New Biker needs your Tips

Hiya,

I've been riding a Honda CBF125 for 14 months, and I would really appreciate it if any of you could give me any tips at all for motorbike riding, I keep seeming to find out things the hard way.

cheers

Find somewhere quiet like a nice empty carpark on a sunday morning and practice braking as hard as you can. Start slowly and build up so that you can brake hard from about 50-60mph. Apply the brake progressively. Do it as many times as you can until it becomes instinctive. It might save your skin one day. Avoid gravel/drain covers/ puddles etc. while you do this, mind.

Also while you are there - just muck about on your bike like you did on your push bike as a kid. The longer you spend in the saddle the more you will learn.

Thanks ripsaw II  that's the sort of tip I need.  I found out about wet drain covers early on....

Stay away from other road users, that gap in the traffic may seem inviting, but you can bet that the frustrated car drivers will not count on a filtering motorcycle being next to them when they decide to change lane last minute. Keep your distance from the car in front, if they break suddenly and firmly that gap between you will close pretty damn fast - unless of course you have perfected the skills suggested by ripsawII above! Finally ensure you do the lifesavers, there has been a few occassions where I have gone to change lane on the motorway only to findout a car is in my blindspot thanks to a last minute lifesaver. But to echo ripsawII, just spend as much time in the saddle as possible. And respect for starting this thread.

Cheers lukesbikeblog,  I do give loads of room to the cars in front, it's just a pity cars don't do the same for me from behind  Ooeerr missus.

stay off white lines in the wet and man hole covers

70% front brake 30% rear in the dry - 50%-50% in the wet

dont brake when going round corners,do your braking before a bend.

dont sit up the arse of cars they brake and you go over the top.

stay in the middle of your lane not near the curb and expect every one to be an idiot b'cos most are and car drivers are'nt thinking about you they are texting, fidling with the radio, telling the kids to shut up, so they dont consentrate 

A couple of top tips i was given,

Try and make eye contact with car drivers turning onto your road, and a police biker once said to me every accident is the bikers fault, when you have them and you will have them learn from them, always ask what could i have done differently?

I have ridden this one for 2 years and it is good for speed but except only one thing is the sound when drive it inside the small town in late night. Police will make eye on it

thanks guys, the ony conflicting thing is riding in the middle of the road is where most oil is dripping out of cars etc. and I've also been told to ride close to the white lines to avoid every man and his dog trying to overtake me ?

Don't scuttle down the gutter, you have as much right as any other tax-payer to occupy the tarmac. Make them overtake you properly, otherwise you'll be forced itno the hedge. The centre of your lane is just fine.

You won't find the oily strip in the middle is a problem until it gets wet, at which point adjust your position either side. Don't forget to maintain your line around corners, otherwise you'll be crossing the greasy strip whilst banked over which you'll want to avoid.

Ride with confidence, try to maintain the same speed as the rest of the traffic.

I'm just in the process of booking my CBT now, been toying with it for a while but it gets to the point where it is just a case of 'what the hell'. Can I say thanks to you for starting this thread, these are all the kind of questions I've been thinking about. You say you ride a CBF125, i've been looking at the CBR,  but whats it like to ride? Does it sound like a cat being strangled?