haze87 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 So, prior to riding and purchasing this bike earlier in March, I had pretty limited experience on the bike. I took the MSF course and practiced a few times on 250's. I knew my shifts weren't smooth, my confidence wavered a bit, and there were some days I just didn't feel comfortable riding. I've now had the FZ-07 for 2-3 weeks and have thrown about 500 miles on it and have used it for just about everything (with the exception of trips to Publix). I remember my first week riding clear as day, my shifts SUCKED and I was terrible at downshifting. I watched tons of Youtube videos and would go out and ride just to try and get it down. Now this is where I don't know if it's just muscle memory or the bike itself is getting smoother... This weekend I have driven A LOT. My number one take away is that while I know I've improved a bit, my acceleration and shifting (up/down) has improved so much... It is an absolute blast riding now. I find myself just taking silly little errand runs just to get on the bike. At the end of the day, I just wanted to say that I am extremely happy that this was my purchase. I was very seldom to accelerate at anything over a grandma's pace prior to this weekend. I changed that a bit this weekend and the bike feels so much more accepting to that riding style. It's so much smoother. I'm not redlining by any means, just giving it a little extra, instead of driving purely for MPG. This is a total newbie post, but has anyone else experienced this with theirs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member hippiebikerchick Posted March 30, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted March 30, 2015 Oh, yes, definitely! The first time I rode on a real street (residential) I went 15 mph and was paranoid of every driveway! Each time went a little bit farther, a little bit faster, a little bit smoother on controls. The smile never faded! Practice makes perfect. Remember the euphoric feelings you are experiencing right now. I'm so glad you are extremely happy! Enjoy riding and life! Illegitimi non carborundum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator mjh937 Posted March 30, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted March 30, 2015 Practice and slowly increasing speeds and acceleration rates as you get more comfortable are the way to go. I am over 2300 miles on mine now and it just keeps getting more fun every ride. I look forward to every time I can ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantheraleo Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Yes, it happens that way. It took me about a week of riding before I felt comfortable. I actually drove about 150 miles in my neighborhood before venturing out into real traffic. This is a great feeling you are having, but remain vigilant! Don't get overconfident. I laid my GS500 down going around a curve when I hit some leaves a few weeks into street riding. Full gear made it virtually painless, and the bike suffered only scrapes and a broken mirror. It was a stern (but effective) lesson in humility. O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason. Bear with me. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause...till it come back to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Eastern Kayaker Posted March 31, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted March 31, 2015 Even though I rode a motorcycle almost 30 years ago and passed the MSF BRC this past Fall, I was very nervous on my first ride on my FZ-07. I consider myself a noob. So I limited my rides to roads in my neighborhood with little traffic, since I needed to work on my shifting, braking, well everything. Each day I rode, I noticed my riding was improving, and after 100 miles on these roads I ventured out into heavier traffic. I have almost 300 miles on my bike now and feel more confident. I am still a noob, but a noob that is riding better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member rmdet Posted March 31, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted March 31, 2015 Similar to @easternkayaker I had many years of no riding (about 22 very sad years) and it felt like being a new rider all over again when I got my FZ07 - great stuff! The fun of the initial learning curve, getting in tune with the rev matching, shift smoothness, start/stop, etc. Getting to go through it with such an awesome bike is a blast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitta20 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Yes, it happens that way. It took me about a week of riding before I felt comfortable. I actually drove about 150 miles in my neighborhood before venturing out into real traffic. This is a great feeling you are having, but remain vigilant! Don't get overconfident. I laid my GS500 down going around a curve when I hit some leaves a few weeks into street riding. Full gear made it virtually painless, and the bike suffered only scrapes and a broken mirror. It was a stern (but effective) lesson in humility. @pantheraleo... I too had a GS500 which I put down on a curve and now own a MT-07 here in NZ. What's your thoughts on the upgrade in comparison to the GS?