Topic: I'm scared of my motorcycle.

[RustyStuff]

Thanks for the advice. The dirt road I live on is right off the highway, and I don't have my endorcement yet, so I can't go there yet. I'll try and ride in 2nd next time out. The carbs pluged up again so I have to work on it somemore.

I'm planning on getting my lisence though the local safety course.

Might not get to ride for a while though. Might get a few feet of snow in a few days.

[BobbyR]

First of all what you are feeling is probably more common than people will admit. All I could afford was a small 250 which was like a bicycle with a motor. When I bought a 450 it felt very solid but the handling was different and the power was exciting. After riding a while I adjusted to the bike. When I jumped to the 750 it was the same experience, awesomely fast and needed a change in my riding skill.

When you ride you dirt road you will fell a tire walk sideways over something and it feels unstable, after a while you learn nothing is going to happen and you will barely notice it. Out on asphalt it is the same thing, you hit a small crack in the road or a tar strip, you will feel it, but you realize that nothing bad is happening, it becomes just what it feels like to ride.

Just practice and take the MSF course it will teach you riding and survival skills.

[70CB750]

Well put, Bobby.

[rbmgf7]

+1 on the MSF course. The basic course here has KLX250's and GZ250's to begin on. I had 5 years under my belt so it made the course a cake walk. There are always one or two in the course who never even touched a bike and still pass. You'll learn a thing or two as well. The advanced course is the same material except you use your own bike.

Trying to rip it on dirt isn't a smart move if you're a beginner on a road bike. Hence, why there's dirt bikes and road bikes. Albeit, an experienced rider won't have trouble riding a street on dirt and visa versa. It's understandable that you have to ride the dirt to get to the road from your house. Just take it easy, what's the rush?

I started on street then dabbled in dirt. Now I have the V-Strom which is essentially a large dual sport. I crawled, walked, and began to run with the Strom in dirt but still ride with caution. Not going to lie, I still scare myself riding on dirt roads but it's one of those things that I also admire. It's two different riding styles which takes practice transitioning between the two.

[RustyStuff]

+1 on the MSF course. The basic course here has KLX250's and GZ250's to begin on. I had 5 years under my belt so it made the course a cake walk. There are always one or two in the course who never even touched a bike and still pass. You'll learn a thing or two as well. The advanced course is the same material except you use your own bike.

Trying to rip it on dirt isn't a smart move if you're a beginner on a road bike. Hence, why there's dirt bikes and road bikes. Albeit, an experienced rider won't have trouble riding a street on dirt and visa versa. It's understandable that you have to ride the dirt to get to the road from your house. Just take it easy, what's the rush?

I started on street then dabbled in dirt. Now I have the V-Strom which is essentially a large dual sport. I crawled, walked, and began to run with the Strom in dirt but still ride with caution. Not going to lie, I still scare myself riding on dirt roads but it's one of those things that I also admire. It's two different riding styles which takes practice transitioning between the two.

I have many many thousands of miles rideing on dirt on little bikes. I actualy road my first real bike, a 2 stroke 50cc HD to death as a kid.
 Thats where I've been rideing for the last 10 years, But I've just never riden a bike with this much power before, thats why i'm nervous, not the dirt road, just the sheer power this bike has.

[Retro Rocket]

Rusty, they really aren't that powerful mate, just riding in first gear on the dirt isn't going to really give much of an idea of how it goes on the street. Compared to anything modern these old bikes really are slow. Do the course, take your time and enjoy....

[Charliedontsurf]

I understand exactly how you feel... I bought a cb750 about 5 months ago. I love a project and im over my head, but i know i can do this.... The point is


i have
no clue how to drive a motorcycle.!

But owning one of these wonderful machines is worth the fear of learning.

these guys know exactly what they are doing... listen to them....

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

[scunny]

Rusty, they really aren't that powerful mate, just riding in first gear on the dirt isn't going to really give much of an idea of how it goes on the street. Compared to anything modern these old bikes really are slow. Do the course, take your time and enjoy....

but it's the 650, what you mean slow. 

[trueblue]

I learnt to ride when I was 12, I started out on dirt bikes and the occasional road bike with dirt tyres, but nothing over a 250 and all on the dirt.  I pretty much stopped riding completely when I was 17, when I was 24 I decided I was getting another bike but this time I wanted a proper road bike, I ended up finding a cb650z on ebay, and bought it for a good price, stripped it back to a bare frame and went right over it, a fresh coat of paint and a lot of time and elbow grease not to mention a fair wad of cash it was ready for the road, I went and did Q-ride, it is basically a safety course combined with a license test.  When I started riding the 650 on the road it felt huge, but after a couple of weeks I soon got used to it, I'm about 6'2" so a smaller bike was out of the question and sometimes now the 650 feels a little small and I have occasional thoughts about getting a bigger bike, but at the end of the day I couldn't get rid of it, hell if I park it on the street I can't even walk away from it for fear that something will happen to it. 

[dhall57]

I've been riding motorcycles for over forty years. Never been scared of a bike, but always been smart enough to respect them. When you stop doing that even the smallest bike can hurt you very bad or even kill you

[Gordon]

I think that's the first time I've ever heard the words "sheer power" used to describe a CB650.

