[alex92]

Hey guys,

Just wondering... how do I properly adjust my mirrors?

I adjusted them to what I think seems best. I cant really see behind me all that well, unless I ride on the left wheel track and look in my right mirror, or ride in right wheel track and look in left mirror. If I look at my mirrors while in the middle wheel track, my (massive) arms are in the way

I haven't even been on a 2-laned road yet so can't really tell if I can see what's beside me yet..

Also, can you guys tell me which wheel track I should be riding on when riding in:
1) left lane of 2 laned road (I'm guessing middle or left?)
2) right lane of laned road (I'm guessing middle.. don't want to go too close to oncoming traffic)
3) single laned road (middle?)

Lastly, say you're 100 metres away from an intersection and you're turning left and you want to go down to 2nd gear.. Do you:
a) shift down then slow down
b) apply brakes with clutch in (while shifting down to 2nd)
c) apply brakes and shift down one gear at a time

I usually go with c. That way it's smooth, and if I need power I'm already in 2nd.. Is this the correct method?

Cheers guys.
Appreciate it

 

[roobars]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

At night is the same, people will see you more as well because of headlights. Just need to be more concious about the road surface because of the visibility with that.

I had a shad backpack, it has a laptop/book section and heaps of pockets, and ipod feeder hole for the helmet... the list goes on. I bought this one because it is a hard aerodynamic exterior and has chest and waist "seat belts" so the wind won't take it off

 

[dayeve]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

Practice practice practice dude. Ever hear the expression, "its like riding a bike"

Backpack isnt an exact thing either. Dont do anything you dont feel comfortable with. I have ridden home from the shops with a bottle of milk down my jacket and a shopping bags around my wrists.

 

[alex92]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

hmm makes sense about being seen. I guess a bike at night is just as visible as a car. So you think if I've got decent headlights I should be fine at night?

 

[Worm]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

What ever backpack it is, make sure you zip it up so the zips are to the side and NOT in the middle. I lost a whole backpack full of new clothes on the freeway because it opened up.

 

[Drew]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

@Worm, Awesome Ghille Suit man

@Alex, are you just starting to feel confident on the bike etc? If so, you can save yourself some time pain and money now by starting to get paranoid about everyone and everything around you again, the first time you start feeling really confident is usually when the first accident occurs... I know, I've been there and so have a lot of other people... I'm not picking, its just an observation

As for riding at night, changing lane position is a good idea, just moving around a bit, because people see one lightsource they expect that its a car a long way away or with only one headlight, if you move around in your lane a bit (not weaving or anything, just wandering) then people have a bit of a WTF moment because you're not where they expect etc, which keeps you a bit safer... Apart from that theres no real difference to day riding.

With the backpack thing, I've bought about half of Kriegas catalogue and I'd recommend them over any other backpack that I've used or seen, I've had my R35 out in an absolute downpour before and not a drop of water has gotten inside, the dry packs are actually submersible in water because they've got a roll top and the general construction and straps are pretty much indistructable.

One word of warning though is that if you're thinking about an R35 then make sure you're tall, I'm 185cm tall and the R35 -just- touches the back of my helmet when I'm on the 1098.

 

[banana.logic]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

I rode home with two tyres around my waist once and I frequently get heaps of shopping in a backpack and I stuff a lot of different things down the front of my jacket, just start small and gain confidence. that doesn't sound sus at all :S

riding at night is fine, just keep as alert as you should always be while riding a motorbike

 

[viper33]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

riding at night isnt really that different from day
just keep your eyes on the road and mirrors and i think you should be fine

only problems would be either riding with a tinted visor or getting blinded by some idiots high beam from the opposite direction

 

[dayeve]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

Make life easier and dont wear a tinted vizor.

 

[alex92]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

cheers viper. That raises another question of mine.. How do I properly adjust my mirrors?

I adjusted them to what I think seems best. I cant really see behind me all that well, unless I ride on the left wheel track and look in my right mirror, or ride in right wheel track and look in left mirror. If I look at my mirrors while in the middle wheel track, my (massive) arms are in the way

I haven't even been on a 2-laned road yet so can't really tell if I can see what's beside me yet..

Also, can you guys tell me which wheel track I should be riding on when riding in:
1) left lane of 2 laned road (I'm guessing middle or left?)
2) right lane of laned road (I'm guessing middle.. don't want to go too close to oncoming traffic)
3) single laned road (middle?)

Lastly, say you're 100 metres away from an intersection and you're turning left and you want to go down to 2nd gear.. Do you:
a) shift down then slow down
b) apply brakes with clutch in (while shifting down to 2nd)
c) apply brakes and shift down one gear at a time

I usually go with c. That way it's smooth, and if I need power I'm already in 2nd.. Is this the correct method?

Thanks alot

 

[Blim]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

Riding at night for the first time is always different on bike or car. It's like going to somewhere that you haven't been to before so be more cautious then normal.

If you're riding with a backpack then don't put too much in it, just light stuff. Really depends on how long and what your options are but it's best to put any extra weight on the pillion seat.

I carry a laptop to work so to avoid breaking my back and so i can move around on the bike freely I strap my laptop back to my pillion seat.

