This has been bothering me for a a while now. Now, i recently passed MSF, i guess you could say i pretty much know the basics,now the only thing that stops me from riding is the lack of funds to buy a gs-f.
what i want to know is, when i get a bike, how should i approach it, I mean what is the best way to start riding.I guess im scared to end up crashing it by making some noob mistake.i want to fill that bag of expierience before the one with luck runs out.
I rode (and purchased) my GS500F before I even had my licence. I didn't take the MSF. I bought the motorcycle and learned how to ride it in the parking lot of the dealer for less than 20 minutes. Then I rode home - about 45 minutes from the dealer. No gear other than my helmet. T-shirt flowing in the wind.
Advice: Don't do that :nono:
But, all that does have a valid point. The best way to start riding is simply that - start riding. You already took your MSF so you are further than I was. Do you have any motorcycle friends? That is what I did; have one of them take you out riding. Start out slow in a low traffic area (parking lot, etc) and then move your way up. Imagine a comfort level scale and push yourself one notch further every so often. The only way to grow is to stretch your comfort level further.
Remember to get full coverage on your bike, full gear for yourself, and PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Don't try and "look cool" or ride too fast. Watch the corners, tar snakes, night riding, and rain. Avoid that stuff when you are first starting out of if you can, but ease yourself into it as you will need to learn these things to become a complete rider.
i know how you feel. when i first got my bike, i was pretty nervous to go out on the street even though i had already take the MSF.
my suggestion, ride around residential areas, small roads, big parking lots, etc. places and times when you know there won't be a lot of traffic to contend with. do that a few times and you will start feeling more comfortable. then venture out onto bigger roads. i started out in a big neighborhood just around the block from mine at about 11pm one night.
if you have *responsible* riding buddies, have them lead you around. they won't be much help, but it might make you more comfortable. if your riding buddies are squids, you're better off alone.
Quote from: PhaedrusDo you have any motorcycle friends?
Not really, i have one friend with a 650 scooter, i rode it before i took msf, i dont think im getting anything out of it, too big, no shifting..gah i need to make some friends with some dudes with bikes
Quote from: PhaedrusRemember to get full coverage on your bike, full gear for yourself
absolutely, im getting all geared up,and planning to wear it everytime i ride.
Quote from: jiggersplati know how you feel. when i first got my bike, i was pretty nervous to go out on the street even though i had already take the MSF.
yeh, i just read a post by someone on here saying he crashed due to inexpierience comin back from teh dmv after gettign his license..i dunno, i cant really afford to crash a bike ive been savin up for for this long.
just out of curiosity, is there a particular reason you want a gs500 F instead on a gs500 E? they are usually cheaper, less plastic to mess up if you drop it.
just curious.
dont be afraid to do nooby mistakes....the gs is made for that :lol:
make sure though imo:
- dont ride bike home (if you dont feel comfortable)...load it to truck or have someone bring it for you
- practice on parking lot first...our place (apt complx) got a huge parking lot...just watch out for cars
- practice on hours with not much traffic (parking lot/ street)...
- move up gradually after being comfortable...parking lot.... residential area...semi major street...busy street...freeway
- wear gear always
msf is great..i too rode 50cc scooters before the gs...1st dump was doing figure 8 in parking lot...picked it up and practiced more
im still learning :mrgreen:
start slowly, meaning on sie streets and practice in parking lots. when I first got my bike I would "commute" the 15 blocks to work all on side streets-that way the speed is slow and you get used to it. slowly buiod up to major streets and then freeways. take your time and dont get in over your head or comfort level.
you'll be a little scared when you're first getting into bigger streets and first time on the freeway but that level of being a little uncomfortable is necessary for your growth as a rider.
Quote from: Church6360just out of curiosity, is there a particular reason you want a gs500 F instead on a gs500 E? they are usually cheaper, less plastic to mess up if you drop it.
just curious.
