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Riding Advice

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When you're riding around the streets where you feel comfortable, at some point you'll realize that you're not concentrating so much on the controls anymore - that is, you're not thinking about your shifts, you aren't totally consumed with letting out the clutch without stalling, and your stops are smooth and controlled.
When you reach that point, that means you can pay more attention to the hazards around you - the other motorists, the road conditions, and even the new routes that you haven't been on yet. It's your comfort, and confidence in your developing skills, that will dictate where you ride. Good luck!
 
My first 15 or so km was just around town getting used to the bike. First 2km was just me going up/down my driveway and around the circle of my cul de sac.
My next 3000 km was 2 week after getting the bike, trip to the states.
People learn at different rates, so how long it took someone else to get comfortable doing something; might not be the same for you.

Don't push too far ahead of your limits, but keep pushing or else you'll remain stagnant. And confidence is key.
 
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Another thing you may want to consider is choosing the right time of day to get out there on faster limit streets. In my experience, I have found that Sunday mornings are great times to try out new areas/streets/hwy's to ride where you want to develop your experience. Far less traffic out there at this time, and cagers tend not to be in so much of a rush at this time. Avoid going out into new areas you're not familiar or comfortable with on weekdays during rush hour - especially afternoon rush hours...people are just too much into their own little bubbles at this time, rushing to get somewhere, and lots of neglectful dangerous driving at this time.
 
I found that wearing earplugs really helped reduce my perception of speed, and therefore, made it less intense/scary when i started going faster. I find it much easier to concentrate when the wind noise isn't rattling my eardrums. If you are concerned about not being able to hear traffic (horns, ect), then you could get some custom musician earplugs made. You can buy them online or get them made by an audiologist. Well worth the investment to keep your hearing safe. They have switchable filters (i use -25dB). They reduce volume without muffling like normal foam earplugs. They are great cause you can still have a conversation while wearing them, and as a bonus- also use them when you go to concerts/clubs.
 
Yeah, I rode my bike to 109 Cycle on Monday at 10am to get it safetied. I took Gerrard across from Woodbine to Warden and it wasn't too bad. I did about 50km all the way so that was nice. I agree, going on busier streets during the early morning hours is a good idea. I just have to drag my lazy *** out of bed on the weekends. Hitting Lakeshore in the mornings on weekends should be a good intro to regular traffic.

I plan on getting the custom moulded ear plugs that lower the volume without losing sound quality. Since I work in the music industry and go to loud shows, not as much as I used to, I can use them for work and get them covered by the company health plan.
 
TOYJ said:
Speed has never been an attraction for me, I guess that's why I drive a lifted Jeep with big mud tires. ;)

I think Sabex makes a good point. I think I need to get the bike up to 50-60kph and get used to it that's why I plan on riding on Commissioners and Unwin. I plan on getting the custom moulded earplugs in the future, 1) because I work in the music industry but 2) my riding instructors told us that wind noise will eventually affect your hearing. I do try to focus well ahead but I think because I am riding on side streets right now I can't look as far ahead as if I were on a main street. I think I know what I need to do, I just need to go out and do it and get more confident riding. Lots of great advice on this forum!
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+1 on Commissioners and Unwin. I spent a lot of km's there when I first started. Do watch out for the odd truck & bus, and debris on the road. Other than that... you can keep going back and forth and get comfortable with speed, shifting, and clutch work.
 
knucklesound said:
I found that wearing earplugs really helped reduce my perception of speed, and therefore, made it less intense/scary when i started going faster. I find it much easier to concentrate when the wind noise isn't rattling my eardrums. If you are concerned about not being able to hear traffic (horns, ect), then you could get some custom musician earplugs made. You can buy them online or get them made by an audiologist. Well worth the investment to keep your hearing safe. They have switchable filters (i use -25dB). They reduce volume without muffling like normal foam earplugs. They are great cause you can still have a conversation while wearing them, and as a bonus- also use them when you go to concerts/clubs.
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Can you recommend a place for custom ones online?
 
