You are now the proud owner of a V-twin engine machine that symbolizes a legend.
You beam with pleasure as you thought of the shiny Black Harley Davidson Fatboy you just bought. You feel the adrenaline rushing on your system and your heart beating faster as you think about the adventure and fun that await you and your brand new bike.. You are already browsing catalogs for new coll accessories and looking forward to pampering it for hours, showing off your new motorcycle and just looking around to see if people are checking you out and your beloved cruiser.
Yet every new relationship have awkward moments. They can be fatal if they happen on a motorcycle in traffic. Do not get carried away with your emotions and know this fact: New motorcycles get crashed more often than old familiar ones. So to accelerate the process of familiarization of how your new ride responds and performs, take the motorcycle riding safety course. I am sure you have one in your local area. You will be under the tutelage of an experienced and qualified instructor as you acquire and sharpen safer motorcycle riding skills.
Before rolling off your new Harley Davidson Fatboy from the dealer's, make sure it is already adjusted to fit you. Like the clutch and brake lever or the handle bar, brake pedal etc. Set the mirrors to give you full view of the lanes next to you. Just make sure your new Fatboy is adjusted properly to fit you and not the factory's test rider.
Read the owner's manual and find out where, what and how switches and instrument controls work before your ride the new motorcycle home. Understand each unique features so it won't distract or confused you while riding. Other adjustable motorcycle parts are windshields, suspension and headlights. Have the dealer's technician set these adjustments. Ask him about toolkit access, fuse box location, how to check oil level, where the idle speed control is.
You have to realize that your newly bought cruiser handles differently from your old bike you are used tp. Clutches, controls are engaged and positioned differently from your previous ride. When the throttle is goosed, it responds quite differently. In other words the movements and routines you are used to while riding that old motorcycle are not useful anymore. Those differences are likely the reasons why new bikes often crash.
You need to rack up the time and miles in order to be intimate and be safe with your new motorcycle. If a motorcycle riding course is not available in your local area you can practice alone even if not under the eye and guidance of an expert.
You need a piece of pavement like a deserted parking lot without potholes,bumps and slippery stuff. You have to master how to panic stop, swerve and corner. Begin with low speed work and do circles with your bike and don't put your feet down. Soon you will get the hang of it and can now do a full 360 degree turns and your feet on the foot pegs.
Next try doing tight figure eights. Still keep your feet on the floorboard and not on the ground. Put some marks you have to hit every time around to make you precise and consistent. These exercises enable you to get the overall feel of your bike, to teach you what kind of traction your new tires offer and how powerful and responsive your brakes are. Use low speed to practice stopping.
Stopping with the rear tire will show you what to expect in a real life panic stop. It reveals how your new motorcycle behaves in an emergency. Once your comfortable using the back brake, it's now time to focus on the front brake because that is where most of your stopping power comes from. Since over braking up front can result launching and eventually crash. You might not want to do it too aggressively. This particular exercise will make a clear sense of how much pressure you can apply to the significant front brake.
Once you have mastered cornering, swerving and stopping at low speed, you can now practice at higher speeds of sixty mph or less. At higher speed you practice leaning your motorcycle far enough before it drags to help you learn the motorcycle's limits. Swerving by using dotted lines as pylons and check out how fast you can comfortably swerve between them. Practice hard stops and make sure there is no one close behind you when you jump on the brakes. Pick a spot as a mark where you intentionally want to stop while allowing room to overrun if you can't. Practice quick starts too. Who knows your best escape from disaster might come in the form of a hard launch.
In the first few weeks take it easy with your newly acquired motorcycle . Slow down in corners and avoid riding in heavy traffic or riding in a group which could add workload and stress on your part.
Numerous studies show that riding skills or any other skill can atrophy if not practiced daily. You can retain a skill for about six months after you have trained for it or practiced it. Skills will begin to erode after that. Leveling off after about two years. So to remain sharp when you fall out of the six month frame, is to take a refresher riding skills class at least once a year or you can practice all by your lonesome those vital skills-braking,cornering and swerving every time you ride. If you will not push yourself, you won't get ahead of where you want to be.
This article is not mainly about new motorcycles being an accident waiting to happen thing. A new motorcycle means newer and safer tires, brakes and suspensions than your previous old ride. If you adopt a no-nonsense attitude about learning and practicing essential riding skills, get mechanically intimate with your new bike, you will have more fun and won't leave a trail of asphalt rash along the way.
If you want to avoid taking an unfortunate dismount from your brand new cruiser, you need to learn and practice basic safety riding skills and get to know how your bike operates mechanically.
