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Main Area => General GS500 Discussion => Topic started by: Mr.7 on October 02, 2005, 06:27:40 PM

Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Mr.7 on October 02, 2005, 06:27:40 PM
I've been driving cars for about a year and have just started ridding motorcycles.  It is hard for me to get used to leaning into corners because common sense tells you that there is no way that you won't crash.  Of coarse I've seen the racers who drag their knees when they turn  :o .  Another thing I tend to do is always think of the brake as a pedel so I have more than once used to much back brake and caused the rear end of the bike to come out.

Mabey after some more miles I will get used to this whole bike thing  :roll:
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: JetSwing on October 02, 2005, 06:31:02 PM
poor mr 7... :(
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Alphamazing on October 02, 2005, 06:31:20 PM
Take it to a big parking lot and practice your leaning, controls, and braking. It's great practice and essential for safe riding. Throwing the rear out with too much rear brake can be an extremely dangerous and you should work on correcting that as soon as you can.

Big parking lot. For serious.
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Mr.7 on October 02, 2005, 06:36:15 PM
Quotepoor mr 7... :(  

Don't feel sorry for me, feel sorry for all the people who do not have these problems because they don't have a motorcycle in the first place. I'll get the hang of ridding, just like I got the hang of driving a stick shift and studing for high school. Count your blessings first and then complain.
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Jace009gs on October 02, 2005, 06:57:57 PM
awww man who drives and automatic? {I mean drive drive}
The first thing I look at when shopping for a car is if it's stick...no stick not intrested :nana:  :nana: makes it simple


Ya seriously parking lot practice has probably saved my butt like a dozen times. I know the limit of my GS500 and I know how low I could go doing donuts around a light pole...I was getting good at it in 2and gear :o  then I got ambitious and did a figure 8 between light poles which allowed me to practice shifts as well. NO LLT for me:) then I got good and could enter in 1st gear. get around the turn...hammer the throttle.. let off pop into 3rd...blip the throttle...downshift....lean in to next turn.

Yes I've felt the rear getting "loose" a few times. Made my heart skip a beat
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Alphamazing on October 02, 2005, 07:02:05 PM
I had my rear get loose on me when I had a cager drift into my lane in a cresting left hand sweeper. It started to slide right before I got to the apex of the turn (the crest of the hill) and stopped after I passed the crest with the whole bike. Sliding the back of my bike around a turn is scary as crap.
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Roadstergal on October 02, 2005, 07:16:09 PM
MSF!
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: GeeP on October 02, 2005, 07:27:26 PM
Quote from: RoadstergalMSF!

+1
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Alphamazing on October 02, 2005, 07:28:38 PM
Quote from: GeeP
Quote from: RoadstergalMSF!

+1

+2!  :thumb:
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Jasco on October 02, 2005, 07:36:08 PM
I had my rear end break loose while doing about 55 around a curve.  The road was wet (puddles).  Didn't know it was wet  because the previous stretch of road was dry.  We went from dry roads to puddles for about half a mile and then dry roads again.  Anyway the back end slid out while accelerating through the corner.  Kept on the gas and let it slide.  Suprised me how "in control" it felt.  Still a seat puckering experience.
Title: Re: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Badger on October 03, 2005, 10:15:26 AM
Quote from: Mr.7I've been driving cars for about a year and have just started ridding motorcycles.  It is hard for me to get used to leaning into corners because common sense tells you that there is no way that you won't crash.  Of coarse I've seen the racers who drag their knees when they turn  :o .  Another thing I tend to do is always think of the brake as a pedel so I have more than once used to much back brake and caused the rear end of the bike to come out.

Mabey after some more miles I will get used to this whole bike thing  :roll:
Solution:  get a pilot's licence  :)  

You'll get over the "leaning to turn" thing, and realize that you should be able to control your brakes independently.  You'll also never think about pedals the same way again (on the ground you steer with your feet...but that's not so helpful on a motorcycle).  

Ooohh...and you get to do wheelies going 80mph!

Or, you could just take the MSF  ;)
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: cobalt135 on October 03, 2005, 10:57:59 AM
Heh, I have been driving for 11 years and just purchased my first motorcycle early this spring.  I now have over 4,000 miles of riding this year and my cage has been driven less than 1,000 miles this year.  I have a hard time driving it at times now....I always am looking at the instrument panel and seeing if I "cancelled" my blinkers and it just feels wrong to be doing pratically nothing with my hands besides turning the steering wheel.  It feels big ('99 Ranger pickup) and slow as well :lol:  Never thought with all the miles I have put on cages they would feel so "foreign."  Don't worry, soon you will be rev matching your downshifts at the same time as applying the front brake, all the while modulating the rear brake etc., etc. without any thought. Oh, and cranking it over into the corners.8)
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Mr.7 on October 03, 2005, 12:27:35 PM
QuoteSolution: get a pilot's licence :)  

Good idea, the only thing cooler than ridding a bike into the student parking lot of a high school is to use it as your own personal runway. Just think, I could get to school in like 2 minutes. Just think of all the chicks  :thumb:
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Badger on October 03, 2005, 12:32:02 PM
Quote from: Mr.7
QuoteSolution: get a pilot's licence :)  

Good idea, the only thing cooler than ridding a bike into the student parking lot of a high school is to use it as your own personal runway. Just think, I could get to school in like 2 minutes. Just think of all the chicks  :thumb:
Get an ultralight...land it in the football field.  :thumb:

Make sure there's not a game... :o
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Mr.7 on October 03, 2005, 12:46:33 PM
Or the band, wait no one cares about them...

...Shoot I forgot, I'm in Band  :oops:  :lol:
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: RVertigo on October 03, 2005, 12:58:32 PM
Glad to hear you're switching to a 50 MPG fun machine...



Now about those corners.......

Keep riding...  Find a big parking lot and LEAN that thing over.  You'll soon see there's a lot of room and the faster you go, the less likely you are to fall over.


Or you can counter-lean like a sissy until you build some confidence.  (Yeah...  I just called my self a sissy). :mrgreen:
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Mr.7 on October 03, 2005, 01:03:09 PM
I'm sellin' the bike and gettin' a plane!  8)















I lie often, I love the Blue Beast  :kiss:
Title: Transitioning from car to bike
Post by: Badger on October 03, 2005, 01:03:57 PM
Quote from: Mr.7...Shoot I forgot, I'm in Band  :oops:  :lol:
Given that, you'd probably know when the band is on the field... :)