First lesson on a 'big bike' today - what's different?
Discussion
If its the likely suspect of an ER5 (think most of the CBT/DAS places use these) then it will be like you have just sat on a rocketship in comparison.
A bit heavier but pretty easy going bike to ride, though getting up to 60 on a dual carriageway will feel like you are flying along.
Good luck with your test, hardest bit is the turn in the road and for me it was not leaving enough room when behind a bigger vehicle such as a bus.
A bit heavier but pretty easy going bike to ride, though getting up to 60 on a dual carriageway will feel like you are flying along.
Good luck with your test, hardest bit is the turn in the road and for me it was not leaving enough room when behind a bigger vehicle such as a bus.
Reidy10_0 said:
U turn is the hard part.
They allways take you to a road with a severe camber.
Ah, I thought that I was just unlucky! There where a choice of two places that the test centre do the turn in road and I got the one with camber to both sides and cobblestones...which was nice.They allways take you to a road with a severe camber.
I found I was instantly far more comfortable on the big bikes. I remember being quite nervous at first until about a mile up the road we were sat on the inside lane at a set of traffic lights and a taxi pulled up alongside us; all of a sudden I realised we were on big bikes and he had no hope of pulling away in front of us. Ooooh the POWER!!! 
Made things much easier, I felt far less vulnerable with a bit of poke.
Then there's the weight and balance, the 125's felt as if they turned when I farted and were very skittery. On the XJ600's we used there were twin discs too and I instantly felt much more confident with using them.
Only downside was I did hear of someone at the school loosing it a bit during a u-turn practice, fingers slipped off the clutch and the jerk made her open up the throttle: ended up in someones front garden and a trip to hospital for a checkover. Big bikes can bite.
Made things much easier, I felt far less vulnerable with a bit of poke.Then there's the weight and balance, the 125's felt as if they turned when I farted and were very skittery. On the XJ600's we used there were twin discs too and I instantly felt much more confident with using them.
Only downside was I did hear of someone at the school loosing it a bit during a u-turn practice, fingers slipped off the clutch and the jerk made her open up the throttle: ended up in someones front garden and a trip to hospital for a checkover. Big bikes can bite.
biggest difference i found on bike bikes was the brakes do something. everynight of my 3 day DAS i got off the school 500, on my 125 to head home & nearly straight out of the junction as the 125 brakes dont do a thing compared to big bikes. oh the 125 had discs back in front so stopped well for a 125.
OK, back after the lesson. Went well for a first go. The extra pull definitely makes for a more confidence-inspiring ride. Not sure I understand why but I found U-turns easier.
The bike I had was an old CB500 which, frankly, was horrible. I know a bad workman blames his tools, but I really didn't like the way the bike turned-in compared to the CG125 - didn't feel progressive at all. Consequently I didn't have a lot of confidence cornering and was tending to run a bit wide. Practice makes perfect I guess, but the bike just felt a lot less planted than I expected considering the extra weight and fatter tyres. Felt quite skittish whenever the tyre caught a raised section parallel to the road (eg. roadworked strip).
Anyway, happy with my first go and looking forward to more - thanks for the words of support
The bike I had was an old CB500 which, frankly, was horrible. I know a bad workman blames his tools, but I really didn't like the way the bike turned-in compared to the CG125 - didn't feel progressive at all. Consequently I didn't have a lot of confidence cornering and was tending to run a bit wide. Practice makes perfect I guess, but the bike just felt a lot less planted than I expected considering the extra weight and fatter tyres. Felt quite skittish whenever the tyre caught a raised section parallel to the road (eg. roadworked strip).
Anyway, happy with my first go and looking forward to more - thanks for the words of support
surfsofa said:
Not sure I understand why but I found U-turns easier.
Thats easy, balance, on a small bike you make the bike top heavy, on a large bike the more weight there is the more stable it will be. The easiest I found to manouvre was an ex NY police Electraglide which would turn on full lock at tickoversurfsofa said:
The bike I had was an old CB500 which, frankly, was horrible. I know a bad workman blames his tools, but I really didn't like the way the bike turned-in compared to the CG125 - didn't feel progressive at all. Consequently I didn't have a lot of confidence cornering and was tending to run a bit wide. Practice makes perfect I guess, but the bike just felt a lot less planted than I expected considering the extra weight and fatter tyres. Felt quite skittish whenever the tyre caught a raised section parallel to the road (eg. roadworked strip).
thats what i did my DAS on. sounds like its got square tyres though, no real surprise considering the life it has.surfsofa said:
OK, back after the lesson. Went well for a first go. The extra pull definitely makes for a more confidence-inspiring ride. Not sure I understand why but I found U-turns easier.
