New Bike & New to the Forum

Welcome.

I have to ask, how long are your legs that you need to lower the bike?

Bear in mind that the Moto GP riders are very often small stature people -- for the same reasons most jockeys are. Less weight means a bike will go faster, turn easier, stop quicker... Rossi and Marquez are likely only about 5' 6", and probably under 140 lbs. You may have an issue if you are 5' 2" or less, with relatively short legs --- if you are taller than that, it's a confidence thing, to be honest.

There are very few professional sportbike racers who are much bigger than 5' 10" or so. With equal bikes, the heavier rider will always lose the drag races, etc. When you get to the point that corner speed is the deciding factor..... physics says lighter is better.

That being said, knowlege is power. Schooling and formal training will make you a better, safer, faster rider much more quickly than learning it on your own. Practice. Read everything you can. Learn how to work on your own bike, so you know when it's misbehaving.

Spend your hard earned cash on the best quality gear you can (don't waste your time making it color coordinated -- the gear will outlast the bike), make sure the bike is functionally 100% (tires, chain, controls, brakes and suspension are MUCH more important than how it looks)

Thanks everyone for the love
Too excited about finally taking the plunge on buying this bike!

DatNyerr said:

Yo man i saw that bike in rapid!!! i knew it before i even read your post. Just saw montana and the bike and knew it! I bought my bike from blackhills powersports.

Welcome to the forum, by the way. Theres good info here!

EDIT: Didnt catch your a chick, my bad lol.

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Haha, that's awesome! Small world that you've seen it around.

Goatfather said:

Welcome to the forums. The video above is really good, also recommend taking an MSF

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I am, most definitely! Problem w/ the small town I'm in, they don't offer the MSF class till May, but got a few people to ride around w/ out here so they're teaching me what I need to know. If all's well, probably gonna take the skills test for my endorsement before I even take the course.

RJ2112 said:

Welcome.

I have to ask, how long are your legs that you need to lower the bike?

Bear in mind that the Moto GP riders are very often small stature people -- for the same reasons most jockeys are. Less weight means a bike will go faster, turn easier, stop quicker... Rossi and Marquez are likely only about 5' 6", and probably under 140 lbs. You may have an issue if you are 5' 2" or less, with relatively short legs --- if you are taller than that, it's a confidence thing, to be honest.

There are very few professional sportbike racers who are much bigger than 5' 10" or so. With equal bikes, the heavier rider will always lose the drag races, etc. When you get to the point that corner speed is the deciding factor..... physics says lighter is better.

That being said, knowlege is power. Schooling and formal training will make you a better, safer, faster rider much more quickly than learning it on your own. Practice. Read everything you can. Learn how to work on your own bike, so you know when it's misbehaving.

Spend your hard earned cash on the best quality gear you can (don't waste your time making it color coordinated -- the gear will outlast the bike), make sure the bike is functionally 100% (tires, chain, controls, brakes and suspension are MUCH more important than how it looks)

Click to expand...

I'm only 5'3" & only about 120, so lowering it was a definite lol, at least until I'm more comfortable. I've already taken it to the local motorcycle shop here & had them give it a look over and they said everything looks/runs great mechanically. Tires are new, chain's in good shape, oil was changed less than 1k miles ago, brakes are good. It was well taken care of, guy had it garaged most of the time, so I kinda got lucky with this 1st buy. But as for lowering it, the shop owner/tech told me it had already been lowered as much as possible as stock?, so my only option was the links & to drop the forks, which we did. I've taken it on a few good runs already & to me, it feels stable, but obviously being to new, I guess I wouldn't know the difference haha.

And I definitely agree the mechanics are more important than the aesthetics of it, but luckily this bike is more than well enough to get started on really making it "my own"
My dad's a Dodge/Cummins mechanic, so I've always been down to help in the shop (like my car, I've done all the work myself lol), but when it comes to the bike, I don't know where to begin, another reason I came to the forum. So I've been reading all I can about this thing, even got a hold of a manual for it so I can see what it's meant to run at & such.

The biggest things that lowering a bike (properly) will do, is reduce the ground clearance. This will apply in a straight line, as well as in curves. Be careful with speed bumps, and don't expect to get anywhere near the lean angle you would if the bike were at the OEM height...

If you are comfortable and riding it, that's how you gain experience. Seat time is the most valuable thing you can get; but it's really easy to settle into habits that may not be the most effective way to do things.

We've talked about the bike.

What kind of riding gear do you have, or are you gathering up? Knowing it's much tougher for the ladies to get this right than guys, I know that can be some serious coin and a lot of trial and error. As you look at jackets and pants, gloves, it is a good idea to work with a place that will allow you to return things until you get the fit right. This outfit has an excellent return policy... I make a point of shopping their closeout section where you are likely to find off season items at steep, steep discounts. The biggest plus is that they will ship you the next size, before they have received the item you are returning.

The ladies on the board know all of this stuff better than I ever will, just throwing out what has worked for me with good sucess.