1st sportbike (riding advice for new sportbike rider) | GTAMotorcycle.com

1st sportbike (riding advice for new sportbike rider)

rinomato1

rinomato1

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Hi everyone,

As some of you may know I recently purchased a Ducati 749, and it's my first sportbike. I finally had it delivered to my house today! I was super excited and started to just get familiar with the seating position and making sure that I was comfortable on the bike etc... When we started it up it was a beautiful sound! the L-TWIN roar just idling was amazing!!! I already have rider experience I own an HD sporty, but sitting on this bike more and more I'm thinking of how I should approach I guess "Re-Learning" a new bike seating position, throttle response, turning etc.... it's a whole new animal. Are there any suggestions any courses I should take specifically for learning how to ride sportbikes for someone who's never ridden on a sportbike before Or should I just wing it and learn on my block slowly>>

Thanks

LR
 
Alright here are my pro tips

1) find the fast pilots
2) ride with them
3) survive!

or you could take FAST school. Racer5 School.

I read twist of the wrist, that helped.
 
Since you already have experience on a bike, just wing it and go slowly. You should get the hang of it pretty fast.
 
If you want to learn how to ride it properly take a track school. Even if you don't have any interest in going to the track, you learn so much that just isn't possible (or safe) on the road.

I'm partial to Racer5 as that's what I took last year, mostly because of the reviews they were getting and the price! I was unsure of how much I'd get out of being on a cbr125, but it's quite the opposite and really is a great tool to learn on. My street riding on my 600rr sure changed for the better!

Check them out if you haven't already racer5.ca

If you have any questions email them at info@racer5.ca, they're super helpful and can answer all your questions. Feel free to pm me if you'd like to know any more as well.
 
You could take a course like pro rider at humber its under $200 I think.

Basically they have you go around a 180 degree turn, coaching you and getting you to lean more each time.

Or you could cough up the cash for Lee Parks total control course coming to Toronto this summer.

Google "total control lee parks". It is not all out track instruction, but it will take you to a higher level on the street.

Its pricy but its seems right up your alley. I already signed up for level 1 and 2 on my sv1000s and hope to learn a bunch!

Or like Vrus said ride with sport bike riders and try and keep up. They know what they are doing but it can be intimidating having guys with grey hair laughing at how slow you are.
 
Definitely a track day. If you can afford a Ducati, you should be able to do a few track days. What you can learn on the course can be applied to every day riding on the street and can easily save your life in certain circumstances.
 
The main differences I can think of when coming from a cruiser are;

- You'll probably be tempted to rest a lot of weight on your arms, and that's fine for casual riding/commuting. Any kind of riding with enthusiasm (or long distances) you want to make a conscious effort to lock your waist so that more weight is carried by your legs. This will reduce the strain on your arms for better control and comfort.

- Also you can use your legs to sit up a bit over bumps, RR crossings and so on when you see them coming. Just a nice thing to be able to do for comfort.

- Last thing is to forget about the rear brake unless the road is slick, or you are carrying a passenger. The front will do all the work in all other environments, which is probably 95% of your riding.

To learn beyond that, yeah, you need to do a track day. And congrats on the new bike!
 
I checked out bother Racer5 and FAST riding schools both look really awesome. I'm just wondering if anyone has been to either of em and what they have to say about them.
 
Also, both schools offer similar programs like intro programs, level 2 etc.... how many should be taken for me to be able to confidently ride the motorcycle on the road because that's where 100% of my riding will be done.
 
rinomato1 said:
I checked out bother Racer5 and FAST riding schools both look really awesome. I'm just wondering if anyone has been to either of em and what they have to say about them.
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Do a search in the track day section of the forum. There's tons of reviews and comments on them. Don't confuse FAST school with FAST racing though when reading the reviews. And if you're gonna do a school then do it as soon as the weather permits. That'll give you the whole season to use what you've learnt.

The idea of "taking it easy" or "building up slowly" is frankly insane, in this posters opinion. Ducati parts are expensive. Trust me, I know. It's just delaying the inevitable.

And I once did a group ride with a guy who thought he'd found the fast pilots. He barely survived and picked up a ton of bad habits in the process. Ride on your own for "practise". Peer pressure will also lead to the inevitable.
 
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I think you might be psyching yourself out right now.

Due to the fact that you are already an accomplished rider, I think after you ride for 20 minutes it will feel just as natural for you as the other bike.
 
The Ducati Owners Club also hosts track days.
 
It's just a bike man, you already know how to ride it. Get out there when it warms up and ride. You just need some miles on it.
 
riding a harley is a handycap compared to a ducati, you might have to start from scratch again. i used to race a ducati desmo and it's far superior than that boat anchor, unless you like pogo sticks?
 
He doesn't feel comfortable with riding the bike and the advise is go to a track day? You people are insane.

Get on the HWY
 
Grip it and rip it.
 
fastar1 said:
The main differences I can think of when coming from a cruiser are;

- You'll probably be tempted to rest a lot of weight on your arms, and that's fine for casual riding/commuting. Any kind of riding with enthusiasm (or long distances) you want to make a conscious effort to lock your waist so that more weight is carried by your legs. This will reduce the strain on your arms for better control and comfort.

- Also you can use your legs to sit up a bit over bumps, RR crossings and so on when you see them coming. Just a nice thing to be able to do for comfort.

- Last thing is to forget about the rear brake unless the road is slick, or you are carrying a passenger. The front will do all the work in all other environments, which is probably 95% of your riding.

To learn beyond that, yeah, you need to do a track day. And congrats on the new bike!
Click to expand...

What he said.
 
Griffin said:
What he said.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm leaning towards that. It's not to say that I won't go around my block and try easing myself into the machine but it won't be anything special. I rather have more confidence in riding a sport machine properly than have confidence and not ride it the way it was intended.
 
Stewart said:
riding a harley is a handycap compared to a ducati, you might have to start from scratch again. i used to race a ducati desmo and it's far superior than that boat anchor, unless you like pogo sticks?
Click to expand...

I know they're 2 different animals, but calling it a boat anchor isn't an accurate description either, My HOG moves man, Its got some balls, it's a hell of a lot more forgiving than any sportbike but its definitely no boat anchor:cool:
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