I spend the weekend up north dirt biking. It was a fairly inexpensive camp that charged less than half of the more expensive operations. The bikes and instructions were not quite top notch, but the seat time was awesome. We didn't do any classrooms or drills, just as much riding as we were physically able (or running out of gas).
My thighs are very sore and my left hand is a bit strained from holding on too tight. Due to scheduling at home, this may be my last full weekend outing for some time. I need to check out the local sites and see what they offer and cost. See if it's worth my while to trade the Ninja for a dirt bike and small trailer.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Night Rider
I got out yesterday after the rain stop, but it was pretty late in the day. I road down Uvas to Watsonville and back again. I would have stay out later, but I didn't have my liner on and it was getting pretty damn cold.
I practice hanging off my bike, though I was going pretty slow. I was holding on with my outside leg and trying to look over the inside mirror. I was setting myself a second or so before the actual turn in. Since I was going to slow, I found that sometimes I had to counter-counter steer to keep the bike from turning too early or too much. (Note: Try to move half my butt over and keep my body parallel to the bike. Test this out in the garage to get a feel first.)
I'm sure my technique was bad, but I got comfortable moving my weight around the bike and learn it at a slow pace with pretty of room for error. Though I look pretty silly shifting my weight so much at a slow speed, I read from Sportbiker that this technique will help in the rain and slippy surfaces because it reduces the body lean of the bike which should help it stay up if one of the tires slip a little bit. Gary claims that he can go much faster in the rain because of this technique, but I don't have any plans to test that out.
It got dark on the way back and I got some practice switching between high and low beam. I found that my visibility with high beams allow me to rider about 50mph comfortably and low beam at about 35mphs.
I got on a circular freeway on ramp and found that I wouldn't see too well to the sides. I just slow down to about 25mph until the ramp straighten up. I knew the ramp so I knew where the road was going. Still, the ramp was going up and turning at the same time and the straight comes right after the crest, so it feels like the world is dropping out and you just had to have a bit of faith that the road is still there, even at 25mph. I guess better street lighting would help.
Once on the freeway, I stay in the right lane. I caught up to a van and stay behind him until he got off. That increased my sight range quite a bit plus I could see by the van's movement if there was a dip or bump coming up. I'm not sure if I should use high beams or low beams on the freeway. I'll go find out soon.
I need to practice my starts on a hill, especially when I need to make a sharp turn right away. I think the parking structure at my work would be good for this. The top floor is always empty.
I practice hanging off my bike, though I was going pretty slow. I was holding on with my outside leg and trying to look over the inside mirror. I was setting myself a second or so before the actual turn in. Since I was going to slow, I found that sometimes I had to counter-counter steer to keep the bike from turning too early or too much. (Note: Try to move half my butt over and keep my body parallel to the bike. Test this out in the garage to get a feel first.)
I'm sure my technique was bad, but I got comfortable moving my weight around the bike and learn it at a slow pace with pretty of room for error. Though I look pretty silly shifting my weight so much at a slow speed, I read from Sportbiker that this technique will help in the rain and slippy surfaces because it reduces the body lean of the bike which should help it stay up if one of the tires slip a little bit. Gary claims that he can go much faster in the rain because of this technique, but I don't have any plans to test that out.
It got dark on the way back and I got some practice switching between high and low beam. I found that my visibility with high beams allow me to rider about 50mph comfortably and low beam at about 35mphs.
I got on a circular freeway on ramp and found that I wouldn't see too well to the sides. I just slow down to about 25mph until the ramp straighten up. I knew the ramp so I knew where the road was going. Still, the ramp was going up and turning at the same time and the straight comes right after the crest, so it feels like the world is dropping out and you just had to have a bit of faith that the road is still there, even at 25mph. I guess better street lighting would help.
Once on the freeway, I stay in the right lane. I caught up to a van and stay behind him until he got off. That increased my sight range quite a bit plus I could see by the van's movement if there was a dip or bump coming up. I'm not sure if I should use high beams or low beams on the freeway. I'll go find out soon.
