[Butcher]

I think you notice the general trend here, but let me pop in a few cents.

Any motorcycle above about 50cc can produce acceleration and speed that can scare a person. A 620 would do that, as would a 695 for someone who is not used to a motorcycle.

Slowing the bike down isn't a good answer. Educating yourself is.

That being said, a Ducati V-twin is a very tractable, smooth, torquey and easy to ride bike. It's not peaky or difficult to manage all of the power. If you don't want/need that much, don't open the throttle. It is under your control under your wrist.

The fact that you are enough of a person to admit that you feel over your head tells me that you're smart enough to not do something stupid.

If you had just purchased a heavily modified 150hp racing bike, I would tell you to sell it and buy something reasonable. The S2 will be ready with you as your skills grow and you will become more comfortable.

Wow. Long speech. Sorry.

 

[PeteB]

I think you notice the general trend here, but let me pop in a few cents.

Any motorcycle above about 50cc can produce acceleration and speed that can scare a person. A 620 would do that, as would a 695 for someone who is not used to a motorcycle.

Slowing the bike down isn't a good answer. Educating yourself is.

That being said, a Ducati V-twin is a very tractable, smooth, torquey and easy to ride bike. It's not peaky or difficult to manage all of the power. If you don't want/need that much, don't open the throttle. It is under your control under your wrist.

The fact that you are enough of a person to admit that you feel over your head tells me that you're smart enough to not do something stupid.

If you had just purchased a heavily modified 150hp racing bike, I would tell you to sell it and buy something reasonable. The S2 will be ready with you as your skills grow and you will become more comfortable.

Wow. Long speech. Sorry.

+1 to butcher.

 

[lcduc3]

Like a lot of folks who replied, I also think it took guts to be honest and say that the bike seems too much. You didn't say, but I'm guessing it's your very first motorcycle of any sort?
Lots of good ideas in the previous responses, especially as it seems that you're going to have a bike of some sort no matter if it's a small learner bike, a smaller Monster, or the beautiful S2R you have now!
Do get the best gear you can, educate yourself by reading good material on basics of motorcycle control; countersteering, use of the brakes, exercising good vision, etc. Practice when and where you do it without too much pressure, eg avoid heavy traffic, etc. Get into that MSF course in March.
I just recently got back into street riding after a period of inactivity. Even though I'd ridden quite a few years, and raced for the last several before I stopped, it's taken me a while to start feeling comfortable again.
Good luck!
LC

 

[newbies2r]

Again, much thanks for all the great feedback and advice!

I spent a few days "detuning" my wrist (practicing slowly launching the bike and gently accelerating/decelerating through my parking lot) and the bike is much less intimidating now. The bike is still intimidating, but now it's more along the lines of "This is a dangerous toy i could kill myself with if I'm not VERY careful" instead of "Why did I jump off a plane without a parachute?!!"

I've also found myself gripping the throttle with my wrist bent upwards so that I physically cant twist the throttle very far for now.

Fortunately, most of my friends (and my wife's family) are riders, so together they knocked enough sense into me to pick up all my gear before I began looking at bikes. [thumbsup]

I'm going to be picking up some winter reading very soon-thanks again everyone!

 

[newbies2r]

and yes, this is the first and only motorcycle i've ever sat on. This probably paints an even worse/more reckless picture, but I haven't even ridden a bicycle in 10-15 years! It took a couple hours of just sitting on the motorcycle this weekend and lifting my feet onto the pegs to get used to balancing the bike.

My wife has finally admitted the only reason she supported me doing this now (at 26yrs old) is because she doesn't want me to have a midlife crisis in my 40s and get my first bike then since i will not have youthful reflexes nor skills at that point in my life (and i wont heal as easily, lol)

... at least she's honest? :

 

[Mac900]

I hate to break it to you and your wife (but go ahead and let her believe what she wants to anyway).

THIS IS NO GUARANTEE OR HEDGE AGAINST A MIDLIFE CRISIS!! > > ;D

At 26 I was racing streetbikes & dirt bikes, skydiving, & flying hang gliders. Through the years I wound up at a point where I wasn't doing any of that anymore except on rare occassions. At 54 a friend insisted I ride a Monster. Bada Boo, Bada Bing -- back in the saddle again.

Your life experience may turn out to be different.

 

[Desmo Stu]

Good to hear you are getting on with the bike! I think you are smart to be cautious, just don't over think too much while on the bike. That's a great way to crash.


Take your time, and have fun! [thumbsup]

Oh, and go thank/kiss your wife...she sounds real cool (little white lies can save a relationship)! ;D

 

[hiero]

I've also found myself gripping the throttle with my wrist bent upwards so that I physically cant twist the throttle very far for now.

