TIPS FOR A BEGINNER

[XATTILAX]

I was wondering what tips all of you experienced FZ07 riders could give me to staying safe. I have never owned or ridden a motorcycle before. I have been ridding bicycles tho from the age of 4 to now and im 17 now! If you guys would be kind giving me some tips that would be great i signed up for an MSF to start me off. One of the things im mostly concerned about is that I will lift my front wheel like i have done wheelies on bicycles before but I'm just worried about it on a bike considered i weigh 160lbs and the FZ07 weighs 400 lbs. So what can i do to prevent wheelies, stay safe, and stay on the right track of successfully riding

[mt7fan]

Let your friends drive your bike to the MSF-course.

[robbo10]

One thing I consider to be important is never to rush a decision on the road (unless the situation is an emergency). Most of my rushed decisions have been my bad ones.  As far as wheelies are concerned,  avoidance is entirely and easily under the control of your right hand (quite a lot is).  I have never done one in 6 years of my MT-07 ownership, nor will I (= boring! maybe).  You will find that the weight of a motorcycle and those heavy gyroscopes front and back (the wheels) dampen the effect of your inputs as compared with a bicycle. We have lots to learn when we first venture into motorcycling and that learning never seems to end.

Edited May 6, 2021 by robbo10

[seven]

2 hours ago, XATTILAX said:

One of the things im mostly concerned about is that I will lift my front wheel like i have done wheelies on bicycles before but I'm just worried about it on a bike considered i weigh 160lbs and the FZ07 weighs 400 lbs. So what can i do to prevent wheelies, stay safe, and stay on the right track of successfully riding

I think most of this comes down to you...both your skill and attitude. I am also a new rider, the MT-07 is my first ever motorcycle and I have never wheelied it in the 3500 km I have put on it. If you read more posts I actually talk about wheelieing (how the hell do you spell that word?) and I think I am not really in tune with what I think I am doing and what I am actually doing. However I feel I am on the safer side of that equation because I think I am being more aggressive than I actually am, as opposed to being more aggressive than I think I am.

You have about 5 lbs on me but I have 30 years on you, I am not sure if 17 year old me would be telling the same story. Again this comes down to YOU. Do you have the ability to reign yourself in both mentally and physically.

Get as much advise as you can, read these forums, talk to experienced riders, watch Dan Dan the Fireman and MotoJitsu and do some soul searching. 

Welcome to the club.

[7fold]

Welcome aboard!

My MT-07 was my first bike, as well, and you'll be fine so long as you respect the bike and stay aware of your riding skill vs. acceptable risk. The MSF course will help you with all of the basics and is a great decision, but I'd still recommend plenty of empty parking lot practice even after the course.

Get a good feel for all of your controls - brakes (front and rear), clutch, throttle. Regardless of your weight, so long as you stay smooth with your inputs and don't chop the throttle, you won't loop your bike or accidentally wheelie. 

There are plenty of topics here and youtube videos about the importance of gear, too.

Stay safe and have fun!

[M. Hausknecht]

I started riding motorcycles nearly 40 years ago on a Honda 900F (about the same RWHP as the 07 but much heavier). I don't ride on the street any more, I've concluded it is too dangerous for the amount of fun I can have where I live now, and ride my 07 only on race tracks. I do, however, have some advice for street riding, after doing it for over 30 years.

Of course, learn how to use all your motorcycle's controls well enough that you don't need to think  about it. Do that right away in a big, open parking lot, before riding in traffic. Become comfortable braking hard, and turning effectively and decisively; those skills will save your ass. After that, the challenges of riding on the street are mostly mental and emotional.

Assume that everyone else on the road is blind, deaf, and not paying attention to where they are going or what they are doing; of course that isn't true but if you want to ride and get old, it should be your default assumption. Don't do dumb shet on the street: don't "show off", don't do wheelies or stoppies, don't try dragging your knee or racing your buddy; don't drink even one beer and then ride soon afterwards. Always wear a full-face helmet, leather gloves, long pants, a leather or suitable textile jacket, and over the ankle boots; even when its really hot. Its an overused adage but true; there are two kinds of motorcycle riders, those that have crashed and those that will. 

