Horsepower... vroom vroom

[silk]

I moved towns for a new job. The traffic drives me nuts. I hate paying for parking. So, I got my licence and bought a motorbike. Now I'm teaching myself to ride it

Anyone else here have a motorcycle? I feel like I've spent years discouraging my horse and myself *not* to lean into corners, and now I have to train myself to do it I'm super keen to hear about any resources (books, tutorials etc) that will help me with the theory side of things.
Initially I've got the bike at home, as it is rural and there are quiet-ish places to get used to it without too much traffic. Once I feel a little (lot!) more confident I'll take it up to my flat so it can be my commuter (~10 miles to work from my flat). Eventually I want to drive it between the flat and home (less than 100 miles).

[Chisamba]

I rode bikes most of my life. Gave it up when I moved to NJ. Don't like cold weather so it was a waste for it to sit parked.

I actually used to race off road as a young adult. Had a sponsor and all. I am not any help though, I rode for so long I can't remember learning.

My tip is, other drivers don't see you. You are smaller. Do a motorcycle safety course. It will teach you how to position yourself and be more aware to avoid accidents.

Enjoy your bike. What size did you go with?

[silk]

Suzuki SV650. It is somewhat restricted, as our licencing system has a power-to-weight ratio for those not on their "full" licence.

[Chisamba]

Do you have fancy safety gear/ helmet /boots.

[silk]

I bought a set of leather jacket & pants (zip together - with armour) - still need boots. I have a really good helmet and gloves.

[Flight]

I have a bike licence and used to ride to work etc for a few years, we have to do the "stay upright" motorcycle courses here to actually get our licence. It's based on safety stuff but really helpful information for road safety and bike handling. Not sure if you do this anyway? If not, totally recommend it!

[Quelah]

I don't know if Xan is around but I think she rides, I want to say she's got a beast of a Ducati maybe?

[silk]

Yes we have some (heavily subsidized ie very low cost) safety courses for riders, so as soon as I can get to one of those, I will. The lame part is my bike is at home, so I can only ride on weekends until I am confident and experienced enough to bring the bike to Auckland (1.5 hr journey, approx 90 miles). That's fine, as I want to feel confident with the bike and in traffic, and do a few longer trips to get 'fit'/used to riding it before I bring it up.

[silk]

I think I have (had?) Xan on facebook so I'll try to find her..........

[heddylamar]

Used to have a motorcycle, but sold it a few years ago. To get a license here you have to take either a safety course (intro to riding) which culminates in a MVA proctered test, or test at MVA.

Do any bike shops in your area offer a course?

[silk]

Yeah we have subsidized courses so they are on my list. I've got down time to read/watch tutorials during the week so super keen to do that in addition to riding time on the weekends.

[Chisamba]

Me on my first bike, just a few decades ago> posted to inspire you to post a pic

[Wicky]

I am concerned. If traffic is so bad that you hate it, you shouldn't be doing any better with a bike. Weaving in and out and riding alongside of cars is DANGEROUS. I don't think that commuting on a bike safely should take any time off your commute.

[silk]

I am concerned. If traffic is so bad that you hate it, you shouldn't be doing any better with a bike. Weaving in and out and riding alongside of cars is DANGEROUS. I don't think that commuting on a bike safely should take any time off your commute.

Traffic is simply unpredictable. It's part of living in the city. Parking is expensive (except for bikes - usually, free!). Buses are generally reliable - but slow, and not always running when I need them (nothing beats waiting at a bus stop by yourself late at night.....). Fitting in horses and a job in the city requires a compromise, something that doesn't always happen in my job (projects are deadline-driven and I can't always leave when I should).
If I move out of my flat and in with my boyfriend, chances are I'll be closer to the CBD, but even overnight parking will be worse (ie many apartments only include one parking space - so what to do if you both have a car, and, albeit for different reasons, you both need to keep them?).

