Discussion
I've been pondering buying an Aprilia RS125 as something to basically thrash to death and help me out with confidence in bends as well as being just a bit of cheap, manageable fun.
It's not that I don't trust myself on the GSX-R but I do feel I'm being too sensible with it (I know that sounds weird but I can't think how else to phrase it at the moment: will probably edit when I've had more coffee).
Is this is an exercise in futility and should I just stick to hacking away at bends with the GSX-R until I get it right? I'm not talking about 250mph with my knee down and my hair on fire, just smoothness.
I should probably also point out that I'm going to do a Haslam/CSS course in the new year, too.
It's not that I don't trust myself on the GSX-R but I do feel I'm being too sensible with it (I know that sounds weird but I can't think how else to phrase it at the moment: will probably edit when I've had more coffee).
Is this is an exercise in futility and should I just stick to hacking away at bends with the GSX-R until I get it right? I'm not talking about 250mph with my knee down and my hair on fire, just smoothness.
I should probably also point out that I'm going to do a Haslam/CSS course in the new year, too.
Not a bad idea, but it will still hurt the same falling off an RS.
The time of year doesn't help, roads not exactly grippy at the mo.
I think you're on the right lines with doing 'track courses' certainly safer if you want to push your limits, which in turn develops confidence. If you do bin the 125 big style out there, it could dent your confidence further?
What bikes did you own before the Gixxer..?
The time of year doesn't help, roads not exactly grippy at the mo.
I think you're on the right lines with doing 'track courses' certainly safer if you want to push your limits, which in turn develops confidence. If you do bin the 125 big style out there, it could dent your confidence further?
What bikes did you own before the Gixxer..?
waynester said:
Not a bad idea, but it will still hurt the same falling off an RS.
The time of year doesn't help, roads not exactly grippy at the mo.
I think you're on the right lines with doing 'track courses' certainly safer if you want to push your limits, which in turn develops confidence. If you do bin the 125 big style out there, it could dent your confidence further?
What bikes did you own before the Gixxer..?
Personal injuries aside, I'd feel a hell of a lot better binning the RS than binning the gixer. I've been riding the gixer since mid-September and erm, it's my first bike.
It's not that I'm not getting on well with it - I think I am, so far - it's just I'd like a 'softer' option for pushing relatively harder on.
Rawwr said:
Not a bad idea, but it will still hurt the same falling off an RS.
The time of year doesn't help, roads not exactly grippy at the mo.
I think you're on the right lines with doing 'track courses' certainly safer if you want to push your limits, which in turn develops confidence. If you do bin the 125 big style out there, it could dent your confidence further?
What bikes did you own before the Gixxer..?
Personal injuries aside, I'd feel a hell of a lot better binning the RS than binning the gixer. I've been riding the gixer since mid-September and erm, it's my first bike.
It's not that I'm not getting on well with it - I think I am, so far - it's just I'd like a 'softer' option for pushing relatively harder on.
Absolutely agree...better to bin a rough bike than your pride and joy.
From my point of view all this happened as a sort of natural progression..i.e i started out 20 years ago on an NS125, and moved up to 250, 400, 750 etc etc.. GSX'Rs..any of them, are full on sports bikes that can and will bite. Maybe not the best to develop early confidence skills.
Don't get me wrong, i think your plan of developing your confidence/smoothness skills on the smaller bike is a good idea.
Jumping on a big GSX/R1/ZZR/ZX straight after passing a test?...it's easy to miss out on the valuable experience a small bike can give...and fun
Go for it..good luck, and enjoy the Haslam course.
I would strongly recommend getting some advanced road training. Going fast on the road is, in my opinion, very different to going fast on the track. What I would suggest you learn is how to ride smoothly in road conditions, anticipating events and “reading the road”. As you master this, your riding will become smoother and your ability to “make progress” will increase but, most importantly, you will become safer.
You may find that trying to "hoon" is the problem. Your conentration is being spilt between trying to "manage the road" (also known as survive!!!) and making the bike go faster. If you stop contentrating on trying to make the bike go faster, and get training on ways to master concentrating on managing the road, you will find that going faster happens naturally.
Managing the road is what experience teaches you and thus why, in most cases, experienced riders are quicker whilst still being safe. Getting advanced road training helps to "short cut" the time required to gain experience, although there is no real substitute for hours/miles on the raod.
Managing the road is what experience teaches you and thus why, in most cases, experienced riders are quicker whilst still being safe. Getting advanced road training helps to "short cut" the time required to gain experience, although there is no real substitute for hours/miles on the raod.