The bike I had was an old CB500 which, frankly, was horrible. I know a bad workman blames his tools, but I really didn't like the way the bike turned-in compared to the CG125 - didn't feel progressive at all. Consequently I didn't have a lot of confidence cornering and was tending to run a bit wide. Practice makes perfect I guess, but the bike just felt a lot less planted than I expected considering the extra weight and fatter tyres. Felt quite skittish whenever the tyre caught a raised section parallel to the road (eg. roadworked strip).
Anyway, happy with my first go and looking forward to more - thanks for the words of support
That all sounds familiar. Does the back tyre look like this:The bike I had was an old CB500 which, frankly, was horrible. I know a bad workman blames his tools, but I really didn't like the way the bike turned-in compared to the CG125 - didn't feel progressive at all. Consequently I didn't have a lot of confidence cornering and was tending to run a bit wide. Practice makes perfect I guess, but the bike just felt a lot less planted than I expected considering the extra weight and fatter tyres. Felt quite skittish whenever the tyre caught a raised section parallel to the road (eg. roadworked strip).
Anyway, happy with my first go and looking forward to more - thanks for the words of support
From my experience of moving from CG125 to CB500, I think the cornering response on the bigger bike will tend to feel heavier and more definite. It's a lot more weight you're leaning, remember. It took me a little while to get used to that, I think.
The 125 is light enough to just "muscle" around, and you can steer it more through your own weight transfer. The bigger bike responds more to your own gentle steering input, which you'll get used to.
The CB500 my training school had was awful - all levers and pegs bent to buggery, with a badly tuned and serviced engine vibrating like a ferry. It might be that the one you've got is the same. I thought this was a bit odd: after all, you don't see car driving instructors using beaten up old Maestros to try and teach people who are likely to be a bit nervous and ham fisted anyway. They seem to go for the "drives itself" light controls of a new Micra or similar, and you can see why. I know that learning on my own, properly adjusted and maintained 125 was easier than on the ratty bike school lumps.
N Dentressangle said:
surfsofa said:
The CB500 my training school had was awful - all levers and pegs bent to buggery, with a badly tuned and serviced engine vibrating like a ferry.
The kickstart lever was so badly bent on the CG125 I learned on that I one day I pulled up at a set of lights, went to put my right foot down, and found the lever had gone up my trouser leg Lucky it was such a light bike, by the time I'd freed my foot I caught the bike about a 45 degree angle Reidy10_0 said:
U turn is the hard part.
They allways take you to a road with a severe camber.
Just dont bottle it and keep the throttle open and the bike will do the rest.
Enjoy the crazy feeling you get at 60mph. Woooooooow!
And don't look down at the road, if you look down you will put a foot down.They allways take you to a road with a severe camber.
Just dont bottle it and keep the throttle open and the bike will do the rest.
Enjoy the crazy feeling you get at 60mph. Woooooooow!
N Dentressangle said:
The CB500 my training school had was awful - all levers and pegs bent to buggery, with a badly tuned and serviced engine vibrating like a ferry. It might be that the one you've got is the same. I thought this was a bit odd: after all, you don't see car driving instructors using beaten up old Maestros to try and teach people who are likely to be a bit nervous and ham fisted anyway. They seem to go for the "drives itself" light controls of a new Micra or similar, and you can see why. I know that learning on my own, properly adjusted and maintained 125 was easier than on the ratty bike school lumps.
Yes, I notice that irony as well. On my CBT we had some ultra crappy Chinese CG125 clones with lousy brakes and very stiff, digital clutches. Why? Well because they don't want their better bikes dropped by complete newbies - which I guess stands to reason. One of the other people on their CBT managed to drop theirs, so I guess it does happen. My last lesson on a 125 was a spanking new Honda CG which was MUCH nicer to ride. Hopefully the same will happen with the 500s and I'll be let loose on something a bit less agricultural next time Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff