Front brake on, foot down, put weight onto your foot, lots of revs and dump the clutch. Lean bike slightly until it’s pointing the opposite direction. Shift weight back to the bike and pull away gracefully. In a cloud of smoke.

Good advise all. Did my first wet ride last night and the pinlock let water in. Have adjusted it now so hopefully that won’t happen again…

My kit was totally waterproof too. RST jacket and trousers, HG lobster gloves and some goretex safety boots. I shall definitely be investing in some proper longer boots though. Also ordered a Givi tunnel bag for more storage – I needed a new bag anyway.

All in all I’m enjoying it. And so far this weekend less than half a tank of fuel has done 80 miles. The full tank cost £10!

b r – Member

I did not get on with heated grips – didn’t make much difference

Obviously crap ones…

BMW OE ones – some of the very best Just warmed a bit of the inside of my hand I ride covering the levers and the backs of your hands still get cold anyway.

TJ, if you’re still getting cold hands you can’t beat a pair of handguards.

I’ve not tried the BMW ones (never yet thought myself old enough for a Beemer 🙂

I had them on my Tiger and found that I barely needed the heated grips on more than low, whereas on my Sprint GT I run the grips on full.

earplugs, earplugs, earplugs.

especially on a daily commute.

Pardon?

Br – I couldn’t bring myself to put handelbars muffs on it – and I rarely commuted on it anyway.

Cannae beat a BMW for a 4000 mile thrash around europe Or year round riding in Scotland

Oh – yes – earplugs is a good call – certainly if you do much outside of urban areas

timothius – Member
Got my module 1 (DAS course) next week. Need to master the u-turn and figure of 8.

Balancing the bike using the rear brake and gripping the tank tightly between my knees always worked for me.

really – earplugs?

I guess it is a constant sound, but even at 50mph the scoot doesn’t seem loud and the helmet does a good job at cutting it out.

I guess it is a constant sound, but even at 50mph the scoot doesn’t seem loud and the helmet does a good job at cutting it out

No, not at 50 (I’d guess). Sustained fast speeds will give you a headache, even with earplugs.

BMW OE ones – some of the very best Just warmed a bit of the inside of my hand I ride covering the levers and the backs of your hands still get cold anyway.

For me in winter they’re the difference between no feeling and enough feeling to work the levers. They work a lot better with summer gloves, which have thinner palms. At this time of year they’re great.

Earplugs are a must – it’s not the noise of the bike, it’s windnoise through your lid. If I envisage a ride getting above 40mph, then I put my plugs in – and as a Blackbird rider, that kind of means all rides 🙂

Daytona boots have been mentioned, I would +1 these if your budget will stretch that far (there is a German supplier on e-bay who will ship to the UK – he’s very competitive). If not, then the TCX goretex ones get rave reviews.

eraplug stuff;

The Dutch Government’s Occupational Health & Safety Service commissioned a study on the effects of wind noise and discovered some disturbing results. At 50mph the sound level under a helmet was 90decibels (dB). Speed has a significant effect on sound levels and for each 12mph increase in speed, the intensity of the sound is doubled. According to the report, at 60mph, a rider is experiencing the same level of noise as a circular saw operator, the only difference being that the circular saw jockey would have to wear, by law, ear defenders.
Using Noise Regulations figures laid down for the workplace, the following figures would apply to safe exposure times while riding a motorcycle:

Speed (Mph) Noise Level (dB) Safe Riding Time
50 92 2 Hours
62 94 1 Hour
74 97 30 Minutes
86 100 15 Minutes
98 103 7.5 Minutes
110 106 3.75 Minutes

(from http://www.ultimateear.com/reviews.htm)

&

Research from the early 1990’s has shown that once a rider reaches and passes 40mph, the pattern of airflow around the rider, and particularly the rider’s helmet, leads to vibration in this area and the generation of ‘wind noise’. Even if you do not ride a motorcycle, you will have come across a similar sound if you have ever put down a car window when travelling at speed.
At speeds of around 40mph, the noise level at the rider’s ear is of the order of 85-90dB(A); a potentially damaging amount. The level increases to about 110dB(A) at around 100mph, a level that is ‘safe’ for only about 3 minutes! At typical motorway speeds the sound level is around 100dB(A) and safe for about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, it is difficult to do anything with motorcycle design to improve this and although there are some modifications that can be made to crash helmets to improve their sound protection qualities, the manufacturers appear to have little interest and so have taken this no further. This therefore leaves the onus for ear protection on the individual rider. At this point in time the best advice and only realistic option is the use of earplugs. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter which type of earplugs one uses as long as they fit well, are comfortable and therefore GET USED. People often worry that using earplugs for this purpose will stop them hearing important warning signals such as sirens, horns and other traffic. Further research has shown that above about 45mph, when the wind-noise level exceeds 90dB(A), warning signal detection is in fact better with earplugs in place! So the best advice is: If you ride a motorcycle – use earplugs – not for short urban journeys where speeds are likely to remain below 50mph – but for all longer journeys, especially motorway riding, where speeds in excess of 50mph are common.

