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Mundane
'00 GS500e

Date Joined Aug 2005
Total Posts : 87

Posted 11/19/2005 2:33 PM (GMT -8)

I bought a GS500e six days ago. Since then, it's been sitting in the garage. Partly because I still haven't received my license (or the card that's going to let me receive it), party because I was intimidated.

Mostly because I was intimidated.

I realized this isn't your MSF bike when I had to push it from the driveway into the garage. It was a task.

I finally got the nerve to sit on it yesterday. "It's okay," I told myself. "It's yours. You own it. You can sit on it if you'd like." And so I did. And turned on the lights and played with the signals and made "Vroom" sounds. I hear this isn't unusual and I'm not totally insane.

This morning, it was decided. I'd try it out. "But you don't have your license yet." Yes, I know, but there's a parking lot right across the street. "But you don't-". Shut up! I'm going.

I get all dressed up (new helmet, new gloves, old jacket [note to self - buy a jacket already!]).

And I push it to the curve, trying desperately not to dump it. And I don't! Well-done.

So...engine cut off switch off. Kickstand up. Handlebars foreward. And start!

And start!

Why isn't it starting?!

Aah...choke. Thought I'd pushed that in. Apparently not.

And start!

Ooh...it is loud.

And it's warming, and it's warming, and I'm sitting here. Feeling foolish. I know! I'll play with the friction zone! Whee! Look at me. Back on the heels, forward with the clutch.

And let's go. Are you sure? Yes, let's.

Aaah! Curb!

Recover. Go forward. Stop sign. Uh-oh. I want to turn left here, but there's a car at my left waving me through. No! I don't want to go- alright, we're going straight.

Busier street. No stop for the cars on my left. Look at gently ease it- stall.

Thank goodness no cars are coming.

Alright, no more turns. I'll just go straight.

"But you're headed away from your practice parking lot!"

Fine. I'll just turn here.

So...signal. Alright. Easy, easy...wait! WhatGearAmIin?! EaseOffTheThrottle! WatchOutForThatCur-

*dump*

Look at me. I'm lying on the curb with a motorcycle on top of my leg. Isn't this fun?

This is when someone sees the unfortunate girl with the motorcycle on her leg and runs out to help.

But no one's coming.

Fine.

Well, it's definitely heavy. Motorcycle off of leg. Step one. Alright, well done.

Motorcycle upright. And push. And...nothing. Alright. This is definitely heavy.

Let's take a breath, get situation. One hand there, other hand there. And - heave!

Yay! Rubber side down! Do I smell gas? Is that gas on the sidewalk? Uhm...I wonder how bad, exactly, this is. Oh well.

Not let's try that again.

And- stall. And- stall. And- stall. ARG! And- wait. What gear am I in? Second? Heh...

And drive off! Yay! Lookee me! I'm motorcyclin'. Not so many cars on this road. Doing much better. Oh no, there's a car stopped on my right. No, don't wave me through! Grr...and- stall.

What fun I'm having.

Yay! Parking lot ahead! And I have a green light, so I don't even have to stop.

And this is where the fun begins. First, second, Third, FOURTH! Wheeeeeeeeee!

Cornering, stopping, starting again, stalling, starting again, going over speed bumps, stalling some more, changing gears, weaving a bit (intentionally), stalling again, cramping my clutch hand, making u-turns, not getting pulled over by any lot-ranging police men.

Time to go.

Don't have the green light this time. Dang. Ooh - here it is. And- stall.

Dang.

Pull in to the drive way back home (yes! I actually pulled into the driveway and don't have to try to push it up!).

Walk into the garage. Park.

Hmm...my ankle kind of hurts. And my back. I should try to avoid landing on those in the future. And having a 400 lb motorcycle land on top of them.

Did I mention I stalled about 30 times? Other than that, I think I made some marked improvements in my half-hour of disturbing the peace.

