Your first knee drag, wheelie etc?

IC3

IC3

Soldato
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So, when was your 'first time' you have put your knee down, did a wheelie, stoppie etc? Even if you haven't still post if you've the temptation to try it. :p

I'll start...
  • -Knee down After 4 months of getting my license.
    -Wheelie After 3 months of having my license.
    -Stoppie Couple small ones after 3-4 months, but they're pathetic
    -Powerslide Only accidental ones, either tyre losing grip whilst leaning or going on the throttle too early.
    -Tank Slapper/Shimmy (more of a wobble) When my bike was unrestricted, had a few small ones. Nothing major to consider a steering damper though.

You can add bits to it, I've probably missed something out. :p
 
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Man of Honour
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1 - Never, I don't have leathers. The pegs scrape occasionally though.

2 - A few unintentional power wheelies when accelerating. A few times accidentally when the missus is on the back and not paying attention!

3 - First one was when I went for a ride out with Wazza30 on my SV650 and had to slam on the anchors when filtering too fast. I was such a moron back then, and I'm not a lot better now.

4 - If you mean losing rear traction mid corner, then fairly regularly as it helps you get around sharper corners when you're pressing on and being lazy. I don't do arse-out-looking-like-a-pillock slides though.

4 - First non-fault accident - 2 years ago in the UK. An idiot in an Audi TT ploughed into me at a pelican crossing as the red lights don't apply to him and the pedestrians were clearly inconsequential.

5 - First low side - Last Friday! Still have no idea how it happened as it was at 30kph. My mate behind me blames the tyres as he said the rear tyre just let go at a low lean angle mid hairpin.

6 - First tank slapper - Er... today. Sun in my eyes and I had to brake hard without ABS. Turns out my manual ABS isn't as good as I thought it was in panic situations. Also, cyclists are dangerous on narrow roads when they fly onto your side of the road!

In summary I have discovered in the last ten days that I am really an atrocious rider!
 
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Soldato
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So...

-Knee down Never. Does toe down count?
-Wheelie Never.
-Stoppie Never. (I can see a trend coming on here...)
-Powerslide Never. Unless you count sliding the front as a powerslide...
-Tank Slapper/Shimmy Never.

Hmm. :p

Probably something to do with riding a 50bhp IL4 with a massive 28lb/ft of torque (oh yes!!) for the last year and a half.

I'm sure that will change now I'm riding a 140bhp, 80lb/ft 1000cc v-twin :D
 
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Associate
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21 Apr 2006
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1,476
-Knee down - My bike is tall, would probably lowside it trying to get my knee down :p
-Wheelie - Quite a few by being too heavy on the throttle, occasionally practice (badly) on private land.
-Stoppie - Surprisingly, only on my 125!
-Powerslide - Frequently? Easy to get the back out on a SM. I feel it go sometimes when I try and tighten a corner up mid turn - never feels dangerous though.
-Tank Slapper/Shimmy - Never.
 
Soldato
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Hertfordshire
  • Knee down Nope
  • Wheelie Once, by accident accelerating full-on late on the clutch on a sliproad joining the A1
  • Stoppie Nope
  • Powerslide Changed gear whilst leaning over once let the rear slide a little. But otherwise, i can feel the rear quite well and control with the throttle.
  • Tank Slapper/Shimmy Nope
 
Soldato
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Knee down - Never. Been riding Cruisers for a while and even with my current bike my boot touches down before the hero blobs.
Wheelie - Never. Again Cruisers, plus the current bike is so heavy it's almost impossible. Seems I need to be hit up the bum by a Vauxhaull Corsa in order to get the front end up!
Stoppie - Did one by accident during the bike training!!
Powerslide - Nope. Had a couple of skids off wet MH covers, but that's the closest.
Tank Slapper/Shimmy - Nope. Never.
 
Man of Honour
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Shropshire
Knee down - Never
Wheelie - About a week after passing nailed it off some lights and the front came up only a couple of inches.
Stoppie - Just before I went into the back of someone a couple of months back, back end was a good foot or 2 up apparently.
Powerslide - Never
Tank Slapper/Shimmy - Never
 
Associate
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Cambridgeshire
Knee down - Nope, closest I've been was scraping my toe on the Cat & Fiddle.
Wheelie - Day I bought the Guzzi, bike stopped and wouldn't restart (forgot to open the fuel taps :rolleyes:). My old man stopped up the road, ran back and got it started, then hopped on the pillion to take him back to his bike. Almost pitched him off the back :D
Stoppie - Nope
Powerslide - Nope
Tank Slapper/Shimmy - About 3 years ago, ran across a patch of diesel on a right-hander closely followed by a left. Whole bike slid for a moment then got well out of shape as the tyres cleaned up, came awfully close to oncoming traffic before it settled down again. Not an experience I want to repeat :(.
 
Soldato
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Tampa, Florida
IC3, I think you need to chill out a little bit :x

Exactly this, you have no experience and you're trying all these things... it will only end in tears.

Once that rear steps out and you shut the throttle you're in for a world of hurt, the fact you're provoking that on an SV means you're doing something wrong. I've had the back let go once on a 2c morning when I was overzealous on my CBR600RR back in England, shot me out of the seat. Never had the R6 even twitch with these tires.

