just passed MSF and got on the GS!

[paui]

i just passed msf on sunday.....5 hours on their little ke 100's and then i went and got on my gs and right back to that lot to use their painted lines...riding the gs was a BLAST! i had my gf watching me as i rode the bike for 2 hours....i took a break to teach her how to get into the friction zone and walk the bike under the bikes power.......then i woke up this morning and got back on the bike! it rained today so the lot was all wet so i took it easy and went around the lot for about an hour and then my gf came with ice cream, which we ate while i explained more about the clutch and throttle and friction zone and stuff.....then i had her walking with the bike in the friction zone all over the lot and now she wants a bike!
hahaha im having so much fun.......i dont feel so great on the street bc #1.....im in nyc....the drivers arent the greatest and neither are the roads....#2 it takes me a little bit to find the friction zone and get moving so stop and go is a pain....and i dont want a car to blow by me bc im taking too long to get moving.......
my gf was scared when she was watching me bc she said i was so close to the ground! gotta get me some knee sliders now!

[Cris]

Congratulations!  
I was waiting to hear how the class went!
It's great that you have your girl by your side wanting to learn and sharing your excitement!!!

[pantablo]

Yeah, your gf sharing your joy is a great thing. Congratulations on passing. Its a great feeling, I know. Enjoy the GS now!

[paui]

i took msf this past friday, saturday, and sunday and told my mom about the course friday night.....she said ok u can do it for fun but dont even think about getting a motorcycle if u wanna be my son.....but i already bought my bike 6 weeks ago! tsk tsk
too bad she isnt excited like my gf.....

[Turkina]

hehe  :lol:  My mom said stuff like, 'Oh, that's nice', and shrugged when she saw some motorcycle magazines around.

Then my GS showed up!
muahahahaha  

Maybe I should be taken seriously, that'll show her!

[paui]

hahah a few years ago my mom said it was ok......then gradually all my car mags turned into stacks of motorcycle mags! and then the real thing...
yea moms should really take us more seriously :mrgreen:

[glenn9171]

Paui, get a 15 tooth front sprocket.  It really helps overcome the "hard to start off without stalling" problem.  About $12-15 and takes about 5-10 minutes to install.

[paui]

well i never stalled when i tried to get going, but i just take long....
how many teeth does a stock front sprocket have and how does the 15 tooth affect the bike?

[Kerry]

Stock sprocket has 16 teeth.

With a 15-tooth sprocket your engine revs are a little higher (~6%) for a given rear wheel speed. So, on startup there is a bit more "oomph" available to get you going.

Other side effects include:
* Shifting slightly more often as you accelerate, since you run through the RPM range more quickly
* Slightly reduced mileage at highway speeds.
* Ability to get closer to redline in 6th gear, otherwise a not-too-likely event.

[glenn9171]

I have the 15 tooth sprocket and I have not notaced ANY drop in fuel economy.  At highway speeds (for me is about an indicated 85mph) the revs are about 300-350 rpm higher than stock.  I still get well over 190 miles per tank of fuel.  I check the mileage with evrey tank and have NEVER gotten less than 50mpg.  It's over 52mpg most of the time.  This is with many "spirited" acclerations and high speed  highway cruises.

There is no down side to the 15T sprocket as far as I am concerned.  

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

I've ridden my friend's bone stock GS quite a few times and have never had any trouble getting it going from a stop?! What's up with this? I keep seeing people talking about having trouble getting going and don't understand.   Give a little gas, slip the clutch and I'm off and running. Now the stuff about the front springs needing replacement... that I can understand!! I bottom out the front easily and only weigh about 175 lbs. Otherwise, the bike runs great, warms up in a few minutes and is a real blast on the backroads because it is so light an nimble. Makes me wish I had learned on one of these instead of the top heavy Nighthawk 750!

Adios,

[glenn9171]

The "slipping the clutch" part is what we are talking about.  Especially when starting off uphill.  Not exactly confidence-inspiring for new riders.  And less so if the pavement is wet from rain or something.  The last thing anyone, much less a new rider, needs to do on a wet road is to be revving the bike excessively and slipping the clutch uphill from a stop.  

For about $15 and 15 minutes or less time, the bike can be made lots more friendly in this regard.

[TheGoodGuy]

let vanessa master getting my focus moving in 1st gear then i will show her the bike. Though she wants a vespa (auto matic).

She can get it off first gear but not smooth, she hit the gas too much and releases teh clutch too fast, With practise she will master it.

[paui]

time for an update....
so today was the third day i let my gf practice on my gs....ive had her walking with the bike using the bikes power....today she really got the hang of it and wasnt even walking....she just kinda had her feet about 2 inches from the ground on either side (pretty much riding the bike) so i told her next time just use a little more throttle and let the clutch go a little more and put feet on pegs.....when she came to a stop from that i saw her slowly tipping over to the right and BAM my brake lever is all loose and curled like one of those fancy mustaches.....then she didnt wanna practice anymore and she wanted to go home but i told her the only way to get over it was to practice some more so she walked with the bike a little more and was feeling ok towards the end of the day...
good for her bad for my gs -=(

[paui]

so................anybody have a spare brake lever lying around?  :mrgreen:

[Turkina]

You know, I'd say get a book like Proficient Motorcycling, both of you take a read, then let her have at it in a parking lot.  Very low speed riding won't build any confidence in riding the bike, since it's so unstable.  So... kinda do what the MSF instructors told you to do, practice the correct responses then have her try it out.  Mind you, I still need to take my MSF course *cough*  But I read up a lot, had my friend watching me like a hawk, and practiced starts until I drained my battery stalling so many times.  My carbs were really f-ed up after the bike sat for a couple years... needed to give it throttle for 3-4k rpms then slip the clutch the right way, or else stall!  The rpm's were too high for smooth (or safe) launches Now that they're cleaned, I have nice low end throttle response for launches.

But I digress...  Teach her how to launch, stop correctly, and basic turns, get her kitted up in case she falls.  Practice straight line stuff for a bit, once she reaches a nice, stable speed, the bike won't be as scary to her.

Oh, and then have her take the MSF course hehe

She isn't too short to hold the bike comfortably at a stop, is she?

[paui]

i think she supports the weight somewhere between her toes and the balls of her feet...i dont think its completely on the balls of her feet....that bike is way too heavy for her...i found a rs50 and a 250 ninja that i might go for if the both of us can come up with enough money...

[Turkina]

Cool    the Ninja should make things about 80 pounds lighter.  Save your pennies!

Maybe some platform boots would do the trick.. j/k  :mrgreen: