So what advice do you have?

After riding dirt bikes on and off I have decided to move to the street. I purchased my first street bike and adore it. It is a 1985 xj700 maxim x in deep scarlet.

I'm looking for advice. What to do, and not to do. Anythings in particular I should know about these bikes? Things to watch out for?

And any riding advice? Things to practice? Things not to do?

I've already got gear that I wear regardless of the weather and am going to be taking an msf class.

 

Welcome to XJ Bikes. Heres a tip for ya-soccer moms in minivans apparently want motorcycles for hood ornaments! Stay tuned though, more constructive advice should be coming shortly.

 

don't look for berms in the corners and no sliding sideways at red lights

 

Take the class. Learn to use your rear brake. Learn to ride as SLOW as you can, it's waaaaaaay harder then going fast. If there's crap on the road like here in winnipeg, stick to the insides of curves... most of the crap gets pushed to the outside by centrifical force.
Pretend everyone's out to kill you. They are.

 

I've been working on slow riding. I just don't know how to keep the momentum? If i pull my clutch in I lose all power then I kind of coast while lightly pushing the rear brake to come to a stop. My First gear is very particular. Sensitive is the best word.

And THANKS for the tip about crap on the road. Wouldn't have thought of that and good to keep in mind.

and wwj750 actually had my first instance of soccer MOMS today. They hit each other about 4 car lengths infront of me. (That raises your stress level..)

 

I wish that was funny, but we lost a very valuable forum member and good friend, Bill ("Bill") Schmidt, coming up on two years ago due to a soccer mom in a minivan in a hurry. That's not a shot at you, you didn't know. It's just a more common situation than you might imagine.

My advice comes from 44+ years on street bikes:

Survival among "hard vehicles" depends on one major discipline (beyond being "at one" with your machine so you can respond) and that's SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.

Channel your inner fighter pilot; go into "combat zone" mode as soon as you're in traffic. Be aware of every vehicle within ramming distance and what it's doing now, and what it COULD do. EVERY vehicle, and that means 360* which means mirrors and working out those neck muscles as well, scanning.

Texting/distracted drivers have raised the bar more than a few notches recently, BTW. It's become more difficult and more important than ever to be fully aware of your surroundings, traffic wise.

Check this out: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=11852/.html

Back in the summer of '08, because this site has no "Safe Riding" forum, I started that thread, "Be The Bunny." Take time to READ some of the 18 pages of responses. We have quite a few members who are or were MSF instructors, and there is some really good advice as well as quite few interesting anecdotes. If you want to comment, please do. The thread could use a bump.

It sounds like you're still just in the "become one with the machine" phase. Don't be afraid of that front brake; that's 90 percent of your stopping power if you REALLY have to haul it down from any speed.

 

Wow, I really feel terrible now. Actually there was a serious message in my comment, because IMO these are some of the most dangerous obstacles out there.
Some plain, serious advice from myself would be to get a good manual for your bike. Start with the brakes first before anything else is gone thru. This site is full of excellent threads, one of the best is from BigFitz on rear brake delamination. Your bike aint gonna be very much fun if you cant stop it. Or the brakes suddenly lock up on you at highway speed. Youre certainly on the right track with the the rider training and gear.
Can anyone else suggest some good threads for this gentleman?

 

"Be the bunny" so far is great! working my way through it now. My brakes work well but they do squeak. So it is probably a good idea to go through them.

 

Don't, you had no way of knowing. Just remember Bill when you come across his "Captain America" avatar on an old post.

My point is and always will be; that as much fun as motorcycles are, this is DEADLY serious business. It's the price we have to pay for the freedom and enjoyment. So enjoy away; but you CANNOT let your guard down. The results can be too permanent.

That's why I'm so insistent about BRAKES.

 

bigfitz52

Is there a way you recommend upgrading them? A way that is better than stock? Or do you just mean to make sure that they are perfect in the unmodified stock condition?

There have to be better braking options out now?

