Any tips for a complete cycle newbe on a Wee?

[CnA]

Got my new-to-me 2008 Wee in my garage.  Haven't ridden it yet, or any other motorcycle.  Been on a couple of small scooters though.   I take the MSF Basic Rider course tomorrow through the weekend at my local Community College.

After the course is over Sunday evening, It's time to venture out on the Wee for this 49 year old engineer.   What can I expect will be vastly different from the 250 cc bikes on the course?  Any tips?

[Peter T]

   What can I expect will be vastly different from the 250 cc bikes on the course? 

Apart from the vastly improved comfort, power, range, stability.............. 

Even though the wee isn't a really heavy bike, the weight might take a little bit of getting used to, especially at low speeds and even stand still. Stay relaxed, upright, look in the direction you want to go. Take it easy into bends until you get the feel of it. Countersteering to get the bike to lean was my biggest discovery when I moved up to bigger machines. I'd just ridden smaller bikes the way I rode a bicycle. The notion that you have to steer the wrong way before you go the right way felt (and still sounds) quite alien. Ask your instructor to discuss it. There's a start anyway.

Good luck with your new bike.

[Tim Jay]

Good advice sks. When I tought MSF, countersteering was covered in the class room and on the range. CnA good luck with the course and enjoy that new Wee.

[Peter T]

bloomin ada! (UK expression of surprise) someone agrees with me. That's a novelty this week. So while I'm on a roll............

I've dropped my Vee twice, once at around 3mph and the other at standstill. Nothing hurt but very embarrassing and some part of the bike will always break. It's worth thinking about how to pick the bike up again as it's easy to do yourself serious back damage.

If you tuck the handlebar closest to the ground underneath, against the tank and grasp it with your back to the bike. Grab the rack with your other hand. Bend your knees and use an upwards rolling action to lift the bike, you'll stand less chance of injuring yourself. There are good vids on youtube.

[CnA]

I've been really, really fighting the urge to take my new toy on the road before I take the MSF course.  Guess in my older years, the brain is winning the battle over impulses. 

[Peter T]

Yep, do the course. Make some mistakes on their bikes so you don't have to make them on yours 

[bobbyvstrom]

The height of the seat was a big deal for me.  I'm just 5'9" and the first time I stopped on an unlevel road was pretty scarey.  A common drop on the bike is stopping beside the road on sloped land and not being able to get a good foothold.  Over she goes!  You really need to think about it when you decide to stop unless you're pretty tall. 

Practice stopping, too.  Using the front brake may be quite new for you and it's the only way to stop a larger bike.  Practice doing quick stops.  It could pay off in the long run.  Then practice doing U-turns in your street or some dead-end street. (safe place)  Slow maneuvering is the most difficult to learn at first.  Have fun with it and try to stay out of traffic for a while.  They're all out to get you .  Bobby

[castle-of-teck]

Get some crash bars ! Even Clutch and brake lever should be on the bike.

Buy cheap ones from ebay, mount them @home and store the original ones under the seat, that way u know how to change them and have the suitable tools with u. At home they are useless.

Crashbars from Fehling or Givi IMHO.

Serious, i dropped mine in the parking lot within 2 days - that bike is quite top-heavy. No shame for doing so, happens quite often.

[agolac]

Keep it vertical while manouvering at first because you will hardly stop it from falling once past certain angle. Use rear brake while manouvering, not the front one because it will push the bike to side and falling again.
Once moving it goes like a charm. Enjoy

[Peter T]

Clutch and brake lever.............
............Buy cheap ones from ebay, mount them @home and store the original ones under the seat, that way u know how to change them and have the suitable tools with u. At home they are useless.
Serious, i dropped mine in the parking lot within 2 days - that bike is quite top-heavy. No shame for doing so, happens quite often.

Nice idea. I had a mountainous ride home without clutch when I dropped mine at the standstill. Just bypassing the clutch swich to get it started was a pain, never mind getting the bike rolling in the bottom of a valley without the clutch. I suppose the other option might be to carry a mole wrench (dunno what you call them over the pond) to act as a temporary clutch/brake/gear lever, just clamp it onto the broken bits. 

Rear brake whilst manouvering.... absolutely 

[CnA]

The height of the seat was a big deal for me.  I'm just 5'9" and the first time I stopped on an unlevel road was pretty scarey.  A common drop on the bike is stopping beside the road on sloped land and not being able to get a good foothold.  Over she goes!  You really need to think about it when you decide to stop unless you're pretty tall. 

Practice stopping, too.  Using the front brake may be quite new for you and it's the only way to stop a larger bike.  Practice doing quick stops.  It could pay off in the long run.  Then practice doing U-turns in your street or some dead-end street. (safe place)  Slow maneuvering is the most difficult to learn at first.  Have fun with it and try to stay out of traffic for a while.  They're all out to get you .  Bobby

The seat height was an issue for me also.  I'm 5'7" with a 31" inseam.  Already put some lowering links on, and can now almost flat foot.

[CnA]

Took my Wee out yesterday evening after completing the MSF course. The power difference between the 250cc Suzuki's used in the course and the Wee is staggering. The Wee's shifting is a lot smoother with a crisp break between gears. I limited myself to practicing turns in the subdivision and the 45 mph back roads until I gain experience. Will take it out again ASAP and practice some slow and tight turns in the parking lot next.

