New to me. 2002 Vmax. Come check it out.

[charlieRobinson]

Hey, guys! I got her home safely. A friend rode her to my place for me. I have only ridden tiny bikes around the perimeter of an island in japan. I am somewhat familiar with the clutch, the location of neutral, and shifting gears; but I am still a beginner. I have never been on a bike bigger than a moped. Yesterday, once we got her home, I put my helmet on and started her up. Rolled her out of my drive way and went down the street to an empty parking lot and did circle loops around a building for about 30 minutes. Only had enough room to hit 2nd gear but I got to feel out the brakes and the handling a little bit. Once I felt good with that I took her around the neighborhood and stalled out at every stop sign. oops! It was kind of embarrassing when I had a car behind me, but whatever. I had a little circuit loop through the neighborhood streets I was doing. 25 mph, of course, and I was able to shift up to 4th gear on some stretches. The course was maybe a mile and half long. My first stall i forgot the clutch when I approached a stop. other stalls were because I was stopped in 2nd or 3rd gear and when I went to release the clutch and give it gas it wouldnt be enough and I would stall. I learned to keep it in 1st whenever I stopped.

so yeah, I guess im not a TOTAL noob. But I am definitely a noob. I did neighborhood and parking lot loops for 2 hours yesterday until I had the confidence to take her down the street to get gas. Then I was done for the day. Didn't get to ride today but I will be back out there first thing tomorrow morning. Gotta log those miles and get the experience.

 

[naughtyG]

DO be careful, and just keep the power well low 'til you're more used to it. The typical mistake to make is applying power / too much power while banked over - just don't do it.
Also remember to always use both front and rear brakes simultaneously when braking.
Once you're more used to it, go find a nice stretch of deserted straight road, and open her up in 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears. Enjoy the rush

 

[charlieRobinson]

Oh yeah. Someone here says learning to ride a bike is like a having a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience and trying to fill the bag of experience before emptying all the luck. Well I was at a stop sign yesterday, stopped, and i dont know if my hand slipped or my brain went blank but my hand went over the throttle and revved to maybe 3k rpm. thank god I was holding the clutch in or I dont even want to think what would have happened. After that I took a deep breath and told myself to pay more attention. Really, I should have a teacher at the stage I'm at... but I don't have the patience and I want to learn now.

my riding class is June 21st. I scheduled it the 1st week of April and it was the first available. I cannot believe I actually rode the distance I did Friday. I don't know if I am an idiot or I underestimate my own ability. I can't decide if it was the responsible decision to ride by myself like I did.

Anyways. I amazed myself with what I did Friday so I feel pretty good about tomorrow. Gonna stick to the same warm up and exercises. Braking, turning and downshifting, and stopping. My goal is to not stall the engine tomorrow. I hate doing that! my poor baby! i don't mean it, please forgive me!

 

[KJShover]

Gonna stick to the same warm up and exercises. Braking, turning and downshifting, and stopping. My goal is to not stall the engine tomorrow. I hate doing that! my poor baby! i don't mean it, please forgive me!

Glad your enjoying your bike.
Empty parking lots are great for practice. I taught a friend of mine to ride in a big parking lot. I would ride his bike there, he would follow in his truck. Then we would go thought the do's and do-nots and riding techniques.

 

[VMike]

Congratulations on your new bike Charlie and welcome! You're definately doing it the right way getting used to it slowly. As you said,these bikes are bad ass and have lots of power and weight.
Mike

 

[user 8898]

Hey Charlie I'm looking for a bike right along these lines. Mind if I ask what you gave for it?? Thanks!

 

[charlieRobinson]

I am already receiving compliments on the bike from folks around town and I have only had it for 3 days now. Still working on my stops and down shifting in turns. I paid around 5k for the bike.

 

[rusty]

Parking lot training is ok for a while.Go find a nice open hwy where you can open her up a little.The fealing is incredible.unk:

 

[PATMAX]

Back in 1986, Ohio State Patrol administered the driving license exam. Don't know who does it now. Anyway, I showed up on my new Max and everyone else with their 125s and 250s. He did ask me "are you really gonna take the test on that?". Passed with flying colors of course. Keep reading and exploring this Forum. It rocks and will make you a better owner, you'll get your bike to last longer and perform better. Oh yeah, there is this monkey thing you need to know about too!

