Saxeus
New Member
I rode my first motorcycle earlier today. A friend brought his little Honda 125cc offroad bike to my place, ran through a few of the basics and then let me jump on. I stalled it once but after a few gentle take-off tries the clutch and I had more of a mutual understanding. I'm not sure why some people say it's like riding a bicycle - I found it nothing like that. The additional weight makes low-speed manoeuvres totally different and is something I'll be focussing on next time. Some of the road still had lots of gravel and dried mud from where a water pipe had recently been fixed but fortunately this was not where I needed to do the about turns.
I must say the wind in the face (I was wearing a 3/4 helmet) even just going up and down the road practising clutch and gear changes was ... how to find a word for it ... it was "raw". The fine throttle response and sharp brakes compared to a car took a few minutes to get used to but never left me with a feeling of 'I can't control this thing', but rather like it would do everything I want it to do the instant I give input. I currently drive a little Mazda MX-5 and the thing I love most about it is the nimble handling and the driver-input feedback that lets you "feel" the road. Riding a motorcycle evokes a similar sense but ten-fold more intense. That 'exposed to the world' description is right on the money.
One thing I noticed was the clutch hand getting tired and sore fairly quickly. I don't know if it was a hard clutch pull or just my hand not used to the action. Probably both, but I intend getting a DCT in due course anyway so I suppose it won't matter.
I will be writing the learner's test on Tuesday, and hopefully soon be putting my order in for a silver NC750X.
I must say the wind in the face (I was wearing a 3/4 helmet) even just going up and down the road practising clutch and gear changes was ... how to find a word for it ... it was "raw". The fine throttle response and sharp brakes compared to a car took a few minutes to get used to but never left me with a feeling of 'I can't control this thing', but rather like it would do everything I want it to do the instant I give input. I currently drive a little Mazda MX-5 and the thing I love most about it is the nimble handling and the driver-input feedback that lets you "feel" the road. Riding a motorcycle evokes a similar sense but ten-fold more intense. That 'exposed to the world' description is right on the money.
One thing I noticed was the clutch hand getting tired and sore fairly quickly. I don't know if it was a hard clutch pull or just my hand not used to the action. Probably both, but I intend getting a DCT in due course anyway so I suppose it won't matter.
I will be writing the learner's test on Tuesday, and hopefully soon be putting my order in for a silver NC750X.