First try on a big bike!

[Noggin]

I could defiantly feel the the 'look' in my back - I do too much looking with my eyes!! not so much hip as 'shoulders ' maybe - definitely a bit of a of hip shift to counter balance.. I have on two occasions driven the bike into the kerb by 'looking at it' .. so am better at looking down the road - far down the road into the open space..

The bigger bike was a bit smoother than mine - and - whilst I was a bit nervy of dropping it - I could control it quite well - just need to trust myself

What the others have said. It's good to learn, better to want to learn, but remember to enjoy as well!

I REALLY struggled to ride a 125 (didn't help that it was a custom style - having ridden horses most of my life, trying to ride a bike whilst leaning back was horrible!! LOL). But, once on the 500 (I think) it was sooooo easy in comparison!!

I feel like I need to go back and do some basic training.

Getting nice memories though of the first few yards on a big bike. Nowhere near as intimidating as it looked.

Me too - but then I've barely ridden since 2017! And having made a MASSIVE fck up on a blind bend where I was very lucky there was nothing coming the other way the last time out, I KNOW I need extra training. Will have to sort something when I'm in the UK next year

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

This thread has made me think, I can't remember what the first heavy bike I rode was, I think it was a Yamaha XJ550, but that was slower than the RD350LC I had at the time

[Rockburner]

[We did flog training centre T shirts that had my picture on ]

"If THIS guy can do it.... you can too!"






Like LFG, this got me wondering what my first 'big' bike was. I remember riding my Dad's RD400 around briefly when I was about 9 or 10 (but they're not huge).

After that it was probably something like the V50.

First 'modern-ish' 'big' bike (I think the accepted standard is > 1000cc? ) errrm... struggling to remember anything before trying out my brother's R1100S.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

First 1000 was a 1978ish Suzuki GS1000, it weighed about 250KG and made about 75bhp, the YZ125 I had around the same time was scarier, about 80KG and 30bhp.

[tricol]

In terms of first big bike, certainly in size it was a late 90's Yamaha DT125. Really had to swing my leg over it!

[Scootabout]

My first go on a 'big bike' was riding a Suzuki Burgman 400 back to London from Chester, where I'd just bought it from a private seller. A few years later, having ridden only autos, I hired a 125 for a day to remind myself how to change gear before borrowing Maccecht's FJR 1300.

I'm not sure this is the right way to do it, but fortunately in neither case did I have a mishap.

[Tigs]

I feel like skills set has improved to the point I don't panic - and am enjoying the ride - although I prefer longer stretches to inner city stop start and I really wish I'd done this a few months ago - because it is getting dark and cold now!

[Horse]

Keeping warm is a whole new thread!

[Noggin]

I feel like skills set has improved to the point I don't panic - and am enjoying the ride - although I prefer longer stretches to inner city stop start and I really wish I'd done this a few months ago - because it is getting dark and cold now!

Winter sux, but I got my first bike (ZZR600) in November 2002. I rode in all weathers, even with snow on the ground!!! I honestly think it did me the world of good. It's far too easy to get a bike at the 'right' time of year and then get into the habit of only riding in good weather

By starting now, you'll be so keen to get out on the bike that you'll do it in most weathers, just for fun! Go for it (with a smidge of caution if the weather is really anti bike!! LOL)

Enjoy

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Keeping warm is a whole new thread!

Heated gloves, why did I not discover these until last year, they truly are superb.

[Horse]

Keeping warm is a whole new thread!

Heated gloves, why did I not discover these until last year, they truly are superb.

I used heated gloves for several years. Endured all of the 'kid with gloves on elastic' jokes. At least, that was when getting gear on. Last laugh when you're the only one who's fingers work well enough to undo your helmet

Then heated grips. Easier, but not so good. Gloves heat the outside, where wind chill is worse.

But oh lord of luxury, I bought a heated waistcoat. Marvellous! Didn't need the grips! Save up / Xmas & birthday gift requests/ whatever - just get one somehow.

First time I used mine was 120+ miles in temps of 2-3 C, with drizzle. One T&P stop. Got home with cold toes. Get one. Now!

[Rockburner]

Keeping warm is a whole new thread!

Heated gloves, why did I not discover these until last year, they truly are superb.

I used heated gloves for several years. Endured all of the 'kid with gloves on elastic' jokes. At least, that was when getting gear on. Last laugh when you're the only one who's fingers work well enough to undo your helmet

Then heated grips. Easier, but not so good. Gloves heat the outside, where wind chill is worse.

But oh lord of luxury, I bought a heated waistcoat. Marvellous! Didn't need the grips! Save up / Xmas & birthday gift requests/ whatever - just get one somehow.

First time I used mine was 120+ miles in temps of 2-3 C, with drizzle. One T&P stop. Got home with cold toes. Get one. Now!

This.