 

Making sure the brakes are in top notch condition is first and foremost. If the front brake lines are older than 4 years, replace them. Chacal (xj4ever.com supporting vendor) has them for about the best prices you will find and he advertises that his are the only units where the entire assembly is DOT approved, where as others only used approved line and/or fittings without the assembly being tested/approved.

Second: be absolutely certain to visually inspect the rear drum brake. If you cannot tell if the shoe is relatively new, then replace it no matter how much pad remains. The original stock have a way of delaminating - where the pad part comes off of the mounting piece. Suddenly you have a large object jamming up the works of the rear wheel almost certainly resulting in your bike going down, possibly flying pieces of metal, and you body surfing the pavement.

With regard to "Be the Bunny", I have been touting that thread myself a lot lately and still miss Bill. He was a great guy.

Your rule of thumb: do everything you can do to be seen but always assume that you are invisible - except to the cops of course

You have to ride with the belief that you are completely invisible to the cage drivers. They DO NOT see you. They don't expect you and they aren't looking for things smaller than a car. If you are traveling next to another vehicle, make certain that you catch the eye of the driver, that they know you are there. You could even turn it into a light beep of the horn and a polite wave ... If you can't verify that they know you are there, BACK OFF far enough that if they were to suddenly change lanes, you won't become road kill. On the freeway, I drive in the left hand lane at the flow of traffic. That way I almost always have an escape route: the emergency lane. You can easily get boxed in in the other lanes. Always be looking for an escape route. If you don't have one, make one.

Do everything you can to make yourself visible and noticeable.
Get a headlight modulator which, during the daytime, flashes constantly between your high and low beams. Commercial products are ridiculously expensive for all they are - around $80. All it is is a flasher unit with a light sensing device to tell if it is light or dark. Light = flash, Dark = don't flash.
For someone who knows how to put together minimal circuits, $15 or less at Radio Shack.

Dress for the slide, not the ride: For the vast majority of riders it is not a question of "IF" they go down, but WHEN. Do you want to do it with abrasion resistant leather or such, or do you want to see the sand\paper effect of asphalt on skin? Shoes to cover your ankles. And if you don't wear a helmet, please be certain to sign up for your state's organ doner program so that when you do go down, someone else can benefit from your no longer needed heart, liver, kidneys, etc.

Brake light flasher: $5 or $8 depending on which one you choose:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/ ... c-100a.htm

Works great with this:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/ ... x12x19.htm

or this:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/ ... e_bulb.htm

Has the benefit of reducing your electrical load too ...

Helmet lights:
Prices range WIDELY ...
http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/windl ... tent=31219

http://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Headli ... sbs_auto_1

http://www.amazon.com/Visibility-Motorc ... B0021EZUFI

http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Helmet-B ... sbs_auto_3

http://www.amazon.com/Street-1044081-Mo ... sbs_auto_6

http://www.ecrater.com/p/9116134/motorc ... fits-shoei

http://www.jpcycles.com/product/381-938 ... ap=381-938

I want one of these as soon as I can spring for them as "studies have shown that" motorcycles with 3 headlights are in fewer collisions than motorcycles with one headlight:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/ ... _specs.htm

 

Ryan,

Welcome to the club and I congratulate you for being "teachable" when too many younger guys come in here and amazingly, already know everything!

The good new is that you may live because of that teachability!

I don't sugarcoat things and as most here will tell you, any fool can go fast, all it takes is a twist of the wrist....but a motorcyclist can and does practice panic-stops. It's the one skill that you can begin practicing today that will save your life.

Even after all these years I still practice in the pouring rain....from speed. Now before you hop on your new-to-you bike and get yourself turned into hamburger meat....to do those panic stops take practice, lots and LOTS of practice. Read whatever you can find on braking and riding, practice using your brakes starting on dry, good quality pavement and learn how to "read the road" in front of you, keep your head on a swivel whenever riding....and never forget...."the last 6 feet of a stop might be TRUCK!

None of us here want to end your riding career with a single black mark on the road.....the rear brake is fine for today but the front is what you should use 99% of the time, ONCE YOU KNOW WHEN & HOW! I stress that so you don't grab a handful on a sandy surface or the gravel strip in the center of a curve. Practice my new friend so one day long after Fitz and I and the other "old guys" are gone, you can teach the guys who will be wearing the shoes that you wear today.

All that said, you have a huge advantage since your dirt experience will keep you from freezing up when your front end locks...you'll know to gently release and reapply....you dirt guys do pretty well as a whole so I have a lot of confidence that you'll be just fine!

take care,
jeff

 

Thanks for all of the great advice. I really appreciate it. I am really enjoying it so far. I've lost two friends and have had another buddy lose a leg.. So I want to make sure that I am doing everything I can to possibly ride right. (Also the reason why I'm not on a crotch rocket)

In regards to braking...

I use mainly the front and a little bit of the rear when slowing down. Then I switch just to the rear for the last 5mph to stop at a light and stop smooth. Is that correct? I believe I read it somewhere and it seems to work well.

Then when I stop left foot down. Right foot holding the bike in place on the rear brake. Is that correct as well?

 

Using the rear only(or mostly) for the last few mph will minimize any front end dive which can cause significant issues if you are riding two-up and she (he?) isn't paying attention. You only need your passenger to slam into you, forcing you towards the bars once before you learn to press back against them as you slow down to a stop. I still use the front only in almost all situations and rarely ever use the rear.

I'm a lefty and I roadraced so I don't claim to know "proper" form but for me, I'm a right foot down, then both at a light, guy. I also put the balls of my feet on the pegs as soon as my bike moves an inch when leaving from a stop and don't leave them dragging on the ground.....what are they thinking??? The worst slow-speed habit some guys have is dragging their feet in FRONT of their pegs.....that's going to be awful ugly when, not if, their boot(or sneaker?!?) catches on a rock or "pygmy" in the road surface.

I'd suggest that you do take the BRC rider course and follow it with the Advanced course....you will get some knowledge and the opportunity to practice it with generally, good instructors. There's always horror stories but most around the country are pretty good from what I've read in my extensive list of forums.

jeff

 

Jeff, thanks for your advice on all of my threads! I am a lefty as well. And no feet dragging for this guy either. Also no way there will EVER be a he on the back lol.

I do plan on taking the class soon. I'll probably swing by the shop that offers them this weekend and get signed up for the next one. Plus in Missouri that gets us our license as well as significantly lowers our insurance. So it will be a double win.

 

I'm going to look through my manuals and try to check my brakes if they need replaced is charcal the right guy to contact? I sent him a pm.

 

yup, len (chacal) is the man!

and nice bike! the only reason i got mine over an 85 700 max is the tiny tiny passenger seat.

ride on! lots of goood advive given, be the bunny is a great thread.

welcome!

 

Most (if not all) insurance companies credit you with 2 years riding experience if you take the MSF basic rider class. They do have additional classes beyond that. But that first one is all about keeping you alive.

 

Thanks for the advice guys as well as the compliments. I love it so far. I'm in debt to the friend who convinced me to get a vintage bike.

I do plan on taking the msf asap. I want to be as proficient as possible. We'll see if I ever get to use my tiny passenger seat. (No one is allowed till I'm super comfortable...) So far the lady friend is very opposed to me owning it.. Yet alone her riding on it.

Thanks fellas

-Ryan

 

Ride like you are invisible and never assume that people that should see you will.
I put a modulator in my tail like. Bought it here. Bought it here. I love it. Helps make me more visible at night and helps let people know that I am not the other tail light on the car in front of me.
Give yourself escape space! Always!

And read ALL of the thread that Fitz linked. There is some excellent advice there.

 

The brake light modulator from Superbrightleds is cheaper.

