Any helpful tips for a newbie?

[Nutterhead]

Hi all I just got my first bike, well I am getting it off of a friend in 2 weeks. It is a GZ250 2001 model, and I am super excited and can't wait to start riding. :2tup: I was wondering if anyone had any helpful tips for a first time owner. Ya know other then the obvious, good helmet, boots, gloves and so on. I would greatly apprciate anything you could offer. Thanks!

[ncff07]

Taking a MSF class is a good way to get started out. :2tup:

[Nutterhead]

yea I am hoping to take one but they are all booked for the rest of the summer ...

[mole2]

Welcome aboard Nutterhead!

Best tip I can give you is schedule your course and then practice in vacant parking lots to develop your skills until you can take the MSF BRC. The course will help you avoid bad habits. Keep your head up and look where you want to go. Remember the adage, look down fall down. Also remember that the clutch is not like a car clutch. Your motorcycle has a wet clutch so you WILL slip the clutch for slow speed control unlike a car where you don't want to slip the clutch. Practice duck walking the bike riding the clutch to get the feel and follow what's in the handbook below.

You can look through the BRC info here: MSF BRC Handbook (http://msf-usa.org/CurriculumMaterials/BRCHandbook2009.pdf)


:)

[Viirin]

All i can say is be careful turning the bike with the handlebars fully locked at a slow speed or from a stop - the bike might seem light enough but if it starts to go it's pretty hard to stop it falling...and damn embarrassing too

[GZ Jess]

Heather, You are right around the corner from me! I am in Canton, Ohio. I just started riding this year and have an 04 GZ. I love riding and would love to help you learn if you like a lady's point of view, LOL. You need to practice putting the bike in 1st and slowly releasing the clutch to feel how the bike grabs and starts to move. You can rock for a while and then your can walk while letting the clutch out and maybe giving a little throttle. That was all I did for the first couple of practices and then migrated to a parking lot to practice picking my feet up and going straight and stopping.

Let me know if you would like to get together, I am dying for more lady riders to run around with!

Jessica

[Easy Rider]

Taking a MSF class is a good way to get started out. :2tup:

Welcome !!

How's your bicycle riding skills ??
If it's been a while, brushing up on a bike will help a lot.
Honestly.
It also helps a bit if you have driven a stick shift car before.

I would suggest that you NOT just take out riding on your own.....even in a vacant field or lot.
If you can't get into the MSF course, you should at least have some pointers from an experienced rider........so that your practice doesn't involve developing bad habits right off the bat.

[Nutterhead]

Thank you all for you help.

mole2 - thanks for the link to the handbook. I will def. read it.

Jessica - we will def have to try and meet up once I am up and running and feel safe.

Easy Rider - I have rode bikes in the past but none on the street. I also drive a stick shift car daily

[GZ250]

THIS IS GZ: so

- start riding this bike when the engine is warm enough. do not TRY just after starting - initially wait for like 4 minutes and warm up good so you have a smooth ride and later you will get the hang of everything and you can set your warm up time.

- you might need a choke to start everytime even in hot summer day.

- first gear is tricky at times.

- battery is small and needs a good charge to crank the engine and if you crack 5 times in a row its dead, so have a battery tender handy.

- use some carb cleaner as used in cars to clear the carbo... and use often. this is like vit supplements for GZ.

- if you are DIY kind it be smooth otherwise we will see you here more often.

- rest is like car. eigine oil, tire air pressure, oil, air filters, plus, tires and battery need checking especially if this bike was sitting.

good luck and safety is always 1st to drive for a long time.

[Fish Baseball]

Well as a now 10 month old noob what I've found to be good
- ask questions here. Seriously, these guys know what they're talking about.
- ATGATT.
- Take it easy and enjoy your ride. The GZ is never going be a speed demon.
- You will find that sometimes that you haven't kicked it quite down enough into first. Mostly at the lights with people behind you. Have a laugh.
- Ride in all kinds of weather. You'll have to eventually, so why fight it?
- Full face helmets are much better for birdstrikes.
- Ride as much as you can as often as you can.
- Ride with your mates.
- Ride alone.
- You are invisible to cage drivers. Don't assume otherwise.
- Fluro vests can be good and bad. I don't wear one, others do. Your choice.
- Most people out on bikes don't care what you ride, its the fact you ride thats important.
- Get some tools. You will need them, if not for repairs, for adding saddlebag brackets and that sort of thing.
- Get all of the manuals on offer here.
- Premium petrol is overkill for the GZ.
- Find a good local bike store.
- Always ride safe.
- Ride like a Zen monk. Don't be angry. If your anything but chilled, take a step back, deep breath, calm down. This may save your life.
I think that just about covers it.

