Shiny side up, rubber side down.
… Until you have the experience to do it safely. And when you do, watch your speed.
Gotta be careful with this because it is illegal in some locations. Reflective tape and additional LED lighting is always a good idea, and can add a lot to a bike.
Small and light is a good way to start. You’ll have enough to worry about on the road while learning without the problems of being intimidated by your own bike. I rode small, light cruisers for about 20 years, and when I switched to a big, heavy sport tourer, the change in handling was scary for about 2 weeks. I felt like I was just along for the ride, which wasn’t a good feeling, until I figured out the handling differences.
Again, go used and cheap. Odds are that you WILL drop it, probably more than once, even if it is just at a standstill. No need to stress out about repair costs. Duct tape fixes everything on an old Honda.
I’ve said it before and will say it again, even though some riders here are probably tired of seeing it. Spend as much free time as you can in an empty parking lot practicing. Use parking space lines as “cones”. Learn what your, and the bikes limits are. I still do it for fun and to stay sharp. If it is raining, find a place to practice. Better to learn in the rain that get caught in it and not knowing what will happen. Get your confidence up quickly and welcome to the club of two wheeled degenerates:)
It’s quite likely that my technique sucks then, simply because I’ve always had the oomph to do it the hard way. I did manage to pick it (also an R1100RS) up last winter when the footing was tricky (ice being the reason I’d dropped it in the first place) so maybe I’m talking it up more than necessary.
Yah. If there’s a better definition of “embarrassment” than “the feeling you get after having a minor emergency on your hands because you forgot to torque down the wheel-nuts”, I’ve not heard it :smack:
Hear, hear. And a sporty Japanese 400-4 will get comfortably into three figures and out-accelerate any car - it just needs to be hustled more than a bigger bike. Ros (friend previously mentioned) swore by hers, and she’s been riding for many, many years.
Btw, don’t obsess about visibility (i.e. being seen). Assume, always, that anyone in a metal box will not have seen you even if you’re covered in 10kW of neon lights. Assume that if they did see you they would try to kill you. Explore your limits when you have time and space to do so, and ride well within them the rest of the time. Oh, and wear earplugs. Engine noise isn’t the problem; helmet scream is. It’s amazing what a difference it makes having that filtered out.
So it’s illegal in California to wear earplugs, unless they are “custom” (according to (d), above). How about those foam earplugs? You have to roll them to get them into your ears, and they expand to fit your ears. Would they be considered “custom” because they “are designed” to fit your ears? Could you successfully assert that they “are designed” not to inhibit your ability to hear sirens, etc.? Probably not.
On the other hand, you’re probably getting pulled over for speeding. A cop probably won’t write you up for the plugs unless he or she is a total jerk. I don’t wear earplugs on my 43-mile commute to work, but I will if I’m taking a long trip. It’s a question of weighing the risks. If you ride a long distance – especially if you do it often – you definitely are risking permanent hearing loss. The risk of getting pulled over is probably not as great as the near certainty of eventual hearing loss, and even if you are pulled over you may not have to remove your helmet. As long as yopu can hear the cop talking to you, he’ll be none the wiser.
But technically, it’s illegal to wear earplugs unless they are “custom” within the intent of the law.
Well, if you’re a big chap, then there’s no need to learn the 9-stone weakling method! Having said that, I have lifted a K75S off the ground using the ‘difficult’ method … but that was because it was quicker that way. Speed was important because I’d fallen over doing a U-turn in my driveway, and I lived next to a pub’s beer garden. Said garden was full of folks. Anyway, I shouted ‘look at that! A giant flying Norwegian turnip’, pointing skyward, and quickly hefted the bike upright under cover of vegetable distraction. Don’t think anyone noticed…
A1. Always have an escape option - esp. when approaching junctions.
And that, my friend, is perhaps the best advice gievn so far. I speak as someone who rode from Italy to Birmingham, UK, in one big blast, sans earplugs. I now have tinnitus.
'nuff said.
BfT.
And don’t be intimidated by all the people telling you you’ll drop the bike. I’ve dropped mine three times. Twice in parking lots, once making a tight U-turn on a steep gravel road, and never when I was moving more than 5 mph. The bikes get a lot heavier and a lot more awkward when you’re moving slowly.
Whew! A lot of advice here!
So I took the lecture portion of the course last night, and passed the written test with a perfect score! Go me!
I go Saturday and Sunday (8:00 am to 5:00 pm both days) to take the riding portion of the course. And I take the test Sunday afternoon. I hope I pass! I’m really excited and nervous at the same time!