I'll fill it out anywho:

1. Not yet

2. Many times on the dirt bikes, few times on the R6

3. On the R6 the other week when I wanted to see what the brakes could actually do (maybe 3" stoppie :D)

4. Not really a slide *see above*

5. 2 absolutely huge ones that were only fixed by opening the throttle. (damper and change to my riding fixed this)
 
Soldato
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Cheshire
So, when was your 'first time' you have put your knee down, did a wheelie, stoppie etc? Even if you haven't still post if you've the temptation to try it. :p

I'll start...
  • -Knee down Not yet, only scraped my pegs&boots.
    -Wheelie After 3 months of having my license.
    -Stoppie Couple small ones after 3-4 months, but they're pathetic
    -Powerslide Only accidental ones, either tyre losing grip whilst leaning or going on the throttle too early.
    -Tank Slapper/Shimmy (more of a wobble) When my bike was unrestricted, had a few small ones. Nothing major to consider a steering damper though.

You can add bits to it, I've probably missed something out. :p

After finally getting off my backside and passing my ACU licence this year I've been doing all of the above several times a lap :)

.. And I'll raise your knee down to include a peg, fairing and nicely chamfered crash bobbin (no i didn't fall off :D )
 
Soldato
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I will say one thing - you can throw a lower powered bike around a lot more than you can something with 70-100 or more bhp. With my CB400, although I've never wheelied or slid it intentionally, it dives into slow, tight corners like a jack russell on speed, and I can be to the throttle stop in the dry in every gear without worrying about it losing in grip or wheelying. I can wind open the throttle wide open coming out a corner and because it takes a couple of seconds for anything to happen, it's safe.

It's much easier on a low power bike to get to (and exceed it's limits), do that on a 600 or a 1000cc and it'll bite you in the arse, big time.
 
Soldato
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No longer riding an Italian
I'll bite, though the list isn't really the sort of thing I'd be doing these days - grown up now and value my freedom/license.

1. On my first bike (636 Ninja) after practicing body position for months. The R1 that followed was battered on both sides to knee downs, plenty of worn tyres and sliders with that, and a broken finger too.

2. Only unintentional power wheelies - doing these should be left to stunters in a closed environment tbh.

3. The R1 when practicing rapid stops... same point above re. doing it intentionally.

4. R1 when banking right over onto new tyre.

5. The 636, R1, Gixxer 750, Daytona 675 and Hypermotard....

6. Near high-ride, R1 in Wales, gave it too much stick off a roundabout.

I get more enjoyment not riding like your average knobber though, so would never go looking for these things again
 
Soldato
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20,929
'You won't learn to swim on the kitchen floor.'

'Don't run until you can walk'

The concern we have is that you will be on the floor, just not the kitchen one. You do not have to risk serious injury or death to gain experience. If you think I am being over-dramatic then that's your call really. I have seen enough fatal bike collisions to know that it only takes the smallest, most innocuous thing to end up dead.
 

IC3

IC3

Soldato
OP
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After finally getting off my backside and passing my ACU licence this year I've been doing all of the above several times a lap :)

.. And I'll raise your knee down to include a peg, fairing and nicely chamfered crash bobbin (no i didn't fall off :D )
I believe you, talked to some nutters and seen the track bikes. :p

I will say one thing - you can throw a lower powered bike around a lot more than you can something with 70-100 or more bhp. With my CB400, although I've never wheelied or slid it intentionally, it dives into slow, tight corners like a jack russell on speed, and I can be to the throttle stop in the dry in every gear without worrying about it losing in grip or wheelying. I can wind open the throttle wide open coming out a corner and because it takes a couple of seconds for anything to happen, it's safe.

It's much easier on a low power bike to get to (and exceed it's limits), do that on a 600 or a 1000cc and it'll bite you in the arse, big time.
Its like my SV than, you can throw that thing into a corner and roll onto the throttle.

I'll bite, though the list isn't really the sort of thing I'd be doing these days - grown up now and value my freedom/license.

1. On my first bike (636 Ninja) after practicing body position for months. The R1 that followed was battered on both sides to knee downs, plenty of worn tyres and sliders with that, and a broken finger too.

2. Only unintentional power wheelies - doing these should be left to stunters in a closed environment tbh.

3. The R1 when practicing rapid stops... same point above re. doing it intentionally.

4. R1 when banking right over onto new tyre.

5. The 636, R1, Gixxer 750, Daytona 675 and Hypermotard....

6. Near high-ride, R1 in Wales, gave it too much stick off a roundabout.

I get more enjoyment not riding like your average knobber though, so would never go looking for these things again
What generation GSXR 750 did you have and how would you compare it to the Daytona 675 (which gen did you have btw?)?
 
Soldato
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4,817
Knee down - Close there is a banked flip flop corner near where I frequently bike meet in Tickhill. Lovely bends.
-Wheelie - No, but I plan on giving a power wheelie a go tomorrow actually. 2nd gear, all out, dump clutch :p
-Stoppie - Nope.
-Powerslide -Once, brown trousers moment. Ended up on the other side of the road, lucky nothing was there trying to catch my dad up on his FZR. Was doing well until then.
-Tank Slapper/Shimmy - Nope.

The power slide was due to being too far forwards over the bike as i shifted the wright though, a lack of experience thing. I find now digging into corners is much better, all about the fluidity.
 
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