First upgrade...thoughts and turning problems

[ChrisNY716]

Hello all. .names Chris ... well i havnt posted here before but i
read these forums EVERYDAY.. and now that i have my new
babii i' ll be posting all the time ...

well, i officially upgraded for
the first time.. its a 2000 GSX Katana 750 ... im
upgrading from a naked '93 Suzuki GS 500 e ...rode it all last
season , drove to PA and back a few times from Buffalo ,
NY ... man lemme tell you. .i had that bike down to a science

I'm 6 '1 245 lbs and i could do anything with that bike ..ive ben riding this one in cold weather for about a week now. .this is a WHOLE different beast .. first off, the take off power is rediculous .. .and this bike is sooo much heavier ..( i like the weight tho , it will be
good for my long trips i take) ...

my main thing tho , is that ive never rode a bike with fairings . ..im used to the whole front turning when i turn the bike, so when just the handlebars turn and not the front of the bike it feels VERY weird for me ..im used
to seeing the nose turn with me to kno that im turning
correctly .. not to mention i get scared when turning because it
seems like the bike is gonna keep going straight because of
how this looks .. .

this bike is pretty much like learning to ride all
over again..and i plan on keeping it for some years..i guess the turning is something i will get used to,
but right now im having a very hard time getting used to the
front of the bike staying straight and not bein able to see the wheel turn. .anyone ever have this same
problem and know how to overcome it besides for time?

[Kreylyn]

Hello all. .names Chris ... well i havnt posted here before but i
read these forums EVERYDAY.. and now that i have my new
babii i' ll be posting all the time ...

well, i officially upgraded for
the first time.. its a 2000 GSX Katana 750 ... im
upgrading from a naked '93 Suzuki GS 500 e ...rode it all last
season , drove to PA and back a few times from Buffalo ,
NY ... man lemme tell you. .i had that bike down to a science

I'm 6 '1 245 lbs and i could do anything with that bike ..ive ben riding this one in cold weather for about a week now. .this is a WHOLE different beast .. first off, the take off power is rediculous .. .and this bike is sooo much heavier ..( i like the weight tho , it will be
good for my long trips i take) ...

my main thing tho , is that ive never rode a bike with fairings . ..im used to the whole front turning when i turn the bike, so when just the handlebars turn and not the front of the bike it feels VERY weird for me ..im used
to seeing the nose turn with me to kno that im turning
correctly .. not to mention i get scared when turning because it
seems like the bike is gonna keep going straight because of
how this looks .. .

this bike is pretty much like learning to ride all
over again..and i plan on keeping it for some years..i guess the turning is something i will get used to,
but right now im having a very hard time getting used to the
front of the bike staying straight and not bein able to see the wheel turn. .anyone ever have this same
problem and know how to overcome it besides for time?

Yep... New riders tend to focus just infront of the tire, with the wheel/bars/headlights on the bike in clear and obvious view.

What you should be doing is... looking well past the front of your bike, over the windshield, down the road, scanning ahead and always looking through the turns your making.

Most times when I'm riding, I can't see the front end of the bike without making a concerted effort to look down...

Krey

[rob845]

yup, turn your head and focus on where you are wanting to go. Turning technique is something that people spend YEARS learning...

head up, eyes up!

[jeremy]

I had the same problem when I started riding but now I dont even think about it.

[ChrisNY716]

yea i just came in from riding for about an hour...its gettin a little bit easier to just focus on the road and not look at the front of my bike...expressway riding is easy (and i love it ALOT more with the added weight and fairings..i feel so much more stable..not to mention a tighter helmet on this bike)...but i mainly ride city with a lot of one ways and turns, so thats the part i really gota get used to...but overall, i really like this bike alot, and i love the look..i dont se myself getting rid of it anytime soon..I'm not a track or race person, just like to ride casually and take some highway trips..and considering I'll prolly never go more than 90 mph i think this is the perfect amount of power...

[kat_kitten]

hahaha, going from a nekkid to a post katana is quite the change- just feels so much bigger, eh?
keep at it, and keep trying to look further and further ahead of you and you'll be so much more confident with her.

Have fun!

[KAT TOY]

welcome. miles=confidence. ride safe.

[ChrisNY716]

yea it feels wayyy bigger...lol 6'1 and 250 pounds i was throwin my lil naked 500 around evrywhr..lol this big girl ehhhh, not too much pushin her around anywhere lol..and yea, its still awhile before it actually gets warm here in upstate NY so im just getting some practice in...but its sooo COLD, i think thats a factor in my handling as well, i gota b warm to maneuver better..not too used to cold weather riding..and definitly dont have the right gear for it either..thanx for the advice, ill b continuing to let u guys kno of my progress..or any type of fall i have (knock on wood)

[foxox]

When I took the MSF class, the instructors were /constantly/ yelling at me to stop looking down lol... I got over it after a few hours on that training bike. It took until I was confident in how the bike handled.

When I got my Kat later, I had the same instinct but like you say there isn't much to see when you look down... no turning wheel, so I actually found it easier to avoid the instinct to look down.

Try imagining an angry old riding instructor guy yelling at you when you look down :P

[ChrisNY716]

lol yea i feel u..i think its because one time riding a bicycle i had this thing happen where i was goin real fast, and when i turned the handlebars to turn the wheel stayed strait and i crashed into a car, so i guess thats y i always look at the wheel..but like yall said, its a habit that i pretty much gota get over, cuz its not like i can see anything even if i am constantly looking down

[JayBell]

the more you get used to the bike, the more you'll realize that the bike goes where you look. look where you WANT to be, and you'll naturally make those adjustments.

this also means... DO NOT TARGET FIXATE. if you look directly AT a pothole or road debris, or the crap off the road... you'll head right for it, constantly move the target to the other side of the corner, or the side of the pothole, etc...

its practice and seat time that will help.

i'm 6'4" and 215... I started street bike riding on my 01 750 in 08... it doesn't take long to learn

[hardlydangerous]

I agree you should be looking way ahead of where you are riding and looking where you want the bike to go not looking at the bike or the road in front of the bike.
dont look at stuff you could hit because you will hit it. Its a talent anyone can adapt but hard to practice looking at where you want to go and not where the bike is aimed lol.

as far as upgrades, first would be tires, front springs/fluid and a slip on pipe.

[STULER]

hahaha had to laugh when i read this. my dad has a vtx 1800. my grandpa has a new goldwing. when my gpa asked my dad to take the goldwing for a spin my dad hopped on and almost dropped the bike in the first corner for the same reason!! hes like the front end doesnt move with the bike. lol hilarious watching my gpa freak as his new $25k goldwing almost got dropped

[ChrisNY716]

lol ^^...well after riding for a couple days and not looking down at all i pretty much got the hang of it now..guess it was just a mind thing...but its all good now..happy riding!

[foxox]

lol ^^...well after riding for a couple days and not looking down at all i pretty much got the hang of it now..guess it was just a mind thing...but its all good now..happy riding!

happy riding dood