• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Good beginner drills?

I typically stop one foot down. Not necessarily the left, tho. Depends on the road shape and what's on it at that given moment. Helps to be able to stop one foot down in case you're not particularly tall and want to ride an enduro of some sort.
 
tzrider said:
I don't see much value in walking a bike, other than to learn how to move it around the garage. There is a possible downside: If the bike leans too far away, some riders may not be able to stop it from falling over.


...
Click to expand...

Perhaps it is an exercise for shorter riders? I can tell a lot about a bike by pushing it around. Not in a straight line but by turning it around, finding where the weight falls with respect to your body. Learning its turning radius etc

I can't touch the ground on anything so this helps me get a feel for it before I swing a leg over.
 
ThumperX said:
Perhaps it is an exercise for shorter riders? I can tell a lot about a bike by pushing it around. Not in a straight line but by turning it around, finding where the weight falls with respect to your body. Learning its turning radius etc

I can't touch the ground on anything so this helps me get a feel for it before I swing a leg over.
Click to expand...
As a 5'5" guy, I say you're spot-on with this assessment. :thumbup
 
Vagabond Vivant said:
I'm actually taking my bike down to L.A. this weekend. :D
Click to expand...
Speaking of beginner drills, there's no quicker education in handling strong winds than going down 395 into Nevada, ahtellyuhwhut.

So I made it to LA (and back!) in one piece. No drops, no accidents, no incidents. I was hoping to come back up the coast but the impending rains convinced me to cut my return short and just take 101 (which, FYI, is a piece of shit Northbound through San Jose; I was convinced one of the many holes in the highway was gonna wipe me out).

It was a great way to learn so much both about myself as a rider and my bike itself. For example I learned both my tank's exact range and how much I absolutely love my petcock. :D Not to mention how much it taught me about my own range and what are comfortable, tolerable, and maximum amounts of time I can spend riding in day (3, 5, and 7 hours, respectively). There's so much I learned from that one week of riding than I ever thought possible.

All in all an amazing experience. A++ Would ride again.
 
Vagabond Vivant said:
Speaking of beginner drills, there's no quicker education in handling strong winds than going down 395 into Nevada, ahtellyuhwhut.

So I made it to LA (and back!) in one piece. No drops, no accidents, no incidents. I was hoping to come back up the coast but the impending rains convinced me to cut my return short and just take 101 (which, FYI, is a piece of shit Northbound through San Jose; I was convinced one of the many holes in the highway was gonna wipe me out).

It was a great way to learn so much both about myself as a rider and my bike itself. For example I learned both my tank's exact range and how much I absolutely love my petcock. :D Not to mention how much it taught me about my own range and what are comfortable, tolerable, and maximum amounts of time I can spend riding in day (3, 5, and 7 hours, respectively). There's so much I learned from that one week of riding than I ever thought possible.

All in all an amazing experience. A++ Would ride again.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you had a great experience. I learned about how my bike's range on a tank of gas is affected by a head on wind in that same section of road you described. On a big faired bike like mine, a strong headwind can take 5-10mpg off easily.

Once the weather clears up, I do plan on doing a parking lot day. I'll PM those interested so we can coordinate.
 
MysterYvil said:
Dirt or gravel areas are also good for streetbike practice. Just in case it involuntarily happens.

Saved my butt a couple of times, being (somewhat) comfortable taking my street ride onto loose surfaces.

Plus, if you happen upon non-optimal roads you don't have to turn around. Samantha and I safely got our streetbikes up and down a very rutted, muddy, and gravelly road with a steep grade, much to the surprise of some locals.

Motos can do amazing things!
Click to expand...

:thumbup
 
Vagabond Vivant said:
Speaking of beginner drills, there's no quicker education in handling strong winds than going down 395 into Nevada, ahtellyuhwhut.
Click to expand...

I rode from LA to PHill back in the middle of February. Also ended up on 101 instead of 1 to avoid rain into Monterey.

Harris road off of 101 connecting to 68 was absolutely terrifying with the wind down the valley. Bike's lean angle sensor was a pretty solid 25-30 degrees of lean interrupted by absolutely terrifying bouts of the wind being blocked by oncoming trucks and then slammed in the side again by the wind after they passed. UPS trucks are the worst, holy moly.
 
Since this idea kind of petered out without resolution, how many people would be interested in doing a monthly parking lot drill session?

How about the first Sunday of each month? (I'd prefer Friday, but I my schedule is weird.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top