When you feel you're ready to do dumb shet, sign up for a track day; you'll love it.

 

[D.A.]

I agree with @7fold that even after taking the MSF course, you should continue to practice your basic skills in an empty parking lot. Riding in parking lots may seem lame but constantly improving those low-speed skills will make you a better rider out on the road. I've been riding motorcycles since 1973, yet practically every time I ride, I spend 20-30 minutes warming up with the basics: emergency stops; slow, tight figure-8s; full-lock 90º and 180º turns from a stopped position; evasive maneuvers; etc. As @seven mentioned, Motojitsu on YouTube has a ton of great beginner videos. This is an excellent one to start with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImzIWZKe2O0

The only thing I would add is that if possible, get your dad to take you to an empty parking lot a few times to learn the basics BEFORE you take the MSF course. If you do, you will feel more confident and that in turn will make it easier to understand and absorb the info and techniques the instructors teach you. People I know who took the MSF course before ever having operated a motorcycle struggled a lot during the course compared to those who had at least some prior experience on dirt bikes or street bikes. I know one person who completely gave up on motorcycling after taking the course because they were so discouraged (and embarrassed).

Once on the road, my riding philosophy is similar to @M. Hausknecht's – I tell myself that even if other drivers are staring right at me, they cannot see me, and if someone does see me, they will intentionally try to crash into me. When out riding, keep as far away from other vehicles as you can. Don't ride on someone's tail, cruise along in someone's blind spot nor stay in a situation where someone is tailgating you because if you have to stop or slow down quickly, they are going to rear-end you. Be conscious of everything around you at all times but pay most attention to the road ahead because someone or something will appear out of nowhere at any minute and try to take you down.

There are a gazillion other things to master – like counter-steering, body position, lane position, hitting an apex, motorcycle maintenance – and regardless of how long you ride or how proficient you get, there will always be more to learn because motorcycling is a lifelong journey.

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by D.A.

[seven]

Almost every single ride I do I end up in a parking lot doing tight figure eights, full lock turns while looking in the right direction, etc. or on a quite road practicing hard/panic stops and downshifting to first. Like any muscle or skill, if you don't use it you lose it and if you don't push your limits (just outside your comfort zone) you can't improve. When I used to play tenor sax, a teacher of mine used to ask "Are you playing or practicing?"

As @D.A., @M. Hausknecht and @7fold already touched on every time you are on the bike, no matter what you are doing, be practicing not just playing.

[nacapster]

M. Hausknecht was spot on with his two kinds of motorcycle riders comment. Unfortunately it’s not if but when you will either end up in the hospital or the ground if you ride street bikes long enough. I’m rolling the dice for one summer. The plan is to sell the bike next spring when I order my next new sled.  Mid-life crisis thing I guess. The safest place to ride a street bike would be a track or closed course. On public roads I’d say freeway or countryside. It’s the in between areas with all the intersections, side streets, business entrances & exits, driveways etc that have the most opportunities for someone to pull out in front of you. I’d especially avoid divided 4 lane highways with turn lanes. Vehicles in the left turn lanes will block the view of vehicles waiting to turn left that are heading in the opposite direction and vehicles in the right turn lanes will block the view of vehicles waiting to pull out to head in your same direction. If vehicles in front of you get in a turn lane or are already there waiting to turn take evasive action as in switch lanes to give yourself more room or just take a right yourself.

Or just get a dirt bike and hit the single track. It’s way more fun, takes way more skill, and oak trees don’t pull out in front of you.

Edited May 6, 2021 by nacapster

[shinyribs]

This is gonna look like a lot of words. In person it would be a 2 min conversation, but text stretches it out. So apologies now for writing a novel!

First learning to ride isn't hard, but there are a lot of new sensations to take in all at once. If you cut them in to individual stages you can get comfortable real quick. Master/get used to each new sensation before adding another new skill to the mix and we don't get overwhelmed as easily. Like I mentioned before, this is how my wife learned to ride a dirt bike in a few days without ever even riding a bicycle before. Slow and steady is the way to no.