(from The British Tinnitus Association)

Fairly clear message I’m overly enthusiastic on the use of ear plugs – it was taught to me very early on in my riding and my father is deaf from years of exposure to loud noises on building sites and it’s no fun so I use them on nearly all journeys by motorbike (as nearly all my bikes can top 40mph :-))

Certainly something to consider, however most of my journeys only see above 50mph for maybe 10 minutes at a time – it is only a 125cc scooter after all!

Also, the Shoei Qwest helmet I have claims to be 30% quieter than their previous ones (although probably measured at 200 mph knowing marketing).

As I say, it certainly doesn’t feel very noisy in there, but I know how these things can be deceiving. I’ll get some plugs from work for free anyway.

Shoei are very good for noise. Arai are awful. Unfortunately my head seems to be Arai shaped these days.

freddyg – Member

Daytona boots have been mentioned, I would +1 these if your budget will stretch that far (there is a German supplier on e-bay who will ship to the UK – he’s very competitive). If not, then the TCX goretex ones get rave reviews.

Ditto for the Daytonas. The German co also does ‘bargain’ Rukka kit if you’re feeling flush. I bought a set a couple of years ago and it was ~half UK price.

MSG Bikegear have some TCX Matrix 2 Goretex boots for £99 and I can get 15% off that price – is this a bargain or will they be carp?

They retail at £160 – so for £85 tis a bargain.

Of course I would have to take a punt on the sizing though.

I haven’t heard of the MAtrix 2’s before, but a quick google revealed favourable reviews. These chaps reviews are generally very good and seem to be objective: Web bike world Don’t worry about the Oxtar references. They were re-branded as TCX a couple of years ago.

Timothious: U-turns and Fig-8’s are simple, you just need to relax and have faith in the bike. The slow control method is key to both manouvres.

Clutch set at biting point, you’ll be slipping it the whole way on both manouvres. Raise the revs to a nice lively engine and keep ’em there; a rough guide is around 1500-2k on the rev counter – but listen to the bike. Apply gentle and constant pressure to the rear brake; this slows the bike and keeps it stable. If you need to slow down, gently increase pressure on the rear brake ( you may need to slightly increase the revs )to speed up, release it slightly.

bring the bike to a stop by pulling the clutch in and rolling off the throttle – the rear brake takes over and stops the bike with no diving. Stay away from the front brake!

thats the basic slow control technique. With the fig8 you’re just adding turning the bike to the mix; relax your arms and keep youre head up, look in the direction you want to go, not where you’re pointing. The space allowed for a mod1 fig8 is quite large and you need to do 2 cleanly. Try adding a little countersteer – if turning to the right, lean the bike and shift your bum cheek to the left of the saddle. Relax and drive the bike around, keep your head turning to look through the cones.

on the u-turn, dont rush the pull away; nice rear observation, get the bike pulling forward in a straight line and into the slow control technique – a couple of bike lengths to get your balance. Turn your head and focus on a point opposite where you want the bike to go, trun the bars and drive the bike around. Keep your head turning, as you drawn level with the opposite curb, throttle off, clutch in. If you take more than a couple of lengths to pull away, you will be required to do a final lifesaver before commiting to the turn.

practice makes perfect, good luck!

TCX make good boots – i replaced my Sidi Vertabrea boots with a set of TCX Competizione RS. Slid down the road in the Picos de Europa last year, fell straight onto my right side and slid backwards on a gravel patch – boot was under the bike ( fully loaded with 2 weeks gear and the missus ) Couple of minor scratches to the boot, no bruising or damage – i rate them better than my Sidi’s
My missus wears SPIDI XPD VR5 and these are also a very good boot – discontinued, but can be found new on flea bay.

Forcefield / Halvarson do top rated back protectors – not cheap, but back bones aren’t easy to repair.

monkeyp,i found that i would make matters worse in the rain if i wiped the visor with the glove.I noticed this flexed the visor and opened up gaps.. letting the water blow right in.You can get sprays that help the water bead really well.They should keep your hands away from the visor for quite a while before it needs to be re applied.

I just filled the tank up with fuel – cost me a whole £6.82 for 5.02l (1.1gal) which has managed 132.5 miles.