The other side of the equation is my car getting old. It is my daily driver and my towing vehicle. The cost to replace it far exceeds what I can reasonably spend. It is reliable and has been well maintained in the 9 years I've owned it so I want to nurse it along for another 5+ years. I can't do that while driving it 500+ kms each week. It can happily hang out at home and be my weekend driver (for all the jobs to do with horses and farm).

Getting the bike is something I've thought about very thoroughly. It might not save me much "time" but it does offer far greater flexibility. Plus, options to go exploring our beautiful countryside in the weekends

[Chisamba]

there is always a bike hater somewhere. You do not have to justify your actions, imho

[silk]

For Chisamba:

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[silk]

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[Chisamba]

Nice. I like the size, small and light enough to be maneuverable, but big enough to deal with your longer trips. Hop on and take small rides in low traffic areas as often as you can. Set up cones and do some practice. Get used to how it feels on loose gravel as well as bumpy roads. Always wear your gloves and boots and helmet.

I would look out for a course, as others recommended.

Be careful of sunburn if you ever ride in summer clothes, because of the wind you don't feel yourself burning

[silk]

That jacket (and its matching pants) are the "least" I'll ever be wearing even in summer. No gear, no ride! I quite like my skin I will get a synthetic jacket for wet weather, in time.

Yes, although I only tried out this model, it is low and narrow and I just felt "at home" on it, despite knowing nothing about bikes at the time. I can't actually put both feet flat on the ground, only nearly so.

There is very little traffic around home, and actually one gravel road I could get to easily ('just' around the corner). I've been playing with gear changes and learning about the brakes. I need to find an empty carpark to practice corners/circles in.

[Saddlebum]

At 61, I purchased my first motorcycle - UGH! Not in my original plan. Took a safety class and thank goodness...there is a lot to be aware of when riding. Loose gravel, especially on curves etc. etc. etc. They teach you all this stuff in the class and you get a LOT of ride time on a course which is really hard...when you are done, you find driving on a real road, so easy and you need confidence...especially if riding in traffic which after taking the class, you will have.

Have fun. I eventually learned to enjoy riding it, hahaha.

[silk]

I've been riding the bike on weekends, focussing on something different every time I head out. Today I attended a ride-safe course, sort of a defensive driving thing. Great value (subsidised by a sort of "shared" accident healthcare insurance/fund - only $20 for me to attend, 9am through 5pm with a highly experienced instructor). Only one other person on the course so good one-on-one learning opportunities.

I gained SO much knowledge, theory about whys and wheres and whats, safety, and the chance to do things under instruction, with instant feedback (we were using an intercom system).

FAB. I have a lot to work on going forward, and very pleased I did the course.

[Chisamba]

Great. Get as many quiet hours riding as you can before wrangling traffic

[piedmontfields]

Two tips from the friend of serious bikers:

1. Get a brightly colored helmet. Yellow is good. No it is not as cool looking as black, but it could save your life by helping you be seen. Ideally, you would also have bright colors on your jacket, too, or wear a colored vest.

2. Take a course. There are basic, intermediate and advanced courses. It is especially helpful when you have a bit of confidence but not much experience. A good course will make you sober and more skillful. You can also repeat the courses.

Enjoy, but be careful. I live in a very popular place for bikers...and we have news of bikers deaths nearly daily (at their own hands, flying through mountain curves or at the hands of cars/trucks).

[kande50]

there is always a bike hater somewhere.

ER docs tend to be well represented in that group.

A friend of mine lost her son in a motorcycle accident (car pulled out in front of him), and then what does she get for her mid-life crisis....

[silk]

Two tips from the friend of serious bikers:

1. Get a brightly colored helmet. Yellow is good. No it is not as cool looking as black, but it could save your life by helping you be seen. Ideally, you would also have bright colors on your jacket, too, or wear a colored vest.

2. Take a course. There are basic, intermediate and advanced courses. It is especially helpful when you have a bit of confidence but not much experience. A good course will make you sober and more skillful. You can also repeat the courses.

