Quote:
Originally Posted by woodlandsprite
I am excited to report that I finally have over 100 miles on my bike - I realize many of you ride more than that in a day, but as a beginning motorcyclist who is still trying to build basic skills and control, I've limited myself to a nearby parkinglot and residential streets where I dont have to deal with traffic coming in and out of shopping plazas and the like....
While I still have lots of slow speed manoever practice needed (those nice tight figure 8's still elude me), I'm definitely feeling more confident on the bike. Still have plenty to learn - finding the right speed brackets for each gear is still slightly eluding me...as a rule of thumb, I group each 10mph into a gear, but not sure if that's right or not...
To celebrate, I finally took the bike on a nearby stretch of road that allowed me to get it up into 6th gear and 60+mph  it was exhilerating - except for the times when birds flew nearby at helmet level....that just had me hoping they would peel off and not turn in my path. |
I'm pleased to hear that you're out enjoying your bike. Your methodology is ideal; practice manoeuvers in a parking lot, so your skills are set when you need them.
I encourage you to not look at the speed as you change gears, for two reasons. The first is that you'll end up spending too much time looking at the speedometer, instead of keeping your head up. The second is that you should allow yourself to feel what the engine needs; the bike will become an extension of you, and you'll instinctively know which gear to choose and when. The basics are don't lug the engine, and don't wind it out too much. Anything in the middle is fair game.
You're doing great! Have fun.
