How to know your limits

Just won't wimp out about the bike like a buddy of mine did. Bought a brand new Honda Shadow in 2008, put about 1000 miles on it then took a little slip on some sand. Hasn't ridden it since other than parking it in another one of our buddy's garage. It's sat there collecting dust for over a year now (but he still makes payments on it, the fool).

Remember that physics make the bike want to stay upright. You'll feel more comfortable as you ride more, better to be "riding scared" than be cocky like a lot of the fools out there.

 

Assuming your Max has half way decent tires you should be able to lean over far enough to drag hard things on the pavement and ruin your boots.

Put something loose or slippery under the tires and it's an entirely different game.

You have to be watching (ahead, not while turning) for loose material always. Especially need to be aware at driveways, dirt/gravel side streets etc. This is another reason most of us prefer to use the left portion of the lane - all that crap tends to end up along the curb.

 

I'd recommend a really good book called Proficient Motorcycling by David L. Hough, It goes in depth into riding tecniques, safety, motorcycle dynamics, etc.., explains counter-steering pretty well, a good addition to a training course.

 

Not very much i can add to this except in your first post you mentioned something about jerking the handlebars to avoid something. It is a very bad idea to just jerk the handlebars and hope because by doing that you are removing your weight from the center of gravity of the bike and then you cannot manuver effectively. Lean into your turns.

Also, if i am coming up to a corner and the suggested speed is 45 mph, then i know i can easily add 10 mph to that for my bike and have no trouble managing the corner. In fact, there are some twisties by my house that have a suggested speed of 45 mph, and on a dry day with good conditions my 550 will do 65-70 comfortably, so that just goes to show you what these bikes are capable of. Start out slow and work your way up. Good luck and dont let your fear rule your life.

 

The most important (IMO) is to not panic while riding. Teh best way to not panic is to learn. Take the training course then find a big empty parking lot and practice for several hours. I find a parking lot each spring (and when I get new tires to scrub them in) it helps build your confidence in your bike.

Good luck and safe riding.

 

Nothing against a little schooling...just makes
me wonder how us old timers managed to live past
50 having NO nifty riding courses when we started.
Here's how we learned:
Get on,ask questions,start slow and ride!
Some of the lucky ones had parents that said "SURE!"
when they asked for a mini-bike.
the rest of us RODE. Sometimes you go down-so what?
Ask 90% of riders who have dropped a bike and the
first thing they ask-no matter how bad the crash- is "hows
my bike!? That should say it all.

 

Well - thats me told!
got it wrong again!

 

One of the biggest problems I had and a lot of people have is trusting the tires. A person would think, if having never ridden a bike or studied the physics involved, that the more you lean, the easier it will be for you to fall down.
As long as your tires will grip the road, and as long as you balnce speed with counter steering, that bike is virtually impossible to tip over.
Have you ever dropped a penny into one of those big cones at the mall or at a museum, etc... You drop it in a slot and watch it spiral down the cone til it reaches the bottom and falls into the hole?
A bike uses the same principal... only the road if flat and the tires are rounded. The more you counter steer, the more you will lean. And the more you lean the more you will turn.

My advice would definitely be to take advantage of a safety course. But in the mean time, Get out on a not very busy street or, better yet, an empty parking lot.
Get used to counter steering and feeling the lean of the bike matched with the amount of throttle you are using to maintain stability.
Start out with big curves and circles and figure 8s and as you get the hang of it, start making those circles and turns smaller, use more pressure in the countersteering and get used to the feeling of leaning the bike.

Some things to remember... trust physics not to take your bike out from under you. That means keep your feet on the pegs and your knees against the tank.
You are trying to make yourself adept at riding the public streets and roadways. No wheelies and knee dragging and only do what is necessary for public cruising and riding. There is a point where those tires will slip and also a point where you max out your ground clearance.

Just practice leaning and countersteering. You want to feel it as a fluid motion. It'll become as second nature as steering a car around a corner.

Where protective gear. Practice from a stop and while moving.

Easy does it.

 

Nope- - still backwards !

I played with mini-bikes for 2 years before finding out about counter-steering the first corner at speed on the street- - I damn near went into oncoming traffic !! It was a slight bend to the right, I turned right and went left !!

Months later someone explained counter-steering to me and Dad (I was 13).

 

Timetoride... just realized you live in Fla. Haha. I need to practice my counter steering RIGHT NOW. Can I come live with you?

 

One of my daughters lives in Coco. I wanna go counter-steer there :wink: ...

skillet

 

Coco = Cocoa Beach ?? My favorite, because you can still drink in public there. Bring cans, the fine for a glass bottle is $125 EACH !!
Come on down and ride !!