Today was my first official ride on the open road as a licensed motorcyclist. I was on a friend's Ninja 600R. First we went up to the local school and borrowed their parking lot so I could get used to riding a different bike. A few laps and I was relatively comfortable shifting up and and down from 1st to 3rd and stopping. Then we were off. I'm still not very comfortable going highway speeds so we stuck to the 40mph and below roads. I did okay, I need to work on my speed. I was well below the speed limit in a few places because I wasn't monitoring my speedometer enough. [roll] I'll make sure to work on that for the next ride. But shifting, starting and stopping I felt comfortable with. So that's a start.
Overall I had a lot of fun. A bit more practice and I'm sure I'll be cruising along (at a proper speed) in no time. [moto] I'll post pictures when the internet isn't being so slow here.
Yay!!! Great job Kyna!!! [thumbsup]
Quote from: Kyna on July 05, 2008, 03:33:37 PM
Overall I had a lot of fun. A bit more practice and I'm sure I'll be cruising along (at a proper speed) in no time. [moto] I'll post pictures when the internet isn't being so slow here.
proper speed is your comfortable speed if other ones are in a hurry they can pass
no reason to try outdoing your self by going faster then what is comfortable to you
just my .02
Glad to hear things are going well, great job! [beer]
Great job girlie! It's cool to hear progress reports so keep em coming. I take great comfort in knowing that someone else here is a noob. ;)
Glad to hear that things are going well; and it's true. Remember to ride YOUR ride.....the correct speed is whatever is right for you....making the assumption that you are not going 5mph.
I didn't venture onto an interstate until many months after I got my license. I had only surface roads on my 17 mile commute, so I never got much above 55 mph on Leesburg Pike. Once you break the seal, it won't be so bad. It's terribly intimidating at first to have so many much larger objects whizzing by around you, but you'll get the hang of it. Baby steps. Get comfortable on the roads you can. Then work your way up. I actually feel more comfortable on highways than I do on the surface roads of suburbia. People are just as likely not to see you, but at least they shouldn't be stopped and coming at you! :o
Keep the shiny side up! Great job! [thumbsup]
You did really good, esp since you have never ridden a bike on a non-controlled environment before [thumbsup]
The speed part will come easily, after you become more comfortable with the control aspect of riding.
Wooo Hoooo I got up to 60mph tonight! I loved having someone behind me as a sort of cushion, especially when a car came up behind us. See, it took me a bit longer to actually GET the bike to 60, so Mr. Car was probably not so excited about having to slow down. But hey, I made it to 60mph! /doing a little happy dance/ Huge problem when starting out from a stop was that without the wind flowing through my helmet my shield would fog up badly, making it harder to see. I'm not quiet proficient at flipping the shield up and down while also moving.
Things I know I need to work on:
1. cornering without slowing waaaaaaaaay down.
2. getting up to speed in less distance. I think this will come as I get more comfortable with riding at higher speeds.
3. not breathing so heavy on my shield.
4. canceling my turn signals. I forget until I look down to check my speed. opps, that's not good.
We only did a short ride today but we're going out for a bit longer tomorrow and for the rest of the week. Hopefully I'll be ready to ride to the Italian Moto Brunch that we just found out about. Otherwise I'll probably be riding cupcake. :-\
Quote from: Kyna on July 08, 2008, 06:43:34 PM
Huge problem when starting out from a stop was that without the wind flowing through my helmet my shield would fog up badly, making it harder to see.
Try Scorpion lids. They are known to have very fog resistant face shields.
Quote from: Kyna on July 08, 2008, 06:43:34 PM
I'm not quiet proficient at flipping the shield up and down while also moving.
If you're moving and anything has to be adjusted, make sure you do it with your left hand. Always leave your throttle/brake hand free. You'll lose all maneuverability if you take that hand off! You can always wait until you're stopped to flip that visor down. Then once you take off, just flick it down while accelerating, in between shifts.
Quote from: Kyna on July 08, 2008, 06:43:34 PM
2. getting up to speed in less distance. I think this will come as I get more comfortable with riding at higher speeds.
Just about any bike can out accelerate almost any cage.
Quote from: Kyna on July 08, 2008, 06:43:34 PM
4. canceling my turn signals. I forget until I look down to check my speed. opps, that's not good.
We all forget sometimes. Don't worry about it.
Quote from: Kyna on July 08, 2008, 06:43:34 PM
Huge problem when starting out from a stop was that without the wind flowing through my helmet my shield would fog up badly, making it harder to see. I'm not quiet proficient at flipping the shield up and down while also moving.
I used to just leave the front open a crack, full time. That seemed to help the fogging issue.
Congrats on the speeds.
