A complete biker newbie
Discussion
Decided despite the rain to go out for a blast with my mate John. My hiking trainers and my biking trousers had a small gap but aside from that the only excitement was the loud bang from behind me after John forgot the "Don't drive over wet drain covers" part of the CBT and slid off 
.
Luckily no damage but I did take something else from the experience.
1) Longer, waterproof bike boots for wet use (hiking trainers are fine until the top of the socks get wet and then the water seeps in and can't get back out :/ )
2) Avoid drain covers when it is pissing down with rain.
3) Take the car when it is pissing down with rain
ETA: Also worked out the bike was doing 93mpg
.Luckily no damage but I did take something else from the experience.
1) Longer, waterproof bike boots for wet use (hiking trainers are fine until the top of the socks get wet and then the water seeps in and can't get back out :/ )
2) Avoid drain covers when it is pissing down with rain.
3) Take the car when it is pissing down with rain
ETA: Also worked out the bike was doing 93mpg
Edited by carmadgaz on Monday 25th August 23:04
carmadgaz said:
Decided despite the rain to go out for a blast with my mate John. My hiking trainers and my biking trousers had a small gap but aside from that the only excitement was the loud bang from behind me after John forgot the "Don't drive over wet drain covers" part of the CBT and slid off .
Luckily no damage but I did take something else from the experience.
1) Longer, waterproof bike boots for wet use (hiking trainers are fine until the top of the socks get wet and then the water seeps in and can't get back out :/ )
2) Avoid drain covers when it is pissing down with rain.
3) Take the car when it is pissing down with rain
ETA: Also worked out the bike was doing 93mpg
All good lessons, I find it's normally better to learn painful experiences buy watching others make the mistakes..Luckily no damage but I did take something else from the experience.
1) Longer, waterproof bike boots for wet use (hiking trainers are fine until the top of the socks get wet and then the water seeps in and can't get back out :/ )
2) Avoid drain covers when it is pissing down with rain.
3) Take the car when it is pissing down with rain
ETA: Also worked out the bike was doing 93mpg
So nearly 2 months and nearly over 500kms under my belt now. Still loving the little toy
Took it out to a show near Bromyard (I was assisting on the carpark with the Air Cadets) . Used it around the car park and found it much more useful to get around with than the car (though jumping on and off I kept forgetting to turn the fuel back on
)
Halfway through the day I got a text from a friend asking if I fancied going for a ride. As I had the bike with me she came out to the show so we could convoy back. A hour or so later I see Lucy has arrived and I'm feeling rather nervous, I had only ever travelled with another 125, here she was on a Ducati Monster 620.
I need not of worried. The road we travelled (B4214 Bromyard - Tenbury) is a rather twisty little thing. My bikes being much smaller and me being much larger meant I could hussle mine round bends easier that my smaller friend on her larger bike. Didn't have to worry about losing her though, everytime the road went uphill or straightened out she soon closed the gap again! Great fun though
Did have a reminder about bike safety this morning though when I got out to the end of my road the traffic was crawling. I can only assume it was a SMIDSY situation but either way there was the tail of a P-reg red sportsbike sticking out from underneath a van
. On the upside a friend on the scene said the rider had been asking for a fag afterwards so he was clearly not badly injured 
Took it out to a show near Bromyard (I was assisting on the carpark with the Air Cadets) . Used it around the car park and found it much more useful to get around with than the car (though jumping on and off I kept forgetting to turn the fuel back on
)Halfway through the day I got a text from a friend asking if I fancied going for a ride. As I had the bike with me she came out to the show so we could convoy back. A hour or so later I see Lucy has arrived and I'm feeling rather nervous, I had only ever travelled with another 125, here she was on a Ducati Monster 620.
I need not of worried. The road we travelled (B4214 Bromyard - Tenbury) is a rather twisty little thing. My bikes being much smaller and me being much larger meant I could hussle mine round bends easier that my smaller friend on her larger bike. Didn't have to worry about losing her though, everytime the road went uphill or straightened out she soon closed the gap again! Great fun though
Did have a reminder about bike safety this morning though when I got out to the end of my road the traffic was crawling. I can only assume it was a SMIDSY situation but either way there was the tail of a P-reg red sportsbike sticking out from underneath a van
. On the upside a friend on the scene said the rider had been asking for a fag afterwards so he was clearly not badly injured Thought I'd ping up a little update (for those still reading).
The cold, wet weather and greasy roads have seen me in the car more often than not the last few weeks. The odd times I have been out have been rather brisk but fun.
I have now booked my theory test for the end of December so I can get on with my test in the new year
The cold, wet weather and greasy roads have seen me in the car more often than not the last few weeks. The odd times I have been out have been rather brisk but fun.
I have now booked my theory test for the end of December so I can get on with my test in the new year
I've kept up the biking over winter, though I've had a fairly miserable couple of days.