Step 1- Get used to the clutch

Step 2- Get used to pulling away under power.

Step 3- Get used to balancing

Step 4- Get used to putting your feet on the pegs.

More on each step below

-------------------

Step 1- Getting used to the clutch on your bike, and every bike will be different. Don't even use the throttle. If you are in grass you don't have to worry about the bike rolling on you. The grass will drag you to a stop easily. Your goal isn't to take off, it's just to learn where your clutch engages. No throttle, engine idling, first gear....start slowly easing out on the clutch and get used to what it feels like. You aren't trying to look at how far away from the bar the lever is, or even try to "memorize" that distance with your fingers, you just want to feel the bike start to move forward. You are only going to barely let the bike move forward...maybe a few inches....then pull the clutch back in to the bar. If in grass the bike will stop pretty much instantly. Doing this will get you used to what is commonly referred to as the friction zone, which is where your clutch is starting to engage, but it's not completely engaged yet. If you can't use grass, a very slight uphill ( you don't need to be fighting the bike trying to roll backwards on you) will work well.  Your only goal is to get 100% used to the new sensation of where your clutch starts to engage. With my wife, I unhooked her throttle cable for this step 

Step 2- Pulling away with throttle. Same exercise as before, but with a tiny bit of throttle added. First things first, it's ok to stall the bike, so don't sweat it. Second of all, you aren't going to "burn the clutch" by riding it, so push that worry out of your mind. These clutches run in oil, so they stay cool, and they are VERY durable. Don't worry about the clutch. You aren't hurting it here. This next exercise is to give the bike a little bit of throttle and hold it steady. Probably 2000-3000 rpm, but don't worry over a specific rpm, just hold it 100% steady.  Trying to learn to ramp in the throttle as you pull away  is too much for now, all you are trying to do is pull straight forward a couple feet. Both hands on the bars, sitting upright and looking straight ahead, both feet out to the sides to catch the bike. Don't worry about trying to put your feet on the pegs yet. Your only goal is to hold the throttle at one steady point while you slowly release the clutch. The bike will only pull forward as fast as you give it clutch. If at any point it's feeling like the bike is starting to pull away quickly PULL THE CLUTCH IN. Pulling the clutch in will cut all power from the bike without causing it to nosedive like it would if you close the throttle quickly. Pulling in the clutch to stop is a habit you want to learn right away. It should be muscle memory to always yank the clutch in any time the bike is getting away from you, so do that now.

So, tiny bit of throttle, feet down for confidence, slowly feed out the clutch like before. Again, you aren't trying to actually pull away on the bike yet. Only roll forward a couple feet and pull the clutch in. The bike will roll to a stop quickly, especially if in grass or a slight uphill. Do this until it feels comfortable. You will soon realize that the bike will not jump out from under you if you learn to feed the clutch slowly. 

Step 3- Getting used to balancing. You should make sure you have plenty of space to do this. A long straight area where you do not have to concentrate on turning or stopping. You are only going to pull straight forward like before, but now you will let the bike roll forward further. First of all, balancing the bike isn't exactly as it sounds. The bike will automatically want to balance itself while going straight. It's not something you have to actively try to di. All you need to do is get used to the sensation of what this feels like. So for this step take off like before: steady throttle at a low rpm, slowly feed in the clutch until the bike starts moving forward slowly, both feet down for confidence....but now you aren't going to pull in the clutch after a a couple feet and let the bike roll the a stop. Instead, continue forward until the clutch lever is completely released.....roll straight forward and just notice what that feels like. Now, roll the throttle slowly closed and pull the clutch lever back in.....let the bike roll to a stop again. Your only goal is to roll forward a couple seconds after the clutch lever is completely released and get used to the feeling of the bike balancing itself under you and pulling you forward.