Have you ridden an RS125? I have and whilst it was fun I found it too much like hard work, a better option IMHO would be the RS250, still needs working but not needing to always keep it on the boil quite like the 125. I saw 95mph on the clock (private test track) of the 125 but I found it struggling in the normal 'day-to-day' stuff like overtaking etc 
although maybe I'm just too fat for a small bike! 
although maybe I'm just too fat for a small bike! dern said:
I dunno, I guess I just got the feeling it'd be easier to hoon a Lotus Elise than a Lamborghini Diablo.
I've encouraged people to hoon
I'd should qualify my definition of hooning as 'not commuting'.
>> Edited by Rawwr on Tuesday 6th December 12:43
With a 125 you will have to put a lot of effort in (initially) at least just in keeping the thing in its powerband. 250 is better, but an old Jap import 400 I think would be ideal. Hooning then would be more like your standard Elise compared to a VHPD version. 400 is probably a bit more reliable as well, and they hold their value.
My opinion - get a 400 and ride it every day.
Cheers
My opinion - get a 400 and ride it every day.
Cheers
Rawwr said:I can understand your wish to be faster, smoother etc and be as good as everyone else but personally I've accepted the fact that I'm not as quick as other people and that if (big if) I want be as quick as the next man I'll do it over a long period of time and that a dose of reality is more palatable than a dose of scenery.
I've encouraged people to hoon
I'd should qualify my definition of hooning as 'not commuting'.
Rawwr said:
Being quick doesn't really have anything to do with it. Probably my fault for not explaining properly.
Fellow Newbie...!!!!
I've had the privilige to ride regularly with a couple of Advanced (instructor) types, and they tell you to be smooth first and the speed will come. In my experiance they're bang on.
ps - Don't the Gixers hate wet man-hole covers???!!! Hit two on Sunday and went home!!
I found the best way to get quicker, was to slow down! If you go into corners too hot, you'll fluff the lines - go in slower and concentrate on the lines, rather than the corner speed - you'll find that you'll gradually get quicker and quicker naturally, you just need that firm base there first.
Just like you, I've not had my sportsbike long (End of April - done 8k miles since, all for pleasure) and I found that my riding totally transformed from my Bandit 600 riding days! For a start, I couldn't get my knee down on the Bandit (i've tried since actually, and the pegs just scrape! LOL) whereas i've had my left knee and footpeg scraping on the road on my ZX7R
Riding with total lunatics has also made me much much faster, but you still need that firm grounding in the correct lines and riding style before you can get really quick/good.
So, my advice would be to slow down, and really concentrate on your lines. 3,500 miles is NOTHING to learn to ride a bike in - takes a lot, lot longer to get any good (i'm definately not particular good yet!).
Just like you, I've not had my sportsbike long (End of April - done 8k miles since, all for pleasure) and I found that my riding totally transformed from my Bandit 600 riding days! For a start, I couldn't get my knee down on the Bandit (i've tried since actually, and the pegs just scrape! LOL) whereas i've had my left knee and footpeg scraping on the road on my ZX7R
Riding with total lunatics has also made me much much faster, but you still need that firm grounding in the correct lines and riding style before you can get really quick/good.
So, my advice would be to slow down, and really concentrate on your lines. 3,500 miles is NOTHING to learn to ride a bike in - takes a lot, lot longer to get any good (i'm definately not particular good yet!).
Mad Dave said:
Riding with total lunatics has also made me much much faster, but you still need that firm grounding in the correct lines and riding style before you can get really quick/good.
I resemble that remark.
Partial lunatic, under a full moon and with a following wind, perhaps.
Repeat after me...slow in, fast out. You'll stay alive and you'll grin more often.
Mon Ami Mate said:
Riding with total lunatics has also made me much much faster, but you still need that firm grounding in the correct lines and riding style before you can get really quick/good.
I resemble that remark.
Partial lunatic, under a full moon and with a following wind, perhaps.
Repeat after me...slow in, fast out. You'll stay alive and you'll grin more often.
You're quick, and you make quite tight overtakes, but your riding style, although quite aggressive at times, is still so fluid and smooth, and that's what counts - I know people who reach far lower top speeds than I do yet travel faster - because they are so smooth and consistent. That is how I would describe your riding style.
I've got a LOT faster since I last rode with you, recently did my favourite test track (A36 > Warminster > A350 > Shaftesbury > A30 Wilton > A36 back to my house - 65 miles) in approximately 35-40mins. Had to slow myself down - started finding the front starting to go light and start to slap whilst still leant over some way - at 120mph!! Fun, but a little alarming. Also started having a few near misses - coming around corners, well into 3 figures and cranked right over, to find cars overtaking etc. They were making tight overtakes but at the end of the day, when you make the decision to overtake, you don't expect a bike to come hooning around the next bend at 135mph
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