur posture is looking good. Remember to keep ur chin up and ur eyes constantly looking ahead & forward to where u want to go. (Never fixate on the immediate area in front of u or on the control display, or u will fall.)

And, in addition to riding circles, also try to practice stopping and starting. Maybe pretend that there is a stop sign during part of the straight away- ie somewhere comfortable. Then, anticipate the stop, maintain balance & control, and practice slowing down and stopping safely. Then practice starting without stalling...

Like many other ppl have said, the MSF course is definitely the way to go. But for self practice, u seem to be on the right track.

 

[elderproctor]

No not on both sides. I am on the balls of my feet. I do believe that is part of the problem. Going to look for riding boots this week. Also my bf seems to think he can lower the front a bit without changing to much. He did just tell me that he and a friend has the wrecked katana running again. Have to make a few adjustments on it, but once that is done it will be my learning tool! That way if I drop it no damage done cause its pretty much finished anyway. That makes me happy. Now I can learn without the stress of thinking I will hurt my new baby!!!!!

ok, great. I dropped my bike 5 times last year because I was not able to flat foot the bike because I was loosing my balance. I lowered the bike with the lowering link from roaring toyz and problem stopped.

 

[NYGirl]

1. Take the course. I know how hard it is to wait... but it's worth it.Those MSF instructors are REALLY REALLY patient and have a system that starts with tiny baby steps (literally) and works up your skills and confidence one step at a time.

Example: The first thing you do is duck walk the bike across the parking lot, letting the clutch out and pulling it in just enough to make the bike move. That's how you learn what a clutch is, and what it does. And then you have to turn around at the end of the parking lot and duck walk it back again. That first attempt at turning the bike will teach you how NOT to drop it. (someone in the class will, don't worry!! .. and you CAN learn from others' mistakes!)

2. If you can't put your feet down flat, go to Roaring Toyz and spend the $200 for the lowering link and shorter kickstand. It will make a WORLD of difference, take it from this 5'2" shrimpy short girl who bought a FZ6R for her very first bike.

3. Take your time and ride your own ride. Only YOU know when you are ready to take it to the next level, ie the street.

Best to you! Let us know how you do!!

 

[Detrich]

i need to find a place like that to practice sharp, closed turns... despite having been riding around now for 10 months (streets, freeways, 1 canyon), i still find that i cannot do u-turns and i feel nervous about doing circle 8 turns unless the coast is completely clear or unless i have plenty of room- not exactly practical out on the road... so, i usually end up having to go around the block or making left or right turn to work my way back to where i want to go where i don't feel confident making a u-turn or circle 8... frustrating sometimes... =(

looking back, doing the circle 8's on the MSF bikes was pretty easy- given how light and maneuverable they were. but, the weight of the 6R still eludes me sometimes. on a good riding day, it's no biggie. but, on a bad riding day, it feels like a boat anchor.

do any other newbies feel this way too, or is it just me?