Pedro...if my comments offended you, I'm sorry. A lot of the comments were due to thinking you were messing with us...that is obviously not the case. Most of the active members here have a lot of miles in the saddle, and are very much aware of the dangers involved with riding a bike, so have a very real concern for both your safety and that of others you may be around. A bike is like a computer...it only does what you tell it to do. Take Ironhorse up on his offer to work with you...he's an expert that we could all learn a thing or two from. He uses some larger bikes for his classes, and they are set up for his training. In addition, read some books about how to ride, Google some things on the internet about how to ride and motorcycle safety. Learn about countersteering, slow speed manuvering, and proper braking techniques. Don't be intimidated by the bike...respect it, but don't fear it. Fear other people on the road, especially cars/trucks. In order to ride safely, the operation of the bike has to become second nature. The only way for that to happen is by practicing. Go to an auto parts store and get you some automotive heater hose with an interior diameter of 1 inch or more...split it lenthwise and ductape it onto your crash bars so that if the bike falls over, nothing serious will be damaged. Remove the windshield and saddlebags. Find a high school or elementary school near your home that has a parking lot about the size of a football field or larger, get some tennis balls and cut them in half. Put the tennis balls on the pavement in some kind of way where you have a "course" to manuever. Get out there on a Saturday or Sunday and PRACTICE. Learn how to apply the brakes...use the rear at first, then add the front to see the difference in stopping power, and how using both at the same time decreases the stopping distance. Get the bike over 20mph and see what the effects of countersteering are...it is the ONLYway to effectively steer a motorcycle at speed. Slow down to under 15mph and start out by making some wide turns, decreasing the radius as you become more comfortable. Take some runs down the length of the parking lots at speed and apply the brakes as if you were having to do a panic stop. Repeat. Get a feel for smoothly applying throttle to control low speed manuevers, using the rear brake at the same time, and feathering the clutch to keep the motor RPM's up. Visually inspect your tires, and check the air pressure at LEAST once a month, if not more. Make sure the brakes have a firm feel to them before putting the bike in gear for a ride. Check your lights every chance you get before throwing a leg over.
If you do these things, and take Ironhorse up on his offer to help you, in a month's time you'll be controlling the bike instead of it controlling you. Meanwhile, don't be intimidated by either the bike or by us. There's a lot of help available here, so take advantage of it.
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Topic: Road King too big (Read 16147 times)