Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Seems with the ever upwardly spiralling fuel prices ($1.89/lt here ATM) it seems there are one hell of a lot of new riders /bikes coming out of the woodwork.

This in itself may not be at all bad (the more the merrier??) but from what i've seen so far we should be wary who we ride with perhaps. I've nearly been taken out a few times by morons who's ambitions far exeed their abilities!!

My biggest concern is that with more accidents and more inexperienced clowns learning wheelies etc , the more attention the rest of us recieve from the local constabulary and the more risk they pose to the rest of us on the road.

In WA there is a mandatory 12mth perion on a RE (restricted 2fiddy) licence prior to being eligable for your R (open class). Many new riders think that coz a 2 fiddy don't really rotate the earth against it's axis, a big banger is the go with only a few months experience and a piddly $100.00 fine for out of class if they get caught.Rather than actually LEARNING how to ride properly on a perfectly good 250!!!


There's my bitch - prob shoulda added to Owen's rippa threads but didn't wanna steal his thunder..

Be careful generalising we were all once young and full of self belief. Ultimately the more people riding the more attention will be given us. It is simple maths that the more riders the more that we will see hooligans.

Try and take as many under your wing and impart some old knowledge.

Nick

I like your philosophy nick....... you have nailed it on the head & with the recent thread about mentoring, it sounds like some work is required.

Naked Twin wrote:Be careful generalising we were all once young and full of self belief. Ultimately the more people riding the more attention will be given us. It is simple maths that the more riders the more that we will see hooligans.

Try and take as many under your wing and impart some old knowledge.

Nick

The more people riding bikes, the more power to getting something done in our favour eventually.

Only if they agree with you.
A LOT of the fashionista that are riding bikes now dont, some even beleive anything over the posted limit is dangerous and you will die instantly, struck by a bolt from on high.
A lot ride around in shorts and joggers.... if you think they are on OUR side you are sadly mistaken.

I think that groups like this one need to be more readily available to learners. That support structure of the members and experience of following one of the many tallented riders out there is a key catalyst when learners how to ride and negoitate everyday traffic.

I always try and involve myself when I talk to new riders, whether it be squeezing in a few tips in general conversation or actually going out of my way to critique their riding when I'm on a group ride. I doubt I'd win the MotoGP on Casey's Ducati, but there's still plenty I can teach a beginner about riding faster, safer.

Currently teaching my girl to ride and she is a great student

Naked Twin wrote:Be careful generalising we were all once young and full of self belief. Ultimately the more people riding the more attention will be given us. It is simple maths that the more riders the more that we will see hooligans.

Try and take as many under your wing and impart some old knowledge.

Nick

I vaguely remember back that far!??? LOL ........

Valid point Nick ..

You Easties maybe don't realise how good you have it with a fairly tight knit group of riders from all walks of life / skill and experience levels.(again ref 'mentouring')
By this I refer to a fantastic opportunity exists within this club for new and upcoming riders to listen and learn from other riders about everything from 'the pace' to tyre pressures or even how to maintain you ride.

The type I'm ragging here are the the oversized sneaker / no laces , singlet and shorts wearing try hards who think it's cool to wheelie past you on your left side , scare the shit out of you when they get it all loose as they slam the front wheel back down then 'nanna' through the next corner coz they can do the stunts but don't know "how to lean the farker"...

Still I suppose the first time a squid slides down the road on his bare back they'll learn soon enough ,,

on our local forum RidingSA, we actively encourage our L platers to come on our group rides. and often have Dedicated L plate Escort rides.

with a lead rider, a couple of Ls a senior rider, couple more Ls another senior more Ls.. ( u get the drift) and our TEC will have a Ventura rack and bag on the back of his bike with a MASSIVE yellow and black L to warn drivers behind us that there are L platers ahead.
these rides have always been a success with a wide range of rides coming out from 250ccs to harleys from L plates to 40yrs of experience.

we even have a dedicated "L's Angels" section on our forum dedicated to beginner riders techniques and advice.

i think the more " n00bs" we take under our wings the safer they will be later.

so next time u see a young rider bobbing or weaving in an outta traffic or doing something a lil on the side of n00bness... catch him at a set of lights or at your local hills bakery.. and flip ya helmet for a friendly chat .. offer to take him for a ride and show him proper cornering techniques and u never know... in a few yrs time.. he will do the same for some one else and might save their life

As the population of riders increase, so will the number of dickheads...

Percentage usually stays the same.

i agree totally... i have even taken the step of continuing to ride and ifact buying a 250, knowing fully well i could go out and buy myself a fully sick gixxer...

the way i see it, lots of people think that going fast in a straight line is where the joys of motorcycle riding lay, and for people who only care about looking cool, going fast in a stright line is easy...

step 1. buy fast bike
step 2. open throttle

tho we all know here that the best thing about motorcycling is corners... altho mastering corners to look cool is not so easy...

step 1. get comfortable with bike
step 2. learn your bike's idiosyncracies (spelling) with regards to handling...
step 3. learn how to brake
step 4. learn how to corner safely and pick the right lines
step 5. throttle control
step 6. learn rear brake control
step 7.practice for many thousands of kms

some things in here have been added for dramatic effect, but u get the gist, its much easier and "cooler" to have a fully sick gixxer and pop wheelies to impress the mates/ladies than it is to learn how to ride a motorcycle properly...

riding with the poepl here, and practicing the above mentioned things, i would say i have way more fun on a bike than lots of people, even tho im still on a 250... and infact riding a 250 means u have to have good corner speed, and the right corner lines, cos u dont have the power to make time in between corners...

and by all means, if you have something to contribute to the learner area, go ahead!!! its not stealing anyone's thunder!!!

A bloke i work with has just brought himself a CBR1000, first bike in 4 years after he sold his 250, was happy to talk himself up to me, i took it with a grain of salt...then invited him to attend a track day with me, he readily agreed.

Later i hear one of my experienced biker work mates describing how he followed some bloke on a CBR1000 on the way to work that same day wobbling upright around the corners and pulling wheelies on the straights.

My offer still stands, i wouldn't mind a CBR1000 track bike.

varden wrote:A bloke i work with has just brought himself a CBR1000, first bike in 4 years after he sold his 250, was happy to talk himself up to me, i took it with a grain of salt...then invited him to attend a track day with me, he readily agreed.

Later i hear one of my experienced biker work mates describing how he followed some bloke on a CBR1000 on the way to work that same day wobbling upright around the corners and pulling wheelies on the straights.

My offer still stands, i wouldn't mind a CBR1000 track bike.

And these are the caste I am refering too.

So ya want a Blade???