 

[snake952]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

iv basically only ever ridden at night, usually after 11pm, to me its great because there is no one on the road. But it can be a bit boring after a while. having no traffic to worry about is nice . just make sure your bright and visible.

 

[CBR_RR]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

Have you thought about a tank bag?

i carry a ~5kg backpack twice a day and i find its fine if the back of the bag is smooth (nothing poking you in the pack) and its done right up high on your back and tightened.

 

[alex92]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

cheers viper. That raises another question of mine.. How do I properly adjust my mirrors?

I adjusted them to what I think seems best. I cant really see behind me all that well, unless I ride on the left wheel track and look in my right mirror, or ride in right wheel track and look in left mirror. If I look at my mirrors while in the middle wheel track, my (massive) arms are in the way

I haven't even been on a 2-laned road yet so can't really tell if I can see what's beside me yet..

Also, can you guys tell me which wheel track I should be riding on when riding in:
1) left lane of 2 laned road (I'm guessing middle or left?)
2) right lane of laned road (I'm guessing middle.. don't want to go too close to oncoming traffic)
3) single laned road (middle?)

Lastly, say you're 100 metres away from an intersection and you're turning left and you want to go down to 2nd gear.. Do you:
a) shift down then slow down
b) apply brakes with clutch in (while shifting down to 2nd)
c) apply brakes and shift down one gear at a time

I usually go with c. That way it's smooth, and if I need power I'm already in 2nd.. Is this the correct method?

Thanks alot

thought I might just quote this post since it's at the bottom of page 1 so most people will probably miss it

 

[mewnz]

Mirrors: Unless the cibblet has decent ones, you will have to get use to chicken winging it to see behind you.

Position: Depends on the situation. Car next to me on the right? I'll use the left hand side of the lane. Cars either side of me? I'll use the middle and get out of that situation. You are trying to maximise space between you and deadshits.

Slowing down: I brake / shift down at the same time. One or two fingers on the brake, blip throttle when downshifting.

 

[viper33]

well you just move the mirrors
the only way to find out if they're proper is by riding it
generally you should be able to see just a bit of your arm and cars behind you and in the next lane in your mirrors without having to adjust yourself (also remember the head checks when changing lanes)

i dont really plan where im gonna be in a lane, but its a good idea to stay in the rhs or centre if your in the left lane(to avoid someone opening a door in your face from a parked car) and the left hand side or centre if your in the right(to avoid the odd chance of crashing into some dumbass on the opposite side going a bit over the line at an intersection)
also apparently the centre of a lane is a bit more slippery during wet weather
personally i've been riding on probably the worst tyres ever(arrowSTAX) with barely any tread and i didnt feel any difference

but dont think about this stuff too much
its not important, the important thing is to keep your eyes on the road and mirrors and stay a safe distance behind the car in front of you
as long as you dont ride like a retard it wont matter what part of the lane your in

for a turn id generally slow down and downshift till im at the right speed for the turn
you should shift down while slowing down

but say if your in 5th gear and you wanna come to a complete stop, best way is to pull the clutch in, slowly start easing the throttle and start downshifting gears without letting the clutch go, using the rear brake to slow you down till your slow enough to use the front brake to bring to a complete stop
remember to slowly apply pressure to the rear brake and not just stomp on it

 

[Big Al]

RE: Your Opinion on Riding at Night? Also, what bag?

I adjust my mirrors everytime I ride. I tuck my arm in and make sure I can see the road behind me through both mirrors.

Try not to get attached to one lane or wheel track when you're riding, remember you're on a bike and can move around freely. It all depends on what's infront and around you. If there's nothing coming the other way, then ride up the middle of the road. If cars appear then move towards the other side. It's all about assessing the danger and giving yourself the most room.

Slowing down for a corner it's best to brake and downshift one gear at a time, otherwise you risk a big compression lock. Blipping the throttle is a good idea on downshifts.

 

[dayeve]

WTF!? whats with the edit of your first post and topic name change?!

 

[alex92]

WTF!? whats with the edit of your first post and topic name change?!

lol sorry I got my answer and then had another question. And I didn't want to spam the forum so just changed my existing thread name. I think it went quite well..

What do you guys mean by 'blipping' the throttle?

Do you guys ever brake while turning? Say you brake too late for a turn, is it OK to turn while having a little bit of rear brake on? (I've never done it, just wondering if it can be done without dying)

Another trivial question.. Do you guys always cruise around in 6th? Like in a car, I always cruise in the top gear because it's smoother and revs less = more fuel efficient.. Although cruising at 60 or 80 would also be smooth in 5th..

So what gear do you guys use when cruising?

 

[mewnz]

Blipping is giving a bit of throttle to raise the revs when you've pulled the clutch in to downshift. Someone more experienced than me can explain the why, but it helps match revs with gears and smooths out the process or something.

Braking while turning I try to avoid, although if I'm put on the spot I'll use the rear a LITTLE BIT. You are generally better served by sacking up and leaning into the turn harder.

On the motorway I'll be in 6th on the thou, on the 250 (vtr) I was in 5th because I had to be. If I'm not on the motorway I'm a gear suitable for the speed I'm doing.