[alantf]

You can look through the BRC info here: MSF BRC Handbook (http://msf-usa.org/CurriculumMaterials/BRCHandbook2009.pdf)


:)

Decided to read through the booklet. All o.k. until I came to the part about passengers. it reads "keep both feet on the ground and the brakes applied while the passenger mounts" Quite clearly, this is impossible. "keep both feet on the ground and the front brake applied" or "keep the left foot on the ground and the brakes applied" is fine. But this is NOT what they state. If it's a simple typo, then either they haven't checked for errors before going to print, or they don't realise that it's impossible. Either way, it's something that a newbie might not spot. If they really do mean "front brake", then they should alter the word "brakes". This is what I do when a passenger is getting on, but for all I know, they might want the newbies to use both brakes. :??:

[Nutterhead]

- ATGATT.
- Most people out on bikes don't care what you ride, its the fact you ride thats important.
- Ride like a Zen monk. Don't be angry. If your anything but chilled, take a step back, deep breath, calm down. This may save your life.
I think that just about covers it.

What is ATGATT?
I am glad most don't care what you ride just that you do. I was worried I'd get made fun of the fact that I am super excited about a little bike like the GZ250
Love the Zen Monk comment ... that will stick in my head!

[Easy Rider]

What is ATGATT?

Love the Zen Monk comment ... that will stick in my head!

All The Gear All The Time.....ATGATT. :)

We try to live by the Zen Monk philosophy here at GZ250BIKE.......but we've had to BEAT it into a few users !!!! :shocked:

I still have bruises. :cry:

:crackup

[ArizonaKev]

Congratulations on the bike Nutterhead. I've got an '01 myself, and I love it. I really don't have much to add - looks like everyone has given some great advice. I guess there is one little "tidbit" I might share though - something I learned the hard way...

I actually had the experience of the bike running out of gas on the way home one day. So, thinking to myself "ha - I have a reserve tank - I'll just switch it over" I did just that, and turned the petcock to the reserve position. Well, much to my dismay, the bike still sputtered and completely died just a few seconds later. I then remembered a post I had read earlier that very same dayy! (the irony was PAINFUL, to say the least) :

Switched to reserve, then only got 1 more mile out of it?

This seems to firmly point to the fact that the pipe has come off the petcock (in the tank)

What happens is that inside the tank, the petcock has a pipe (open at the top) When in "run" the bike uses fuel until it drops level with the top of the pipe, when no more fuel can go into the pipe. Switching to "reserve" opens an outlet level with the bottom of the tank, which means that the fuel sitting under the top of the pipe can now flow. So,you can see that it's more of a way to let you know that you're low on fuel. If the pipe come adrift, then you are using all the fuel in the tank before it cuts out. You were lucky to get that extra mile. It seems like it's a common fault with the GZ. It's not a difficult job to repair it. It just means removing the petcock, retrieving the pipe out of the tank, & refitting it. You might want to wait until the tank is nearly empty, then set the petcock to "prime" to empty the tank into a suitable receptacle.

BTW if you want to take the tank off to do the job, again, it's really simple. :2tup:

So thanks to alantf for this good info, and take his/my/our advice, and make sure you don't actually rely on the reserve tank - always plan to get more fuel long before you would actually need reserve. And, if possible, take the cas cap off, lean the bike to the side a bit, and see if you can spy the pipe he is talking about sticking up from the bottom. Or, as in my case, laying in the bottom of the tank!

Have fun, ride safe, and welcome aboard! :2tup:

AZ Kev

[Water Warrior 2]

After all that good stuff mentioned above there is one more good one. Beg borrow or steal a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. Dry sounding title but chalk full of info for new and old riders. Best life insurance you will ever have.

[GZ Jess]

After all that good stuff mentioned above there is one more good one. Beg borrow or steal a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. Dry sounding title but chalk full of info for new and old riders. Best life insurance you will ever have.

I have that book and would be willing to share! :roll:
It really helped me understand the "physics" of turning a bike because that was one of my biggest fears.

Jessica

[Water Warrior 2]

Thanks for the comment Jessica. A lot of newer riders still try to ride like they drive a car and that is hard work and dangerous.

[Nutterhead]

Thanks for the info on the book! and thanks for the offer Jessice. I found it on Amazon there is also a second one called More proficient motorcycling, has anyone read that? Is it worth getting also?

[Water Warrior 2]

Thanks for the info on the book! and thanks for the offer Jessice. I found it on Amazon there is also a second one called More proficient motorcycling, has anyone read that? Is it worth getting also?
That would be the 2nd one to read. Hough has 3 or 4 different books on riding and all are excellent reads.

[Purpledrank]

Keep your knees in once your legs are up off the ground. It helps a lot for me in terms of balance.

[Viirin]

Keep your knees in once your legs are up off the ground. It helps a lot for me in terms of balance.

:plus1:

Yeah i find that if you grip the tank between your legs with your knees it's much easier to turn - should make you and your bike feel more like one unit