random usefull hints

[grandmastershake]

keeping your chain properly adjusted helps with low speed manuevering.

add a random helpfull tip.

[PhaTeLeSS]

tires are cheaper than an emergency room visit. don't be afraid to get spendy on them. and don't forget tire pressure.

[JAS510]

dont say u watched broke back mountain and loved it!

[eli]

My Mom used to say don't leave home with dirty underware . . .

I say WEAR YOUR GEAR . . .

& always point Your chin where You want to go.

God Bless Mom

[slydrite]

take all advice with a grain of salt as the person giving it may know less than you do........

[Sidewalk]

Never stop learning, or trying to improve on your skills. Randomly practicing throttle and brake control will pay off at some point in time.Originally posted by slydrite
take all advice with a grain of salt as the person giving it may know less than you do........ :D

[CorrodedAlien]

Look as far through the corner as you can see and NOT at the road that is going under your front tire now.

"Aim high in steering"

[rumpofsteelskin]

Treat every painted section of the road as though it's a many-tentacled, slimy monster whose main pursuit is throwing motorcyclists to the ground.

Have functional mirrors and use them.

[grandmastershake]

Watch out for debri on the road. :(

[HHumbert]

"... when in doubt, gas it out."

True in most cases, either off road on on road.

I once hit a car at 60 mph with my saddle bags. He was aggressively defending "his" lane with his POS white Acura.

I stayed stable. Barely noticed it. HUGE black mark on his otherwise pristine Acura. The guy wouldn't pull over to exchange insurance information. Hmmm, wonder why?

-Humbert

[cheezy]

Always try to pee before suiting up.

[rage22]

don't ride with your fingers on the clutch unless you have to, they (clutch kits) are costly to replace.

[Sidewalk]

Originally posted by rage22
don't ride with your fingers on the clutch unless you have to, they (clutch kits) are costly to replace. I always cover the brake and clutch...

[nd2drag]

spend more time riding than on barf. ;)

[nd2drag]

Seriously though, umm, just relax and don't ride over your head.
If you get in a bad situation, become very religious very quickly.

[conn650]

bump-d-bump-d-bump

Your skull is worth more than $300 (in one piece).
Your skin is worth more than $300 (if its still on your body!).

Buy some decent gear, PLEASE! :D

or don't ride until you can really afford to.

[Sidewalk]

Can't agree with that, unless you know that a $300+ helmet will absolutely protect you better then a $100 helmet of the same standards.

But yes, buy good gear.

[ALANRIDER7]

Take it to the track.

[niwrad_r1]

dont pull a wheelie in front of bux not unless you can pull it off

[santa]

Originally posted by niwrad_r1
dont pull a wheelie in front of bux not unless you can pull it off

:laughing

Lead with your head.

[07chuck]

Pay attention or die.

[christofu]

The bike goes where you look. Look where you want to go. You probably don't want to go into that guardrail.

Fixating on danger will usually result in you getting a much better, closeup look at it. Lift your eyes, look through the turn.

[Rob]

Listen to these guys... they know what they're talking about... most of the time. :p

If you can't flap your arms like a bird... you're holding on too tight.

[pisadora]

Be cautious in the rain while turning your bike on painted surfaces! Don't listen to your Ipod when ridding!!

[Sidewalk]

Originally posted by pisadora
Don't listen to your Ipod when ridding!! I don't listen to an iPod, I have a Creative :D

[sgt. majorcrash]

Breaking takes more skill then accelerating, know your brake system and practice breaking under your regular ridding speeds.

[christofu]

Breathe.

No joke, most people hold their breath while cornering.

[Lil Los]

Gas up!

[Ichiro]

sometimes i find myself muttering this under my breath while riding

'smooth and light dont fight the bike'
'smooth and light dont fight the bike'
'smooth and light dont fight the bike'
'smooth and light dont fight the bike'
'smooth and light dont fight the bike'
'smooth and light dont fight the bike'

[slydrite]

speed is fun, but crack kills

[jhawksteele]

When purchasing my first motorcycle, my mom made me promise that I'd sell it as soon as I wasn't afraid of it. When you don't have respect for your bike anymore, that's when you're going to do something stupid.

