I am a bike owner!

[Morbius]

It's good your getting the hang of it. When I practiced I found a car park and set myself the target of turning consistently within 2 bays. Half an hour later I was stringing them together and turning tighter and tighter. Doubt I could do the same now though.

Yeah, it's just a confidence thing. Once the technique is sorted it's all about practice and convincing yourself that the bike is happy to turn in a small radii.

My problem was not really understanding the technique. When I started, I didn't get the hang of the rear brake because I was treating it like a car's brake pedal and dabbing it gently. When I took some time to practice using the rear brake, I came to realise it was far less sensitive than I was assuming. Once I'd got the hang of it then it was as though the slow speed manoeuvres lost 90% of their difficulty.

I've booked in for another CBT so with a bit of luck I might get through this time! Riding on the road is going to be interesting after having done everything in a car park so far. In the car park, I got up to the giddy heights of 15mph and in a built up space that seemed mightily fast!

 

[Morbius]

It appears that the puncture repair is only good for a temporary repair as the tyre is losing a few psi every day.

Any good places to buy tyres online?

Also, I should be ok to leave the original Cheng Shin tyre on the front and put another brand on the rear shouldn't I?

 

[agnes]

It appears that the puncture repair is only good for a temporary repair as the tyre is losing a few psi every day.

Any good places to buy tyres online?

Also, I should be ok to leave the original Cheng Shin tyre on the front and put another brand on the rear shouldn't I?

Nothing wrong with that mate.

Not sure on tyres as I go to a local dealer to get cheaper prices.

But going back to the tyres, most bikers will go through 2 rears before replacing the front. My self normally go through 2 2ct's on the rear before the front 2ct is even considered for a change... At the moment, my rear is as bald as anything and my front is fine! Will change both though at some point, however bike has just been put on SORN for the winter

ags

 

[Morbius]

Redid the CBT today. I passed!

The first moments of the road ride are terrifying! It seems way too fast! However, it gets easier as the confidence builds. I felt reasonably happy at the end. Can't wait to get out on the road properly. Not tonight though, I'm shattered

 

[LeftfieldTilt]

congrats dude, you are now on your way

 

[gillywibble]

Well done

 

[Morbius]

Had my first proper ride at the weekend. Loved it! I don't tense up when I'm not under pressure so it was much more comfortable. I have a few questions though, so please bear with me!

I'm finding that my gearchanges are getting smoother the more I practice them. It seems that a quicker gearchange is a smoother one. The clutch biting point is quite far away, which is a bit of a pain. How difficult is it to move the biting point slightly closer?

How do you gauge how far you can lean the bike over? I've been really really cautious so far and I'm certain that the margin I'm leaving is enormous. Is this just something that comes with experience?

 

[Fireskull]

Kind of, I know people who have been riding years and still barely lean the bike, not to say they are slow riders though, its all about confidence more than experience leaning I think, but its definitely a more efficient way of cornering.

You could try the adjuster on the clutch lever, but some bikes biting points just are rubbish, that or the clutch is on the way out, or you can change to a different lever that has more adjustement.

 

[Morbius]

Photo time! A bit late, but I did promise.

 

[gillywibble]

Smart. Loving the front L plate

 

[Flukester]

Kind of, I know people who have been riding years and still barely lean the bike, not to say they are slow riders though, its all about confidence more than experience leaning I think, but its definitely a more efficient way of cornering.

You could try the adjuster on the clutch lever, but some bikes biting points just are rubbish, that or the clutch is on the way out, or you can change to a different lever that has more adjustement.

yeah deffo try to adjust it, I like bite point so I can just use two fingers on clutch and fully disengage without moving other fingers out of way... lots of bikes leave showroom without this setup though which makes riding a PITA

 

[agnes]

Very smart 125 there! But it's bags of fun as well, flying around town on it.

ags

 

[jolie]

I like riding.

 

[Flukester]

I like riding.

 

[Fireskull]

But what do you like riding..?

 

[Freefaller]

Hey baby x

 

[Morbius]

OK, back to the topic!

I'm finding that at anything above 45-50 mph the wind starts making things more difficult. The bike moves around a lot more and it generally feels more unsettling. No doubt being a taller rider doesn't help. I'm thinking about getting a screen for it as I've heard that it can work wonders, particularly the Yamaha screen.

Also, I'm still struggling to get confident with the bike. I went out at the weekend but there was a lot of wind and it started raining as well. I found it hard to make any progress as the bike was moving around a lot. Everything's still feeling ridiculously fast, even though it isn't fast.

 

[MADMAN69UK]

Wind can be a bit of a beast when it's blowing a gale. With more experience of it you'll eventually settle in and relax a bit more. Of course high winds are always... interesting on a bike

As for getting confident with the bike, I'll have had my first big bike (ER-6f) for 1yr in December and I'm still not 100% confident. I'm guessing I'm looking at years rather than months to become a more confident rider

 

[Craig321]

Bah, lucky!

Hopefully going to get my licence some time soon

That Yamaha is a very nice bike.

 

[Morbius]

I have a screen!



It arrived today. It's an official Yamaha aftermarket screen and was second hand off of a well known auction website. It's in fantastic condition and I saved over £20.