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantheraleo Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Yes, it happens that way. It took me about a week of riding before I felt comfortable. I actually drove about 150 miles in my neighborhood before venturing out into real traffic. This is a great feeling you are having, but remain vigilant! Don't get overconfident. I laid my GS500 down going around a curve when I hit some leaves a few weeks into street riding. Full gear made it virtually painless, and the bike suffered only scrapes and a broken mirror. It was a stern (but effective) lesson in humility. @pantheraleo... I too had a GS500 which I put down on a curve and now own a MT-07 here in NZ. What's your thoughts on the upgrade in comparison to the GS?? Well, the FZ is lighter, turns better, has more torque and HP, and sounds 100% better when both are equipped with a Yoshimura. It also is easier to maintain. However, my GS is superior for highway riding. My GS is a fared model. I still have my GS and rode it last weekend....but the FZ is a much more intense ride. Do you guys have that less-powerful model they have in Australia? O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason. Bear with me. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause...till it come back to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitta20 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Nice man...mine was the GS500e, naked bike. I agree with you in all your points, but would also add that the GS500's seat is sooooo much better than what we have to put up with lol. 2 bikes.. Nice... It usually goes something like this (so I've heard) lol But should be more like this... Haha Yeah, we have what they call the LAMS (Learner approved motorcycle scheme). So yes, the MT-07 here is 660cc so it fits into a 'learner approved' category. Still, an awesome bike which does everything I need (+ some). I wouldn't trade it for anything at this point in time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member snowdriftless Posted April 7, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted April 7, 2015 Glad you are enjoying your bike! Keep practicing. The FZ is such an easy bike to handle. It does just fine going grandma pace, It doesn't mind if you open up the throttle just a little bit, and it rears back when you really poke it with a stick! Every time I am riding my bike I feel more involved than driving my car. It is a more enjoyable experience. I am always finding excuses to take my bike even when using my car might make a little more sense (10 qts. of oil is hard to fit into a back pack). P1: Vice? I have no vice, I'm as pure as the driven snow! P2: Yeah but you've been drifting All the gear all the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromthecage Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I fit into the same category. I came into the FZ-07 with only my MSF course as motorcycle experience. My first rides on the FZ terrified me because I was using a car racing helmet (not very aerodynamic) until my Shoei came in. After that it was pure bliss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Congratulations on the new bike! In my riding experience, repetition builds confidence and training builds skill. Now that you have the basics down, please consider taking some more advanced rider training. I still take the "experienced rider course" every 2 years to keep up on the basic skills that are easily forgotten even though I've been riding over 30 years. If you apply the proper skills now to your everyday riding, those skills will become embedded and you'll become even more comfortable. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanner68 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Sounds familiar OP. I had ridden dirt bikes intensely as a teenager, and the FZ07 is my first street bike after 20 years of not riding. I had a forty mile ride on city streets to get it home from the dealer that took an hour an twenty minutes. And that's because I didn't want to get on the freeway. It took two or three weeks for me to start riding on the freeways. I am lucky that there is lots of great canyon riding near where I live. And I can also do tons of urban "adventure" riding here. While confidence and skills generally increase, sometimes there are days when you have more trepidation. I've even gone home or cut a ride short if I wasn't feeling it. But this bike is so much fun, and practicing and training and riding is such a blast. Your description of your progression sounds familiar. Reading, rereading, and practicing and implementing what I learn from books like Sport Riding Techniques by Ienatsch, Twist of the Wrist II by Code, and Houghs books, has helped tremendously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member craigm Posted April 10, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted April 10, 2015 Similar for me too. I did the MSF last June after only ever riding half a dozen times before as a teenager years ago. The FZ07 is my first bike. At the end of the first week with it I went on something like a 250 mile round trip with a friend on his Ducati monster. That really helped my confidence! I did about 1500 miles before storing it away for winter. I've now booked the MSF Advanced Rider 1 day course for early May. Hopefully if I've learned any bad habits already that will help iron those out, and make sure I'm doing the right thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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