First time biker ...How do I go about it?

[Faun]

^^good points. Agree with the turn thing and anticipation.

 

[doomgiver]

Good honest post i must say, but i differ on this point.

You should use your rear brake (tapping action and not a slamming one) to control the curve radius..If you enter a corner/turn too fast , use the rear brake only to correct your course..The use of a front brake on the other hand is not advised.

Another few tip for a first time biker:

1. Watch the surface on which your moving- slippery , sandy, rocky- even a seemingly harmless braking, done improperly, can cause you to lose control so fast before you can what the fruit!!

-snip-

Cheers!!

I'm sorry, sir, but I'd like to take up with you this point :

1. You should NEVER brake with the rear brakes alone (tapping or mashing), when making a turn. Sure, pros like us can brake decently on a turn, but what you are saying is a recipe for a wipeout. Rear brakes are hardly enough for braking in any situation, and are there purely for balance (guess why sports bikes have a 60-40 brake ratio?)

Most turns on Indian roads are badly surfaced, many even have a wrong gradient (like, road curves to right, and the road slopes DOWN from right to left, trust me, I've been on a few of them, I had to take them on 2nd gear). Brake with rear end, and you'll lose your legs.

I'm not saying dont use rear brakes, just use them less than your front brakes, and always use brakes together. (try it out, use only front, then back brakes, then both. see for yourself how much distance it takes to stop, btw, rear brakes have more chance of locking)

Oh yeah, point #6, sadly, i never check maybe i trust my bike too much, eh? (or im in too much hurry )

 

[RCuber]

oi!!! don't scare the guy yaar

 

[doomgiver]

no, mate, riding a bike is no joke.

when i see the brainless fvcks riding like morons on the road, i wish that they all die in horrible accidents. they are a menace to themselves and those around them

 

[aloodum]

^^ lolz too harsh eh?

btw where is the OP??

 

[Faun]

^^Not in the hospital

 

[aloodum]

^^ i hope he's come out of his "shell"

 

[eggman]

Haha...
Thanks a lot guys for the valuable suggestions.

As a first timer, every suggestion has been incredibly helpful to me.
Been practicing last week, gained a bit of confidence.

Still not very well confident with starting and stopping bike at will.
Turning is another area where I get scared,and can't make narrow turn. :-S
Need to practice more.

Changing gears have been fine till now. Seems to be within grasp.
No problems while riding freeway .

Haven't fallen once , although was really close when I pressed the front brake without pressing clutch while turning.
Should've read the points more carefully

Planning to book Yahama FZ-S .

Is a good bike for first timers ?

 

[doomgiver]

see, i told ya, dont brake while turning.

what bike are you using right now?

for your first bike, choose something with a good balance, excellent comfort and easy handling (like, you should be able to turn it without feeling nervous).
riding straight is easy, its the turns that will give problem the most. hence, choose a bike, which allows you to turn easily.

 

[Faun]

and bumper to bumper traffic.

 

[eggman]

see, i told ya, dont brake while turning.

what bike are you using right now?

for your first bike, choose something with a good balance, excellent comfort and easy handling (like, you should be able to turn it without feeling nervous).
riding straight is easy, its the turns that will give problem the most. hence, choose a bike, which allows you to turn easily.

Ya. Haven't made that mistake since.
Sometime I press rear brake slightly to gain a bit of control.

How should one turn.
Press clutch to slow down the bike and take a turn without braking? Is it the right way?

I'm using Unicorn for practicing.

 

[RCuber]

don't engage clutch when turning, unless you cannot maintain speed during the turn.

engage clutch only when coming to a halt/stop or slowing down to keep the engine from stalling. when controlling speed via breaking do not engage the clutch. it will disengage the drive and you will not be able to take the advantage of engine braking.

that said .. you can still use the clutch, but its not a safe practice.

 

[doomgiver]

Ya. Haven't made that mistake since.
Sometime I press rear brake slightly to gain a bit of control.

How should one turn.
Press clutch to slow down the bike and take a turn without braking? Is it the right way?

I'm using Unicorn for practicing.

see, the thing to proper turning is control. dont engage clutch while turning. with clutch lever open, the engine will maintain speed (if throttle is engaged) or gradually decrease speed in a predictable way (if throttle is shut off). turns should always be taken at zero acceleration or constant speed (speed is dependent on road properties). donot try to accelerate or deaccelerate in turns.

also, i dont get you... how can you press the clutch lever and slow bike? the clutch lever, when pressed, frees the engine from the transmission, like this, you have a constant speed, decreasing slowly.

with clutch pressed, and throttle open (not pressed), the friction from engine will slow down bike quicker.

what i suggest is this : in turns, press clutch to roughly half, and give a bit more throttle power. this will result in less quick changes in speed (as clutch is not fully engaged, engine has to turn more to provide same power, hence, rate of power delivery/power transfer is lessened, resulting in a safer turn.

unicorn is a nice bike. tho its got a bit higher centre of gravity (personal opinion, YMMV)

and yeah. the clutch is the most important part of the bike. master it first. along with the brakes. (using rear brakes for control is acceptable, as long as the press is not sudden. but please dont do this on wet roads.)

 

[aloodum]

@Eggman : Remember there are no set rules for driving , everyone has a "style/mode" of driving. While common best norms/practices may exists, what works for me may not work for you.
The key is to find a confident riding style, which alone you can figure. Trust me when riding its gut feeling with presence of mind that will play in your head, not a rule book
Each corner, turn is different..Thats where your experience, with your gut feeling will come to your aid.

Dont be scared of braking...practise using both brakes..Only these two when applied in unison will bring a bike in complete halt in the intented stopping distance...Each brake alone will take far more stopping distance...... The rear, on most bikes , when slammed too hard will cause fish tailing--- your bike will be pulled to one side , in a slippery manner.
Having said that, your practising on a unicorn- A honda..All honda and its derivatives have a delayed/spongy front disc brake action comapred to a say a pulsar. This spongy actions allows a safer stop

Pardon us if we have scared you ...We are humans and we will make mistakes..accept it..and learn...Use common sense and in no time will you garner loads of self confidence.

Cheers!!

 

[eggman]

Finally ordered bike.
What all do I have to do and take care of?

I know i'll have to get number plate. Apart from that?
The insurance will be done by the showroom.

 

[RCuber]

^^ Congrats .. which bike did you book ? AFAIK unless specified the showroom guys themselves will get the registration/number plate done.

 

[eggman]

I've booked FZ-S, Orange black*bharathautos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/2012-FZS-Fiery_Orange1.jpg

Few question:
I currently have only LL and the bike won't have it's number plate when released (although registration number would be given).
The showroom is around 2 km from my home. So when getting the bike, if a cop catches me what do I say??

 

[RCuber]

you can just state your registration #/challan copy to them. in any case you will be given a temp registration # which will be valid for 30 days.

 

[eggman]

Yaayy!! Finally got it!!

Thanks everyone who have helped me in gaining confidence

 

[Faun]

So when getting the bike, if a cop catches me what do I say??

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/customavatars/avatar15910_19.gif