[Rob]

Gloves last.

[saizai]

1. grip tanks with your legs to take weight off arms
2. camping type rain jacket / pants fit very well under ventilated leathers for rainy days and for 100% rainproofness

[grandmastershake]

you should have ZERO fear of your bike, but you should have a large amout of respect for it. fear is bad, respect is good.

Originally posted by jhawksteele
When purchasing my first motorcycle, my mom made me promise that I'd sell it as soon as I wasn't afraid of it. When you don't have respect for your bike anymore, that's when you're going to do something stupid.

[jhawksteele]

Originally posted by grandmastershake
you should have ZERO fear of your bike, but you should have a large amout of respect for it. fear is bad, respect is good.

Yeah, I didn't mean fear as in "oh geeze I'm gonna crash". I just meant you should respect the associated danger. So I guess "fear" wasn't the right word to use ;)

[Rob]

Originally posted by saizai
1. grip tanks with your legs to take weight off arms
2. camping type rain jacket / pants fit very well under ventilated leathers for rainy days and for 100% rainproofness

Under!? why not over and keep your leathers dry too?

[PantyBuncher]

you will get bad advice

[bmer97]

Periodically monitor tension in arms/hands...RELAX! This is especially important when doing slow parking lot maneuvers, and is seldom taught. You WON'T "go where you look" if you are tensing your arms.

Warm up mentally and physically before getting on cycle. It takes 20 minutes for the brain circuitry to warm up on a new task.

Target Fixation: understand it, and practice it. When danger happens, it will NOT be a 'cone' that you look past...it will be a loud threatening TRUCK on your side of the road as you are leaned and committed to your line.

Get in the habit of using the engine 'kill' switch, instead of ignition key.

Get in the habit of 'what if'...if the car next to you suddenly moves into your lane, do you have an effective escape path of travel?

Get in habit of performing TCLOCS every time you ride your bike.

[Sidewalk]

Don't take advice on safety gear from southern California riders :rolleyes

[CorrodedAlien]

eat beans...

[motocentric]

Tire pressure is WAY more important than it seems. And it changes overnight.

[saizai]

Originally posted by Rob
Under!? why not over and keep your leathers dry too?

That definitely works too, but oversuits are way more $$$ than ones that aren't specifically designed for moto use. Rain pants & jacket (eg Froggs Toggs) can be had for <$50. I don't think you'll find an oversuit anywhere near that.

Plus, regular ones can be used when not in leathers too.

[-Hobbez-]

Stay hydrated before, during, and after you ride

[Reality98]

Always double check your bike when getting it back from the shop. Make sure all the fairings, wheels, bolts, etc are tightened up and in the correct place.

[Sidewalk]

Originally posted by saizai
That definitely works too, but oversuits are way more $$$ than ones that aren't specifically designed for moto use. Rain pants & jacket (eg Froggs Toggs) can be had for <$50. I don't think you'll find an oversuit anywhere near that.

Plus, regular ones can be used when not in leathers too. I think the suit my wife bought was $40.

[Poetics]

Never give in to the feeling that you have to keep up with anyone else -- never ride above your own skills, ability, or comfort level.

[Calyel]

SaddleBag, TailBags, Bungies, TankBags any combo of such on long trips are backsavers.

Don't forget the CamelPak to keep you hydrated and moving.

[saizai]

Never escalate conflicts. Shrug it off and move on.

[Choppa650]

Look out for bambi and her sisters.

[Janna]

Take a small snack (beef jerky, nuts or trail mix, string cheese) and some liquid with you when you head out on long trips... this way, you can eat lunch where you choose to, not where your hunger demands you stop.

[EastBayDave]

always check intersections when you get the green for late red runners...

Practice panic stops all the time; stoppies approaching stopsigns are always fun for testing to see if tires are up to temp (lock-up or not?)

