1 Day of riding!

[ChipBike]

Hi again..

Following on from my first post - https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=329863
40+ noob lifetime driver on his first bike!

I have spend a day riding about.


First impressions are great, all the things I would expect being a problem are not, but I do have a few surprises..

However - Some issues...
The plan was to commute in record time.
It takes me longer than my commute to get dressed/geared up and bike prepared..

I have nowhere to stick everything.
Yamaha YBR 125, so have to look at a bike box/bag although I feel it spoils the look.
Just where do I put all my locks and chains!

Time - Why don't these things have a clock... I was enjoying myself so much, time flew and I was late for an appointment.

FECKING indicators.... Who designed a bike that doesn't auto cancel...
Like, I was getting so frustrated glancing down and seeing my indicator flashing half a mile after turning..
20 years of car riding and not being able to hear the click click click click when my indicators are on.
It;s hard enough, trying to change gear, looking in my mirrors, doing my lifesavers, and then having to click a button with huge gloves on..


I enjoyed my rant, please feel free to comment.

[deanflyer]

I've forgotten the number of times my instructor has told me to cancel my indicators. Getting used to it though!

[Nobby the Bastard]

[Riejufixing]

[stinkwheel]

You can get bleepers for your indicators.

Regards panniers spoiling the look of the bike... You can't see it while you're riding it.

I have a casio digital watch on the handlebars, just fastened it round a bit of pipe lagging foam. Others glue them onto the dash with hot glue. The battery will outlast the bike.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[WreckTangle]

hi there. Welcome to the biker community. you will love it here once you become a pro biker.

Yeah, biking is one of those things that you have to be patient with, but after a couple of weeks, you will get more confident on bikes (especially at higher speed) and you will breaking records in no time.



I think biking is more advantageous if you live in a busy city or in the countryside, where you have long distances to commute (as you can filter through the traffic, and laugh at the people sitting in their metal tin cans that can't move)

I suspect your place of work is only down the road?

you do make a point about the indicators through, I suspect that when indicators where first introduced to all vehicles (cars, trucks bike, whatever) back in the day that everything was black and white, they always stayed on and had to be cancelled by the driver/rider. Someone in a car industry had a brainwave to make them self cancelling.... but this person never worked for a bike company (and the tech was never passed on) so the self cancelling tech never got to bike manufactures, so this old system of having to cancel your indicators on a bike still remains as a relic from long ago
____________________
My wife asked me to get her something that goes from 0-100 in under 5 seconds for her birthday. ......................I got her a bathroom scale.

[Nobby the Bastard]

[WreckTangle]

ah, that explains it Nobby, I have always wondered myself as to why bikes never do this, but now I know. But it does make you think that harley davidson bikes have supposed to have 'self cancelling indicators' so makes you wonder why they have them?
____________________
My wife asked me to get her something that goes from 0-100 in under 5 seconds for her birthday. ......................I got her a bathroom scale.

[Nobby the Bastard]

[Bhud]

My 1983 Kawasaki (last year's project) has self-cancelling indicators. They save you the embarrassment of ever leaving an indicator on, but they have a habit of turning themselves off too early.

[WD Forte]

Its a tool to give you flexible, cheap, travel options not a fashion accessory
so dont get all form over function about a YBR
Top boxes, tank bags, panniers etc may not be pretty but they're useful

You can fit sounders to warn you when the flashers are on which may help
as can repeaters in line of sight.
Riding past junctions indicating left when you're not could easily get very painful
so bear this in mind.

Bar mounted motorcycle clocks are cheap and easy to get.

Dont plan for IF someone pulls out in front of you,
always plan for WHEN someone pulls out in front of you
cos they will
a lot
You'll get scared and lose your shit at first then learn to
try and avoid this by being prepared.
____________________
bikers smell of wee

[Easy-X]

Time to prepare the bike in the morning...