SManYYZ said:
Can you recommend a place for custom ones online?
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Sorry. Can't recommend any specific place for online purchase. I got mine made several years ago by Rhonda Martin at Hear for Life in Toronto (1573 Danforth Ave.).
She deals with a lot of sound industry professionals and is pretty well known in the music industry. Really nice lady.
If you are in the west- i got some new -25dB filters at Progressive Hearing. They also make the earplugs too and they have a few locations.
If you get them online (earplugstore.com, ect)- you need to make the ear canal moulds at home and send them back so they can produce the earplugs for you so there is a bit of back and forth. They have the instructions on the site so you know what you are getting into.
Would be faster/easier to do it local- but probably cheaper to go the online route?
I would recommend going somewhere local if possible.
 
For ear plugs regular foam earplugs for industry work fine for me.

As for confidence building my only recommendation is the classic "ride your own ride". By that I mean don't worry what others are doing just concentrate on your own ride. Over time you will get the hang of it and gain confidence.

In '99 I dropped my bike in the rain on the way up to the SBR***. While I was in emerg getting a couple stitches in my knee I was suprised by what the ER docter had to say. Rather than the expected Doner / Murder cycle lecture he said that until you've ridden 1000 miles on a bike your chances of being killed on a bike are far greater than if you were driving a car ( I forget his exact percentages) but after a 1000 miles your chances of being killed was much less than those actually driving a car (again the exact percentage he quoted escapes me). His reasoning was that an MC is much more manueverable, and by that time your skill level would allow you to take advantage of it and avoid a collision.

I'm not sure if he was right or not but I like to think so.

***although this was a single vehicle accident , to this day I maintain it was not my fault but rather that of the DOT idiot that decided the bridge should have thick plastic planks laid down at the spacing of car tires. With the approach to the bridge being a curve the front tire slid off the slippery plastic, I low sided and slid face first into some concrete. Full face helmets Rule.
While waiting for the ambulance some local kids on bicycles mentioned how "guys on bikes are always crashing on that bridge".
 
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Totally agree with that doc. I feel a lot safer on my bike than in my car. I'm more maneuverable, more aware of my surroundings, and have fewer blind spots.

I HATE potholes and crap in a turn. Totally takes the fun out of turning.

to the OP, If you're getting that nervous feeling everytime you're about to take your bike out, but it goes away once you start moving, I think that's pretty normal but you just have to fight that and get on the bike. Get someone to push you gently/safely. Make a habit of riding somewhere as part of your routine as well so there's less chance to just think about riding and backout
 
absolutely take your time before jumping in to high traffic and higher speeds.

but think of it this way...

do you want to be anywhere near the cars around you? NO, so do ur best to get up and out of the hole as quick as possible.
Specially on a 250.

2 lane road, your at a light left lane, car to the right car behind. You want outta there...so get used to assertive accell and get up to a reasonable speed and move to the right...last thing you want is cars up your rear, or riding directly beside you.

also hard acell is more fun...haha
 
+1 to all the advice given so far. If speed is something you tend to avoid as you stated then definitely take your time and stay out of too much traffic until you work your way up to handling appropriate speeds. To be apprehensive about your speed while in traffic will inhibit your other skills and make you more indecisive and only make things harder for you.
 
Wow, thanks! Lots of great advice. Just when I think this thread is almost done people add new helpful information. At first I was worried about stalling the bike when starting at a stop light but riding around the neighbourhood and starting and stopping has helped me get the feel for where the clutch engages. I was initially worried that having a car(s) behind me would make me rush it and I'd stall but it didn't happen on my ride to 109 Cycle. I think achieving small benchmarks like that will build my confidence. Appreciate all the advice!
 
"No man should ride anything that requires him to keep his knees together"

I give up, what could that possibly be?
 
ride on the side streets for as long as you want and go on the main streets whenever you feel ready. there is no rush. everyone does it in their own time. enjoy your rides on the small streets in the mean time
 
Got my earplugs at Listen Up ( don't know if they are still around), they poured some foamy stuff in my ears and then pulled it out after it hardened, custom earplugs back in about a week. Really quite cool actually. Not cheap but they work quite well.