Heated grips, heated gloves are nice.... but heated gilet/waistcoat makes riding in shit weather so much better. I'm damned sure I wouldn't have had some of my most memorable "shit weather" rides without one. Shit weather riding is horrible - but it does mean you've got a tale or two to tell years later when you're in the pub.

[Horse]

Here's a good deal:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... rod/469707

FWIW I'd look for something without a high collar as they might be awkward to fit under a bike jacket.

If you have a zip-together two-piece suit, the waist / join might be tight.

If a one-piece, you'll probably need an extension for the power cable, to weave through the zip(s). Or make small hole in the inner of a pocket. Some suits have a specific aperture.

[The Spin Doctor]

But oh lord of luxury, I bought a heated waistcoat. Marvellous! Didn't need the grips! Save up / Xmas & birthday gift requests/ whatever - just get one somehow.

First time I used mine was 120+ miles in temps of 2-3 C, with drizzle. One T&P stop. Got home with cold toes. Get one. Now!

Ditto... I'd tried just about everything over 16 years of despatching, except the handlebar heater kit that was on sale for CX500s to route coolant through the bars

I really couldn't believe the difference the heated vest made. Of course it was just as I was knocking the courier work on the head but just in time for one of the coldest Kent winters on record when I was blood-running... I still remember a 3am callout for a 3 hour / 125 miles run when the temp was -8c.

I was pretty chilled through when I got back... but without the vest I would have been hypothermic for sure.

[The Spin Doctor]

Here's a good deal:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... rod/469707

FWIW I'd look for something without a high collar as they might be awkward to fit under a bike jacket.

If you have a zip-together two-piece suit, the waist / join might be tight.

If a one-piece, you'll probably need an extension for the power cable, to weave through the zip(s). Or make small hole in the inner of a pocket. Some suits have a specific aperture.

If the zip's double-ended you can just feed in through at the bottom zipper.

[Scootabout]

I feel like skills set has improved to the point I don't panic - and am enjoying the ride - although I prefer longer stretches to inner city stop start and I really wish I'd done this a few months ago - because it is getting dark and cold now!

Winter sux, but I got my first bike (ZZR600) in November 2002. I rode in all weathers, even with snow on the ground!!! I honestly think it did me the world of good. It's far too easy to get a bike at the 'right' time of year and then get into the habit of only riding in good weather

By starting now, you'll be so keen to get out on the bike that you'll do it in most weathers, just for fun! Go for it (with a smidge of caution if the weather is really anti bike!! LOL)

Enjoy

My experience was the same as noggin's. I took my CBT and then bought a scoot at the end of November, for commuting. Because I loved it from day one, I was conditioned to not mind riding in winter. When summer came it seemed like a bonus, rather than a right.

Personally I wouldn't bother with snow, though, or ice.

[Tigs]

I don't like driving a car in snow or ice - no chance would i get that cold and be that risky. My friend was telling me as a teen he'd scoot along the road on his feet over the ice! Not sure he'd do it now - thought he was invincible.

talking of which was on the M25 tonight (in the car) .. and watched a loon - speed past ducking in and out of cars - between lane 3 and 4 - in the dark in the rain - was not convinced it was safe there was a more sedate biker - judging each car one at a time - and going through the 'gap' when the two cars were parallel - so less chance of them changing lanes..

[Hot_Air]

On the M25, I won’t ride between cars in lanes 3 and 4 (even when they’re parallel) unless the speeds are slow. @The Spin Doctor or @Horse may have a courier or instructor’s view on what’s safe, but filtering between cars doing 70+ mph carries too much risk for me. YMMV.

It doesn’t take much for a driver to twitch the steering wheel unexpectedly (I know from experience).

[The Spin Doctor]

On the M25, I won’t ride between cars in lanes 3 and 4 (even when they’re parallel) unless the speeds are slow. @The Spin Doctor or @Horse may have a courier or instructor’s view on what’s safe, but filtering between cars doing 70+ mph carries too much risk for me. YMMV.

It doesn’t take much for a driver to twitch the steering wheel unexpectedly (I know from experience).

What riders filtering at those kind of speeds fail to understand is just how far back they are committed from. They're suckered in by the appearance of a low speed differential. Even though the traffic's all moving at speed, it's going to take a considerable distance to lose the speed differential. And that also means if the driver's going to see the bike coming up, they've got to be looking a LONG way back too. Riders bitch about drivers 'not looking' but frequently forget that they need to be where they can be seen.

When I was couriering, my top speed for filtering was through traffic moving at no more than about 30 mph, with a 5 mph speed differential. Once the flow got up to about 30, I'd just slip back in again.

There's relatively little time to be gained either, as speeds go up. At 60 we're travelling one mile every minute. At 70, we've added 0.16 mile - that's just over 250 metres. In ten miles, we've gained 1.16 miles - or just over one minute on the slower rider!