So much fun. But break in period sucks on the highway. Varying throttle/gears/speed. Guy at the shop said "people will think you are drunk." Was really hard keeping it around the 5k rpm mark. A few times after 500km i let it go. Going 100kph, drop it down to 1st/2nd, snap the throttle change a few gears and you are at 200kph in a blink of a eye. Fastest I got it was 262kph(163mph), could of gone faster, but i know at those speeds you close distances very quickly and being my first time on the bike i really wasn't sure, and i could see a truck up a head so i let out of it. 730km or so, first time riding a bike on a bike in three years, and only thing that is a little sore was both my wrists, throttle wrist way more then the clutch one. And my ears, still a little sore, even with a full face shield, still got a little wind noise.
Can I ask about the wind noise thing. When you say "a little wind noise", what do you mean? Granted that I ride a naked bike, but I have a full face helmet meant for touring (Shoei Qwest) and at highway speed the wind noise is such that I can't hear the engine at all, and earplugs are mandatory if I'm going over 80 km/h. Is the helmet just poorly fitting, or is it the lack of windscreen? Nice looking bike, by the way.
Yea, it is a full face helmet, and i could hear the engine, but yea, i talked to a few people and they saw earplugs are the way to go if you are going on the highway. Thanks, and of coarse the wife has dubbed it "bumble bee".
Was bs'n yesterday with a guy that i used to work with(he basically taught me everything i know about this job) and told him that i bought a new bike. Today, he came by work and dropped off a leather riding jacket. I was totally shocked.
Nice bike. the '12 gsxrs are just great. Everyone's gearbox is going to feel like shit compared with yours. For the wrist pain, try squeezing the tank with your knees a little more. For the wind noise, see about a neck baffle for your helmet, Shoei do them. Or get a buff and fill in the gap under your helmet with it. Sounds like a ballsy first ride, I've only ever done over 150mph on a drag strip.
For wind noise I have found nothing works as well as a couple of cheap ear plugs. I keep a couple of pairs in my tank bag at all times.
I'll second the cheap earplugs for the highway. I also ride with noise reducing earphones on the highway as well. I wouldn't worry so much about varying the rpm's, gears, etc as I would about getting the first few oil changes at the stated intervals (or sooner). Nice new ride, now take it to the track and really learn how to ride it!
I just realized that I never posted my ride on here. All black 2006 FZ1 Spoiler I have plans this winter to remove the stock ECU and replace it with a 2011 model (fixes fuel timings and provides a great deal more power in the mid range). Also, I plan to run a full Yoshimura exhaust. Should be completely different come spring time. Spoiler
Currently looking into picking up a bike this summer, as it will finally be financially plausible for me. Doing all sorts of budgeting and shit right now, making sure I'll have enough for for at least a decent amount of safety gear (snell rated helmet, gloves, back armor) and insurance, etc. MSF course is a given. Everything I've read says start with a 250, but I'm 6'5" and when I rode a 250cc bike taking the MSF course about 4 years ago it was noticeably awkward. However, being my height I've pretty much accepted that no bike is really going to feel perfect, especially since I'd like to get on a sport bike. Is it really THAT awful to look into 600cc bikes as a beginner? To be more specific, a 2000-2003 supersport (r6, f4i, gsxr-600). There is a lot of highway around me, so the extra power would be nice. Several friends who ride bikes all recommended a 600 over a 250 to start. It seems plausible, but I'd also rather not kill myself.
A 600cc SS bike is a lot of power for a beginner. If you have a lot of self control, then go ahead, but be honest with yourself. You can get into a lot of trouble quickly. You may look at a newer Ninja 650. Slightly more comfortable seating position, looks nice, and good power. Your first bike should be used. You'll probably drop it at least once.
Tempest speaks the truth. Look into a used Ninja 500 if a 250 is too small for you. I have a friend weighing in at about 280 who uses one as his track bike. Remember your first bike is not going to be the bike of your dreams, just something to learn on for 6 months to a year and for it to get beat up as you drop it. (which you will).
Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. Anything that will keep me out of the hospital will be great. I do plan on dropping the bike at least at low speed. Looking into Ninja 500's or the newer 250's, although that will be dependent a bit on bike height. Any 600 would be from 00' to 03'. Still, its good to hear a little wisdom from people who have already been young and dumb and managed to survive.
I agree with what's said above. Starting on a smaller bike is always better for rider development. You can start on a 600 and survive, but you will always be a better rider, faster if you start on something smaller. Even the 600's from '00 to '03 are still putting ~100HP down to the ground. All the instinctual panicky stuff that humans do (target fixation, mashing brakes, chopping the throttle, etc) can get you into trouble on a bike, and it takes time and practice to get the right habits in place. Doing this on a smaller, more forgiving bike is easier to learn these riding habits. Any of the 250/500's are good (GS500s, Ninja 500, etc). If you have some riding experience the 650 v-twins (SV650) are good bikes as well.
Just because a motorcycle is smaller than 600cc does not mean it cannot do anything you want on it. A ninja 250 will out accelerate probably 70 to 80 percent of the cars on the road, even at speed. That same 250cc motorcycle will run 80 miles an hour all day without a worry. If you are carrying a passenger then the bike might start to lag a bit. I had a friend who bought a VTR 250 right after getting her license and then proceeded to ride it 30,000 in her first year including one 10,000 mile trip over the eleven western states. She never had a problem keeping up. I started out with a CB550 and had all kinds of problems, too much weight, too much power that intimidated me. I got rid of it after a few months and got a Honda FT500 (a single cylinder bike) It was a great first bike, I put 15,000 miles on it in a year. I liked it so much that when I moved onto a bigger bike, I kept it as a backup and general going around town bike.
My first choice (provided I fit) is the 250. I'm not worried about outgrowing one because they seem easy to resell and I can easily upgrade. I never drive above 80 on the highway, ever, acceleration is more important to me than top speed, and I don't plan on riding 2 up except possibly on campus at speeds <30mph. I wanted to gauge how bad a 600 is because I'd like to at least have a few different bikes to look into, rather than just 250r or bust. I signed up for a basic rider course in june. I took the class 3 years ago, aced the written test, was consistently called out as an example for my good riding (I was the only one who could do the figure 8 in the box without any trouble). Then I got nervous during the exam, grabbed the brake too hard on the emergency stop and was flunked for dropping the bike. Womp. As long as I can stay relaxed I hope I can breeze through it this time. Bonus: during those 3 years I stopped driving like an idiot and am probably exponentially less likely to get myself killed.
So the visor on my helmet is screwed and I need to buy a new one. Whats the best website to buy it from? Or I guess what are a few of the bigger online retailers?
It of course depends on what helmet brand you have. If it is Bilt or some other house brand then you will have to go to that company to get it. I like MotorcycleGear.com or Sportbiketrackgear.com. You might try your local Craigslist or Ebay if you can wait. Sometimes people are letting that stuff go cheap. If I think of some other sites I will pm you.
Quick question regarding helmets as well...is there a major difference between the standard motorcycle helmets and the dual sport style helmets function-wise? The dual sports look sick and seem like they have a larger face shield (better visibility?).