Im in love with fully faired sport bikes.speaking of dropping it, im going to buy fairing protectors and put em on before i ride
Take it easy to start with, think defensive. I often say that we bikers have the most fun but the cost is that in any traffic situation we are the most vulnerable. Get Hi-Viz gear if you can but don't assume that everyone sees you, they often don't especially when they are pulling out from a side road to a bigger road, this is probably the most common "accident" that befalls bikers. :o
Riding with a friend or in a group can be good but don't let it get competetive, if someone wants to race, let them go. :nono:
The simple answer is just ride realy, ride where you enjoy it, keep it fun and try to avoid multi-lane highways until you are more comfortable in traffic. Practice practice and practice are the three most important things followed by practice. Get out there and enjoy. :thumb:
QuoteIm in love with fully faired sport bikes
in my humble opinion the gs500F is the best fully faired bike for new riders. good choice.
advice? the other board members have pretty much said it all.
my personal advice, if you get a chance play around with a small scooter in a big yard. try to do everything to see what happens, dirt is much more forgiving than pavement. experiment. enjoy.
off topic, Church6360, what'd the cactuar do to you!? :dunno: :dunno:
YAY! somone actually knows what my avatar is!
the cactuar usually just escapes from me, it is symbolic of escape.
so my avatar symoblizes the idea of "no escape"
the actual logo and philosophy come from the back of a character's jacket from another Squaresoft game, "the bouncer" ( logo seen partialy at right http://www.toysnjoys.com/music/bouncer.jpg )
the dude that wears it is all hardcore looking, the game is ok for being basically a ps2 launch title, but not anywhere near FF7's greatness.
in the end it's just a logo i really like, and it's my next tattoo.
I started on a dirt bike off road. It was a great way to learn how to handle a bike. If you have a place to ride, it's not a bad way to start. You can usually sell an older dirt bike for just about what you pay for it a year down the road.
Road riding was still pretty scary in the beginning. Lots of back roads and lots of practice. I am still a little freaked out on the highway, but haven't ridden on them too much. It feels like the GS is a little squirrelly and the engine is going to explode at highway speeds. Probably just inexperience on my part... :dunno:
Quote from: KessenQuote from: PhaedrusDo you have any motorcycle friends?
Not really, i have one friend with a 650 scooter, i rode it before i took msf, i dont think im getting anything out of it, too big, no shifting..gah i need to make some friends with some dudes with bikes.
Well, there are a lot of GStwin board members in southern California, right? Check out the Meet n' Greet section or the GStwin Rider Map:
http://www.frappr.com/gstwinWhen you get your bike. find some local GS'er to ride with. And if you are not comfortable riding it home, maybe you could even talk one of them into riding it home for you so you can avoid high traffic areas and nix the cost of having it trucked, if that is something that bothers you.
Two things to avoid doing while you're learning: riding at night and riding in the rain. Both exacerbate every problem you're likely to have. Hell I've been riding for 3 years and I still avoid doing either.
jeff
Quote from: Kessenwhat is the best way to start riding.
Do it just like in the MSF course...
Get on the bike and walk it... Then find the friction zone... Power walk... etc.
Stay off busy streets until you're ready... Follow what you learned from your MSF and you probably won't crash or drop it.
And don't try to ride two-up. :nono:
im to understand you dont have a bike yet? get a used Beater for few hundred bucks, as a noob your chances of dropping the bike are high and the last thing you want is to drop(it happens to everyone sooner or later) a new bike or one that is less then 5 years old. put about 6 months of riding (rideing about 3-5 days aweek) then swap up if you like. 250's,400's, and 500's are good starters. but make the First bike a cheap one, it will also give you a chance to learn how to maintain a bike
Quote from: Blueknytim to understand you dont have a bike yet? get a used Beater for few hundred bucks, as a noob your chances of dropping the bike are high and the last thing you want is to drop(it happens to everyone sooner or later) a new bike or one that is less then 5 years old. put about 6 months of riding (rideing about 3-5 days aweek) then swap up if you like. 250's,400's, and 500's are good starters. but make the First bike a cheap one, it will also give you a chance to learn how to maintain a bike
hmmm, a bike thats atleast 5 years old?maybe your right man,maybe i shouldnt get a gs500f (sucks they only started fairing them 2 years ago),because im guessing i -will- drop it, thats what i was goin to buy fairing protectors.The thing is im fine with buying an older 4-600cc bike (twin) its just my only req is that it be fully faired, any ideas?or should i stick with the gs-f?
