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Message started by BarneyBWilde on 09/14/10 at 19:40:13

Title: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/14/10 at 19:40:13
I will give you the time line of events maybe yall can tell me where I messed up haha.

Ok I have never ridden a bike till today, so I go to start her up.  

1.I pull the Choke all the way out turn the key and start her up
2.Idles for a couple of minutes then pressed the Choke back in.
3.Stall Out
4. Repeated Steps 1 and 2
5.Stall Out
6. Repeated Steps 1 and 2 till Battery Died.
7.  Hooked up Charger
8. Watched Wrestling With my son
10. Unhooked charger
11.Started Her Up SUCCESS!
12. Slowly Ease her down the drive way
13.SUCCESSFULLY PUT HER INTO GEAR!
14.Rode around neighborhood in 1st
15.Got to stop sign, stalled out happen almost every time I went around the block.

Anyways, I guess it wasn't to bad for my first time.  I am going to have to work on my starting and stopping for sure.  I let of the gas at the stop sign but I failed to put her back into neutral.  I plan on riding around the hood every night till i get it right!  I did get on it a few times and boy does this baby have some pull!  I have never been a driver on a bike so I was totally excited about the experience!

Peace!

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by DrunkenDwarf on 09/14/10 at 20:14:05
If I push the choke in on mine without giving it a little gas, it'll die.

I usually let it warm up for 30-60 seconds with the choke, ride for a mile or so, and then push the choke in while cruising.

You probably don't need to pull the choke all the way out unless it's freezing, try it out one notch.

-Gak Toid

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by verslagen1 on 09/14/10 at 20:20:23
Not unusual to twist the throttle when you push in the choke.
On mine when it's warm, the idle speed picks up quite a bit.
So you might leave it in till either the rpm's pick up or it starts to bog down.

2. turn the idle speed up a little so it's a little more forgiving at stop signs.
she has a natural tendency to drop the rpm's when bringing her to a stop.

3. congrats on making it around the block w/o dropping it or getting run over, stalling it is quite acceptable for someone of your skill level.  wholly recommend the msf basic rider course.

How many miles?
did change the for the 1st time yet?

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by Wake51 on 09/14/10 at 23:40:05
8-)

Watch out for speed bumps in small neighborhood streets! Had a wild time when I first hit one practicing taking off making a left turn.  :D

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by John_D FSO on 09/15/10 at 00:20:58

514255544B4640424916270 wrote:
Not unusual to twist the throttle when you push in the choke.
On mine when it's warm, the idle speed picks up quite a bit.
So you might leave it in till either the rpm's pick up or it starts to bog down.

2. turn the idle speed up a little so it's a little more forgiving at stop signs.
she has a natural tendency to drop the rpm's when bringing her to a stop.

3. congrats on making it around the block w/o dropping it or getting run over, stalling it is quite acceptable for someone of your skill level.  wholly recommend the msf basic rider course.

How many miles?
did change the for the 1st time yet?

What he said... :D
If I needed the choke, I'd usually use the first notch, then let it warm up that way until it started sputtering a little (warmed up!) and push the choke in.

And another recommendation for the MSF class.  The one I took was great! 8-)

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/15/10 at 03:14:50

677463627D7076747F20110 wrote:
Not unusual to twist the throttle when you push in the choke.
On mine when it's warm, the idle speed picks up quite a bit.
So you might leave it in till either the rpm's pick up or it starts to bog down.

2. turn the idle speed up a little so it's a little more forgiving at stop signs.
she has a natural tendency to drop the rpm's when bringing her to a stop.

3. congrats on making it around the block w/o dropping it or getting run over, stalling it is quite acceptable for someone of your skill level.  wholly recommend the msf basic rider course.

How many miles?
did change the for the 1st time yet?

Its an 2003 with almost 17,000 on it.  The PO had it since 70, said it was his only vehicle  for awhile and for a year on a half rode it back and forth from dickinson Texas to hobby area.  He is a member of this board I'm assuming because he referred me to this site.  There is a MSF class coming up at the college I plan on taking.  This site is awesome, full of useful information.  I plan on changing my oil this weekend, he gave me a oil filter.  Any special things I should be aware of?  Looks pretty easy, I have a repair manual that I picked up that seems to be useful.  


Quote:
Watch out for speed bumps in small neighborhood streets! Had a wild time when I first hit one practicing taking off making a left turn.



Thats sucks dude! There are no speed bumps or dips in my neighborhood, I wish they did though to keep all these idiots from flying down the road.  The kids will be outside riding there bicycles and there is always someone speeding through.  

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by Charon on 09/15/10 at 05:56:34
Next thing you need to do is sign up for the Motorcycle Safety Course. Any of your local dealerships ought to have contact information.