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

OSP still administers the motorcycle exam here. But even better, the State offers a 2 or 3 day course for beginning riders-or even experienced ones. It's free for kids 16 to 18, and only $25 for everyone else. They provide the bikes, and when you complete the course, they give you a certificate to get your endorsement. My kids both took it over a weekend last summer, and loved it!

 

[Redbone]

Back in 1986, Ohio State Patrol administered the driving license exam. Don't know who does it now. Anyway, I showed up on my new Max and everyone else with their 125s and 250s. He did ask me "are you really gonna take the test on that?". Passed with flying colors of course. Keep reading and exploring this Forum. It rocks and will make you a better owner, you'll get your bike to last longer and perform better. Oh yeah, there is this monkey thing you need to know about too!

My brother , on his FZ1, and me on my Vmax did the test here in Michigan for which some of the parts are timed. We were within .4 of each other after all the tests! Riding tests can be done on the Vmax (and other large bikes) but you need to have the confidence and skills which comes with practice, lots of pratice. You should be able to do fairly tight figure 8's, stop at designated points, weave through cones and accelerate, all with confidence. The Motorcycle Ssafety Foundation rider training teaches all this and more, I would recommend a new rider take this course to learn the basic skill set needed to safely ride a motorcycle.

 

[Rollie]

I took my first ( and only ) motorcycle test in 1971 . Always kept it up to date when it was time to renew , and when I moved to GA. , guess they have an agreement with VA. , 'cause they just gave me a new GA. license with motorcycle class stamp by taking the written part , no driving required. Flash forward to the present , and I still haven't had to show 'em I could ride a motorcycle. Scary part is a lot of other old farts like me should have to once in a while. If and when I can't safely ride on 2 wheels I'll turn my motorcycle class stamp in and get a 3 wheeler of some sort . What's that REAL fast one called ? :rofl_200:

 

[VMike]

+1 on the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course.My wife and daughter-in-law took it a few years ago to get their mc license and it was great!
Mike

 

[charlieRobinson]

My MSF class isn't until June 21st. Today I did 30 miles. Around the neighborhood and down the street and back. Today was day 3 for me and I am feeling better at stops and following traffic. No stall fails today at any stop signs or traffic lights. I think I am ready to start working on counter steering, figure eights, and evasive maneuvers. I am already able to imagine how riding will be once I fully acquire the skills and confidence I need to have fun. I can't wait!

Here are some shots of the bar and bag for everyone who is interested.

 

[ninjaneer]

...Well I was at a stop sign yesterday, stopped, and i dont know if my hand slipped or my brain went blank but my hand went over the throttle and revved to maybe 3k rpm. thank god I was holding the clutch in or I dont even want to think what would have happened. ...!

well i can definately tell you what would've happened...

...i, too, am fairly new to the experience electing to begin it last October with a VMax.
...
I don't know exactly what happened, it happened so quick. I had just bought my Max and was in the dealership parking lot itchin with excitement to drive it home. I released the clutch too fast and it surge forward. Scared the $h!t outta me! I squeezed the throttle with a death grip as I got thrown back into the saddle and as a result my Max launched. I must've dropped the throttle 'cause I was thrown forward, which freaked more crap outta me that when I tried to force my ass back in the saddle I had another death grip. You guessed it--my bike launched 'cause of the downward squeeze I applied to force my ass back down. Anyways, the rest was a blur (literally), but I remember flying over the handlebars, rolling (thank God for my martial arts training), standing up looking at my beautiful new toy on its side in a puddle of gas. :-(

Anyways, DO NOT, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT let my story discourage you. Riding a Max is absolutely frickin awesome. The dealership delivered the bike to my home and after spending a few minutes learning the clutch and a couple days puttzing around the neighborhood, I'm having the time of my life launching off the stoplights and hauling ass over bridges--broke 100 last month for the first time. OH MY FRICKIN GOD !!!!
...

from what you've posted so far, it sounds like you are doing the right thing and baby-stepping into the adventure. in my opinion, you and i share a unique joy of having the Max as our first motorcycle. my advice (take it or leave it) keep it under 6K until you complete MSF. even after that, you'll probably feel adventurous and want to bust it wide open. i suggest that you hold off getting above 6K (especially going around corners) until you've mastered the rapture that a 3/4 throttle twist will bring in between 2K and 5K rpms using 2nd and 3rd gears. when you feel ready, lock in your cojones and be prepared to enter the V-boost "tunnel" (you'll know what i mean) that you'll find in between 6K and 8K. Oh my sweet Jesus!