That’s 120mpg without really trying on a new bike!

martinxyz – I’ve ridden in the rain twice now – once lashing it down and the other quite light and to be honest I haven’t had an issue. Not sure if it’s the helmet or just hasn’t been the ‘right’ kind of rain but I can just focus through the beads of water.

if it’s raining hard and your going at reasonable speed turn your head and the wind should disperse water from the visor. Visor’s need to be kept clean and scratch free – this realy show’s up when riding at night in the rain 🙁

Get some life insurance because you will eventually die, or a car to decrease the chances.

Re: U-turn and figure-8:

practice makes perfect, good luck!

Absolutely. If you don’t feel confident, tell your instructor you want to keep practising. You’re paying them to teach you enough to get you through your test. Make sure they do.

flow – as opposed to you, who will never die?

No one, but the chances of dying on a motorbike are rather high. I personally know at least 10 people who have crashed (more like been crashed into) and either died or have been seriously injured, one has no legs!

How many cyclists have you known who have crashed and been injured badly?

I personally know of far more cyclists who have been badly injured (myself included) than motorcyclists, but I’m not going to advise you to sell your bikes and take up a different form of transport.

I don’t wish to get into this argument as the risks are quite clear, and are present with varying degrees however you travel.

flow – a bad lot of crashers you know then. I rode a motocycle for decades and so do / did a bunch of my pals. No serious injuries amongst them

No such thing as dangerous forms of transport, just dangerous riders/drivers. I’ve been riding for 10 years, instructing for 3 and never had an incident; attitude and training are the key.

Pretty much all the accidents the people I know have had have been the fault of someone else. Attitude and training won’t help one bit.

Dude with no legs got pulled out on. Another had his girlfriend on the back, got pulled out, girlfriend broke her neck and died. A few with broken legs, pelvis, arms, wrists due to being pulled out on etc

You are right, riding a bicycle on the road is almost as dangerous, not going as quick though.

Some cockend pulled out in front of me a few years ago on my motorbike, he saw me coming from a good 250 metres, pulled out when I was so close I didn’t have time to brake. I wasn’t to badly injured though, dented the petrol tank with my boll*cks, some internal bleeding, burst testical and 5k compensation.

No such thing as dangerous forms of transport

Couldn’t get much more ignorant than that, especially from an instructor. Motorbikes are pretty much the most dangerous form, next I would say is cycling on the road.

What I will say though, IAM course is well worth doing.

I know a couple of people who are carrying permanent and unpleasant injuries from crashing bicycles. Ironically I know more people who ride/race motorbikes and none of them are dead or permanently injured.

That’s not to say motorcycles are safe. Fun stuff isn’t.

So in your first sentence you totaly disregard attitude and training and in your last you advocate it? make yer mind up lad! :oP

No amount of either is going to save you from the myopic old biddy who cant see over her steering wheel but in alot of situations it’ll help…

Flow – just pish – attitude and training are critical – most smidsy accidents are avoidable by a skilled rider.

Vehicles do not kill – people do

Couldn’t get much more ignorant than that, especially from an instructor.

how is that ignorant? its more like an opinion. More vulnerable, yes, more dangerous? no. A sensibly ridden bike is no more a hazard than a sensibly driven car or push bike or whatever.

how is that ignorant? its more like an opinion. More vulnerable, yes, more dangerous? no. A sensibly ridden bike is no more a hazard than a sensibly driven car or push bike or whatever.

Err… no.

The risk of accident is probably similar. The consequence are very different. Risk x Consequence = Danger.

Bikes are more dangerous than cars.

That’s not to say they are unacceptably dangerous though.

I can see your point, but I dont see the bike or riding it as any more dangerous; the same risks are there regardless of vehicle type. Naturally the consequences for it going wrong are higher, but I dont see that as making it ” more ” dangerous than driving a bus. Different outlooks I think.

Anyway, now i’ve had my first argument on STW, do i get a badge or somthing?

Way harder to be seen on a motorbike for a start, buses tend to be quite big.

Motorcycles and push-bikes are quite similar, it doesn’t matter whether its us of the other driver/vehicle that makes the mistake – we pay for it…

No one, but the chances of dying on a motorbike are rather high. I personally know at least 10 people who have crashed (more like been crashed into) and either died or have been seriously injured, one has no legs!

Funny how its always non-bikers who know the bikers who’ve been killed etc… But then I’ve only been riding 30 years, so what would I know?

And for the visor, try Bob Heath anti-fog spray for the inside, and Nikwax Visor Proof for the outside.

Anyway, now i’ve had my first argument on STW, do i get a badge or somthing?

You have to call somebody a Nazi first.

Funny how its always non-bikers who know the bikers who’ve been killed etc… But then I’ve only been riding 30 years, so what would I know?

Obviously not enough, I’m not a “non rider”, read the whole post 🙄