Not sure if you need them for tooling around in the city but if you are more comfortable that way - go for it. Handy on the highway though.

I like early morning rides but if you are in TO watch the streetcar tracks, the dew makes them slicker than snot. If your muffler is perhaps slightly louder than PC, north on University is quite cool Sunday morning just for the echos off the tall buildings (or so I have been told).
 
Hi All,

I thought I'd update everyone since you were all good enough reply to my thread with advice and encouragement. I took the bike out last weekend around the neighbourhood doing the usual circuit but wanted to expand my comfort zone so I rode south on Woodbine to Lakeshore to the Unwin and Commissioners Rd area. Then on Monday I had to ride to 109 Cycle to have them check a loose connection on the rear tail light and took Danforth across to Warden. It was pretty good! I just got back from riding down around the Cherry Beach area past Sound Academy. Going over the metal grate bridge was an interesting feeling. I feel more comfortable riding at 60kph now and riding is starting to be fun but I'm still always trying to be aware of what's around me and looking far ahead of me keeping in mind all I learned in the riding course and the advice people have suggested.

Tomorrow (Friday) I am going to ride to work for the very first time. My ride is pretty straightforward. I live in the Kingston Rd./Woodbine area so I'm going to go north on Woodbine, left on O'Connor and then right on to Don Mills Rd and then it's a straight shot all the way up to York Mills. The good thing about Don Mills is there are HOV lanes north and south. I chose to ride to work on Friday because there seems to be less traffic on Fridays. The only part of my ride that I'm a little concerned about is the ride home and the possibility of stop and go traffic going uphill on Don Mills to O'Connor. I obviously have to use the rear brake to keep the bike from rolling back when I clutch and throttle and I've practiced that on the hilly streets in my neighbourhood and I've stalled it a couple of times. On flat ground I rarely worry about stalling but on a hill I get a little anxious. I could avoid this "hill" section of Don Mills by taking Overlea to Millwood, to Donlands to O'Connor. Thoughts?

On a separate issue I've been getting waves from other riders and unfortunately I can't wave back because I'm not comfortable enough taking one hand off the handle bars yet. Hopefully the other riders don't think I'm a snob. LOL! I'm used to waving because Jeep drivers wave to each other so I'm looking forward to eventually returning the wave on a bike. :)
 
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If you're anxious about getting stuck on the hill at Don Mills and O'Connor, then take the flatter route home. You're learning and gaining confidence, so no need to have a possible setback on that hill during the afterwork rush hour. An alternate route would be Don Mills to Eglinton, east on Eglinton to Bermondsey, south on Bermondsey to O'Connor. The distance and time are probably comparable, so it's six of one or half dozen of the other.

If you really want to get into the spirit of rider camaraderie, you could give a nice big nod hello instead of a wave.
 
Rick CH said:
If you're anxious about getting stuck on the hill at Don Mills and O'Connor, then take the flatter route home. You're learning and gaining confidence, so no need to have a possible setback on that hill during the afterwork rush hour. An alternate route would be Don Mills to Eglinton, east on Eglinton to Bermondsey, south on Bermondsey to O'Connor. The distance and time are probably comparable, so it's six of one or half dozen of the other.

If you really want to get into the spirit of rider camaraderie, you could give a nice big nod hello instead of a wave.
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Thanks, I was thinking just to be safe I should take the flatter route until I get more comfortable starting and stopping uphill. I think I nodded to all the riders I saw today but I was all "sh*t I can't wave yet" ;)
 
TOYJ said:
Thanks, I was thinking just to be safe I should take the flatter route until I get more comfortable starting and stopping uphill. I think I nodded to all the riders I saw today but I was all "sh*t I can't wave yet" ;)
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Another thing you could do is just lift a few fingers of your left hand off of the handlebar. It'd considered the noob wave.


And when you get comfortable enough to do the full wave, try not to do it while at a stop light, in gear, and stall because you release the clutch ;)
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