Not quite as romantic as I envisioned my first ride being.

Newbometer - 5 miles...

Patty D.
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2005
Total Posts : 58

Posted 11/19/2005 3:19 PM (GMT -8)

Hi Mundane,

Gee, we have something in common - we both took our new bikes out to parking lots to practice today :-)

I took the WSF beginner's course about a month ago. I aced the written, but narrowly missed passing the skills test. If that darn little orange cone had been a half inch further right, I wouldn't have nudged it and had 10 points shaved off my score, causing my flunking grade. <sigh> Boy, did that shake my confidence! Sooo, my bike's been in the garage until I decided yesterday that today I would ride my bike, shaken confidence or not. I slept fitfully last night, thinking about all the things that could go wrong.

All in all, my ride went pretty well. Goodness, I actually put almost 10 miles on my bike in a Park and Ride parking lot. <grin> Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be good, for Seattle weather, anyway. Foggy, cool, but no rain. If that turns out to be the case (I'm skeptical about weather forecasts in this neck of the woods!), I'll go back to the parking lot and do at least another 10 miles. The parking lot was FULL of cars today because of the big "Apple Cup" football game, but hopefully, tomorrow it will be almost empty and I can try doing tighter turns, and swerves, and that kind of thing. If I were a bit more confident, I'd ride to the nearest DMV and practice on their motorcycle range, which has painted markings on it for when folks take the motorcycle riding skills test there. But, that's about 5 miles from my house, and I'd have to ride on busy streets to get there, so I don't think I'll have the confidence to ride there. Little, by little, though....

Take care, ride safely, and remember that you're not the only semi-terrified newbie trying to stay upright on two wheels!

Patty (who's 57 years old and is either going through mid-life crisis or temporary insanity!)

Mundane
'00 GS500e

Date Joined Aug 2005
Total Posts : 87

Posted 11/19/2005 3:27 PM (GMT -8)

Hahaha! Perhaps the insanity isn't temporary.

Yeah, I've had a few of those fitful nights. Glad to hear I'm not the only parking lot newbie out there right now.

Everyone on the road makes it look like it's so easy.

Hopefully I'll get there sometime soon...

lionlady
-----Mistress of Novices. -Total miles: 67,000+

Date Joined Sep 2003
Total Posts : 2853

Posted 11/19/2005 3:34 PM (GMT -8)

Ooh! Thanks so much for sharing!! I so remember that whole first ride thing. What a thrill! I also remember needing a NAP!

P

2004 BMW R1150R Rockster, Limited Edition #196

Law Dawg
Penitent rider.

Date Joined Oct 2004
Total Posts : 1576

Posted 11/19/2005 3:54 PM (GMT -8)

Better than...well, better than...nevermind. Stay to the parking lot for a bit longer until you get more familiar with the controls. Muscle memory is what you are after so you don't have to think as much when cars, stop signs, stop lights, corners,etc get in the way Then venture out into traffic, caution.

BTW brave first step and you came home intact. Good on ya!

BMW R1150GS

Always be kind and courteous to everyone you meet and...have a plan to kill them just in case.

CajunBass
Registered Member

Date Joined Sep 2005
Total Posts : 275

Posted 11/19/2005 3:55 PM (GMT -8)

Thanks for the story Mundane. I'm not far ahead of you, but it did bring back memories.

A tip for you and Patty, I wanted to practice on the DMV lot, but like you I was afraid to ride that far without my license. What I did was went by the DMV office, took a notebook and a tape measure and measured everything and made drawings and notes. (It's easier if you have two people.) Then I went to a parking lot and marked the course out with sidewalk chalk, and crushed coke cans. (The chalk marks helps if you hit a can and move it.) I must have put 200 miles on my Majesty around that course before I went and tried for my license.

