What a difference a year and 10,000 miles makes...

[alanmcorcoran]

...Just got back from a maintenance ride on my GZ down a popular motorcycle road and I thought I'd share some thoughts:

Santiago Canyon is a common destination for weekend riders - it's a moderately curvy, rolling, back-country two-laner and it's packed with (mostly Harley) riders on the weekend mornings. There's no lights or stops for 12 miles and the first stop is Cook's Corner a longtime "biker" bar (it's pretty tame nowadays, but it used to be a little crustier back in the day.)

The first time I rode this was about a month after I got the GZ - it was my first "big boy ride" and I was pretty nervous. I barely managed to crack 50 and I pulled over several times to let impatient cars go by. I'd ridden it a few times after, each time getting a little more confident, but always with a heavy dose of respect for the curves and with a great deal of caution.

Well, things have changed. This time, despite being on a cranky machine, I pretty much let her rip. I rode the whole thing, in both directions with the GZ WTFO the entire time. At no point was I anxious about the curves, or going too fast or should I be leaning more, or pushing the handle bar more or really anything other than, "Can I flog this beast into a couple more mph without blowing the engine?"

I'm writing this not to pat myself on the back (my fellow SoCalGeeZeers can attest to the fact that I'm a pussy when it comes to bombing through the twisties) but as a note to up and coming riders: practically all of my improvement in riding skill came solely from just riding more miles. I didn't have to work on leaning, or pushing or head tracking or anything - just riding. It might also be due to riding a much heavier bike, but I'm not so sure about that.

So, if you are a brand new rider and you are crapping your pants whilst your riding buddies are leaving you in the dust on 50mph corners, just relax. Take your time, go as slow as you feel comfortable and just keep at it. After a year you will miraculously improve and move up to a much greater level of confidence and enjoyment.

[Easy Rider]

...So, if you are a brand new rider and you are crapping your pants whilst your riding buddies are leaving you in the dust on 50mph corners, just relax. Take your time, go as slow as you feel comfortable and just keep at it. After a year you will miraculously improve and move up to a much greater level of confidence and enjoyment.

:plus1:

Absolutely true.......but going a lot of miles in a straight line doesn't really help that much !! :)

[New GZ250]

Totally agree, just picked up biking after 30+ years. I too found those curves a taunting experience and still do to a certain point. Slowly building up my confidence level and speed! 3,600 miles under my belt so far and still working on those scary curves. Straight line driving is a no brainer! It just gets better!

Thanks for your great post! :)

[Water Warrior 2]

Straight lines are for cages. Bikes are for curves. During this riding season I have realized that my skills will never equal the capabilities built into my 650 Vstrom. It will corner far faster than I am willing to ride. I can easily ride curves 50% faster than the posted limits without going into a tucked in knee dragging crouch. Having tried the knee dragging crouch a few times tells me this bike will go a lot faster in curves than I ever imagined. And this is an adventure bike not a sport bike. I think I have the best of all bikes for my needs. Load it like a mule and pick a direction. Straight or curvy roads going up or down are all fair game. Although I will admit the prairies and their straight roads are really boring. Last year I was actually thinking a flat tire in Saskatchewan would liven up the boredom a lot. Coming back to the Rocky Mountains was a relief. Overall both Lynda and I prefer a few curves and hills for entertainment. Lynda did enjoy her GZ in the curves and actually carves a better line than I do. But she sure likes the added power of the 800 V-twin going uphill and accellerating to twice the posted limit.
Hmm, where was going with this ? Oh yah, more miles equal more fun and experience. Saddle time makes you better overall as Alan has mentioned.

[JWR]

Real simple....

The GZ is so much lighter than the Strat. you only have to think it thru the curves.

Glad that you had a good time.

Jerry

[dannylightning]

when i first started riding i was really slow around curves and wondered why all the cars couls go faster around them than i can. i would want to fly off the road if i went that fast. but after a few months of riding i could take the curves as fast as the cars, at that time i wondered how the other guys on bikes in font of me were able to take the curves faster than me and stay centered in the lane when i was gong slower and using more of the lane around the curves. a few more months and i was following right behind those guys and taking the curves just as fast and just as good as they were.

after i moved up to a bigger bike i found that it was not as easy to take fast curves on it. but after a month or so i was doing well on the curves again, practice is the key. it just takes time.

the kid that bought my gz was in font of me and we were just about to be going down hill around some really sharp curves, i was ready to open up the throttle and have some fun and zip around those curves and he hits the breaks, i was thinking i probably wold have done the same thing when i had the amount of riding exp he does but it ruined my fun lol .

Alan is right, it just takes some time, thats all dont try to push it it will just happen with practice.

[Water Warrior 2]

Yup, just more saddle time. The biggest and best fact about riding is learn to trust your bike. It really doesn't want to fall over once it is on the move. Counter steering into a curve is a hoot and all bikes just need a hint of counter steering to set you up for a grin or 3. One of my coffee buddies spent 2 years fighting a 1100 cruiser around curves until he learned to trust his bike. Now he regularly scrapes the floorboards and giggles all the way. Not bad for a guy who never rode a bike until his 60's.

[dannylightning]

Yup, just more saddle time. The biggest and best fact about riding is learn to trust your bike. It really doesn't want to fall over once it is on the move. Counter steering into a curve is a hoot and all bikes just need a hint of counter steering to set you up for a grin or 3. One of my coffee buddies spent 2 years fighting a 1100 cruiser around curves until he learned to trust his bike. Now he regularly scrapes the floorboards and giggles all the way. Not bad for a guy who never rode a bike until his 60's.


first few times i scraped my foot peg on the ground it startled me pretty good, i hear this loud scraping sound i'm thinking what the hell was that noise, did something break on my bike than i realize it was just the foot peg hitting the ground, it was like some one sneaking up behind you and scaring the crap out of you haha

it sux when your setting back relaxing and enjoying the ride and all the sudden you get a unexpected loud ssssccccrrraaapppeeeeee for the first time or two.

[mrlmd1]

Make sure your pegs are free to tilt up if you scrape them on the ground, otherwise you may go down as the bike pivots on the peg and kicks the tires out from under you.

[dannylightning]

Make sure your pegs are free to tilt up if you scrape them on the ground, otherwise you may go down as the bike pivots on the peg and kicks the tires out from under you.

my pegs move quite freely and they have replaceable scrape guards on them. after you wear them down you just put new ones on, i don't scrap them often but it happens every now and again.

[GZ250]

Make sure your pegs are free to tilt up if you scrape them on the ground, otherwise you may go down as the bike pivots on the peg and kicks the tires out from under you.


i use my heel of left shoe as an indicator that i have reached the limit or the peg will hit the ground and i might come down with the bike. That is why the outside of my heel is worn out because of scraping the groud so often when i take a sharp left turn. as for the right turn i do not or cannot take that sharp turn so my shoe never touches the ground. Can we take a real sharp turn on right? never tried myself.

[Water Warrior 2]

Yes you can turn as sharp to the right. You need more practice. Keep in mind we all turn better in one direction whether it be left or right. Just the way we are built and wired.