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by bill67 on 09/15/10 at 06:05:20
Just be aware after that course you don't know how to ride a motorcycle,You can only learn that by yourself.

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/15/10 at 06:51:52
Definitely going to take the class, if not by the end of this month I will in November.  I think its required to get your M Class anyways where I live.

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by verslagen1 on 09/15/10 at 08:01:05

Quote:
Its an 2003 with almost 17,000 on it.  


One thing to be aware of or it'll bite you hard... cam chain.  Right around 20,000 ± 10,000 miles the cam chain gets enough stretch on it to allow the adjuster to fall apart.  Not a problem if you take care of it before it falls apart, but you'll have the devil to pay if it does.  The cam chain adjuster check procedure is in the tech doc's.

Changing the oil is easy, only thing to watch out for is putting the filter on backwards.  The hole in the filter goes on the spud on the engine.  Put the cover on and hold it up against the case, if you can't push it all the way against the case with one hand, it's on wrong.

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/15/10 at 08:10:11

5F4C5B5A45484E4C4718290 wrote:

Quote:
Its an 2003 with almost 17,000 on it.  


One thing to be aware of or it'll bite you hard... cam chain.  Right around 20,000 ± 10,000 miles the cam chain gets enough stretch on it to allow the adjuster to fall apart.  Not a problem if you take care of it before it falls apart, but you'll have the devil to pay if it does.  The cam chain adjuster check procedure is in the tech doc's.

Changing the oil is easy, only thing to watch out for is putting the filter on backwards.  The hole in the filter goes on the spud on the engine.  Put the cover on and hold it up against the case, if you can't push it all the way against the case with one hand, it's on wrong.


Thanks for the advice!  I will read up on the docs, I plan on trying to maintain her as good as possible just like my trucks! 8-)

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by mornhm - FSO on 09/15/10 at 08:39:01
Congrats on not hurting yourself or anyone else - MCs lose to almost everything else on the road, kids on bicycles lose to everything.

You will learn how to use the "choke." It has more than two settings - the intermediate settings are what you usually need until the engine warms up. MCs vary even with models the same engine (usually warm up is just a minute or two, however if you are just idling around the neighborhood it may be at the long end of that or not warm completely up if the temperature is low.)

You will probably learn that most things in motorcycling have options and people who will argue their point of view ad nauseum. Such as, you don't have to put your MC in neutral at stops, just hold in the clutch. I do this and keep an eye on my rear view mirror, trying to make sure I don't get compacted by someone who doesn't see me. I also make sure I have an escape route if this happens. I've been able to avoid a couple of accidents this way.

One piece of advice, city streets and traffic are really tough places to learn how to ride a MC. Empty parking lots or empty country roads are easier.

Keep the shiny side up :D

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by lukeduck on 09/15/10 at 08:48:12
You done good so far. Take a basic rider course. Pass it and you are qualified to ride at very low speeds in an empty parking lot. Lots of good basic info. Take it easy and don't push yourself too fast. Best of luck.---Luke

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/15/10 at 10:08:35
Yeah, I am going to take her out in the parking lot in front of the hood.  I am going to ride her tonight after the kids get wound down, usually pretty quite in my neck of the woods when the sun goes down.  This helps me from being so nervous thinking everyone is looking at the new guy on the new bike. Lol thanks for the advice dudes!

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by babyhog on 09/15/10 at 10:21:26
Hey Barney, is your bike purple?    ;)

Sorry, just couldn't resist.

Welcome, and enjoy the bike.... carefully.

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by Paladin. on 09/15/10 at 10:52:40
You missed a couple of the mistakes.

First time I started it kept stalling out.  Start engine, shift into first, stall.  Neutral, start, shift into first, stall.  About the fourth or fifth time I picked up the kickstand.

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/15/10 at 10:53:57
Lol, I actully had a 98 Dodge Dakota R/T that was Amethyst which was pretty much purple!  Truck was super fast and super fun!  It was 1 of 52 made in 1998!

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/15/10 at 10:55:42

04353835303D3A540 wrote:
You missed a couple of the mistakes.

First time I started it kept stalling out.  Start engine, shift into first, stall.  Neutral, start, shift into first, stall.  About the fourth or fifth time I picked up the kickstand.