One other thing. If you're going to take the DMV test, find out what you have to do and practice that. When I started all I knew was that they used "cones." I had this mental image of an orange cone two feet tall like you'd see along the side of the road. I practiced with those things and never really could get it right. Turns out DMV here uses a cone that's about 2" square, and 1" tall. A big difference. (A crushed soda can is just about the right size.)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 (NKJV)

jsanford
'07 BMW F800ST, '08 M695, '04 Moto Guzzi Breva...

Date Joined Feb 2005
Total Posts : 2317

Posted 11/19/2005 5:35 PM (GMT -8)

Tennis balls cut in half make good practice cones.

Also, I think there's a skills guide in *.pdf form at the MSF website. If not, the booklet is sold there for about $5. I think they're RSS drills; they're a little different than the MSF drills, but cover the same skills. Practicing them is good for getting to know your bigger bike.

Is the bike okay? Check the handlebar; I bent mine when I dropped it.

Newbodometer: 1593 miles

Post Edited (jsanford) : 11/20/2005 2:19:33 AM GMT

Smitty
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2003
Total Posts : 18717

Posted 11/19/2005 5:47 PM (GMT -8)

You have no idea how time can erase things. Like I cannot every recall my early days of riding bar a few like my first attempt to learn & teach myself, to getting into m/c competition two yrs later & wondering how all these chaps could slide around the flat track with such accuracy & skill. Oh yes around the next yr when I poughed ito a cage & it was, according the the police 6 of one & half dozen of the other only he had a witness being his wife.

How strange that I canno recall all the small frights of stop signs, other cages on the road, stalling (though that is still common these days) though not at the start yet it obviously happened. Though the bike & self going down was so common in self-learning & the fact that I was riding a sick old Harley hand shift with foot clutch in the bush those learning MONTHS my obviouse reason for automatically going into dirt comp---I was almost born into it.

Remember all the others on the road are crazy & out to kill you.

jon
Registered Member

Date Joined Aug 2004
Total Posts : 4675

Posted 11/19/2005 6:59 PM (GMT -8)

Mundane said...
I bought a GS500e six days ago. Since then, it's been sitting in the garage. Partly because I still haven't received my license (or the card that's going to let me receive it), party because I was intimidated...

(edited by moderator - duplicate text removed)

...Not quite as romantic as I envisioned my first ride being.

Newbometer - 5 miles...

great story,

just curious, why were you 'imtimidated' of the bike? was the bike too bike?

i don't remember being imtimidated w/ my first bike but i was imtimidated with the traffic so i always asked the more experience riders to ride my bike to and from the practice ground. at the '5 miles' mark, i still remembering working on making a habit of safety checks i.e., signal lights, brake lights, tire pressures, etc., and learning how to ride in straight line only and of course learning how to control the throttle and clutch better so the occasional 'stalled' doesn't happen as much.

thanks for sharing the story.

Post Edited By Moderator (lionlady) : 11/20/2005 11:30:08 PM GMT

greenhorn
Registered Member

Date Joined Sep 2005
Total Posts : 132

Posted 11/19/2005 7:11 PM (GMT -8)

I completely understnad everything you felt. I just started not too long ago with a GS500F and dumped it making a right at a stop sign. and two days later dumped it again on the same stop sign. So the feeling is mutual. I can say that I feel al ot more comfortable with the bike now and even though it's 400 pounds and i'm only at 120. It's fun to mess around. Just play with it until you're comfortable. I was around 50 miles in a quiet neibrohood streets before i ventured out. but best of luck! you might want to consider gstwin.com

a nice gs500 owners website.

GeoffG
Harley Ninja!

Date Joined Jun 2003
Total Posts : 9359

Posted 11/19/2005 10:20 PM (GMT -8)

All right, Mundane, you're having too much fun!

(you too, Patty!)

Congrats on getting out there and doing it! It might seem a bit tough at first, but it's fun, and it'll get even more fun as you go along. I really love trying and learning new sports, there's few things as thrilling as the first time you "get it!"