Enjoy, but be careful. I live in a very popular place for bikers...and we have news of bikers deaths nearly daily (at their own hands, flying through mountain curves or at the hands of cars/trucks).

Thanks. Helmet is, unfortunately, black, as that was what was in stock in the model that fitted the best. I have a hi vis over-jacket (long sleeves ) that has reflective stripes on top of the white and yellow fabric. Looking good comes a long way after being seen and staying alive

I'll repeat the above course or the next one up before I sit the test for my next licence. On a Learner's, you are restricted to specific hours of driving, specific types of bike, etc.
The course covered theory and practice on urban and open road riding, cornering, countersteering, braking, low-speed handling (ie, how slow can you go), intersections, changing lanes, alerting other drivers to your presence (when stopped at intersections, other drivers tend not to see you due to ... is the phrase motion blindness? When you stop moving, their eyes don't "see" you), hazards and scanning for them. We didn't end up on any gravel.

We didn't end up in any heavy traffic but we did have plenty of other vehicles about.

[piedmontfields]

Remember, you can put high vis tape on a black helmet. Your head is higher than your bike and tend to move, so it really helps other drivers see you.

Your course experience sounds really good.

[silk]

Yeah, it was a great course! We were the first to successfully 'pass' the challenge: navigate crossing through town without stopping: slow speed control in traffic.
In the town we were in, there are pedestrian crossings before and after multiple roundabouts, which usually cause stop-start-stop-start travel. This means watching stopping distances and traffic ahead carefully, as well as controlling your own speed, in order to keep the bike moving the whole time. We caught a few lucky intersections where I thought I'd have to stop but a turning car created a suitable gap. It made me thing of dressage tests or displays where two lines of riders intersect as they head in different directions

[Xanthoria]

I don't know if Xan is around but I think she rides, I want to say she's got a beast of a Ducati maybe?

Ha! It's a Ducati Monster (695) so fairly beastly, I'd say.

[silk]

Very noice, Xan!

I've put Suzi on hold for three months. You can only "hold" the registration when it's due. it is $500+ to keep her on the road for a year.... knowing my schedule in the next three months, plus the weather (coming up to the coldest and wettest part of winter), I figured I wouldn't be riding much. I'll renew her rego in two months and meanwhile keep up my slow speed skills riding around home.

Last weekend (last 'road legal' weekend) I met up with another biker and went for a cruise around a local back road. Nice and twisty. We went over two dams and stopped at a swing bridge (built in 1925) near the second, then coffee, then home. Lovely day out, I really enjoyed it.

[Xanthoria]

That's such a great idea - wish I could put mine on "hold" - he's sitting in the garage with the move and work and so on: got to get out more!

[silk]

The registration is soooooo expensive due to our "accident compensation corporation" levies (publically funded universal healthcare following accidents - bike riders get stuck with higher levies than drivers as we have more accidents and cost more to fix, if we don't die that is).
There are a few catches with putting a licence on hold. You can hold for any length of time: min 3 months, max 12 (you have to renew the hold every 12 months, or, after a set timeframe it completely expires and you have to go back to scratch to re-licence the vehicle, which, especially for older vehicles, is very expensive as they have to be bought up to current standards). A hold costs nothing, but if you re-start the registration BEFORE the 3 months is up, you have to pay from the start of the hold ie back pay. You get demerits on your licence if you are caught with a vehicle that is on hold (more demerits than if you simply had an expired registration). SO I can't do more than a tiny eensy bit of riding around home until 14 September.... count down is on! Seems so far away but I am not home this weekend, I have client horses to trim 3 days out of every 4 weekends, so it will absolutely fly by (and, there's nothing stopping ME riding another bike, if I can get my mitts on bf's BMW 650, for example )

[silk]

Bike re-registered (not road legal until mid September, but I have paid for my new registration sticker, wooo!). I have been pootling around close to home and practicing my slow speed skills, most weekends. I'm booked for my next licence the day after Suzi's rego is live again - I'm currently a Learner, which is similar to Australia's "P" plate (does that stand for Provisional?) - you are not allowed to drive/ride between 10pm and 5am, you cannot have a bike that is not on 'the list', max 650cc with an approved power-to-weight ratio (some 250cc bikes are not approved), you can't take a passenger/pillion, etc. I don't think anything changes once I get my Restricted, except I don't have to display a Learner plate. Then, min 12 months until I can sit my Full, at which point all limitations are removed.