Oh, boy. You are bringing back all these great memories about my first tentative rides on my ol' 82 Nighthawk 650. I'd be tooling around the neighborhood back streets near my home, concentrating so hard on just not falling over and shifting correctly, my turn signal on the whole time. [laugh] The first time I got her all the way up to 50 mph (!) I was sure I was going to get blown off the back.
I love my helmet. I've got some anti-fog stuff that I use for my SCUBA diving mask. I might try that, otherwise, I'll probably just leave it open a crack until I get more used to riding and not quite as steamy. ;D
Quote from: Ducatista on July 08, 2008, 11:16:21 PM
Just about any bike can out accelerate almost any cage.
It's not the bike so much as it is me. I'm not comfortable accelerating that quickly yet. I just need to practice more, which is fine by me. I find myself enjoying it more and more every time I ride.
Quote from: Kyna on July 09, 2008, 06:48:04 AM
I've got some anti-fog stuff that I use for my SCUBA diving mask.
I keep trying to remind myself to try that. I've got some from my diving gear as well. It should work.
I leave it open a crack sometimes and that seems to help tremendously.
Rainx anti-fog works great as well [thumbsup]
Quote from: Kyna on July 09, 2008, 06:48:04 AM
It's not the bike so much as it is me. I'm not comfortable accelerating that quickly yet. I just need to practice more, which is fine by me. I find myself enjoying it more and more every time I ride.
I couldn't out-accelerate anyone on the Rebel. I can out-accelerate most cars on my daughter's Ninja 250. No problem on the monster (I always give a last look for cars that may be running a red light though).
I still leave the turn signal on once in awhile. I really annoy myself when I do that. I've learned to avoid using them unless I'm at an iffy intersection or there is a lot of traffic. I do smile when I see other motorcycles with the turn signal left on. I think, "Oh good; I'm not the only idiot."
Keep it up Kyna! You're doing great. It took me a while to get used to the speeds and accelerating. It does get better, promise.
On the blinker thing, we all do it. If you happen to see another rider opening and closing one of their hands at you, you probably still have a blinker on and they're letting you know.
Keep it up girl. Get us some pics if you can! [thumbsup]
Taught myself to cancel the turn signals after every turn. Now when the road turns left or right too tightly, I find myself cancelling the non-existent turn signals :o!!
Kudos to Kyna!! [clap]
Quote from: lauramonster on July 09, 2008, 01:03:56 PM
Taught myself to cancel the turn signals after every turn. Now when the road turns left or right too tightly, I find myself cancelling the non-existent turn signals :o!!
[laugh] I do that sometimes
Quote from: Kyna on July 09, 2008, 06:48:04 AM
I've got some anti-fog stuff that I use for my SCUBA diving mask.
I would test it on a small area that is not in your field of view, like a spot that is near the hinge mechanism. Make sure it doesn't distort the image. Also, as your visor gets more scratched on the inside (can be caused by using dry paper towels or grit that you're trying to wipe off, but leaves a tiny abrasion) it will fog up more easily.
Yesterday's lesson was cornering. It wasn't a long ride because it started to get dark and on day 4 (3?) of riding that just wasn't something I was up to.
I got up to 60mph on the straights, but it wasn't my cruising speed. I do sort of feel like I'm going to fly off the back still when I go over 45. I know I won't, but I'm still adjusting to the sensation of the wind hitting me. Corners were taken slower than I would drive them, but still at or above the posted "caution" sign speeds. There were a few hills on this route. I wasn't a fan. I don't like not being able to see what comse next. It the control freak in me coming out. Again, I think with time I'll get better about this.
But on the positive side: I did pretty good through the corners, ya I was slow but I was leaning and not "steering." I feel decently smooth shifting, as long as I don't think about it too much. Starting out from stop sighs were fine, no sputtering engine.
Also, I know when I make a mistake. We got home and I listed off the things I did incorrectly just to see if I missed anything. Two actually errors, everything else was just speed. I don't mind shifting, I am decently smooth when changing gears as long as I don't over think it.
My conclusion: I need to ride more. It'll up my comfort level with everything, which for right now is my biggest obstacle.
Since Ducatiloo and I ride together I don't really have pictures other than the first day's practice in the school parking lot.
Day 1 - Practicing:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/kynafairge/Moto/100_0847-1.jpg)
Looking good! [thumbsup]
Quote from: Kyna on July 10, 2008, 07:37:00 AM
I got up to 60mph on the straights, but it wasn't my cruising speed. I do sort of feel like I'm going to fly off the back still when I go over 45. I know I won't, but I'm still adjusting to the sensation of the wind hitting me.
To get more comfortable with the wind, try using your legs to squeeze the tank and hang on. Then you can relax your arms more which will help.
Quote from: msincredible on July 10, 2008, 08:37:31 AM
Then you can relax your arms more which will help.