Set off for work yesterday, and promptly ran out of fuel about eight minutes into my ride thanks a miscalculation over the miles I'd done and a rather half hearted 'shake test' to check for petrol. That led to a s
t episode pushing the bike uphill for a mile and a half to get to the nearest petrol station, where luckily I managed to scrape together £3 and buy some petrol to ride the bike home. Now, looking likely to be late for work, I jumped in the car and drove in - only five minutes late in, but pushing that bike along those lonely roads in the wind and rain was ste.
I'm driving in again today, and I'll be filling up the bike properly at the weekend before giving it a wash and a coat of ACF-50.
Set off for work yesterday, and promptly ran out of fuel about eight minutes into my ride thanks a miscalculation over the miles I'd done and a rather half hearted 'shake test' to check for petrol. That led to a s
t episode pushing the bike uphill for a mile and a half to get to the nearest petrol station, where luckily I managed to scrape together £3 and buy some petrol to ride the bike home. Now, looking likely to be late for work, I jumped in the car and drove in - only five minutes late in, but pushing that bike along those lonely roads in the wind and rain was ste. I'm driving in again today, and I'll be filling up the bike properly at the weekend before giving it a wash and a coat of ACF-50.
Baryonyx said:
I've kept up the biking over winter, though I've had a fairly miserable couple of days.
Set off for work yesterday, and promptly ran out of fuel about eight minutes into my ride thanks a miscalculation over the miles I'd done and a rather half hearted 'shake test' to check for petrol. That led to a st episode pushing the bike uphill for a mile and a half to get to the nearest petrol station, where luckily I managed to scrape together £3 and buy some petrol to ride the bike home. Now, looking likely to be late for work, I jumped in the car and drove in - only five minutes late in, but pushing that bike along those lonely roads in the wind and rain was ste.
I'm driving in again today, and I'll be filling up the bike properly at the weekend before giving it a wash and a coat of ACF-50.
Ouch Set off for work yesterday, and promptly ran out of fuel about eight minutes into my ride thanks a miscalculation over the miles I'd done and a rather half hearted 'shake test' to check for petrol. That led to a s
t episode pushing the bike uphill for a mile and a half to get to the nearest petrol station, where luckily I managed to scrape together £3 and buy some petrol to ride the bike home. Now, looking likely to be late for work, I jumped in the car and drove in - only five minutes late in, but pushing that bike along those lonely roads in the wind and rain was ste. I'm driving in again today, and I'll be filling up the bike properly at the weekend before giving it a wash and a coat of ACF-50.
. Mine only weighs in at 100kgs so pushing isn't too unpleasant but still a ballache.I forgot to mention my little faux pas... I dropped it
. Was sat on the bike with my lid on the mirror, went to put it on the stand and the helmet started to wobble... Lent forward to grab it and the bike followed me. Ended up with a scuff on my visor (luckily avoided actually smacking the helmet) and snapped my clutch lever (which made the 11miles home interesting 
)On another note my friend has just done a beautiful bit of man maths. When I was looking for the GS he asked me to point out any cheap bikes I found as he wanted a second bike as a cheap commuter. He couldn't afford the £800 my other mate wanted for her bike and the idea went quiet...
... Until he turned up on a brand new MT-07 Moto Cage as the finance package made it 'affordable'. I have asked for us to find somewhere I can have a go when the bike is run in but I fear it may cause my budget to be subject to man maths though
Yesterday was my theory test. Having flown through my questions last time I had no fear of that but the hazard perception has always filled me with dread. Practicing with some online clips before hand couldn't get me a consistent score so in the end I just bit the bullet and got on with the test.
Nailed it
48/50 and 62/75 (pass is 43 and 44 respectively) . Beat my Hazard score when I did my car one which was a nice bonus (I got 35/35 and 58/75 back in 2006).
A friend has some ground and a GS500 he has offered the use of so I can get some practice off road then it's on to book my lessons/tests
Nailed it
48/50 and 62/75 (pass is 43 and 44 respectively) . Beat my Hazard score when I did my car one which was a nice bonus (I got 35/35 and 58/75 back in 2006).
A friend has some ground and a GS500 he has offered the use of so I can get some practice off road then it's on to book my lessons/tests
MoggieMinor said:
GS500. The bike I did my DAS on a few years ago. (I was a beginner to biking) A great bike to ride and a nice step up from a 125. I'd recommend one to anyone.
Downside is it's now too small to do a DAS on (under 600cc, if I did it on a GS I'd end up with a restricted A2 licence) but should still give me a chance to try out a full size bike
MoggieMinor said:
Sorry I forgot things had changed. Bandit 600 then!
They keep bloody changing it! My friend is younger than me but did her test years ago on a 125, that would be a walk in the park!Went out for a brief go on the GS500E today, got the basic maneuvering of the bike and some low speed work under my belt.
