[typelab]

would anyone recommend removing fairings while still learning to ride a motorcycle? does it even make any sense to do such a thing?

i decided to take the bike out for a spin around the neighborhood this evening. i was doing fine, until i dumped the bike because of a stall. stalling made me lose my balance, causing me to lay the bike down. even though i laid it down as gently as i could, it was enough to put some scratches at the bottom of the right fairing.

anyone have better ideas? laying the bike down was a wake-up call for me, and from doing it, i learned that maybe i should (or should've) taken the bike straight to an open parking lot to work on clutch control first.

thanks.

 

[ex_dsmr]

you might consider doing that..but ill give you some better advice. from one new rider to another.

do NOT hit the streets to learn. if you want to brush up and get the hang of things before you take your MSF course (will discuss more later) then find a huge empty parking lot with no light posts or anything. then work from the very basics. starting from a stop, balance, etc etc. just take your time. the first day i worked on nothing but that, never got my feet on the pegs till the very end of the day. and after youve got the basic hang of things, get your butt to your local MSF course. they will teach you alot, and its a fun experience.

have fun and be safe!

 

[spider_kyle]

I also spent some quality parking lot hours before my skills test, and it's the best advice I could give any one. There's not much of a point to removing your fairings, because, if you ride for any decent period of time you're gonna wreck them eventualy, it's just a matter of when. Slow maneuvers are way harder to master than maneuvering at speed, in my opinion, so the better you are slow the less likely you are to have one of those possibly costly, and positively embarassing stationary falls.

 

[FarFetched]

would anyone recommend removing fairings while still learning to ride a motorcycle? does it even make any sense to do such a thing?

i decided to take the bike out for a spin around the neighborhood this evening. i was doing fine, until i dumped the bike because of a stall. stalling made me lose my balance, causing me to lay the bike down. even though i laid it down as gently as i could, it was enough to put some scratches at the bottom of the right fairing.

anyone have better ideas? laying the bike down was a wake-up call for me, and from doing it, i learned that maybe i should (or should've) taken the bike straight to an open parking lot to work on clutch control first.

thanks.

LERAN HOW TO COVER CLUTCH LEVER. Predict situation and BE SAFE!
I donno about fairing though!
Cheers!

 

[typelab]

thanks everybody. great advice. i think i just got in over my head. now the trick will be finding a good parking lot without having to ride through traffic to get to it.

 

[jlmay]

truck and/or trailer and tie downs to the parking lot.

 

[bhd1223]

Not to be rude or anything but if I was you I wouldn't even ride until you took the MSF course. You will teach yourself very bad habits. Take the class first and then practice what they teach you. People can ride for 30 years and then go take the basic course and say they learned more in the course than in 30 years of riding on the street. Take the course and don't mount a bike until then. Not trying to sound like an ass but I think that is the best advice there is.

 

[typelab]

Not to be rude or anything but if I was you I wouldn't even ride until you took the MSF course. You will teach yourself very bad habits. Take the class first and then practice what they teach you. People can ride for 30 years and then go take the basic course and say they learned more in the course than in 30 years of riding on the street. Take the course and don't mount a bike until then. Not trying to sound like an a$$ but I think that is the best advice there is.

all gravy - i took the msf. it's been about a year and half, but i think it may be a matter of picking up the book it provided, brushing up on it and practicing where it's safe(r) or (est).

 

[bhd1223]

Sweetness. That's a good plan. I'm actually planning on finding a nice parking lot to "brush up" when I get back from this deployment.

 

[maat1976]

I am in this same dilemma. I took the MSF years ago and got my license. I never got a bike at the time so I never had a chance to practice so now it's "sort of" like starting new.

I am signed up to take the MSF again in 2 weeks but having a new bike in the garage and having beautiful weather now is too tempting. I've been practicing going up and down the driveway (which is a decent hill) and doing stuff I know they don't teach you (like not freaking out when you have a vehicle honking behind you and you have to start on a hill).

When I took MSF the first time, I didn't even know how to turn a bike on and I felt really behind.

 

[typelab]

I am in this same dilemma. I took the MSF years ago and got my license. I never got a bike at the time so I never had a chance to practice so now it's "sort of" like starting new.

I am signed up to take the MSF again in 2 weeks but having a new bike in the garage and having beautiful weather now is too tempting. I've been practicing going up and down the driveway (which is a decent hill) and doing stuff I know they don't teach you (like not freaking out when you have a vehicle honking behind you and you have to start on a hill).

When I took MSF the first time, I didn't even know how to turn a bike on and I felt really behind.

it's exactly how i'm feeling. and i knew that once i got my M1, it was gonna be that kind of situation when i finally got a bike. sucks, doesn't it? well, i know in hindsight what i would've done differently.

 

[eXce!!eNt]

Not to be rude or anything but if I was you I wouldn't even ride until you took the MSF course. You will teach yourself very bad habits. Take the class first and then practice what they teach you. People can ride for 30 years and then go take the basic course and say they learned more in the course than in 30 years of riding on the street. Take the course and don't mount a bike until then. Not trying to sound like an a$$ but I think that is the best advice there is.

People that learn more from a 19 hour class than 30 years of riding should be institutionalized. I've signed up to take the course simply because I know I'll pass it and it's an easy way to get a license. I've been riding since last August and have only had 1 get-off due to another person's stupidity. You can learn just as much and more about riding sportbikes through venues other than the MSF offered Basic course.