+1 Death grip on bars = the suck
Woo Hoo, Yesterday I rode alone. Entirely alone, no M following behind me "just in case." I was proud of myself. I met M for lunch today near his work. It's only about 20 miles, so I thought this would be a good time to try out riding by myself. Things went well. I killed it once at a stop, popped the clutch, but started it right back up and tried not to let it shake me. The restaurant we went to was on the opposite side of the street, so I went around the block. Also proud first - I parked the bike on a street. I have never done that before, just parked at the pump or at home.
There are a couple of speed limit changes on the way there, and a few lights. I had some toyota that did not like me slowing down. He got up on my tail a bit, but with three cars in front of me there wasn't a lot I could do. Then when the speed limit went back to 55 he would pull up to me, fall back a lot, then fly up at me again. It was annoying. I tried to focus on keeping my arms relaxed, and not flexing my legs for the entire ride.
On the way home I got stuck behind a tractor for about 5 miles. I practiced maintaining control at sloooooow speeds, barely a wobble. I was all grins when I got home.
Yay!!! Great job Kyna!!!!! [thumbsup]
[clap]
Nicely done! [thumbsup] [beer]
Quote from: Kyna on August 15, 2008, 07:53:36 AMAlso proud first - I parked the bike on a street. I have never done that before, just parked at the pump or at home.
It took me a while before I started doing this, and I'm still not very good.
I'm too short to be able to turn and look behind me while backing up (I'd drop the bike). :-\
Quote from: msincredible on August 15, 2008, 10:29:47 AM
Nicely done! [thumbsup] [beer]
It took me a while before I started doing this, and I'm still not very good.
I'm too short to be able to turn and look behind me while backing up (I'd drop the bike). :-\
This is where those little shiny things some use as mirrors come in handy. The only time I end up using my mirrors is checking for the [leo] behind me, making sure nobody will give me a love smoosh at a light, and tip toeing back. I'll look back just once to make sure nothing is on the pavement and then use the mirrors. I always try to have someone spot me, though. :-[
If you are turning while backing up, though, the mirrors are facing the wrong way. Backing up straight is np.
Quote from: msincredible on August 15, 2008, 09:35:31 PM
If you are turning while backing up, though, the mirrors are facing the wrong way. Backing up straight is np.
Except on the Ninja- if they're like my EX500, the mirrors are mounted on the fairing which is free of the bars. Rearview always stable, those were the days.
The single biggest learning curve thingus for me coming onto the monster was "WTF is happening to the world behind me, it's all ASKEW!" - the first few times i backed into my parking space i was completely confused. "Wall? Wut? Car? Wut? Pole? Wut?" :D
Quote from: Kyna on July 10, 2008, 07:37:00 AM
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/kynafairge/Moto/100_0847-1.jpg)
Red! That's a FAST color! Woot! Great reading - don't worry about being the fast starter at intersections or stops - trying before you're really comfortable is a good way to stall, dropping the clutch, y'know. Sounds like you're doin' good, though! [thumbsup]
Sounds like a lot of progress for a short amount of time. My friend just got a new 250 ninja and she is 2 months into riding around the block. I still have to park it. Course she can barely touch the ground... walking the bike forward, let alone back is super hard for her. I know it took me about 3 months to feel safe at speed on my bike. Thought the wind was just going to throw me all over the place. I didnt have any one else to ride with, so I didnt know what to expect. I suppose "All things come in time", to those who practice is the key. It is always awesome to hear about new women riders, though! Way to go! ;D
I ride in a pretty rural area, so I have been lucky enough to only have to worry about getting comfortable with speed and riding without the worry of a lot of cars. It's made getting used to the speed much less stressful. If M worked in a bigger town then I would never have had the confidence to ride there. Traffic is more than I can handle yet, as is freeways. I'll get there but it'll probably be next summer since I move back into the City soon.
Quote from: Ducatista on August 15, 2008, 09:26:39 PM
This is where those little shiny things some use as mirrors come in handy. The only time I end up using my mirrors is checking for the [leo] behind me, making sure nobody will give me a love smoosh at a light, and tip toeing back. I'll look back just once to make sure nothing is on the pavement and then use the mirrors. I always try to have someone spot me, though. :-[
I'm constantly looking in my mirrors when I ride to check on people coming up behind me so I'm not caught by surprise. I use them more on the bike than I do in my car. It's probably because I try to be hyper aware while I ride, whereas in the car I'm much more comfortable. Do you really only use your mirrors those few times?
Quote from: m0t0g0th on August 15, 2008, 09:42:49 PM
Except on the Ninja- if they're like my EX500, the mirrors are mounted on the fairing which is free of the bars. Rearview always stable, those were the days.
Yep, the mirrors are mounted on the fairing so they don't turn with the handle bars. Although since I can easily flatfoot it I don't use them too much when backing it into places.