Mundane
'00 GS500e

Date Joined Aug 2005
Total Posts : 87

Posted 11/20/2005 10:39 AM (GMT -8)

I think I just found it intimidating because it was there...in the garage. And I found how how heavy it was when I pushed it.

But once I got on it, I found it a great fit. It's very comfortable and my feet are firmly on the ground.

Anyway, Day 2:

Getting better. Slightly.

I went to the parking lots again (too bad they'll all be filled during the week), and started out just by doing stop-start. Just trying to get them down smoothly. And...dropped the bike again.

This time there was no curb to help me get it up again. And I couldn't get it back up myself. Just too heavy (guess I'll study that video some more). After a few minutes, some nice folks in a minivan drove by, saw me, and helped me up.

After that, the bike was difficult to start (flooded the engine?).

Got it running again, did some more start-stop practice.

I tried some emergency braking (from second gear). But every time I'd come to a stop, the engine would stall.

Practiced turning, shifting and signalling. Hard signals to move.

Decided to go home when the motorcycle would stall every time I'd come to a complete stop.

Anyone have any idea what I did?

I'd take it to the service place (planning on doing that, anyway), but it's a bit in town and I don't think I'm skilled enough to get there just yet.

Newbometer: 10 Miles, 2 Drops...

jsanford
'07 BMW F800ST, '08 M695, '04 Moto Guzzi Breva...

Date Joined Feb 2005
Total Posts : 2317

Posted 11/20/2005 11:27 AM (GMT -8)

Mundane,

Do you shut off the petcock when you drop the bike? That's important. Practice sitting on it and reaching for it, by feel.

Also, do you pull off the choke after the bike warms up? I fouled the spark plugs in my BMW running the choke too long in early practicing. Now I fire the bike up, and zip up, put in my earplugs, put on my helmet, then my gloves, and then shut off the choke and listen a bit.

Newbodometer: 1593 miles

Law Dawg
Penitent rider.

Date Joined Oct 2004
Total Posts : 1576

Posted 11/20/2005 2:29 PM (GMT -8)

Mundane said...

Decided to go home when the motorcycle would stall every time I'd come to a complete stop.

Anyone have any idea what I did?

Sounds like you forget to use your clutch in time. Try getting the bike down to under 3-5 mph and then pull in the clutch as you use your brakes for coasting to a stop? Run that play again and again until you get it down...muscle memory, missy. You are off to a good start and seem to have a strong stick with it attitude...two thumbs up.

BMW R1150GS

Always be kind and courteous to everyone you meet and...have a plan to kill them just in case.

jon
Registered Member

Date Joined Aug 2004
Total Posts : 4675

Posted 11/20/2005 2:49 PM (GMT -8)

(edited duplicate text)

yep, although small in engine size, the 'weight' of that bike is a disadvantage for smaller newbies. the heavier the bike, the harder it is to balance and manuver in very slow speed.

oh well, what's done is done so just keep on practicing. as far as 'stall' goes, just keep it in first gear and work on balancing the clutch and throttle and do that for as long as it takes until you can take off from first gear cleanly. simulate stop and go traffic in the first gear and stay on the practice ground for as long as it takes. it's pretty similar to learning how to balance the clutch and gas pedals while driving a stick shift auto.

also while practicing how to balance the clutch and the throttle in the first gear, drag your feet a little instead of putting it on the pegs to help you balance the bike and keep it up right better in case you stall. you don't really need to use the brakes in that situation. good luck!

Post Edited By Moderator (lionlady) : 11/20/2005 11:31:36 PM GMT

guitardad
Original Oilhead

Date Joined May 2003
Total Posts : 1740

Posted 11/20/2005 5:41 PM (GMT -8)

Mundane, I'm enjoying your ride stories. You're clearly determined to ride - just keep at it and you'll be amazed how quickly the skills build up.

GeoffG
Harley Ninja!