Good luck, bro!

 

[charlieRobinson]

Hey, guys! Just got in from a 40 mile ride. Today is day 4 of riding, for those who are keeping track! As soon as I pulled out of my place today everything felt AWESOME! I have been waiting for this day!

Just wanted to tell you guys how good I did today! Not 1 stall and all shifts, turns, and stops were almost perfectly smooth! Counter steering is much easier than I thought. In my head I imagined it to be some super secret hard technique to master. But just like EVERYBODY says, you push left you go left. you push right you go right. ITS TRUE!

anyways, im super high from my ride and feeling awesome. Can't wait to go back out tomorrow! I love my vmax!

 

[charlieRobinson]

Just got back from another 40 mile ride. One question I have for you all is: How do you shift down to prepare for a stop sign or red light? When I see a stop coming I pull the clutch and start shifting down without ever letting up on the clutch until I am slow enough to hit 1st gear. Sometimes I used the foot brake as I shift down sometimes I have enough time and space where I don't need to use the foot brake.

Is this correct? My doubt comes from the idea that ever time I shift down I should let up on the clutch roll on the throttle then shift down to the next gear let off the clutch roll on the gas then shift down again until I reach 1st gear.

So, in conclusion. Is it OK to shift down to 1st gear with 1 clutch pull or should I be breaking it up into multiple clutch shifts? Thank you!

 

[ninjaneer]

practice this on a side street keeping it under 30mph until you get the feel of how the bike behaves

1) engage clutch
2) down shift
3) SLOWLY release clutch (no throttle)

when you perform #3, the RPMs will obviously increase, and if you release the clutch to quickly the bike will jerk. but if you release slow enough the motor will slow the bike down. once you get the feel of it, you could add a little 1/8 throttle, but not necessary for this skill.

Now if you're downshifting in order to accelerate faster (i.e., hooliganing against a crotch squid), you will need to maintain the RPMs with twisting the throttle, so that when you engage/drop the clutch, the bike doesn't bock tossing you forward. but that's a whole 'nother skill. remember: baby steps.

 

[Fire-medic]

It's OK to have the clutch in, not release it until you stop, w/the bike in neutral. You should try to keep the gear you are in comparable to your bike's road speed in case you have to release the clutch to accelerate. So, Don't be doing 70 mph, pull in the clutch & downshift to 1st because if you do w/o slowing way-down, you will cause the rear of the bike to 'step-out' as the wheel breaks traction because road speed is mismatched to engine speed & the gear you are in.

 

[RaWarrior]

It's fine to click down to first as slowing down to a stop, but as F-M said don't instantly bang it straight to 1st, try to downshift in accordance with your speed, so if you need to accelerate again, you're in a suitable gear. Also so if you need additional braking, you can safely let out the clutch to engine brake without fear of that breaking the rear tire loose.

Downshifting to too low a gear at speed can result in a fairly hard bang and abrupt deceleration even if the clutch is in, just from speeding the transmission up so much. I imagine it's not real good for it.

I'm sure people will disagree here, but to me the MSF "rider ed" courses are a waste of time. Here's why.....they're in a parking lot. Last time I checked people don't go for long scenic rides in parking lots. I've known two new riders who, instead of doing the 6mo experience -> road test to get their full MC license, opted to take the rider ed class, which skips that. One laid their bike down their very first week, the other had an extremely close call, as in completely missing a turn, bouncing a 700lb cruiser over a curb, through a flower bed, and off the curb into a convenience store and nearly plowing into the gas pump.

Why? Both had no understanding of how to turn a motorcycle at speed. Sure, they managed to do a couple circles at 10mph in a parking lot, but when it came to sweep through an intersection at 40, their bike just didn't turn. In fact it went right instead of left. The first person panicked, mashed the front brake and laid it down. The second stuck with it, made about 1/2 of the turn, then bounced over the curb into the c-store, somehow staying on the bike. Neither was hurt but it makes me seriously question the "readiness" of these MSF class graduates. I never took a rider ed class. I took my first GS450 out on deserted back roads and just drove around until I got the feel of it, gradually stepping up the speeds.

Experience is the best teacher. These two poor guys went straight into traffic believeing they were ready since they took a weekend class and both had crashes from a general lack of skills and next to zero experience. Find someone who's been riding for at least a couple years and buddy up with them. You'll learn more from a few day trips in the real world than some expensive parking lot school.