*Important note- NEVER use your feet for brakes. It's a natural instinct, so don't feel bad about it, but it will wreck you every time. We don't realize how much momentum a 400lb  bike has a 5mph. If you put your feet down as brakes it WILL jerk your feet backwards and cause your chest to fall in to the bars. Every time! It's ok to keep your feet down for confidence, but just let the bike roll to stop as before. 

Step 4- Putting your feet on the pegs. Sounds easy, and it is, but that's not the point. Remember, the goal is to learn each new sensation one at a time. By now you are comfortable slowly letting out the clutch. You are comfortable taking off under power with slight throttle. You are comfortable rolling forward on the bike and how that feels. Now your only goal is to get your feet up and use the rear brake to stop. So...low steady throttle..slowly feel out the clutch...when the clutch is completely released roll forward a couple seconds...now sit your feet on the pegs. Ride forward for a little bit with your feet on the pegs....roll off the throttle and pull the clutch in....now slowly push on the rear brake pedal to stop. It will seem easier to use the front brake since your fingers are so close to it, but resist that temptation. Using the front brake isn't dangerous, so don't let it worry you, but if you hit the front brake too hard it can easily throw off your balance ( for reasons too complicated to worry about now), so just use your rear brake for now. You will only be going 5mph or so, so the rear brake will stop you easily. 

It's a good idea to get used to where the brake pedal is first. Sit on the bike and put your right foot on the peg. See where you need to put your foot to reach the pedal comfortably. Take note of where the peg is under your foot. The peg might be directly under your arch, it might fall in to a notch in the sole of your shoe. Wherever it is, get used to where you need to put your foot and learn to hit that spot without looking. 

Learning to feed in throttle, feed out clutch, balance forward, lift your feet to the pegs, find the rear brake pedal, roll off the throttle, pull in the clutch, then finally push on the rear brake....it's A LOT to learn all at once. So cut it up in to little pieces until you build your confidence on each step. 

So, to quick recap. First, engage the clutch with no throttle. Secondly, add a bit of throttle to that. Third, just let the bike roll forward. Then finally, learn you put your feet on the pegs so you can find your rear brake. Go slow with it. Enjoy it. It's way more fun to learn slow and build your confidence slowly. Don't worry about anyone watching you. If they ride, then they will understand what you are doing and respect you for it. If they don't ride, who cares if they think you are learning too slow....at least you have the guts to learn! You already mentioned worrying about the bike wheelie'ing out from under you. If you approach taking off slowly and give yourself plenty of time getting used to each step you will quickly learn that you will not have to worry about that ever again. 

Take your time, bro. If you spend two or three days "learning" each step that is perfectly fine! Go at your own pace and just do what feels comfortable and fun to YOU! It will all click one day and you will feel yourself pulling away from a stop effortlessly. Don't rush it and you'll have fun and do great!

 

Good luck. Have fun. Take your time. You got this, brother!

[bornagainbiker]

11 hours ago, shinyribs said:

This is gonna look like a lot of words. In person it would be a 2 min conversation, but text stretches it out. So apologies now for writing a novel!

First learning to ride isn't hard, but there are a lot of new sensations to take in all at once. If you cut them in to individual stages you can get comfortable real quick. Master/get used to each new sensation before adding another new skill to the mix and we don't get overwhelmed as easily. Like I mentioned before, this is how my wife learned to ride a dirt bike in a few days without ever even riding a bicycle before. Slow and steady is the way to no.

Step 1- Get used to the clutch

Step 2- Get used to pulling away under power.

Step 3- Get used to balancing

Step 4- Get used to putting your feet on the pegs.