Lol...good stuff

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by kimchris1 on 09/15/10 at 10:59:02
Nice to hear you were not harmed. Practice practice practice as the more you do, the faster you become one with your bike. You will learn alot in the safety course. As you gain experience please remember you still have alot to learn.
Experience comes with many many miles and years of riding. So get started and keep us informed of your achievements. This forum is full of great people with tons of knowledge who are willing to help you with any mechanical problems that may arise. Keep the rubber side down.. :) kim

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/15/10 at 11:56:21

7371757B706A716B29180 wrote:
Nice to hear you were not harmed. Practice practice practice as the more you do, the faster you become one with your bike. You will learn alot in the safety course. As you gain experience please remember you still have alot to learn.
Experience comes with many many miles and years of riding. So get started and keep us informed of your achievements. This forum is full of great people with tons of knowledge who are willing to help you with any mechanical problems that may arise. Keep the rubber side down.. :) kim


Will do!  8-)

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by Jive on 09/15/10 at 17:07:30
I took the course recently, and it is well worth it.  You will learn a lot, and have a good time.  I've put almost 500 miles on my Savage so far, and am having a blast!  Just take your time, and do not try and ride outside your comfort zone.

Jive

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by Boofer on 09/15/10 at 20:13:28
Welcome Barney, I walked up to my bike yesterday, slung my leg over the seat, hung the heel of my boot and rolled my bike off the kickstand by accident. By the time I caught it the stand flipped up and I cracked my Spitfire Shield from top to bottom on the carport post. I never leave my bike sitting in neutral, but it was. We are always supposed to grab the front brake when boarding, but I didn't. Take the course, practice and watch out for traffic. Happy riding.

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by Wake51 on 09/15/10 at 20:26:53
I've got ab out 1,500 miles on my savage and it's been a blast every step of every mile!

It's a LOT of fun to learn to ride if you can pair up with someone else that has some bike and some experience. They can help watch for mistakes you're making and take you on some 'beginner friendly' rides. Don't be afraid of the bike but at the same time always respect it. I'm by no means out of the novice skill level but the key to staying out of harms way is to avoid those situations in the first place. When learning to ride, I avoided rush hour traffic and routes which had notoriously bad intersections, and so forth. Don't forget to THINK while you RIDE. But it seems like you won't have a problem with that.  ;)

I rode my friend's V-Star around a parking lot before I finalized on the fact I wanted to buy a bike. The V-Star is in a similar class as the Savage and in my opinion our bike has a forgiving clutch compared to the late grabbing V-Star. In short, you'll master it with time.  ;) Practicing left turns in a parking lot on take off really helped me get the hang of it!

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/16/10 at 05:12:57

4F79737D2D29180 wrote:
I've got ab out 1,500 miles on my savage and it's been a blast every step of every mile!

It's a LOT of fun to learn to ride if you can pair up with someone else that has some bike and some experience. They can help watch for mistakes you're making and take you on some 'beginner friendly' rides. Don't be afraid of the bike but at the same time always respect it. I'm by no means out of the novice skill level but the key to staying out of harms way is to avoid those situations in the first place. When learning to ride, I avoided rush hour traffic and routes which had notoriously bad intersections, and so forth. Don't forget to THINK while you RIDE. But it seems like you won't have a problem with that.  ;)

I rode my friend's V-Star around a parking lot before I finalized on the fact I wanted to buy a bike. The V-Star is in a similar class as the Savage and in my opinion our bike has a forgiving clutch compared to the late grabbing V-Star. In short, you'll master it with time.  ;) Practicing left turns in a parking lot on take off really helped me get the hang of it!


Thanks for the info!  I got a few people to ride with that have been giving me tips or what not, can't wait to get her on the highway and cruise some back roads!

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/17/10 at 05:25:35
Took her own the highway last night, super fun actually got her in 3rd gear!

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by RTC on 09/18/10 at 21:04:25
you might wanna be a little higher than 3rd on the highway but i guess to each his own

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/18/10 at 23:14:36
I call it a highway, its just the main road that runs through my town.  Top speed is 45 mph.

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by bill67 on 09/19/10 at 05:43:18
At 45 mph I would be in 5th gear

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/19/10 at 09:29:18
lol....im still learning haha

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by Boofer on 09/20/10 at 19:25:18
Barney,
I advised somebody on here to go to Monkey See Monkey Do. Hope it wasn't you. Nothin' worse than us old guys repeatin' ourselves. Click on the automotive thing and then motorcycles. It has several videos that are geared for beginners and us old people who thought we knew everything. (At least I do.) I think there is even one on there for washing your bike correctly. If you don't know it, it's great. If you do, it's entertaining. Ride safely.

Title: Re: I guess not bad for the 1st time
Post by BarneyBWilde on 09/21/10 at 10:06:49

220F0F060512600 wrote:
Barney,
I advised somebody on here to go to Monkey See Monkey Do. Hope it wasn't you. Nothin' worse than us old guys repeatin' ourselves. Click on the automotive thing and then motorcycles. It has several videos that are geared for beginners and us old people who thought we knew everything. (At least I do.) I think there is even one on there for washing your bike correctly. If you don't know it, it's great. If you do, it's entertaining. Ride safely.


Thanks friend!

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