Sure glad I waited to take it out until completing the course.  It was a long week seeing the Wee everyday without riding it.  After finally riding this evening, it was a great feeling.

[Peter T]

 

[bobbyvstrom]

Good for you, CnA.  Enjoy your ride.  Bobby

[PT Rider]

CnA, keep in mind that after completing the MSF course you are now qualified to ride on parking lots between 12 & 18 mph.  Be very careful on the roads and trails.  There are several good resources, both books and courses for your riding improvement.  David L. Hough's book More Proficient Motorcycling:  Mastering the Ride is one that I highly recommend.  Buy it, read it, re-read it, and practice what he preaches.  It may save your life.  Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist - II is well worth getting from you local library, maybe through an interlibrary loan (not the original Twist of the Wrist; that's mainly for track riding).  He lists several "Survival Reactions" that are natural, understandable, and wrong!  After you get some mileage on the bike there are intermediate and advanced riding courses.  A dirt bike riding course that is the level above, "this is the clutch, this is the throttle, etc." would be smart, as well as an advanced on-street course if available in your area.  ATGATT --- All The Gear All The Time will save skin and maybe save your life when a driver does something stupid in front of you.  Protective boots.  Armored pants.  Armored Coat (especially very good spine armor).  Protective gloves.  Full face helmet that fits just right.

I suppose the other option might be to carry a mole wrench (dunno what you call them over the pond) to act as a temporary clutch/brake/gear lever, just clamp it onto the broken bits.

Vise-Grips®?

[Peter T]

That's the one 

[CnA]

CnA, keep in mind that after completing the MSF course you are now qualified to ride on parking lots between 12 & 18 mph.  Be very careful on the roads and trails.  There are several good resources, both books and courses for your riding improvement.  David L. Hough's book More Proficient Motorcycling:  Mastering the Ride is one that I highly recommend.  Buy it, read it, re-read it, and practice what he preaches.  It may save your life.  Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist - II is well worth getting from you local library, maybe through an interlibrary loan (not the original Twist of the Wrist; that's mainly for track riding).  He lists several "Survival Reactions" that are natural, understandable, and wrong!  After you get some mileage on the bike there are intermediate and advanced riding courses.  A dirt bike riding course that is the level above, "this is the clutch, this is the throttle, etc." would be smart, as well as an advanced on-street course if available in your area.  ATGATT --- All The Gear All The Time will save skin and maybe save your life when a driver does something stupid in front of you.  Protective boots.  Armored pants.  Armored Coat (especially very good spine armor).  Protective gloves.  Full face helmet that fits just right.

Vise-Grips®?

Thanks PT.  I'll check out those books.

A couple guys at work asked me when I was riding my bike in, but it won't be for a while until I improve my skills.  Navigating traffic, intersections, and expressways is a far different from my 12-18mph parking lot qualification  .  I'll do a lot of practicing and will head back up to the community college parking lot this weekend for more drills on the V-Strom.

Already got armored gloves, an armored jacket, and a full face helmet.  I'm looking for some mesh type armored pants with a removable liner for 3 season riding.  I turned 50 yesterday, so my older, safety conscious brain is finally over-riding my youthful foolishness.

Me on my new toy;

[bobbyvstrom]

One day belated "Happy Birthday" to you CnA.  You have a great attitude and will love your new sport.  I'm old enough to be your dad and still love my Vee, so you have lots of years ahead in which to enjoy the new toy.  As others have suggested, if you can borrow a cheap dirt bike, the learning curve speeds up some in the dirt with a light dirt bike, even a 50 or 100 cc model.  It's fun, too!  Congratulations CnA.  You're on a good track.  Bobby

[Chicken Strip]

CnA,

Welcome to the Strom gang and most of all, welcome to motorcycling!

Advice for a newbie: get yourself a copy of David Hough's book "Proficient Motorcycling"
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1889540536

Read that book now, and again every spring from here on out.  I ride year-round and still every time I re-read his book I find something I forgot or was getting lazy about.  It's not about being a fast track rider... it's all about being aware and keeping the rubber-side down in day-to-day riding scenarios.

The other thing to keep in mind is an old Hurt Report statistic: a new rider is most likely to crash in their 1st and 3rd years of riding (once for a newbie mistake and once for overconfidence after learning the ropes).

I gotta tell you to keep that in mind because I fit the statistic perfectly.  I lowsided once in my 1st year when I wasn't paying enough attention to the road surface and cornered right over the top of a loose bot-dot... Then I wrecked once in my 3rd year of riding by outriding my ability to stop.  Out enjoying a twisty ride one day, scuffing pegs, I came around a blind left-hander to a stopped lumber truck... and while I missed the truck and slowed down a lot, I still slapped the bike against the outside guardrail hard enough to total it (RIP SV650).  Never again will I ride so fast that I can't stop in the visible amount of road.

Anyhow, welcome.  Enjoy the ride and stack on the miles!

[BikeMan]

Any tips?

ride the "blue ridge parkway".  469 miles of uninterrupted road.  no stop signs, no traffic lights, light traffic.  if ya dont know how to ride at the beginning, you will by the time you get to the end.  ride both directions for full effect.