Didn't find the extra bulk an issue, though having the extra power in my right hand meant I was using the brake and clutch for control a lot more than needed on a 125.
Found the 500 to be a little boggy at low end, could of been me being to wary of the throttle (at a speed I'd probably walk the bike anyway) but because of the limited space I couldn't really try out the bonus of riding a larger bike (topped out just under 30).
Spoken to 2 instructors so far (tried the one I did my CBT with and got no response). £515 for a 3 day course or £640 for a slightly slower paced one. Both include bike use and test fees I'm just not sure of the right approach.
LoonR1 said:
A GS500 is hardly a powerful bike. Don't be scared of it.
I'm aware of this and I never said scared but as the only bikes I've ridden have been piddly little 125s it has a lot more poke than the huge 11bhp I'm used to which made me wary at first. theshrew said:
Why not say to them you will do day 1 see how you feel on the bike and decide if you want the short or longer course.
You will soon get used to being on a bigger bike + doing it at this time of year will get you some experience riding on damp / wet roads which is a good thing.
I am seriously tempted to do just that, part of the reason my friend let me loose on private land today was just to get a feel for a full size bike, aside from a slightly wider turning circle I didn't find it as big a step as I was expecting (even though as Loon said it's hardly a rocket).You will soon get used to being on a bigger bike + doing it at this time of year will get you some experience riding on damp / wet roads which is a good thing.
I've deliberately taken the 125 out in this weather for just that reason, as long as it isn't icy it doesn't phase me much more than it does in the car.
carmadgaz said:
LoonR1 said:
A GS500 is hardly a powerful bike. Don't be scared of it.
I'm aware of this and I never said scared but as the only bikes I've ridden have been piddly little 125s it has a lot more poke than the huge 11bhp I'm used to which made me wary at first LoonR1 said:
After half an hour on it, you'll be bored at the lack of grunt.
See these comments so often, there's nothing like telling a new rider the bike hes getting / got is slow and boring to make him feel like it is.Not everyone wants 150+bhp and to have the knee down round every bend in the road.
Sure he may feel that way after a while but if nobody said it I'm sure he'd be happier with a 500/600 for a long time. Allowing a new rider to develop on a "slower" bike is far better and safer, let them make their mistakes on a bike that going to allow for it.
andburg said:
See these comments so often, there's nothing like telling a new rider the bike hes getting / got is slow and boring to make him feel like it is.
Not everyone wants 150+bhp and to have the knee down round every bend in the road.
Sure he may feel that way after a while but if nobody said it I'm sure he'd be happier with a 500/600 for a long time. Allowing a new rider to develop on a "slower" bike is far better and safer, let them make their mistakes on a bike that going to allow for it.
To be fair it does only have 47bhp so is a fairly meek little thing. Not everyone wants 150+bhp and to have the knee down round every bend in the road.
Sure he may feel that way after a while but if nobody said it I'm sure he'd be happier with a 500/600 for a long time. Allowing a new rider to develop on a "slower" bike is far better and safer, let them make their mistakes on a bike that going to allow for it.
Obviously everyone is different, but my DAS was on an XJ6N which has I think around 75bhp. When I first rode it it felt like a rocket, but after just 3 lessons I was already comfortable enough to give it the full beans when merging onto a DC.
My first bike has around 100bhp which I find is ideal. It's easily quick enough when it wants to be, has plenty of grunt for carrying a pillion, and I'm nowhere near using it to it's full potential so provideds plenty of room for me to develop, but isn't so quick that on the rare occasion I do open it up, it's not quite at the "OMFG I'M GOING TO DIE" level.
I'd say anything between 75-110bhp is good for a first bike but any less than that would soon get a bit dull.
andburg said:
See these comments so often, there's nothing like telling a new rider the bike hes getting / got is slow and boring to make him feel like it is.
Not everyone wants 150+bhp and to have the knee down round every bend in the road.
Sure he may feel that way after a while but if nobody said it I'm sure he'd be happier with a 500/600 for a long time. Allowing a new rider to develop on a "slower" bike is far better and safer, let them make their mistakes on a bike that going to allow for it.
That wasn't my point. A GS500 is a bike in a very low state of tune, pushing out a whopping 45-50 BHP, so it's not a scary bike and will be easy for the OP to come to terms with, rather than be scared of it. Not everyone wants 150+bhp and to have the knee down round every bend in the road.
Sure he may feel that way after a while but if nobody said it I'm sure he'd be happier with a 500/600 for a long time. Allowing a new rider to develop on a "slower" bike is far better and safer, let them make their mistakes on a bike that going to allow for it.
Few bikes allow you to make mistakes as well. Falling off at 20mph under a lorry or car is going to hurt just as much. Staying on at 150mph is going to hurt just as little as doing so at 20 mph.
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