I need to practice my starts on a hill, especially when I need to make a sharp turn right away. I think the parking structure at my work would be good for this. The top floor is always empty.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
1st Group Ride
I went in the slowest group. I felt the pace was too slow for me, but that's kind of comforting. I stalled a bunch of times. I need to add much more gas when starting on a hill.
My turns felt better than when I was on Hicks. I able to ride the line I want to. I didn't lean my body out enough and that force me to lean the bike much more. That's something to work on next time, hang off the bike a bit more, but not dragging my knee or anything like that. The idea is to take the same turns at the same speeds with less bike lean.
On the freeway, I was too far behind the group to be consider in the group. I need to stay closer so cars don't get the idea that they can come in. That's something that should come when I get more comfortable.
On the way home I ran out of gas and had to pull over to the side of the road to switch to reserve. I need to practice doing this quickly while riding. I also need to know where my caution lights are.
I found that my slow speed maneuvers are pretty good. I'm comfortable doing slow U turns.
Note that I've wore my helmet for an hour now and feel no tension at all, except my neck is getting a bit tired. No headache so I guess my cushion modifications worked. That saved me $500, sweet.
My turns felt better than when I was on Hicks. I able to ride the line I want to. I didn't lean my body out enough and that force me to lean the bike much more. That's something to work on next time, hang off the bike a bit more, but not dragging my knee or anything like that. The idea is to take the same turns at the same speeds with less bike lean.
On the freeway, I was too far behind the group to be consider in the group. I need to stay closer so cars don't get the idea that they can come in. That's something that should come when I get more comfortable.
On the way home I ran out of gas and had to pull over to the side of the road to switch to reserve. I need to practice doing this quickly while riding. I also need to know where my caution lights are.
I found that my slow speed maneuvers are pretty good. I'm comfortable doing slow U turns.
Note that I've wore my helmet for an hour now and feel no tension at all, except my neck is getting a bit tired. No headache so I guess my cushion modifications worked. That saved me $500, sweet.
First Freeway Ride
I took a short trip on the freeway. It wasn't crowded. I started up the circular on ramp with a couple of HD riders. They took off at the light and were about 1/3 of the way up the ramp before I got there. However, as slow as I thought I was riding, I caught up to them 2/3 up the ramp and had to slow down.
On the freeway, the wind was a huge factor. I hit one dip that pop my butt off the seat and I got a small scare when a big gust of wind hit my chest.
The fairing on the 500R redirects the wind pretty good. My helmet, EXO400, is pretty quite, but I should get some ear plugs for long riders.
At high speeds, it's hard to turn my head. The wind want to push my head 180*.
On the freeway, the wind was a huge factor. I hit one dip that pop my butt off the seat and I got a small scare when a big gust of wind hit my chest.
The fairing on the 500R redirects the wind pretty good. My helmet, EXO400, is pretty quite, but I should get some ear plugs for long riders.
At high speeds, it's hard to turn my head. The wind want to push my head 180*.
First Twisty
On my 3rd ride (about 10 miles under my belt), I rode Hicks Rd. The ride to Hicks was pretty fun too. Wide 2 lane road with rolling hills and high speed curves.
Hicks is a 2 lane twist mountain road. I felt pretty good but knew that it was apparent that I was a bit late to initiate the turns. It takes a split second after the input is given before the bike turns and I got a better hang of things after a few tight turns. It was a weekday so I didn't see much traffic up there.
Hicks is a 2 lane twist mountain road. I felt pretty good but knew that it was apparent that I was a bit late to initiate the turns. It takes a split second after the input is given before the bike turns and I got a better hang of things after a few tight turns. It was a weekday so I didn't see much traffic up there.
Riding Finally
My first ride was 2 miles to get some keys made for the bike. The books says that one should back the bike into a parking space so you can just ride out. Well, that's not true if the parking is sightly uphill. In that case, ride up to park and back up to leave.
