Decided to take the plunge!

[cncntr8]

So about four weeks ago I decided I was going to actually comit and get a bike.  When I checked their was an opening in a course for last week so I knew it was ment to be! I then purchased me gear and a new 2022 black MT07.

Had never riden a motorcycle or dirt bike before the first day of class. But I have passed the licensing test and am hitting the DMV tomorrow to hand the paperwork in! Then need bring some plates to the dealership in mass to pick it up! Can't wait!

Also can't wait to make some 3D printed parts for this thing now that I have a scanner added to my tools! I already make carparts so this is the next step! If you have any ideas or needs let me know!

[mjh937]

Congratulations and welcome.  Always wear the gear and take it easy for a while.  This bike has quite a lot of torque and it is easy to get the front wheel off the ground if you are not careful.  There are a lot of ideas for upgrades on the forum so look around and decide what you want to do.  I look forward to seeing what you decide to do to make the bike your own. 

[shinyribs]

Congrats on the new toy!  And welcome to motorcycles: The Best Show on Earth! 

[M. Hausknecht]

Congratulations and good luck. I don't ride on the street any more, for a variety of reasons, but I do have some advice for you. First, assume that you are invisible to the drivers and pedestrians you encounter, and ride accordingly. People will pull out in front of you, make left turns in front of you, run stop signs and red lights in front of you, and walk into the road way in front of you. Second, always have a plan, an escape route or other action, for when these sorts of things happen. If you're mentally prepared in advance to take evasive action, you're more likely to be able to pull it off when you suddenly need to. Third, find a large, open parking lot, and practice very hard braking and fast direction changes, first at low speeds and then at the speeds you actually ride at. You'll be amazed at the bike's capabilities and your own once you've practiced a bunch. Fourth, always wear boots, long pants, leather gloves, a well-fitting helmet, and an abrasion resistant jacket. If you ride long enough, you'll eventually become intimate with the pavement. Proper riding gear can mean the difference between a few bumps and bruises, and serious pain and injury.

[Triple Jim]

1 hour ago, M. Hausknecht said:

...assume that you are invisible to the drivers and pedestrians you encounter...

All excellent advice, but that's the most important!

[JeffL]

Congrats!

I have printed some parts using PLA filament and found they work OK but not any that are exposed to heat. I tried some sliders and they quickly fell off due to the heat. Maybe PETG would work better.

Jeff

 

[balkor2]

ATGATT

Means "All The Gear All The Time"

As every said and seriously good advice!

But I piggy back on: 

1 hour ago, M. Hausknecht said:

If you ride long enough, you'll eventually become intimate with the pavement.

Been riding 40+ and if I do the math correctly it might be more like 45+ years. But who is counting....  PRACTICE PRACTICE.
To this day I still will stop in a parking lot and do stuff

1 hour ago, M. Hausknecht said:

Third, find a large, open parking lot, and practice very hard braking and fast direction changes, first at low speeds and then at the speeds you actually ride at. You'll be amazed at the bike's capabilities and your own once you've practiced a bunch.

Slow speed cornering and counter balancing is what I would start with and then progress. Do it each time you get on the bike ~10 ~15 minutes each time.

TCLOCs inspection every time!!!

Tires & wheels - Inflation, tread, damage, shape, chain, sprockets, etc
Controls - Levers & cables, Breaks & cables, Pegs, Seat, Handlebars & cables, Throttle & cables, Clutch & cables
Lights & Electronics - Head light, high beams, break lights, turning signals, wires, dash, ignition and wires
Oils & Fluids - Break fluid (Front and rear), Crank case Oil, Chain oil, Radiator & Fluid & Reservoir 
Chassis - free and clear of damage, rust, abnormalities 
General inspections before you ride can mean your life.

ALWAYS ride your own ride. You might want to keep up with a buddy or a car. But don't. Ride within your Skill. Riding outside your skill can mean your life or someone else's. 

Enjoy the freedom!

[mjh937]

29 minutes ago, JeffL said:

Congrats!

I have printed some parts using PLA filament and found they work OK but not any that are exposed to heat. I tried some sliders and they quickly fell off due to the heat. Maybe PETG would work better.

Jeff

 

Would sliders have worked anyway?  I would have thought the material was too soft to really help in a slide. 

[balkor2]

1 minute ago, mjh937 said:

I would have thought the material was too soft to really help in a slide. 

if they fell off do to heat, then they were cosmetic versus practical 

[JeffL]

Yeah, probably no help in a slide, but hopefully helpful if the bike tipped over.

[Triple Jim]

If you can print Nylon, that should take the sliding very well.  I know it's not the easiest filament to print though.  My daughter prints with Nylon, but reluctantly. 