First thing you need is confidence, and the rest will fall into place. Confidence isn't something you'll pickup in a classroom, it's something you gain through spending more time on the bike. I'm almost dreading the fact that I'll have to be reverting to such basic lessons as "the friction zone" and "walking the bike"... all for a license.
Life saving advice? Oh sure, it all looks nice on paper. Whether you'll be able to apply that advice, not to mention remember it, in a real world situation determines its value. The **** can hit the fan in a matter of moments, sitting in a classroom and going over procedures will mean nothing once that moment comes. Head knowledge equates to nothing on a bike, unless it is applied. People really only need to gain confidence and respect while out on the road. The bike is a machine, you twist the throttle, you squeeze a lever, you kick a pedal... there's no spinning in circles and chanting some cultic verse involved.

Last autumn, I attended the 3-hr classroom Friday session... and found my brain shouting "wtf?!" as I listened to people share their concerns with the instructor about spending time on the bikes the following morning. It's not the fact that they don't know that bothers me, it's that they're SO SCARED. Come on people, if you're that fearful of riding a 250...maybe you shouldn't be fishing for a license in the first place! It all comes back to confidence. Suck it up, and ride.

Had a fricken stressful day! /rant

 

[FarFetched]

Not to be rude or anything but if I was you I wouldn't even ride until you took the MSF course. You will teach yourself very bad habits. Take the class first and then practice what they teach you. People can ride for 30 years and then go take the basic course and say they learned more in the course than in 30 years of riding on the street. Take the course and don't mount a bike until then. Not trying to sound like an a$$ but I think that is the best advice there is.

People that learn more from a 19 hour class than 30 years of riding should be institutionalized. I've signed up to take the course simply because I know I'll pass it and it's an easy way to get a license. I've been riding since last August and have only had 1 get-off due to another person's stupidity. You can learn just as much and more about riding sportbikes through venues other than the MSF offered Basic course.

First thing you need is confidence, and the rest will fall into place. Confidence isn't something you'll pickup in a classroom, it's something you gain through spending more time on the bike. I'm almost dreading the fact that I'll have to be reverting to such basic lessons as "the friction zone" and "walking the bike"... all for a license.
Life saving advice? Oh sure, it all looks nice on paper. Whether you'll be able to apply that advice, not to mention remember it, in a real world situation determines its value. The sh!t can hit the fan in a matter of moments, sitting in a classroom and going over procedures will mean nothing once that moment comes. Head knowledge equates to nothing on a bike, unless it is applied. People really only need to gain confidence and respect while out on the road. The bike is a machine, you twist the throttle, you squeeze a lever, you kick a pedal... there's no spinning in circles and chanting some cultic verse involved.

Last autumn, I attended the 3-hr classroom Friday session... and found my brain shouting "wtf?!" as I listened to people share their concerns with the instructor about spending time on the bikes the following morning. It's not the fact that they don't know that bothers me, it's that they're SO SCARED. Come on people, if you're that fearful of riding a 250...maybe you shouldn't be fishing for a license in the first place! It all comes back to confidence. Suck it up, and ride.

Had a fricken stressful day! /rant

Confidence and stupidity don't run together. You can be confident that you can ride you bike, but don't get to overconfident when riding it! If you think you're invincible - THINK AGAIN!
Every corner I take (learing to carve corners rather that going around a corner) I think ahead, way ahead...Even on twisties, I think ahead at least 1 turn. Prediction is the key to successful bike riding!
Basic MSF course is nothing short of GREAT!
It is not only the easiest way to get Motorcycle endorsement, yet it is a good head-start!
Cheers1

 

[Lucky#13]

My father had been riding for 50+ years before he took the MSF class ! I'll bet you anything you wouldn't tell him to his face that he is insane or stupid !

 

[Gman]

To answer your question about the faring, remove as much of the plastic as you can IF you're only practicing in a parking lot. Once you topple a few times, even a very s l o w spill can damage the plastic.

You can't deny gravity, but you can take steps to protect the bike.

Also all the bike parts are replacable, p l e a s e wear some protective gear like a jacket and gloves w/ armor

 

[fog]

One thing everyone ought to remove, newbe or otherwise is, the long signal stalks in front. In even the gentlest tip over they will punch out a nice round hole in the front fairing that's just a tad bigger than the flush mounts everyone uses to try to patch that hole. So if you haven't already punched yours out. stop typing and run out right now and take them off.

FOG

 

[hollywood]

done...

 

[speedracerx7]

I was in a similar situation. Had my license for over 5 years and never got a bike. I spent at least 30mins each day playing with the friction zone, simulating stop & go traffic and low speed turns in my paved yard. This was a good move to brush up on my lost skills. Once you're able to safely control the bike, take it to a nearby parking lot on an early Saturday or Sunday morning and keep practicing. You'll eventually get there.

Fog, what do you recommend in place of the long stalks? I'm not into the flush mount turn signals.

One thing everyone ought to remove, newbe or otherwise is, the long signal stalks in front. In even the gentlest tip over they will punch out a nice round hole in the front fairing that's just a tad bigger than the flush mounts everyone uses to try to patch that hole. So if you haven't already punched yours out. stop typing and run out right now and take them off.

FOG

 

[Lucky#13]

Short stalks .

 

[fog]

Short stalks .

Eloquently said Lucky. I think that there is a spacer that makes the stalks long . It can be removed then you need to add somthing to the inside to take up the extra bolt. Maybe the same spacer?

FOG