Maybe you don't save time on the commute but at least you save your sanity! If I know I have to drive into the City I end up putting off the job as long as I can. Bike travel is a total joy in comparison!
____________________
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[seeyalater]

when you do MOD2 you will get it drummed into you to cancel signal. Plus its dangerous to leave on and mislead the dangerous cars etc.

getting dressed is the ballache, but bike should turn on and go, even the choke warm up should be the time it takes to get helmet and gloves on

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

RE cancelling signals - one of the ways I came at this was to never let them auto cancel in the car, once I began to ride bikes. This is far from idiot proof for all kinds of reasons - however, it does help to change the habit of a lifetime. The second thing to do is simply to realise that a lot of the signals you give are to other road users who aren't there. In other words, get out of the habit of slavishly giving signals when it's not necessary. This will cut down the number of times you leave them on. The third thing I always try to do is to look down at the clocks / instrument display BEFORE starting a signal. In this way you can monitor how many times you fail to cancel them. If you ever glance down before starting a signal, and see that they're still fucking well blinking from the last time you pressed them, and you see this three or four times over the course of a two hour ride, you know the problem is serious. Otherwise, if you don't do this, you will never be able to obtain an accurate idea of how regularly you're failing to cancel signals. So remember - before each use of the signals, glance down and check they're not still on from the previous usage.

Things I remember about getting on a bike:

i). how much engine braking and 'natural' deceleration there is - I wasn't prepared for that, but I was glad of it

ii). how much you can often smell - I never thought biking would be such an olfactory thang...cut grass, farms, fires, etc.

iii). how much trickier riding is than driving and how much more skill and concentration is involved
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Nobby the Bastard]

The thing I tend to smell whilst riding is skunk.

Admittedly a lot of the riding I do is in bristol....
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[UncleFester]

Cancelling signals is just one of those habits that's good to get into and not fight with and is no different to doing 'lifesaver' checks before changing lanes.

Like putting a seatbelt on when getting into a car, just commit it to memory so that you don't ever forget to do it.

Time getting kit on - nothing you can do about that. Entirely up to you but for me, good gear and wearing it isn''t something i will skimp on or skip past in order to save time / money.
____________________
Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[stinkwheel]

You should be doing a mirror-check immediately after negotiating each junction anyway. this is the time to cancel the indicators. Get it into your drill for the test.

Lifesaver - manouver - mirror check - cancel indicators.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[ChipBike]

Thanks for all your replies so far (Apologies for not rating as I'm not allowed yet)

I will get used to the indicators and I curse loudly to myself in my helmet every time. If only the light, or a light was higher, like under the wind shield thing.

I've spotted a buzzer and more importantly a high vis LED that is only a few quid on ebay, so will give them a go. Thanks to whoever said they are available.

I have just bought a little back seat bag that will hold my locks etc.

Back boxes are very cheap, nothing I should watch out for when connecting these to the chrome YBR bracket.


Lastly, 1litre of oil, semi 5w 40w, nothing special here, just drop the old and put the new in?

Not sure when/if ever it was last done.

Thanks in advance.

[Teflon-Mike]

Oh-Kay.. You is a LEARNER! Take your car driving head off, and start learning. Just 'cos you have driven a tin can for umpety years does not mean you know effall about riding a motorbike, and what you THINK you know, probably isn't worth much! Moving on....

[ChipBike]

[wr6133]

[Teflon-Mike]

[UncleFester]

Christ you're only 40s? I had you pegged as 83 and an avid IAM car member!
____________________
Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[seeyalater]

do you plan to keep that bike a while? if you do move up to bigger bikes alot have time on them. indicator thing will go away when you get bollockd on mod2 or fail test for it (if do it enough its a minor)

after all that was only your first day.. got to get better.. in theory.

[Nobby the Bastard]

Car radio? Do you want everyone to think you are a cockwomble?

Mp3 player, ear buds. Job done. Before you say it's dangerous, how do you think deaf people manage?
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050