Newbie Motorcycle riders FAQ's and Answers Thread

DO NOT BUY CHEAP TIRES and/or CHAINS for YOUR MOTORCYCLE, ie Made in China.

THE LAST THING YOU NEED IS FOR YOUR TIRES TO EXPLODE OR CHAIN TO BREAK WHILE YOU ARE RIDING, ----> VERY DANGEROUS

YES, CHAINS AND TIRES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE, DON'T SACRIFICE QUALITY FOR PRICE!!

 

What happens when the chain brakes?

 

Chain brakes----> Chain BREAKS.

It can get caught or jammed in the sprocket and/or rim, and you will instantly lose control.

It happens often, proper chain maintenance, (ie lube/grease, check for wear) is key in preventing a mishap.

Especially when riding with a passenger, there is extra load on the chain, and can cause a weak chain to break earlier as well.

 

Err, yes, break, not brake. Freudian slip there.

So basically you're saying you could have an Indiana Jones moment?
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I put many miles on the grandpappy of Superbikes; An FJ1100. Every single time I dumped it was because of the front brake locking up in unfavorible conditions.
If a new bike were ever to be on the horizon it would have front or full ABS. The BMW is the only one that comes to mind.
A very skilled and experianced friend was paralysed for life when he lost it in a dirt strewn turn.
Several people I know and worked with were killed on "Murder-cycles".
My son will never own one as long as I have a say.
Two wheels plus speed is a catastrophy waiting to happen.

I get to be the downer here. Sorry.

 

ABS does not change the amount of grip available. It just does the action any skilled driver / rider should be able to do - threshold brake.

 

Yes or even worse...
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Also you must be carefull with new tires. Coatings from the factory are very slippery. My dealers service guys have countless stories of people going down before they got out of the parking lot. Even after they were warned of the danger.

 

I have the first generation ABS on a K100RS. I think it is misunderstood. As Thrawn says, threshold braking can be learned and is the equivalent of ABS in skilled hands. ABS on a MC is for straight line panic stops. Both brakes must be used which is counter to what track and race schools teach. A study of MC crashes showed that the most common accident is someone pulling out in front of you. In over 50% of these crashes the MC rider went down before the point of impact. Why? They locked their brakes and lost traction. In panic stops, in a straight line ABS allows you to grab all the brake you want, if you hold a straight line, and grab both brakes. The Honda ABS system included integrated brakes meaning if you grab the front, the rear was electronically activated.

ABS on 4 wheels is completely different than ABS on 2 wheels because you can still tip over. It is a safety feature, not a performance feature.

 

"The Pace" article by Ienatsch is a must read. We practiced it to a degree before we read the article. We even discussed it with Ienatsch when he was racing AMA 250 GP bikes. Don't get past your abilities on a public road that hides surprises.

 

Can anyone recommend some good motorcycle forums?

I've finally decided to get my license and am looking for some more specific forums to discuss them.

In Aus for the first year of holding a license, we are restricted to bikes that are 660cc and under, and have a power-to-weight ratio not greater than 150 kW (201hp) / tonne.

An recommendations as to a good starter bike? I was thinking of something along the lines of a Kawasaki Ninja 250, but that probably exceeds the p/w restrictions.

 

Not true. Kaw 250 is probably your best bet. It is definetely the best beginner bike because it is VERY underpowered! I would even look into a 400cc of some sort.

ps... keep off the 600's until after 1 years worth of riding.

 

I dont know about 600's in general like Katanas or GSXF(I think) or the SV600.

 

Threshold brakeing is not the issue. That is within my control. What is not are road conditions. All my spills were because of oil, ice or dirt.
Once the front brake locks ; game over, down she goes.
With four wheels (car) you slip a little then recover.

 

At this stage I've narrowed the shortlist down to:

Kawasaki GPX250
Kawasaki ZX-2R Ninja
Honda CBR250RR

Any thoughts on how these three compare?

My initial impression is that the latter two are sportier with more power and better handling. A late 90's example of them could be had for the price of a near new GPX250 with warranty.

 

Are those 4 stroke or 2 strokes? I would also suggest an Aprilia RS250 2 stroke. Slow, but quick enough to outpace any bike on your list.

It can be ridden gently or as madly as needed because it has the kick in the pants that your 3 picks don't.

 

Unfortunately the RS250 doesn't meet the "Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme" power-to-weight restrictions of 150kW(201hp)/tonne.

http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/educational/training/ridersafe/index.asp

 

Well if there's no grip, then there's no grip, ABS or not. If the front brake locks you can unlock it by releasing the brake.

Fortunately we don't get ice here, but the weather forcast should be able to predict reasonably well the chance of rain. If you feel there is going to be too much, then it's up to you to judge whether or not you should ride. You need a huge amount of water to really aquaplane.

As for oil and dirt, well I'll take my chances. Can't really control that - but greater experience and ability should result in better recovery from such incidents.

 

4 Stroke.

Ruled out the ZX-2R - grey import in Australia. Parts could be a problem. I think the CBR250RRs are also grey imports.

Examples from 10 - 15 years ago sell for the same price as a new GPX250R with 2 year warranty. Considering I will probably be selling this bike after 1.5 years it seems a bit silly to get something much older with no warranty for equal $$$.

 

How is the CBR250RR eligible, if it exceeds 150kW/tonne?
33kW, 142kg
(33/142)*1000 = 232kW/tonne

 

I think there are two versions, one of which has less power and a speedo that only goes up to 180km/h. This is the one I've come across.

I asked two different dealers and they both said it was learner approved.

Either that or it is heavier than your quoted figure, or both.

 

I got those figures from:
http://www.honda.co.jp/factbook/motor/CBR250RR/19900300/011.html

 

Yes I can release the front brake lever, only problem is the bike is lost in a millisecond.

For 2 years the FJ was my only mode of transportation ; Rain, Shine, Snow.
You get to learn a lot in adverse conditions.

I guess I never did gain enough experiance or ability to compensate for unforseeable road conditions. Perhaps in my next life.

 

Why?

 

I dont know why.
Thats the way it is (was) on the FJ.
As soon as that front brake locked, the bike comes down. It happened 4 times I remember. There was NO time to react.
I had a friend that rode bikes and was told of his times when he "laid the bike down" in panic situations. I asked about his riding style and found out he over-used the rear brake.
Under straight line Max deceleration, I can ballance brakeing to get to that threshold where both front and back are at the limit. This involves next to no rear brake.
Once ideal ( or known) traction conditions are gone, all bets are off.
This is why I advocate ABS on a bike.

There is an expression in Aviation;

There are old pilots,
And there are bold pilots,
But there are no old bold pilots.

If your threshold brakeing on the street you fall into the bold catagory.