what do you guys think? :dunno:
I still think you will be fine with a GS-F. A lot of people have started out on it and were just fine. Some total them, but most don't. Just be careful and try not to doing anything frocktarded :P
Quote from: PhaedrusI still think you will be fine with a GS-F. A lot of people have started out on it and were just fine. Some total them, but most don't. Just be careful and try not to doing anything frocktarded :P
really not going to do anything focktarded (lol).I mean savin up for a bike just to fock it up by being a focktard...thats just focked...
Quote from: KessenQuote from: PhaedrusI still think you will be fine with a GS-F. A lot of people have started out on it and were just fine. Some total them, but most don't. Just be careful and try not to doing anything frocktarded :P
really not going to do anything focktarded (lol).I mean savin up for a bike just to fock it up by being a focktard...thats just focked...
I agree, that would be completely frocking frocked! :thumb: :lol:
Quote from: Kessen.....speaking of dropping it, im going to buy fairing protectors and put em on before i ride
What you are probably referring to are actually called frame sliders. They are not designed to protect the fairing but the frame instead, the most expensive part of a bike to replace. They may help reduce some damage to the plastic but do not expect it.
Quote from: dgyverQuote from: Kessen.....speaking of dropping it, im going to buy fairing protectors and put em on before i ride
What you are probably referring to are actually called frame sliders. They are not designed to protect the fairing but the frame instead, the most expensive part of a bike to replace. They may help reduce some damage to the plastic but do not expect it.
no im talking about fairing -protectors-, that is if i understood correctly, i thought you couldnt use frame -sliders- with gs's because you have to mount them to engine bolts or somethin...and gs's dont have then in the right place or somethin? wish i could get sliders( like with sv's, i think thats one of the major down sides of this bike.)
link where i read it:
http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22377&highlight=sliders
Kessen - I am sure Dgyver knows what you mean, but I think he is just saying that they will not help much in a crash of any real speed. If you're just being a bonehead and knock the bike over at a stand still or going real slow, they should theoretically provide a buffer for the bike between the plastics and the ground. If you are moving right along at highway speed, they are not going to help. But when you are an ultra noob, they would come in handy when practicing your riding skills and getting used to the bike. Past that, you are kind of on your own :o
Quote from: PhaedrusBut when you are an ultra noob, they would come in handy when practicing your riding skills and getting used to the bike. Past that, you are kind of on your own :o
yup, thats exactly what i want.i understand they are not like sliders, hell, im hoping that if i wreck the bike in a crash, it would be someone hitting me...someone with insurance..but being an optimist when im in a good mood i feel that the main thing i need to worry about is dropping the thing while im practicing at low speeds.
im not saying the F isnt bad to start with at all, im saying get some miles under your belt on a cheap cheap bike 300$-500$, get most the dropies and oppses out of the way Vs just jumping on a Brand new, or near new bike for 3k-5K. nothing saying you cant continue to save, hell you can even sell the beater to a buddy for about what you got it for.
Quote from: Blueknytim not saying the F isnt bad to start with at all, im saying get some miles under your belt on a cheap cheap bike 300$-500$, get most the dropies and oppses out of the way Vs just jumping on a Brand new, or near new bike for 3k-5K. nothing saying you cant continue to save, hell you can even sell the beater to a buddy for about what you got it for.
so confused :(
i mean, i completely see where your comin from,get some expierience while saving even more cash, but again, my req is that it be a fully faired bike, now i know its sort of lame to have that as a req but its just what i want, need! cruisers just arent my thing, and i think 250's might be a bit small.
Quote from: Kessenso confused :(
i mean, i completely see where your comin from,get some expierience while saving even more cash, but again, my req is that it be a fully faired bike, now i know its sort of lame to have that as a req but its just what i want, need! cruisers just arent my thing, and i think 250's might be a bit small.