I learn on this trip what a PITA motorcycle gear is. I had to take the gloves off to do anything. The jacket, even with all the mesh, gets hot really quick when there's no wind. However, I didn't have anyone not notice me and my HiRes Red jacket.
My next ride was to the AAA office to transfer the title to myself. I also stop by my son's school. At every stop, I got comments on my jacket. They were positive comments, but I'm sure some of them were muttering to themselves that they wouldn't get caught dead in that color.
I learn on this trip what a PITA motorcycle gear is. I had to take the gloves off to do anything. The jacket, even with all the mesh, gets hot really quick when there's no wind. However, I didn't have anyone not notice me and my HiRes Red jacket.
My next ride was to the AAA office to transfer the title to myself. I also stop by my son's school. At every stop, I got comments on my jacket. They were positive comments, but I'm sure some of them were muttering to themselves that they wouldn't get caught dead in that color.
Getting my Gear
When I test rode bikes, I didn't have all the proper gear. That was bad. I did have my helmet and motorcycle gauntlets. Besides that, I just wore jeans and a sweatshirt. My jacket and pants were on order but still a few days away.
I ended up getting textile jacket and pants. Leather offers better crash protection. However, I think it more important to make myself as visible as possible. I'm more worry about other drivers than me crashing solo. I got an Olympia Patton jacket in a HiRes Red. It's almost impossible for anyone not to see me. It's like the orange jackets the Transit workers wear. I could have gotten leather and wore one of those safety vest to be more visible. I've seen one person on the highway with one of these last week, but I know myself and I would have left that safety vest at home more often than not. To go with the jacket, I got black Olympia Ranger pants with can zip up to the jacket.
I found my helmet, EXO400, to be too tight in places even after many hours of wear. In fact I got such a bad headache after wearing it for an hour that it effected my riding. I found a $500 Aria helmet that fits better but didn't want to spend that much. I ended up adjusting the padding to reduce the pressure point in my temples. I haven't done a long ride with it yet, but I'm wearing it around the house for long periods of time to test how well my adjustments are working. It feels as good as the Aria Quantum 2 that I tired on, so I think I'm good now.
My glove is suppose to be a high end racing glove from Alpinestars. My friend sold it to me for $20 cause it was a bit big for his hands. I notice a tore leather around one of the fingers, but it didn't seem like a big deal. I fits well, but is a pain to put on.
I still needs good boots as I'm wearing work boots right now. It seems as good as some of the boots wore by the HD guys but doesn't offer as much protection as the street sport bike boots by SIDI and Alpinestars. This will be my next purchase. I'm wait for the big end of the season sale.
I ended up getting textile jacket and pants. Leather offers better crash protection. However, I think it more important to make myself as visible as possible. I'm more worry about other drivers than me crashing solo. I got an Olympia Patton jacket in a HiRes Red. It's almost impossible for anyone not to see me. It's like the orange jackets the Transit workers wear. I could have gotten leather and wore one of those safety vest to be more visible. I've seen one person on the highway with one of these last week, but I know myself and I would have left that safety vest at home more often than not. To go with the jacket, I got black Olympia Ranger pants with can zip up to the jacket.
I found my helmet, EXO400, to be too tight in places even after many hours of wear. In fact I got such a bad headache after wearing it for an hour that it effected my riding. I found a $500 Aria helmet that fits better but didn't want to spend that much. I ended up adjusting the padding to reduce the pressure point in my temples. I haven't done a long ride with it yet, but I'm wearing it around the house for long periods of time to test how well my adjustments are working. It feels as good as the Aria Quantum 2 that I tired on, so I think I'm good now.
My glove is suppose to be a high end racing glove from Alpinestars. My friend sold it to me for $20 cause it was a bit big for his hands. I notice a tore leather around one of the fingers, but it didn't seem like a big deal. I fits well, but is a pain to put on.
I still needs good boots as I'm wearing work boots right now. It seems as good as some of the boots wore by the HD guys but doesn't offer as much protection as the street sport bike boots by SIDI and Alpinestars. This will be my next purchase. I'm wait for the big end of the season sale.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)