Date Joined Jun 2003
Total Posts : 9359

Posted 11/20/2005 8:34 PM (GMT -8)

jon said...

also while practicing how to balance the clutch and the throttle in the first gear, drag your feet a little instead of putting it on the pegs to help you balance the bike and keep it up right better in case you stall.

I'll disagree with Jon here--foot dragging is a poor habit to start.

jon
Registered Member

Date Joined Aug 2004
Total Posts : 4675

Posted 11/20/2005 11:12 PM (GMT -8)

GeoffG said...

I'll disagree with Jon here--foot dragging is a poor habit to start.

to each his own but imo,

for a newbie, feet dragging or even walking w/ the bike while just focusing on learning how to balance the clutch and throttle at a very low speed is kind of like training wheels and it does help a newbie from dropping the bike when it stalled while practicing because it takes less time to plant both feet for support when they are hanging down as appose to picking it off the pegs then plant it.

i still drag my feet/foot for the last yard or so when coming to a full stop at traffic lights as appose to leaving it on the pegs until i'm completely stop.

Mundane
'00 GS500e

Date Joined Aug 2005
Total Posts : 87

Posted 11/21/2005 8:30 AM (GMT -8)

I think I'm already developing a bad habit of not using the foot brake. Maybe once I get the balance down, I'll spend some time doing stop-starts using just the foot brake.

Next time I'll take some mutilated tennis balls and a drill book. Probably better to learn using a system than to just improvise.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention - I didn't know how many new muscle groups I'd be discovering! I woke up this morning sore as all get-out. And that's from riding for a combined hour over two days. I think I'll have to add some stretching to the pre-ride routine...

Post Edited (Mundane) : 11/21/2005 4:44:08 PM GMT

GeoffG
Harley Ninja!

Date Joined Jun 2003
Total Posts : 9359

Posted 11/21/2005 8:44 AM (GMT -8)

jon said...
i still drag my feet/foot for the last yard or so when coming to a full stop at traffic lights as appose to leaving it on the pegs until i'm completely stop.

Enough said--it's a poor habit to start, and you admit you still do it, so I'll assume it's a hard habit to break.

Mundane said...
I think I'm already developing a bad habit of not using the foot brake.

The thing is, you should be learning to come to a stop with only the left foot down, and the right foot stays on the rear brake. There are reasons for this: even at slow speeds, you should have both feet on the pegs and the right foot covering the rear brake pedal (the rear brake is very useful during slow speed manoeuvers), and the rear brake should be on when you are sitting stopped. Riding with your feet hanging down is poor technique, and should be avoided--if you need your feet out there as outriggers in case you fall, you need more practice at keeping upright (there's a reason motorcycle tests usually include a slow-ride section).

Johnny Monsoon
'99 Honda Blackbird

Date Joined Mar 2003
Total Posts : 7880

Posted 11/21/2005 9:06 AM (GMT -8)

Mundane, it sounds like you're really dedicated, and for that I applaud you.

My advice, really, is to stop for a little bit. A lot of times it is very easy to get so caught up in the task that you forget the bigger picture. You're focusing on the mechanics of what you're doing instead of just 'doing it'.

Take a couple days and just think about it. Rehearse what you need to do in your head. Go for mental rides. When you get back on the bike you'll be much better.

As for stalling when emergency stopping, this could be just failing to engage the clutch. It could also be that you're tossing the fuel around in the bowls more than the GS likes.

The GS is a light bike. There's ways to pick a bike up that you should be able to do. I forget what the links are, but if you go to Bluepoof's page there's a couple links showing a tiny woman picking up a 600 pound BMW by herself.

Anyway, stay with it but don't try too hard to learn it all at once. You don't have to be perfect, just careful and safe. You didn't get good at riding a bicycle overnight, so you shouldn't expect to be great at riding a motorcycle quickly either.

"Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest places if you look at it right..." Jimmy Buffett

Starting Late
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2005
Total Posts : 152

Posted 11/21/2005 10:37 AM (GMT -8)

Mundane:

Excellent post ... you may be a noobie on the bike ... but obviously you have the writing, and entertainment skills down!

I'm pretty close to the same place in learning as you ... with the (advangate?) of having a tiny 50cc scooter for a month before I took the MSF and bought my bike. What's different, is that I have no parking lots nearby to practice ... so I have to do it on the street! I have only six rides so far (probably 80 miles total) ... on a much lighter bike. I decided to take the ramp up very slow, and start with a 125cc bike first ... and then move up to a larger 650 class as a 2nd bike. So far I'm happy I have ... as my bike only weighs 250lbs, and is very forgiving!

How forgiving?: Well so, far I've yet to dump it even though:

(1) My brain and left foot got a cross signal ... causing me to shift down from 4th to 3rd instead into 5th. That was noisy!

(2) My brain also had trouble communicating with my left hand ... and I shifted up withhout the clutch... surprisingly it didn't grind or anything ... just bumped a bit.

(3) I drove it to my local RC plane field (another hobby) ... to show it off to my buddies ... proceed to get off without putting down the kickstand (caught it in the nick of time ... any heavier, and it would have gone down!) That was a real crowd pleaser.

I enjoy reading your posts, and look forward to more. If you were local maybe we could "ride" together

Cruisimus Prime
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2005
Total Posts : 172

Posted 11/21/2005 12:02 PM (GMT -8)

The whole "feet down" thing was something that we worked with right off the bat in my MSF class. We started off "walking" the bike while playing in the friction zone. The next step was actually riding across the course. The instructors said that what we're looking for is to eventually get to where you can put both feet on the pegs right at take off. It did take some time, but eventually everybody moved from having their "outriggers" down for a few feet to putting their feet up on the pegs right on take-off.
Just something that comes with time and practice...no big deal.
A problem I had at the MSF course was not using my back brake enough! By the time we were done, though, I was able to get that part of the coordination down.
My first "riding" story was riding my bike from the dealership home...about 45 miles. I had my license, but the only experience was at the MSF class. Here I was, on a new 2005 Suzuki M50 starting off on a divided highway, going through a town, then hitting some tight twisties, then some hills and regular corners on the way home. I was a nervous wreck! I stuck to it, concentrated on what was going on and made it home without any problems.
My first "stop light stall" came the following Monday on my way to work. I let the clutch out too quickly when I was starting off, and "beah..." she died. Started it back up and didn't stall it anymore.
Mundane, enjoy your practices and take your time. Motorcycling is a GREAT thing to be invovled with!

jon
Registered Member

Date Joined Aug 2004
Total Posts : 4675

Posted 11/21/2005 12:11 PM (GMT -8)

GeoffG said...

jon said...
i still drag my feet/foot for the last yard or so when coming to a full stop at traffic lights as appose to leaving it on the pegs until i'm completely stop.

Enough said--it's a poor habit to start, and you admit you still do it, so I'll assume it's a hard habit to break.

so i'm guessing you've never pick up your feet off the pegs unless you are completely stop?

it's not a poor habit at all, it's call leg support especially for a newbie that is still working on not letting the bike stall/drop and it's great support for the last couple of feet when a bike is coming to a stop at the lights. now, stop and go like stop signs is okay to keep the feet up on the pegs but we can't expect newbie that hasn't gotten the clutch and throttle balance down to do that yet.

jon
Registered Member

Date Joined Aug 2004
Total Posts : 4675

Posted 11/21/2005 12:16 PM (GMT -8)

Mundane said...
I think I'm already developing a bad habit of not using the foot brake. Maybe once I get the balance down, I'll spend some time doing stop-starts using just the foot brake.

just keep on practicing, you'll get there. patience is the key as a newbie. some of us are not multi-tasker so learning it one step at a time is better than trying to learn everything at once.

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