Who said anything about cruisers or 250s? An older GS500 is exactly the same bike as the newer ones, just without the bodywork.
What people are saying is that there's a pretty good chance you'll drop your first bike. Not because you're an idiot, or you'll ride recklessly, but just because s happens and it usually happens with your first bike. A shiny new F model is gonna cost you more to buy, and where an E will have little or no damage from a minor drop, an F will probably get scratched and cracked up and really piss you off. :guns:
Best to reduce your odds of that happening (and save a little $ in the meantime) by starting with a regular E, ride it for a year or two, and then move up to something different, with fairings if you like.
jeff
Quote from: Jeff PTwo things to avoid doing while you're learning: riding at night and riding in the rain. Both exacerbate every problem you're likely to have. Hell I've been riding for 3 years and I still avoid doing either.
jeff
+1, that's how I went down the first time after my first month of riding: riding at night + a girl makes a u-turn in front of me + I lack experience to react = T-bone and 4 months in the cast.
Also at that time (after about a month) my fear of traffic transformed into fascination with the freedom and mobility and I started riding... in a not so safe manner :) (partially the tbone was a result of that I think) so please don't assume you know it all after a month :)
Quote from: Soaring(after about a month) my fear of traffic transformed into fascination with the freedom and mobility and I started riding... in a not so safe manner
thats about the time most new riders think they've outgrown the little gs and start thinking of a liter bike...
Quote from: Jeff P... by starting with a regular E, ride it for a year or two, and then move up to something different, with fairings if you like.
jeff
thats what I did. It works.
Quote from: Jeff P
by starting with a regular E, ride it for a year or two, and then move up to something different, with fairings if you like.
you guys are right,though i dont want to admit it cause i was lookin forward to a fully faired bike,maybe ill look into E's.
Im not exactly sure of my fascination with faired bikes, i mean, E's are nice, but to me their 'just bikes', F's are more like works of art, and then a bike.
(not to talk shaZam! because im prolly going to end up on an E for awhile.)
:dunno: maybe its my age showin through.
speaking of crusiers, the diffrence between a cruiser and a sport bike is the riding position right?so even if a gs isnt faired its still a sport bike regardless of being faired or not?
Faired bikes are sexy, no disagreement here. But I find the look of the naked GS500s to be pretty slick, for a bike that came out in 1989 it's still looks good. It grows on you. Random people compliment mine all the time.
You're right it's basically the riding position that defines what a bike is. The GS500, either the E or the F, is really a "standard" style bike. The position just isn't as aggressive as a sport bikes. They have higher bars and the pegs are lower and more or less below you, where on a sportbike they're higher up and further back. Cruisers tend to have big, wide bars and the pegs are out in front of you.
jeff
Kessen - There is nothing wrong with buying an "F" as your first bike. I've done it and so have many others. If it is what you want, then get it. Get the fairing protectors and be careful and like I said, make sure you have full insurance coverage. The higher speed crashes, if you get into one, the scratched up fairings are probably going to be one of the last things you are worried about. If youre bike skids 300 feet down the road, yeah the plastics are going to be chewed but so are many other things on the bike - whether it is an E, and F, or a Heyabusa.
Quote from: PhaedrusIf your bike skids 300 feet down the road, yeah the plastics are going to be chewed but so are many other things on the bike -
and on you...
Quote from: RVertigoQuote from: PhaedrusIf your bike skids 300 feet down the road, yeah the plastics are going to be chewed but so are many other things on the bike -
and on you...
Exactly :thumb: The point is, in any *real* crash, the plastic pieces aren't exactly going to be a priority. And those stupid little roller skate stoppers (fairing protectors) will help protect it when you get off the bike and forget to put the kickstand down :nono:
Quote from: Jeff PYou're right it's basically the riding position that defines what a bike is. The GS500, either the E or the F, is really a "standard" style bike. The position just isn't as aggressive as a sport bikes. They have higher bars and the pegs are lower and more or less below you, where on a sportbike they're higher up and further back. Cruisers tend to have big, wide bars and the pegs are out in front of you.