[balkor2]

22 minutes ago, Triple Jim said:

but reluctantly

I bet!!

haha

[Triple Jim]

1 hour ago, balkor2 said:

I bet!!

haha

It's not that bad.  She's made some really nice parts with Nylon.  She printed the gears in her printer with Nylon filament, using her previous printer.  I just meant that if Nylon is not necessary, she prefers the more typical plastics.

[balkor2]

Ahhh, I had the thoughts of that it would have been more complicated and harder to use.

[robbo10]

You are getting some good advice so I will repeat my contribution to another bike forum:

I ride to try to help ensure that others have the best chance of knowing I am there - positioning, even aim at them etc. Trust no-one. Make no hasty decisions (unless vital). But do try to enjoy the riding.

As far as parts are concerned the front end design seems to be crying our for a fly screen (for me anyway)

[Subito]

In addition to the superb advice offered by others above, I’d like to add one more tip:

Look where you want to go.

Intuitively, this seems like a “Well, duh!” obvious statement, but it’s not. Every year riders are killed because an oncoming car turned in front of the rider and the rider ran straight into the car…because the rider visually fixated on the car. As noted above, you must focus on your escape path and not the threat. For example, that means scanning an intersection as you enter it to identify your best escape options should the nimrod in the car across from you do something stupid.

Riding a motorcycle is NOT like driving a car, motorists are used to just looking 100 feet straight ahead and they can get away with that laziness; motorcyclists cannot.

I’ve been riding over 40 years and I would go so far as to say “Look where you want to go” is the single most important skill motorcyclists must learn. Like countersteering, you must burn it into your DNA until it’s a natural and automatic part of your riding.

Good luck and enjoy your new MT-07!

[cncntr8]

6 hours ago, JeffL said:

6 hours ago, JeffL said:

Congrats!

I have printed some parts using PLA filament and found they work OK but not any that are exposed to heat

I primarily print in ABS but am going to pick up some ASA, PC and probably some nylon to mess around with. I have enclosures and a few different printers to experiment with!

[cncntr8]

5 hours ago, Triple Jim said:

If you can print Nylon, that should take the sliding very well.  I know it's not the easiest filament to print though.  My daughter prints with Nylon, but reluctantly. 

Haha yeah it's one filament I haven't used yet but I primarily print ABS so I am used to the quirks of some high heat filaments

[cncntr8]

16 hours ago, mjh937 said:

Congratulations and welcome.  Always wear the gear and take it easy for a while.  This bike has quite a lot of torque and it is easy to get the front wheel off the ground if you are not careful.  There are a lot of ideas for upgrades on the forum so look around and decide what you want to do.  I look forward to seeing what you decide to do to make the bike your own. 

Thank you! I went and bought all the gear and then some. Noted, I plan on trailering the bike home then going to a parking lot for a while to get to know it more.  I look forward to exploring this forum!

[cncntr8]

7 hours ago, M. Hausknecht said:

Congratulations and good luck. (...)

Thanks and thank you for the advice!  I plan on doing more practice in a parking lot. The riding school covered highlighted stopping, that is one thing I made sure to master as much as I could in the short time. Excited to see what ABS can do for stopping distance.

[cncntr8]

5 hours ago, balkor2 said:

ATGATT

Means "All The Gear All The Time"

As every said and seriously good advice!

ALWAYS ride your own ride. You might want to keep up with a buddy or a car. But don't. Ride within your Skill. Riding outside your skill can mean your life or someone else's. 

Thank you! I went out and bought everything. I didn't pay attention to price as much as quality and comfort. Rather pay more and know I will wear it and be comfortable!

 

I actually got lucky and one of the people in my intro to riding class lives down the street. He just got a bike as well so we are going to do more practicing together. 

[cncntr8]

2 hours ago, robbo10 said:

As far as parts are concerned the front end design seems to be crying our for a fly screen (for me anyway)

I was thinking the same thing. I am messing around with some ideas for one, maybe adding some accessory mounting options as well...

[Triple Jim]

5 hours ago, cncntr8 said:

I primarily print in ABS but am going to pick up some ASA, PC and probably some nylon to mess around with. I have enclosures and a few different printers to experiment with!

If you haven't worked with Nylon, you can just use weed trimmer line, but no matter what you buy, you need to bake it before use to get the water out, then keep it in a sealed container with some silica gel to humidity doesn't get to it.

[cncntr8]

15 minutes ago, Triple Jim said:

If you haven't worked with Nylon, you can just use weed trimmer line, but no matter what you buy, you need to bake it before use to get the water out, then keep it in a sealed container with some silica gel to humidity doesn't get to it.

Oh the trimmer line is a good idea...  I dry all my stuff in my high temp food dehydrator because it just makes everything so much stronger!  I am super intrigued by the trimmer line! Thanks for the idea!

[mt7fan]

Suggestion for the printer: move the instrument cluster behind the keys. Very useful, don't have to lower your head to see it.