Riding before course date (already registered)

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conundrum said:
Hmm ok, with it being warm this weekend I might break out the bicycle and try it lol. One other thing I read (I think it was in Lee Park's Total Control) was that after initiating the lean you then still do turn the handlebars (slightly) in the direction you want to go)? That's what confused me, in that if you do push the handlebars forward (or pull them) to countersteer, then as soon as you actually turn in the direction you want to go, wouldn't it pull it out of the countersteer/lean?

If all you do is push down (on right to go right or left to go left) then turn the bars slightly (turn to the right to go right and turn to the left to go left) as you would at low speed, just nowhere near as much, then stop pushing down and straighten the bars to come out of the corner, all this makes more sense lol.
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You're over-thinking this, which is the main problem with counter steering in general. It will make sense when you hop on the bike and just DO it.
 
frame sliders are not for crashing, they are for when (if your lucky) your bike tips over in your driveway gently, or at a stop sign. If your going more than 10 km/h expect them to be ripped off/destroyed along with various other bike components. Go to any track day, watch what the crashed bikes look like. I used to use them, but found they don't do much in a real crash.

Not saying don't use them, especially if your just getting started, just be aware of their limitations, thats all



flexrider said:
Hey , i'm a newbie rider as well and had not been on a bike before until i took the RTI course. It seems already that you are prepared to drop your bike as you mentioned you would install frame sliders first before trying anything. So if thats the case, go for it. RTI treats every rider the same, so you could be a seasoned rider for years or a newbie, they start you off with the bike being off the first day and you walking with it. What i learned is that you are always learning :) so whatever you think you know now, i guarantee you will learn more and gain more confidence after/during the course. btw manual cars and bikes are two different machines, though the concept is the same, the feel is different. Be safe.
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Being in the country I was around all different kinds of things, bikes included. Unless you know alot about them to begin with, your taking a risk......

Now, i'm not saying it can't be done.....
The first bike I rode was an old KTM 400 when I was like 12. Had never been on a bike before, but the guy said you start it and you can take it for a ride.
I did start it, and I did ride it.
The bike was a friggin beast.......lol

Anyways, that being said, i'm not sure I would have wanted to ride a brand new bike. I mean if you drop it, which there is a good chance if your here asking if you should ride it, your gonna be mighty upset!
Bikes get heavy in a hurry when you mess up, or not ready for the bike to tip.
I had one go down on me once while I was working on it because I didn't double check to see if the kickstand was down.
Even worse when you have to get the bike off the ground becuase its spilling out fuel over an extremely hot engine, with a bruised up leg.

Theres lots of time to ride. If you have to question about being confident in riding, then don't do it. Learn the basics, and go from there.

I'd say sit on it, get a feel of all the controls, rasie it up off the kickstand (leave the kickstand down), feel the bike over, lift you feet up an inch and try to get a feel of the balance, etc....
Once you get comefortable with that, then move on....
 
...just to add to the fire on the devil's advocate side: I'm registered for the M2 course a week into April, took my bike out today for 13km up and down the driveway (about 26 times), getting it up into 3rd gear (50+km/hr). I live on a side road so my laneway has lots of gravel, potholes, etc. Loved it and didn't crash -just stalled once. Got a good feel for the bike, got it a little dirty. I didn't hit the road at all, just kept it on the laneway. Went down a few times in 2nd gear only, kept it around 30km/hr, but then took it up a notch when I felt more confident. Opinions are opinions and everything is subjective in this thread. You might take it out and crash into the first car you see like an old friend of mine. You might rip around and be totally fine. I rode a dirtbike about 10 days a year for a couple years and felt very comfortable on my bike (Honda Shadow 600 VLX). Do what you feel comfortable with and understand the risks involved and be prepared to deal with them. I mean, you got a bike to ride it, didn't you? That being said, obviously you're the best judge and if you don't feel comfortable on it and getting it going and handling it, get back on after the course.
 
Go for it. So long as you can handle the weight of your bike and you're only playing around with first gear the risk is fairly low (yet a risk nonetheless). Only you can gauge your aptitude to handle something you've never done before.
 
Just to update everyone, I'll be waiting until the course -- still waiting on missing parts from my frame sliders (getting really annoyed at T-Rex Racing, and might need to send parts back a THIRD time), plus boots and a few other items as well. As it is getting close enough to my RTI date, I might as well just wait the week (or so) and learn on their bikes first.

With that said, had I gotten the correct parts in the sliders, and been able to flatfoot vs barely balls of my feet, and given the weather we've had I probably would have been out there in the subdivisions at low speeds by now.
 
Totally get ya :).

There was some messing around with bolts for my frame sliders too, and after lowering the bike the kickstand had to be cut to allow for the new height. There was some dicking around with it all, but eventually it worked out. It was hard to find boots and helmet that fit properly
and within budget too. Get shopping :D!

You'll have a blast!!! Enjoy and smile lots :).

conundrum said:
Just to update everyone, I'll be waiting until the course -- still waiting on missing parts from my frame sliders (getting really annoyed at T-Rex Racing, and might need to send parts back a THIRD time), plus boots and a few other items as well. As it is getting close enough to my RTI date, I might as well just wait the week (or so) and learn on their bikes first.

With that said, had I gotten the correct parts in the sliders, and been able to flatfoot vs barely balls of my feet, and given the weather we've had I probably would have been out there in the subdivisions at low speeds by now.
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