I'd submit that it has more to do with geometry and less to do with ergonomics. Sport bikes have a steeper rake and shorter trail than standards, cruisers, or touring bikes. This makes them turn faster and makes them less stable (thus easier to lean or more "flickable"). You can move the pegs and handlebars around all you want, but a sportbike will still behave differently than a cruiser.
Quote from: PhaedrusKessen - There is nothing wrong with buying an "F" as your first bike. I've done it and so have many others. If it is what you want, then get it.
It's really about how much you want to spend and how much you want the bike to be worth when you're done with it. If you get a nekkid GS, you can probably do it on the cheap, and it will probably be worth very close to what you paid for it in a year or two (some other newb rider will be looking for it). Get a new/recent F and you're going to pay a lot more and you're going to see the value drop sharply...especially if you drop it and rash the plastics.
I looked for an E for a while, but couldn't find one. I ended up getting a new F. Cost about 5x what I could have paid for an older, used one. I've dropped it twice...the first left minor cosmetic damage (a few scuffs) on the right fairing (no biggie) and the other did no damage that I could find. If you want a faired bike and are comfortable with the fact that you're very likely to drop it and scratch up the fairings...and you're willing to spend the $, go for it. A lot of folks have done the same.
By the way, it's not the end of the world if you drop it...from the way people talk about it you'd think that tipping it over in the driveway automatically causes the fairings to explode, but that's just not the case. But...if you're going to obsess about your fairings being in pristine condition, you might want to start with something else (like a pre-dropped beater) first.
The GS is a good beginner bike...E, F, whatever. They both ride pretty much the same. Go with what meets your needs and budget...and enjoy it.
Quote from: BadgerThe GS is a good beginner bike...E, F, whatever. They both ride pretty much the same. Go with what meets your needs and budget...and enjoy it.
budget wise, it makes most sense to go with an E,since ill be able to afford one in say 3 months, an F on the other hand will take twice if not three times that much time.
and someone earlier mentioned full coverage insurance, now, i got my insurance guy to quote me for a sv650...when i had my brief affair with the semi-faired beast,then got the fear of noob mistakes into me...i decided to go for a 500,
anyway,
with my age one sided insurance for the sv was around 400 a year, im guessing its lower for the gs,full coverage on that same bike was 3.6 grand (mind you i have a perfect driving record, it just seems that being 18 does you no good insurance wise) so full coverage is out...that is until my rates drop and the insurance isnt going to be more a year then my bike is worth.
im okay with getting an E, nice looking bike,my only problems teh front, and im sure itll grow on me,though, are they any headlight mods where you can put 2 on there instead of one, without a wind screen,always liked how that looks (pics anyone?)
Kessen - Yes, a GS is much cheaper for insurance than an SV650. Others have discussed this on the board elsewhere, but SV650's are notorious for their high insurance rates.
Have you seen an "E" in person yet? I hadn't until a GStwin PA ride last summer. I saw pdg108 and weazelnose's bikes, both E's. They both changed my opinion of the "E" for sure. At first, from only pictures, I didn't like them very much. But after seeing them guy's bikes, it gave me a fresh perspective on them. :thumb:
Quote from: PhaedrusKessen - There is nothing wrong with buying an "F" as your first bike.
250 Ninjas seem to sell well as beginner bikes and are full faired, too (but they're not just for beginners... ;) ).
Quote from: Phaedrus
Have you seen an "E" in person yet?
never in person no...
Quote from: scratch250 Ninjas seem to sell well as beginner bikes and are full faired, too (but they're not just for beginners... ).
i know its all about the ride,and i know im NOT supposed to care, and i dont for the most part..but i dont want to get laughed at for having a 250,besides, i dont have money to swap it out when/if (most likely when) i feel i need a bigger bike.
Who's going to laugh at you for having a 250? Motorcycling is a social event. Anybody who laughs at you for riding a 250, isn't a motorcyclist.
Most of the people that make fun of small bikes have small... uh... bikes. :lol:
Quote from: RVertigoMost of the people that make fun of small bikes have small... uh... bikes. :lol:
"through my sorrow,
through my splendor,
dont take offense to my
innuendo"