More on each step below

-------------------

Step 1- Getting used to the clutch on your bike, and every bike will be different. Don't even use the throttle. If you are in grass you don't have to worry about the bike rolling on you. The grass will drag you to a stop easily. Your goal isn't to take off, it's just to learn where your clutch engages. No throttle, engine idling, first gear....start slowly easing out on the clutch and get used to what it feels like. You aren't trying to look at how far away from the bar the lever is, or even try to "memorize" that distance with your fingers, you just want to feel the bike start to move forward. You are only going to barely let the bike move forward...maybe a few inches....then pull the clutch back in to the bar. If in grass the bike will stop pretty much instantly. Doing this will get you used to what is commonly referred to as the friction zone, which is where your clutch is starting to engage, but it's not completely engaged yet. If you can't use grass, a very slight uphill ( you don't need to be fighting the bike trying to roll backwards on you) will work well.  Your only goal is to get 100% used to the new sensation of where your clutch starts to engage. With my wife, I unhooked her throttle cable for this step 

Step 2- Pulling away with throttle. Same exercise as before, but with a tiny bit of throttle added. First things first, it's ok to stall the bike, so don't sweat it. Second of all, you aren't going to "burn the clutch" by riding it, so push that worry out of your mind. These clutches run in oil, so they stay cool, and they are VERY durable. Don't worry about the clutch. You aren't hurting it here. This next exercise is to give the bike a little bit of throttle and hold it steady. Probably 2000-3000 rpm, but don't worry over a specific rpm, just hold it 100% steady.  Trying to learn to ramp in the throttle as you pull away  is too much for now, all you are trying to do is pull straight forward a couple feet. Both hands on the bars, sitting upright and looking straight ahead, both feet out to the sides to catch the bike. Don't worry about trying to put your feet on the pegs yet. Your only goal is to hold the throttle at one steady point while you slowly release the clutch. The bike will only pull forward as fast as you give it clutch. If at any point it's feeling like the bike is starting to pull away quickly PULL THE CLUTCH IN. Pulling the clutch in will cut all power from the bike without causing it to nosedive like it would if you close the throttle quickly. Pulling in the clutch to stop is a habit you want to learn right away. It should be muscle memory to always yank the clutch in any time the bike is getting away from you, so do that now.

So, tiny bit of throttle, feet down for confidence, slowly feed out the clutch like before. Again, you aren't trying to actually pull away on the bike yet. Only roll forward a couple feet and pull the clutch in. The bike will roll to a stop quickly, especially if in grass or a slight uphill. Do this until it feels comfortable. You will soon realize that the bike will not jump out from under you if you learn to feed the clutch slowly. 

Step 3- Getting used to balancing. You should make sure you have plenty of space to do this. A long straight area where you do not have to concentrate on turning or stopping. You are only going to pull straight forward like before, but now you will let the bike roll forward further. First of all, balancing the bike isn't exactly as it sounds. The bike will automatically want to balance itself while going straight. It's not something you have to actively try to di. All you need to do is get used to the sensation of what this feels like. So for this step take off like before: steady throttle at a low rpm, slowly feed in the clutch until the bike starts moving forward slowly, both feet down for confidence....but now you aren't going to pull in the clutch after a a couple feet and let the bike roll the a stop. Instead, continue forward until the clutch lever is completely released.....roll straight forward and just notice what that feels like. Now, roll the throttle slowly closed and pull the clutch lever back in.....let the bike roll to a stop again. Your only goal is to roll forward a couple seconds after the clutch lever is completely released and get used to the feeling of the bike balancing itself under you and pulling you forward.

*Important note- NEVER use your feet for brakes. It's a natural instinct, so don't feel bad about it, but it will wreck you every time. We don't realize how much momentum a 400lb  bike has a 5mph. If you put your feet down as brakes it WILL jerk your feet backwards and cause your chest to fall in to the bars. Every time! It's ok to keep your feet down for confidence, but just let the bike roll to stop as before. 

Step 4- Putting your feet on the pegs. Sounds easy, and it is, but that's not the point. Remember, the goal is to learn each new sensation one at a time. By now you are comfortable slowly letting out the clutch. You are comfortable taking off under power with slight throttle. You are comfortable rolling forward on the bike and how that feels. Now your only goal is to get your feet up and use the rear brake to stop. So...low steady throttle..slowly feel out the clutch...when the clutch is completely released roll forward a couple seconds...now sit your feet on the pegs. Ride forward for a little bit with your feet on the pegs....roll off the throttle and pull the clutch in....now slowly push on the rear brake pedal to stop. It will seem easier to use the front brake since your fingers are so close to it, but resist that temptation. Using the front brake isn't dangerous, so don't let it worry you, but if you hit the front brake too hard it can easily throw off your balance ( for reasons too complicated to worry about now), so just use your rear brake for now. You will only be going 5mph or so, so the rear brake will stop you easily. 

