3 weeks qualiified and loving it..any riding tips for the novice?


Ady

New member
So i've had my lovely MT07 for 3 weeks (my first bike) and i'm loving every mile i ride. I feel i've already learnt loads and each ride out i learn something new. i'm pretty sensible as i don't fancy being a statistic! but any tips from you all would be gratefully received.
one thing i'm struggling with is confidence on corners and getting round without slowing down to down too much, what's a good way to build confidence and improve my technique?
 

Nuggets

Member
Get yourself a copy of the police motorcycle handbook about £12 from eBay or amazon. Its a useful book for all skill levels, I found the chapters on road positioning and hazard awareness really very useful, and when you put it into practise and you find it makes a difference you'll be picking it up again and again to see what other things you can take from it. Alternatively search YouTube for a twist of the wrist II by Keith code its cheesy as hell but its the cornering bible and if you can look past the presentation then its packed full of explanations and tips. I have the book but its hard going, definitely check out you tube first, finally how about a bike safe course with the old bill its cheap, and they usually throw the police motorcycle handbook in.

The MT-07 is my first bike, I've been riding now for about a year and I've found that you tube has been the best resource for learning, search for advanced biker, roadcraft Nottingham or learning2ride.

Be safe
 

Donut

New member
Get yourself a copy of the police motorcycle handbook about £12 from eBay or amazon. Its a useful book for all skill levels, I found the chapters on road positioning and hazard awareness really very useful, and when you put it into practise and you find it makes a difference you'll be picking it up again and again to see what other things you can take from it. Alternatively search YouTube for a twist of the wrist II by Keith code its cheesy as hell but its the cornering bible and if you can look past the presentation then its packed full of explanations and tips. I have the book but its hard going, definitely check out you tube first, finally how about a bike safe course with the old bill its cheap, and they usually throw the police motorcycle handbook in.

The MT-07 is my first bike, I've been riding now for about a year and I've found that you tube has been the best resource for learning, search for advanced biker, roadcraft Nottingham or learning2ride.

Be safe

Buy the books and watch the videos and get training BUT remember that if in doubt slow is best. Better for you to come out of a bend upright than sliding down the road. We're not all riding gods so just find your own limits and with time, experience and some guidance from the above you'll have many years of happy riding.
 
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robodene

New member
Two rules I find useful: never hurry anything (it always goes wrong for me); let it rip only when you are sure no-one can spoil your fun. Conservative maybe but..you know.
 
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Ady

New member
Cheers guys, I've just checked out the bike safe courses. They're cheap and seem to offer what I need right now.
And I'll take the other advice and stay within my limits so I can have years of fun.

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk
 

Gee

New member
Police motorcycle handbook is a good un as mentioned as is bike safe.

I was trained by the Police as an emergency response driver (4 wheels) and would recommend advanced training to anyone.

Just adopt the mantra 'Everybody on the road is trying to kill me'.
 

Ady

New member
Gee, already my mantra as I'm pretty sure it's true!

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CVSensei

New member
Can only echo what's been said before, if in doubt - ride slowly. And as Gee said, everyone else is a homicidal maniac.

Also something that will help you with your cornering problem is counter-steering.

It might be a bit too advanced for a complete novice so maybe get a bit more confidence before you start that but definitely look into it.

Ride safe amigo :cool:
 

Ralph

New member
Get your braking done before the corner, position on the left of the lane if turning right right of the lane if turning left,
so you can see further round the corner accelerate gently round the corner look were you want to go not were you are
going the bike will follow were you are looking keep it smooth try it slowly and build up, look well ahead not just in front
of the front wheel.
 

menzic

New member
Always imagine everyone is out to get you, watch the wheels, watch the eyes, watch the mouths (if they are talking they aren't paying full attention). As others have said, slow is best, ride at speed that you know you stop in the distance you can see ahead. Watch for diesel on roundabouts, horses = horse poop on the road, tractors = mud. And don't eat yellow snow, not relevant here but always good advice :)

Above all else have fun, smooth beats adrenalin pumping life limiting speed and enjoy the acceleration.
 

bhd

New member
'Follow the vanishing point'
I've never been able to get on with that, I understand the theory, and I know better than to focus on the tarmac, but I just can't get to grips with the vanishing point thing.

My mantras for cornering well are 'head up', 'elbows down' and 'arms relaxed'. I'm not a natural, and I have to think about my cornering technique every time, but I find if there's a vehicle in front of me, if I can fixate on that (maybe the car roof), that forces me to keep my head up, and as a result I corner far more smoothly. it may not be for everyone, but it's a mechanism that works for me.
 

Gaz2212

New member
A good tip I was given when doing the bike safe course about cornering, if you can't see the exit of the corners or on roads you have never ridden before, look for telegraph poles or the hedgerows well in advance and they will give you a good indication of where the road is going then you can see whether the corner is tightening or not, this will allow you to set your speed to what you are comfortable
 

Torque

New member
I've never been able to get on with that, I understand the theory, and I know better than to focus on the tarmac, but I just can't get to grips with the vanishing point thing.

My mantras for cornering well are 'head up', 'elbows down' and 'arms relaxed'. I'm not a natural, and I have to think about my cornering technique every time, but I find if there's a vehicle in front of me, if I can fixate on that (maybe the car roof), that forces me to keep my head up, and as a result I corner far more smoothly. it may not be for everyone, but it's a mechanism that works for me.
Bad idea to fixate on the vehicle in front of you. If you need to take avoiding action you are already target fixating on an object you may want to avoid (sub-consciously you will go where your head and eyes are looking).

My advice would be to 'un-learn' this behaviour as soon as possible.
 

bhd

New member
Bad idea to fixate on the vehicle in front of you. If you need to take avoiding action you are already target fixating on an object you may want to avoid (sub-consciously you will go where your head and eyes are looking).

My advice would be to 'un-learn' this behaviour as soon as possible.

Gah, I knew I shouldn't have used the word 'fixate', it's so associated with target fixation that I knew someone would jump on me (and rightly so).
 

Ady

New member
Cheers all, great advice some new some reaffirmed. After reading these comments and with another 200 miles done I'm getting smoother with my riding.
But someone could have warned me to avoid accidental wheelies at lights, brown pants moment! ?

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