 

Now you tell me. :lol:

 

Have any of you guys taken the experienced rider course? I've been trying to talk my hubby into it, but he doesn't seem interested. I don't know if he's intimidated, thinking everybody will have more experience or if he thinks he doesn't need it. He's been riding 4 years but I know he still doesn't have the confidence of some other riders. What all do they go through in the experienced class?

Also, sorry to steal the post to ask the question, but there was a lot of talk about the classes on the 1st page of the post, so thought I'd chime in.

 

I'm curious as well so no apology needed!

 

Per MSF:

Advanced RiderCourse (ARC) [formerly ARC-ST]
A one-day course that complements a rider's basic skills and helps with personal risk assessment. It includes a fast-paced classroom segment with several interactive activities to improve perception and hazard awareness. Range exercises enhance both basic skills and crash avoidance skills. Improving braking and cornering finesse is emphasized. The course is beneficial for riders on any type of street motorcycle.


One of the things I did with my daughters, teaching them how to drive, was actually performing emergency stops in varying conditions. Parking lots with fewer light poles are great for this after hours. I hold the same be true for motorcyclists, even more so. You need to practice increasingly dramatic stops until you are comfortable under as many adverse conditions as you "safely" can. You should practice stopping on roads with gravel on the asphalt. How often do you encounter a corner with a pile of debris lying there? If you haven't practiced how to respond, odds are you are going down. So the next time it is raining ... snowing ... sleeting, etc., get out there and practice some stops.

And Redsix ... I did post that previously ... in the past few days as a matter of fact.

 

I am planning on taking the msf course asap. But in the mean time I am curious about one thing. If I take a corner too quickly you're not supposed to brake in a corner.. So what do you do?

 

Me...depending on how badly i judged th speed of th corner ..down shift a gear or two smoothly apply a bit of rear brake and maybe a little front, not a handful, on/off just enough to drop th speed ..depends on th corner. Th best way is to be set up for th corner not finding out 1/2 way in that you got it wrong. Sometimes i do that stuff just for fun.I found practicing on roads i know well th best way, but there will always something to test you sometime. Quick sensible reactions to changing conditions are a necessity. Look up 'counter steering' if you don't know it.

 

Best way for cornering is to remember 'slow in fast out' I personally concentrate on doing everything,accelerating,braking,direction changes as smoothly as possible.Once you get things smooth you find yourself being faster without that actually being your goal.
As far as braking in the corner,best not to have to but if necessary you dont slam em on, more just washing off your momentum.Much as Bushy has said.
Veggielane, I did an experienced rider course a few weeks ago,I was the only person there on a bike more than a year old and I've been riding for more than 20 yr's cant say I learned anything earth shattering new BUT I did get some explanations for things that were just instinct and the more you know the more enjoyable anything is.
First time for any professional tuition.
Did get some tips on what I should be working on I must say.
When I got a bike licence you paid your money and hopefully survived it.
It was nice to have the instructor come over inspect my bike then call the class over ,use the bike to as an example of what should be lubed and checked and then compliment me on how well my controls were adjusted and maintained,the dinosaur[bike] and I were pretty chuffed.
A recognised course will also lower your insurance premiums with some Insurance companies as well.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/flash ... index.html
Worth reading.
Keep asking questions Ryan it's the easiest and cheapest way to learn.Just remember the answers,when the adrenaline starts to flow.
Do the course sooner rather than later mate.

 

If you can, shift the bike to straight and upright and hit the brake hard, then continue into the curve. If you hit the brake with the bike leaning to turn or if it is somehow out of alignment, odds are very good you are going down.

If you can't ... pray (very quickly), hold on, and use both front and rear brakes equally without slamming them on. If you limit yourself to the front, the rear tire is no longer in alignment behind the front and the rear tire will decide to lift and race the front tire in the direction you were traveling ... I've had a couple of scary ones myself starting out ... was able to make it and not go down ... barely.

 

I really appreciate all of you guys on here. Wish some of you were closer so we could ride together!

I have a good group of guys out here that have offered to take me out and teach me some but trying to learn as much as possible in the meantime.

Any other common things you guys want to point out is appreciated.