[Retro Rocket]

Rusty, they really aren't that powerful mate, just riding in first gear on the dirt isn't going to really give much of an idea of how it goes on the street. Compared to anything modern these old bikes really are slow. Do the course, take your time and enjoy....

but it's the 650, what you mean slow. 

I heard yours moves without even turning it on Scunny.... Bloody earthquakes.....

[Retro Rocket]

I think that's the first time I've ever heard the words "sheer power" used to describe a CB650.

   Yeah, i was thinking about the late model Gixxers, 4x the power and around 5 times the power to weight ratio.....

[RustyStuff]

I think that's the first time I've ever heard the words "sheer power" used to describe a CB650.

62horses is alot when you'r used to bikes with less than 10.

[Retro Rocket]

I think that's the first time I've ever heard the words "sheer power" used to describe a CB650.

62horses is alot when you'r used to bikes with less than 10.

Try around 48-49 HP...   The 750's had less than 62 stock....

http://www.myhonda650.com/cb650roadtest.htm

[RustyStuff]

I think that's the first time I've ever heard the words "sheer power" used to describe a CB650.

62horses is alot when you'r used to bikes with less than 10.

Try around 48-49 HP...   The 750's had less than 62 stock....

http://www.myhonda650.com/cb650roadtest.htm

I've seen 62hp at the crank figures in old cycle magizines.
I belive the 60ish Hp figures for the 750's were at the crank too.

[Retro Rocket]

Those numbers are from actual tests, there was one model 650 with a hotter cam that had a little more HP. You will only ever feel the HP from the wheels anyway so the 40's numbers are more accurate and only achieved at around 8500 revs.......

[trueblue]

Those numbers are from actual tests, there was one model 650 with a hotter cam that had a little more HP. You will only ever feel the HP from the wheels anyway so the 40's numbers are more accurate and only achieved at around 8500 revs.......

The Z model was rated at 63hp at the crank, don't so much care about the later models because I own a Z, the 50hp figure came from an old magazine review that used a dyno that you couldn't rely on for its accuracy.  All I know for certain is for an old bike the 650 is fairly bloody fast. 

[Retro Rocket]

Those numbers are from actual tests, there was one model 650 with a hotter cam that had a little more HP. You will only ever feel the HP from the wheels anyway so the 40's numbers are more accurate and only achieved at around 8500 revs.......

The Z model was rated at 63hp at the crank, don't so much care about the later models because I own a Z, the 50hp figure came from an old magazine review that used a dyno that you couldn't rely on for its accuracy.  All I know for certain is for an old bike the 650 is fairly bloody fast.

Thats the one TB, what year model is the Z.? { trying to convince Dave500 to put that model cam in his 550 }

[Hush]

I can sympathise with his predicament, going from a CB650Z that took all day to get to 55 mph to a 1400cc machine that thinks the maximum road speed limit is just a guide made me realise how "alive" I was.
I went from a Suzuki AC50 which I bought when I was 14 to a Suzuki T350 which would do 110 mph any day you wanted it to a year later.
My advice (seeing as how I just had to take it myself) is ride...ride...ride until you know that bike, don't leave it in the shed and occasionally peep at it, take it out every chance you get and find out how it goes, how it stops, what it corners like etc until you know that bike and it is like an old pair of jeans!

    "BECOME ONE WITH THE BIKE GRASSHOPPER" or for the younger generation "USE THE BIKE LUKE".

[trueblue]

Those numbers are from actual tests, there was one model 650 with a hotter cam that had a little more HP. You will only ever feel the HP from the wheels anyway so the 40's numbers are more accurate and only achieved at around 8500 revs.......

The Z model was rated at 63hp at the crank, don't so much care about the later models because I own a Z, the 50hp figure came from an old magazine review that used a dyno that you couldn't rely on for its accuracy.  All I know for certain is for an old bike the 650 is fairly bloody fast.

Thats the one TB, what year model is the Z.? { trying to convince Dave500 to put that model cam in his 550 }

Retro the Z is the 79 model... and hush if it took all day to get your bike to 55mph your just weren't trying hard enough, my 650 if I push it will go from a dead stop to 120kph in about 150 metres.  It quite easily keeps pace with my brothers turbo MR2 which is no slouch. 

[Really?]

Once you get the road a a bit you will think it is not fast enough.  Give it time.    Some of the little 2 stoke 50cc bikes are wicked fast so this 650 speed-wise should end up a breeze, just heavier and bigger.

[754]

 trueblue, take that thing to the strip and get a time slip cuz we aint believing it..

BTW the speedo fudges as much as crank vs rear wheel hp...

[heffay]

Go ride around with all your squidly friends on the plasticized liter bikes wearing flip flops and shorts with no helmets and you'll quickly learn what unsafe REALLY feels like. 

[madmtnmotors]

trueblue, take that thing to the strip and get a time slip cuz we aint believing it..

120 kph (about 75 mph) in 150 meters (164 yds, 492 ft, about 1/10 mile) isn't too far fetched.