Cola's big citi lights

Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
Colanoscopy said:
Well I spent my day riding a kawasaki klx 125 but I passed my test and officially started a driving job the day I did. So I'm absolutely buzzing with myself. @ttystikk I'll stick with the piker bike for a while mate
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Congats on both fronts!

Pro tip: learn to ride with the fingers of your left hand draped over the brake lever. Its uncomfortable at first but becomes second nature. shortens the reaction time a fair bit and may save ya hitting a stupid driver/dog etc.
 
Colanoscopy

Colanoscopy

Well-Known Member
Lucky Luke said:
Congats on both fronts!

Pro tip: learn to ride with the fingers of your left hand draped over the brake lever. Its uncomfortable at first but becomes second nature. shortens the reaction time a fair bit and may save ya hitting a stupid driver/dog etc.
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Left hand on the brake lever? I ride geared bikes mate. Front brake on the right hand. Back brake right foot. Left hand is on the clutch. Appreciate the congrats though
 
Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
Colanoscopy said:
Left hand on the brake lever? I ride geared bikes mate. Front brake on the right hand. Back brake right foot. Left hand is on the clutch. Appreciate the congrats though
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lol..sorry mate had my hands mixed up....

If you do any advance courses they should teach you to have your hands draped loosely over the levers. The clutch is an easy one to get the hang of the brake not so much. (for me anyways)
 
Colanoscopy

Colanoscopy

Well-Known Member
Lucky Luke said:
lol..sorry mate had my hands mixed up....

If you do any advance courses they should teach you to have your hands draped loosely over the levers. The clutch is an easy one to get the hang of the brake not so much. (for me anyways)
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It's alright mate don't worry. If I was on a ped the left hand would have been my brake lol. I just need to work on staying in the middle of a lane haha
 
Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
Colanoscopy said:
It's alright mate don't worry. If I was on a ped the left hand would have been my brake lol. I just need to work on staying in the middle of a lane haha
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Dont stay in the middle..thats dangerous, especially at night as your tail light gets lost in the ones in front. You should actually move around a lane, spending more time closer to the line (better forward vision and a handy escape route)
Middle also has all the oil dropped from cars..esp at lights, dangerous when wet.
 
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ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Lucky Luke said:
Dont stay in the middle..thats dangerous, especially at night as your tail light gets lost in the ones in front. You should actually move around a lane, spending more time closer to the line (better forward vision and a handy escape route)
Middle also has all the oil dropped from cars..esp at lights, dangerous when wet.
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This is excellent advice. Middle of the lane is oily and often there's a hump. Riding in the part of the lane car tires use is generally safer.
 
xX_BHMC_Xx

xX_BHMC_Xx

Well-Known Member
ttystikk said:
Middle of the lane is oily and often there's a hump. Riding in the part of the lane car tires use is generally safer.
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This, for sure. Plus if you need to swerve to avoid rear-ending, or getting rear-ended, it's much easier to duck out of the lane if you're already close to the line. Also, puts you in drivers side mirrors, which I feel like people pay more attention to. Didn't even think about the taillight getting lost though, good point @Lucky Luke.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
xX_BHMC_Xx said:
This, for sure. Plus if you need to swerve to avoid rear-ending, or getting rear-ended, it's much easier to duck out of the lane if you're already close to the line. Also, puts you in drivers side mirrors, which I feel like people pay more attention to. Didn't even think about the taillight getting lost though, good point @Lucky Luke.
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The brutal truth about riding a motorcycle in America is that most accidents are not the cyclist's fault, but of course they get hurt the worst anyway.

Therefore if one is going to take on the additional risk at all, it's highly prudent to ride extremely defensively; operate under the assumption that the other guy DOESN'T see you and act accordingly/be ready. That has saved my ass so many times I can't count that high...

Flash your brights when someone is about to enter your lane or turn in front of you. NEVER ride in someone's blind spot. Watch traffic two or three cars ahead of the one you're following. Never let someone tailgate you. Always be planning an 'out' in case you aren't seen and the vehicle cuts you off anyway. Keep looking around, your head on a swivel; the car you don't see is the one most likely to be the one that hits you. Etc, etc, etc...