You beam with pleasure as you thought of the shiny Black Harley Davidson Fatboy you just bought. You feel the adrenaline rushing on your system and your heart beating faster as you think about the adventure and fun that await you and your brand new bike.. You are already browsing catalogs for new coll accessories and looking forward to pampering it for hours, showing off your new motorcycle and just looking around to see if people are checking you out and your beloved cruiser.
Yet every new relationship have awkward moments. They can be fatal if they happen on a motorcycle in traffic. Do not get carried away with your emotions and know this fact: New motorcycles get crashed more often than old familiar ones. So to accelerate the process of familiarization of how your new ride responds and performs, take the motorcycle riding safety course. I am sure you have one in your local area. You will be under the tutelage of an experienced and qualified instructor as you acquire and sharpen safer motorcycle riding skills.
Before rolling off your new Harley Davidson Fatboy from the dealer's, make sure it is already adjusted to fit you. Like the clutch and brake lever or the handle bar, brake pedal etc. Set the mirrors to give you full view of the lanes next to you. Just make sure your new Fatboy is adjusted properly to fit you and not the factory's test rider.
Read the owner's manual and find out where, what and how switches and instrument controls work before your ride the new motorcycle home. Understand each unique features so it won't distract or confused you while riding. Other adjustable motorcycle parts are windshields, suspension and headlights. Have the dealer's technician set these adjustments. Ask him about toolkit access, fuse box location, how to check oil level, where the idle speed control is.
You have to realize that your newly bought cruiser handles differently from your old bike you are used tp. Clutches, controls are engaged and positioned differently from your previous ride. When the throttle is goosed, it responds quite differently. In other words the movements and routines you are used to while riding that old motorcycle are not useful anymore. Those differences are likely the reasons why new bikes often crash.
You need to rack up the time and miles in order to be intimate and be safe with your new motorcycle. If a motorcycle riding course is not available in your local area you can practice alone even if not under the eye and guidance of an expert.
You need a piece of pavement like a deserted parking lot without potholes,bumps and slippery stuff. You have to master how to panic stop, swerve and corner. Begin with low speed work and do circles with your bike and don't put your feet down. Soon you will get the hang of it and can now do a full 360 degree turns and your feet on the foot pegs.
Next try doing tight figure eights. Still keep your feet on the floorboard and not on the ground. Put some marks you have to hit every time around to make you precise and consistent. These exercises enable you to get the overall feel of your bike, to teach you what kind of traction your new tires offer and how powerful and responsive your brakes are. Use low speed to practice stopping.
Stopping with the rear tire will show you what to expect in a real life panic stop. It reveals how your new motorcycle behaves in an emergency. Once your comfortable using the back brake, it's now time to focus on the front brake because that is where most of your stopping power comes from. Since over braking up front can result launching and eventually crash. You might not want to do it too aggressively. This particular exercise will make a clear sense of how much pressure you can apply to the significant front brake.
Once you have mastered cornering, swerving and stopping at low speed, you can now practice at higher speeds of sixty mph or less. At higher speed you practice leaning your motorcycle far enough before it drags to help you learn the motorcycle's limits. Swerving by using dotted lines as pylons and check out how fast you can comfortably swerve between them. Practice hard stops and make sure there is no one close behind you when you jump on the brakes. Pick a spot as a mark where you intentionally want to stop while allowing room to overrun if you can't. Practice quick starts too. Who knows your best escape from disaster might come in the form of a hard launch.
In the first few weeks take it easy with your newly acquired motorcycle . Slow down in corners and avoid riding in heavy traffic or riding in a group which could add workload and stress on your part.
Numerous studies show that riding skills or any other skill can atrophy if not practiced daily. You can retain a skill for about six months after you have trained for it or practiced it. Skills will begin to erode after that. Leveling off after about two years. So to remain sharp when you fall out of the six month frame, is to take a refresher riding skills class at least once a year or you can practice all by your lonesome those vital skills-braking,cornering and swerving every time you ride. If you will not push yourself, you won't get ahead of where you want to be.
This article is not mainly about new motorcycles being an accident waiting to happen thing. A new motorcycle means newer and safer tires, brakes and suspensions than your previous old ride. If you adopt a no-nonsense attitude about learning and practicing essential riding skills, get mechanically intimate with your new bike, you will have more fun and won't leave a trail of asphalt rash along the way.
If you want to avoid taking an unfortunate dismount from your brand new cruiser, you need to learn and practice basic safety riding skills and get to know how your bike operates mechanically.
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