Be smooth, flowing, IN control- in a rythumn (sp?)

go exploring ("where does this road go? I donno, let's see.") Fun!

do a trackday at least once, so you know your & your bikes limits

Above all, enjoy the ride! :teeth

[mlm]

Keep your revs up in the twisties...especially going downhill where the engine breaking might help save your ass.

[mjj]

Tap your kickstand forward with your toe right before weighting it.

[SLOsue]

What a great thread........ Lots of good advice and a couple of LOL moments. Thanks.

[boostfedsx]

dont try to smoke a cigarette while riding. it wont work.

[Sidewalk]

Originally posted by boostfedsx
dont try to smoke a cigarette while riding. it wont work. Funny you mention that, I rode with a guy on the freeway for about 30 minutes while he was smoking a cigar. He was riding a big cruiser though.

[boostfedsx]

Originally posted by Sidewalk
Funny you mention that, I rode with a guy on the freeway for about 30 minutes while he was smoking a cigar. He was riding a big cruiser though.

yah ive seen people on cruisers do it. i just wouldnt deem it practical to do it in a full face.

[Stitchopoulis]

Originally posted by boostfedsx
yah ive seen people on cruisers do it. i just wouldnt deem it practical to do it in a full face.

Yeah, you need a pipe to smoke with a full face helmet on.

[Sidewalk]

Isn't that what helmet vents are for?

[squid vicious]

Originally posted by Rob
Gloves last.

:laughing

If you don't understand this one, you're chin strap is probably unfastened.

[Calyel]

Always carry soft-ties, never know if you'll need it, or someone else may need it.

[mrtnz]

Slightly push forward on the left handlebar whenever you come to a stop. This forces your bike to lean left. Therefore, forcing your left foot to come down first. The right foot is left still pressing on the rear brake.

Thank you, Larry Green, for this awesome tip! It worked wonders for me! :thumbup

[DeathB4mullets]

Originally posted by Calyel
Always carry ZIP-ties, never know if you'll need it, or someone else may need it.


FIXED!

[boostfedsx]

Originally posted by Calyel
Always carry ZIP-ties, never know if you'll need it, or someone else may need it.


haha i drive a drift car. Zip Ties are my Saviors. ill always have em' where ever i go. +1 for this tip.

[VTRweasel]

Stop worrying about how cool you look and start worrying about how to ride.

Your first mod shouldn't be that new undertail & the smallest blinkers you can find.

[h2v7]

haha you guys are great, new to this area and this forum


hope to learn more about this area soon


thanks for all the tips too

[ikhoefnix]

before you pull a wheelie at a light...

1) look around and make sure there are no cops
2) is it really worth it?
3) look around and make sure there are no cops
4) is it really worth it?

if all is good then go for it =D

[rsrider]

Keep your bike clean. If you clean your bike on a regular basis you'll notice if things are coming loose or fluid is leaking.

Also, MAINTENENCE. Follow the manufacturers service intervals. If you can't do it yourself, then spend the money and have a professional do it.

[m0moma]

dont ride under the influence.. because u might think u can ride like rossi when ur really cant

[mlm]

stay in school

[hiosilver]

Never Armorall your bike's tires. It may look good while parked, but will not do anything good for your cornering.

[NeverSayDie]

Carry a few basic tools in addition to the factory toolkit, it can all fit in your undertail storage. To top it off, wrap the tool kit in a clean rag, which doubles as a cushion and a useful cleaning device.

[gogounited]

Do not lend your bike out to "friends".

[Thirdnalga]

Don't kick any Buicks.

[sn0rky]

Originally posted by Thirdnalga
Don't kick any Buicks.
alot of old people drive buikcs too..
i think it needs to be rephrased

dont kick buicks with 280lb people in it.

[Sidewalk]

Originally posted by sn0rky
alot of old people drive buikcs too..
i think it needs to be rephrased

dont kick buicks with 280lb people in it. Can 280lbs people run a mile in less then 8 minutes? :laughing

[Thirdnalga]

Look first, then kick.