Yeah, it sounds paranoid. That paranoia will keep you alive. Even well meaning people who are paying attention still make mistakes and if you're on a bike, you will be the loser every time.

I quit riding when the paranoia of what others might do to me in traffic- inadvertently or otherwise- became greater than my enjoyment of the ride itself.

I just saw too many instances where an experienced rider got blindsided and it took the fun out of it for me.

I'm NOT here to be a Debbie Downer; I sincerely hope that you live to ride a long, long time. The points above kept me alive and they'll help you do the same.
 
Colanoscopy

Colanoscopy

Well-Known Member
Definitely appreciating the riding advice im getting. I can assure you I'm taking it all on board. I've also asked the Mrs dad to give me a bit more tuition in the way of simply riding out in front so I can see what he's doing and when.......... He's a right logical bastard and a good teacher too. Still in 2 minds or maybe about what bike I should get. It has to be a 125cc. No doubt about that. But new Chinese or second hand Japanese bike? The insurance on the gsxr plus the cost to buy would probably make more sense to take driving lessons. Buy a car and run that.......seriously
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Colanoscopy said:
Definitely appreciating the riding advice im getting. I can assure you I'm taking it all on board. I've also asked the Mrs dad to give me a bit more tuition in the way of simply riding out in front so I can see what he's doing and when.......... He's a right logical bastard and a good teacher too. Still in 2 minds or maybe about what bike I should get. It has to be a 125cc. No doubt about that. But new Chinese or second hand Japanese bike? The insurance on the gsxr plus the cost to buy would probably make more sense to take driving lessons. Buy a car and run that.......seriously
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Riding lessons and motorcycle clinics are an excellent idea! So is riding in the country, away from from traffic- although I'm aware not everyone has that luxury.

I don't know enough about the latest crop of motorcycles to give any good advice on which bike to get.

One more tip; when possible, follow another car through busy intersections. The car will be seen more often than you will by yourself.

And the keeping two fingers on the hand brake lever advice above? Solid gold- the half second you save comes in damn handy!
 
Colanoscopy

Colanoscopy

Well-Known Member
ttystikk said:
Riding lessons and motorcycle clinics are an excellent idea! So is riding in the country, away from from traffic- although I'm aware not everyone has that luxury.

I don't know enough about the latest crop of motorcycles to give any good advice on which bike to get.

One more tip; when possible, follow another car through busy intersections. The car will be seen more often than you will by yourself.

And the keeping two fingers on the hand brake lever advice above? Solid gold- the half second you save comes in damn handy!
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I live about 6 miles out of the big city. But I have the pennines on my doorstep. So best of both worlds for me there. Quite lucky really.
I have always rode a pedal bike with 2 fingers on the brake but instructor man said don't do that. Next time I get on a bike I will probably naturally drift back to 2 fingers on the brake and the left 2 ready to slip the clutch should I need to. I like the idea of staying close to a car through an intersection/junction. At the same time I wanna be looking twice (2 lifesavers before I pull out of anywhere) until I'm fully aware of every hazard I may come across regularly and able to make better judged decisions in a shorter period of time. Although I'm legal to ride now I'm not exactly super confident. (not so much in my own riding abilities. More other peoples unpredictability.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Colanoscopy said:
I live about 6 miles out of the big city. But I have the pennines on my doorstep. So best of both worlds for me there. Quite lucky really.
I have always rode a pedal bike with 2 fingers on the brake but instructor man said don't do that. Next time I get on a bike I will probably naturally drift back to 2 fingers on the brake and the left 2 ready to slip the clutch should I need to. I like the idea of staying close to a car through an intersection/junction. At the same time I wanna be looking twice (2 lifesavers before I pull out of anywhere) until I'm fully aware of every hazard I may come across regularly and able to make better judged decisions in a shorter period of time. Although I'm legal to ride now I'm not exactly super confident. (not so much in my own riding abilities. More other peoples unpredictability.
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Your attitude is entirely the right one to have.
 
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