Just started my DAS, advice needed!

Buchanan0204

Buchanan0204

Buchanan0204

Soldato
Joined
10 Jun 2010
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Scotland
Hola,

I had my second lesson today as part of my DAS. I completed my CBT in august 2010, so chasing two years and I've never been on a bike since, nor before the CBT.

I jumped on the big bike and was told to just drive off after a brief intro to the bike, he jumped on his bike behind me and told me in the ear piece to just head off when ready. I was bricking it!! I had to remember rapidly what to do with the gears. Anyway, by some miracle I seemed to do OK and went away for an hour on the bike riding around town and some country roads. I thought I was doing pretty good for my first time.

I know the area well and I drive, so I knew what lane to be in and what speed limits were etc etc. All I had to concetrate on was controlling the bike.

Anyway... onto today, I had a two hour slot booked and rode onto the by-pass which is a hell of a lot scarier than I thought it would be, it was so windy!

I feel as if I'm getting the hang of it pretty quickly and I'm learning myself if you like. The instructors not teaching me anything at all, he's just happy to let me ride around and get comfortable with it at the moment, which I'm happy with as well I suppose.

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However, here's where my problem comes in. I never know what gear I'm in and struggle to pick the correct gear for the corner, roundabout, junction etc. The bike has no way of telling you what gear you're in. I stalled it today thinking I was in first when I was in second/third etc. Sometimes going round a bend I think I'm in second when it's obviously higher as I hear the bike chugging.

Is there any tips for this? Also, in a car, it's recommended to change at 2.5kRPM and that's considered ideal and eco etc. However, I'm not sure when I should be changing on the bike. Obviously they rev much higher, so is it acceptable to be idling along at 4-5kRPM?

Any tips, advice or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
 
Brackish said:
Slip the clutch and cover the rear brake, get rolling so you are not wobbly (or too wobbly) then turn and lean with the bike (if you feel your too fast then very gently apply the rear brake and as you start slowing re position the clutch so the bike does not chug or slow down too much but do not hold the rear brake down the whole turn as the rear brake will just be fighting the clutch), you will learn how the bike and your self feel when doing this.

Again it is just best to go by what your instructor says. (providing he is teaching you correctly) Have you done some figure of 8's off road yet?
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He's taught me literally nothing. I'm just picking everything up on my own. He doesn't want to over complicate things or have me over thinking things.

I've not done any figure of 8's yet. My CBT was nearly 2 years ago now and I forget 80% of it as it was a one day crash course thing.

I was turning left at a junction today, I had to stop as it was a busy road. There was a bus coming from the right, I had enough time to pull out although I kept looking and checking right when I was pulling out as it's a habbit I have in the car to always check numerous times to be cautious of cars speeding up etc. I ended up inches from the other side of the road heading towards a single decker bus!! Needless to say I **** myself!

I seem to struggle taking off going round the bend. I always over rev or whatever. Again, he's not taught me anything or reminded me how to do it.

Regardless I'm getting there. I've had 4-5 hours now in total and definitely better than I was when I first jumped on.

He did mention today to feather the clutch a lot as it's unlike a car. I started doing that more often.

Thanks to those who offered advice on the gears. I was keeping a mental note of what gear I was in and it worked a lot better for me today. I could pick the right gear appropriate. One thing annoying about the bike is there is quite a bit of a deadzone on the throttle... I'm not a lover of this and often find me over revving or under revving due to this. grr!

Thanks again guys! I'll keep you updated on my progress. Back out on Monday for two hours and I've got my theory booked for Wednesday.
 
I was thinking the same thing. He is a nice guy and definitely seems OK. I just wish he would actually teach me things rather than letting me pick it up myself. He tells me when I do the odd thing wrong but doesn't explain in detail how to fix it.

It's an unlimited course, so it doesn't cost me extra for lessons, I just take as many as I want/need. Maybe that's why he's chilled out?

We do have a one way radio. It's used mostly for directions and then the odd comment if I do something really good or really bad. Which is rare on both of those.

I've paid up front, so I'm sticking it out. I'll ask him to teach me more. He does tell me things when I ask, but not in great detail. Just tells me not to worry and it'll come in time type thing. Which I suppose is true. Perhaps I'm wanting it all to happen too quickly.
 
pugheaven said:
Time in the saddle, if the guy isn't really saying your doing wrong, suppose you might not be... at the end of the day, you wouldn't want him critisising you all the time as you'd be on a downer. The question really is... are you getting better and more confident? If you are, then he's doing his job... if not, then he needs to up the ante a little and help you in the areas your worried about. Ask Ask Ask him, simple... mention things you think you're doing wrong and ask if he sees it etc.
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I am getting more confident, my first lesson I was doing 30-40 in the 60's and 20-25 in the 30's. a few hours later I'm doing the speed limit where appropriate.

I do want to work more on town driving, stopping, starting, taking away round bends etc. It's easy going in a straight line down a country road.

Cheers again.

P.S. Would it be a stupid thing to buy a ZX-6R as a first bike?
 
Ben-Irvine93 said:
Good job on going for your bike test by the way!

Like you said, you are gaining confidence already with the speed which helps a lot in the rest of your riding. I found country roads to be quite good to gain confidence as your always scanning what's in front of you for hazards, correct positioning around corners and thinking what to do next with other road users. The problem I found with town driving is that when it's busy, its hard as there are may, many, MANY idiots out on the road that you have to look out for!

How tall are you? If your more than 6ft 2, then the ZX6R isn't the bike for you. You will probably want to look at something for example: Yamaha FZ6, Suzuki Bandit, Honda hornet them type of bikes. As well as being a lot more comfortable for the tall user, it also has the sporty looks (FZ6, Hornet) and defiantly the power aswel!

Hope this helps :)
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I'm exactly 6ft 2. Would the zx10-r be any better/bigger/comfier?

It's hard enough avoiding idiots in the car, it seems suicidal on a bike. All part of the fun haha. If I don't post within a few weeks. I'm away to a happier place.
 
Passes my theory about an hour ago. Very relieved.

I'm getting better on bends now, just need to be sharper off the mark and work on not over revving on moving off.
 
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