It's a good idea to get used to where the brake pedal is first. Sit on the bike and put your right foot on the peg. See where you need to put your foot to reach the pedal comfortably. Take note of where the peg is under your foot. The peg might be directly under your arch, it might fall in to a notch in the sole of your shoe. Wherever it is, get used to where you need to put your foot and learn to hit that spot without looking. 

Learning to feed in throttle, feed out clutch, balance forward, lift your feet to the pegs, find the rear brake pedal, roll off the throttle, pull in the clutch, then finally push on the rear brake....it's A LOT to learn all at once. So cut it up in to little pieces until you build your confidence on each step. 

So, to quick recap. First, engage the clutch with no throttle. Secondly, add a bit of throttle to that. Third, just let the bike roll forward. Then finally, learn you put your feet on the pegs so you can find your rear brake. Go slow with it. Enjoy it. It's way more fun to learn slow and build your confidence slowly. Don't worry about anyone watching you. If they ride, then they will understand what you are doing and respect you for it. If they don't ride, who cares if they think you are learning too slow....at least you have the guts to learn! You already mentioned worrying about the bike wheelie'ing out from under you. If you approach taking off slowly and give yourself plenty of time getting used to each step you will quickly learn that you will not have to worry about that ever again. 

Take your time, bro. If you spend two or three days "learning" each step that is perfectly fine! Go at your own pace and just do what feels comfortable and fun to YOU! It will all click one day and you will feel yourself pulling away from a stop effortlessly. Don't rush it and you'll have fun and do great!

 

Good luck. Have fun. Take your time. You got this, brother!

Nice tutorial, with a lot of good advice--well done shinyribs.

[Triple Jim]

In my 43 years of riding, the most important single thing I learned is to pay attention to what's going on in front of you.  There are lots of other important things to practice for defensive riding, but all it takes is a glace at the dash display just when a car pulls out in front of you and you could be in huge trouble.  That's why I won't mount a phone or GPS unit in my view.  I can stop for that stuff.

[klx678]

I believe the MSF courses probably have motorcycles provided.  But to avoid lofting the front wheel don't twist your right wrist so quickly.   It isn't like the bikes near instantly wheelie.  It takes lack of skill in using the clutch and throttle early on, after that it is purely on you.   

Lots of advice here, but I guarantee you the MSF course will be the best thing you will do to start.  

[emmett]

Make believe EVERY CAR is trying to kill you, when you're not looking (sometimes that's actually the way it feels). Don't expect other drivers to do what you think they should do...they often won't. I read an article recently on youtube about why drivers don't see bikers. It was very interesting and there is real science behind it, drivers really don't 'see' bikers. It has to do with the mass of a bike vs the mass of a car and the brain's ability (or lack thereof) to comprehend how long it takes for a bike to get from point A to point B. My best advice to any new rider is: 'ride your own ride' and don't get goaded into outriding your abilities by your riding buddies. If they are riding too fast for your comfort zone, let 'em go...you'll catch up. At some point you may fall. It's a sad reality of riding. Even if you follow all the rules, etc. Don't get discouraged by this. If you have the right and proper gear and pay attention at all times, you will minimize the odds. Expect the unexpected, slow down in the rain, be extra courtious and give the right of way often, and most important...pay your bike insurance.LOL   Good luck and remember to control your right hand. We've all been there.

[Nealsmo]

There are million and one videos out on YouTube with tips and tricks for beginner or advanced riders.  I enjoy watching Dan Dan the Fireman myself.  He's a riding instructor and first responder, so well versed in safe riding techniques and habits.  I suggest you watch a few of his videos

[00RAH]

Mirrors should think longer before they reflect - Jean Cocteau

Edited May 30, 2021 by 00RAH