New motorcycle & new to motorcycling

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lokhor

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#183945 4-Nov-2015 10:38

Hi all,

I have just bought myself a new motorcycle as my wife and I are having a baby and she told me to get a bike since we only have one car.

My new gear

My new bike

I have got my learners motorcycle licence, had it for around 10 years and haven't ridden in about that long so I am almost starting off completely new. When I test rode the bike I was okay with the gears, apart from stalling a bit when taking off uphill. Last night when I rode the bike after the shop dropped it off I put all my gear on and I had a lot of difficulty with changing gears/stalling, particularly when going from 1st to 2nd gear. Not sure if anyone has advice for learning when wearing quite thick gear. My boots in particular are Alpinestar Roam and I am having difficulty feeling the gear lever with them on.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

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#1420532 4-Nov-2015 10:55

What new bike did you get?

I got a new Ducati Monster 821 Stripe few weeks back

lokhor

2858 posts

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#1420533 4-Nov-2015 10:57

That looks like a nice beasty.

I got the Hyosung X4R / GD250R
http://hyosung.co.nz/sports/x4r-efi.html

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

Mark

1653 posts

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#1420534 4-Nov-2015 10:58

johnr: What new bike did you get?

I got a new Ducati Monster 821 Stripe few weeks back

Is that your bike ? Sorry about the drool on it yesterday I gave it a few licks after I parked next to it ... :-)

Mark

1653 posts

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#1420537 4-Nov-2015 11:01

lokhor:

Last night when I rode the bike after the shop dropped it off I put all my gear on and I had a lot of difficulty with changing gears/stalling, particularly when going from 1st to 2nd gear. Not sure if anyone has advice for learning when wearing quite thick gear. My boots in particular are Alpinestar Roam and I am having difficulty feeling the gear lever with them on.

You'l get used to it basically :-)

I would however suggest going on a Pro rider course if you've been away for a bit, they run good courses!

johnr

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#1420541 4-Nov-2015 11:02

@Mark drool is OK it washes off easy LOL

johnr

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#1420545 4-Nov-2015 11:03

lokhor: That looks like a nice beasty.

I got the Hyosung X4R / GD250R
http://hyosung.co.nz/sports/x4r-efi.html

Great learners bike what part of NZ are you located? .

lokhor

2858 posts

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#1420557 4-Nov-2015 11:22

johnr:
lokhor: That looks like a nice beasty.

I got the Hyosung X4R / GD250R
http://hyosung.co.nz/sports/x4r-efi.html

Great learners bike what part of NZ are you located? .

I am in Lower Hutt.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

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lokhor

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#1420560 4-Nov-2015 11:23

Mark:
lokhor:

Last night when I rode the bike after the shop dropped it off I put all my gear on and I had a lot of difficulty with changing gears/stalling, particularly when going from 1st to 2nd gear. Not sure if anyone has advice for learning when wearing quite thick gear. My boots in particular are Alpinestar Roam and I am having difficulty feeling the gear lever with them on.

You'l get used to it basically :-)

I would however suggest going on a Pro rider course if you've been away for a bit, they run good courses!

I am definitely planning on taking a few courses but want to make sure I don't embarass myself first. At the moment I am just riding around the streets near my house. I got my mate to give me a lesson before I took some bikes for test rides. I am okay without all the gear, I am having difficulty adjusting to wearing gear though. Also I am a little bit scared of throttling too hard during the break-in period as the manual recommends not going more than half throttle for the first 800km.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

gzt

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#1420591 4-Nov-2015 11:48

Why buy a bike? Is it a parking issue?

nathan

5695 posts

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#1420593 4-Nov-2015 11:49

johnr: What new bike did you get?

I got a new Ducati Monster 821 Stripe few weeks back

Hey I recognize that car park ;)

lokhor

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#1420594 4-Nov-2015 11:49

gzt: Why buy a bike? Is it a parking issue?

If you've never ridden or you aren't a bike person you wouldn't understand.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

gzt

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#1420602 4-Nov-2015 11:59

lokhor:
gzt: Why buy a bike? Is it a parking issue?

If you've never ridden or you aren't a bike person you wouldn't understand.

Ok so not a parking issue then. Traditionally the partner is told to sell the bike at maternity not buy one. : ).

stevenz

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#1420609 4-Nov-2015 12:06

The whole "run-in" thing is largely a myth, I wouldn't worry about it, just make sure you do an oil change after ~1000Km for something decent.

As Mark says, you pretty much "get used to it".

Throttle snatchiness at low speeds is unfortunately a side effect of the lower-end EFI units that most bikes seem to use, it can usually be improved upon by adjusting the throttle cable for an absolute minimum of slack, and calibrating the throttle-position-sensor (TPS) which often involves plugging it into a computer (I've got a couple of spare OBD2 cables if you want one) remapping it or getting a PowerCommander involved (which are expensive), or you just learn to deal with it.

Good on ya for joining the ranks of the 2 wheeled.

@KnightNZ

gzt

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#1420610 4-Nov-2015 12:07

Last night when I rode the bike after the shop dropped it off I put all my gear on and I had a lot of difficulty with changing gears/stalling, particularly when going from 1st to 2nd gear.

I will guess you might be changing just a little too soon, or just the speed dropping while you change. If you drop the throttle slightly it is possible to change without the clutch, or very little. With a brand new bike I will guess everything is a bit stiff either way.

lokhor

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#1420615 4-Nov-2015 12:14

stevenz: The whole "run-in" thing is largely a myth, I wouldn't worry about it, just make sure you do an oil change after ~1000Km for something decent.

As Mark says, you pretty much "get used to it".

Throttle snatchiness at low speeds is unfortunately a side effect of the lower-end EFI units that most bikes seem to use, it can usually be improved upon by adjusting the throttle cable for an absolute minimum of slack, and calibrating the throttle-position-sensor (TPS) which often involves plugging it into a computer (I've got a couple of spare OBD2 cables if you want one) remapping it or getting a PowerCommander involved (which are expensive), or you just learn to deal with it.

Good on ya for joining the ranks of the 2 wheeled.

Yeah I'm not mechanical enough to do modding, probably not game for it yet either. Also unsure if it would impact the manufacturer's warranty..

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

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