Oh, perhaps there are blood alcohol limits that I have forgotten about for L and R riders.... More stringent for younger drivers ie under 20 so I don't need to know them. Wouldn't drink and ride anyway, I quite like living!

[Xanthoria]

That's similar to the UK system I grew up with if I recall, but here in the USA (in CA at least) you can take a 2 week course to learn to ride + built in licensing test that amounts to 5 hours a week if that. Then you're off on your own, having never ridden on the freeway, free to buy a 1200cc superbike tomorrow if you like and having learned/taken the test on a 250cc bike. Terrifying IMO!

[silk]

That's similar to the UK system I grew up with if I recall, but here in the USA (in CA at least) you can take a 2 week course to learn to ride + built in licensing test that amounts to 5 hours a week if that. Then you're off on your own, having never ridden on the freeway, free to buy a 1200cc superbike tomorrow if you like and having learned/taken the test on a 250cc bike. Terrifying IMO!

Terrifying, indeed! EEEK.

[silk]

Next licence - tick! Got my Restricted on the 15th. That was ~5.5 hours riding.... half hour there, three hours "lesson", coffee break, just over an hour for the test, debrief, half hour home. Looooong day, very much worth it though. I don't think I get any extra perks or abilities on this licence (I'm still not allowed to ride at night, but I wouldn't anyway), one year until I can sit my Full which has no special conditions attached to it.

Last week was hectic, but today I rode my bike from home town to flat/work town - 1.5 hours to get to my flat, had a quick coffee, grabbed lunch out of the freezer, then 20 mins further to work which DEFINITELY beats 45 mins on a bus!

[silk]

Love love love having Suzi to get to work. 20-25 mins. I am still reluctant to filter/lane split (drive between lanes of traffic) unless it is fairly well stationary.
Yesterday I spent an obscene amount of money on new (goretex) riding gear that will be truly waterproof. Today I dropped a smaller amount on some reflective hi vis and waterproofer for the gear I do have, and a top box.
The credit card is very sad at the moment but I am exceedingly happy

[silk]

Suzi met an early demise... She was run over by a truck carrying concrete slabs while parked outside my work with a mere 11,000kms on the clock (about 6800 miles).

I kicked up a stink with insurers as they were going to repair - I insisted they prove she was straight first. They paid me out. Presumably sold her off as damaged, someone would have got a bargain.

I was insanely busy at the time, injured (separate issue) and wanted to try other bikes buuuuut Suzi II (not her real name... I actually haven't worked out what her name is yet) came up second hand, at a price that meant I didn't lose out despite the trucking company denying liability due to no witnesses. Same model, same colour felt like coming home.

Today was a public holiday, ANZAC day, similar to your Memorial day as far as I can tell, so I went out riding with a friend (ok... it was a date, but a great one, we hardly talked because we were riding our bikes ). About 260kms, ~160 miles.

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[Flight]

Aww sorry about your bike getting run over by a truck!
Lovely scenery for a ride As long as your date could keep up - all good

[silk]

Aww sorry about your bike getting run over by a truck!
Lovely scenery for a ride As long as your date could keep up - all good

Similar bike but much more experience than me so the only time we were 'separated' was a really twisty bit that he went quite a lot faster through

I've decided a road trip on a motorcycle is an ideal date for someone who, like me, hates people
We could only chat when we stopped besides limited communication while riding (hand gestures about directions or other motorists). We basically did 30-60mi stretches between stops (only stopped about 3 times all day), didn't have lunch, then I peeled off for home on the way back so we didn't do more than wave goodbye... haha. Oh and I had my music on the whole time too.