I wouldn't recommend that you get into the habit of doing this, keep the wrist relaxed and roll on evenly, doing this will just set you up for bad habits later

and yeah, you most definitely heal quicker at this age than if it were later [thumbsup]

 

[Redkite2]

and yes, this is the first and only motorcycle i've ever sat on. This probably paints an even worse/more reckless picture, but I haven't even ridden a bicycle in 10-15 years! It took a couple hours of just sitting on the motorcycle this weekend and lifting my feet onto the pegs to get used to balancing the bike.

My wife has finally admitted the only reason she supported me doing this now (at 26yrs old) is because she doesn't want me to have a midlife crisis in my 40s and get my first bike then since i will not have youthful reflexes nor skills at that point in my life (and i wont heal as easily, lol)

So you're a complete novice? Well nothing wrong with that we were all there once, but now you're making me nervous [laugh]. Unless you're exaggerating your situation a little, I would revise my 2 cents worth from my earlier post and I would say put the Ducati in the shed for a bit, get an old bike or scooter, and\or get yourself on some sort of course asap.
There's more to riding a bike than being able to manage the controls and if you go out on busy roads you need to be aware of whats going on around you, and be able to react coolly and quickly to situations that will arise - just looking over your shoulder before changing road position\making a turn etc. will save your life on a daily basis but it's difficult to do as a beginner if you can't yet handle\balance the machine properly and your going to get yourself into all sorts of trouble.
I don't want to go all melodramatic on you but you need to actually be around at 40 to enjoy your midlife crisis. Again, get yourself some sort of training [thumbsup]

In Holland you don't get to ride without an instructor until:
a: you've passed your theory exam
b: you pass a riding skills exam (bike control).
c: you pass the practical (riding on public roads) test.

When you've done that you've learnt enough to keep yourself alive, but you're not yet a competent rider

 

[scoby2duc]

was this a 800 or a 1000??

 

[friedduck]

A lot of good comments, so I'll just add:

1.) See about restricting throttle movement. I haven't explored it but maybe there's a way to install a stop-bolt so that you can only use up to half-throttle.

2.) Install some frame sliders to minimize damage. If my early bike experience was any indication, you're likely to drop it at some point.

I'd reiterate the advice to buy a small dirtbike to play on--it's invaluable experience and what most of us started with.

My abbreviated riding tips would be:
1.) It's usually the slow stuff that'll trip you up initially. Be particularly mindful of parking lots and even your own driveway. Make sure the sidestand is completely down before you let go of the bike!

2.) Look really far ahead while in traffic. Giving yourself more time to react will be key in the beginning.

Nick Ienatsch and Keith Code's books aren't bad places to start reading about how to exploit your new toy. I'll warn you that Code's writing leaves a lot to be desired, but the key points are all valid.

Best of luck with the new mount--let us know how it progresses.

--Jeff

 

[newbies2r]

It's an 800cc... i didn't want my first bike to have more RWHP then many cars I've owned!!

I've looked at frame sliders, but I must admit I'm somewhat confused. For the S2Rs I'm seeing sliders that bolt through the engine, sliders that bolt to the bottom of the front fork, and sliders that bolt on the back of the bike (around the swingarm/rear wheel...) Are sliders in all 3 spots important? what would you guys recommend and why?

This is taking alot more "unlearning" then i anticipated (i had gotten heavy into scca soloII autocrossing for a few yrs and almost everything involved in handling this bike is backwards!!)

 

[Aguacate]

I've just got frame sliders on the engine

 

[spidey]

Don't work about fork and swingarm sliders. You want the ones that come out from the engine. I like CycleCats, but some prefer Speedymoto. Desmoworld apparently also sells some. They're all DML sponsors.

 

[ahb]

I'm in a similar boat. Took MSF, bought a '96 M900. No previous moto experience apart from a few afternoons on a dirtbike many years ago. I didn't have as much trouble adjusting to the handling as I've been racing bicycles for more than a decade and still ride four or five days a week, but the acclimation period is still large. I've got about 500 miles under me, still taking it very easy in terms of traffic, high speeds, throttle, etc. As I feel more comfortable with the basic controls and movements, I've been adding situations bit by bit. I started on absolutely empty roads at low speeds, and I still ride very slowly. I now feel pretty comfortable in moderate amounts of traffic. Still dont ride at all after dark and haven't yet ventured onto the interstate.

pretty amusing, sofar. The monster feels much more like my road bike than did the cruisers we rode in the MSF class. it feels much lighter and more direct than I had imagined it would, given the fact that it weighs about 20 times what my bicycle does.

 

[supakpow]

Newbie, enough has been said about skills, education, etc. so I won't elaborate on these.
I do suggest that you get some good earplugs. Why? When I first started riding my S2R it was much louder than other bikes I've had and made it very hard concentrate on my riding. When I got earplugs the noise was cut down enough to be able to still hear the motor (which you will learn is a very important part of riding/handleling) but gave me that "calming feeling" that you get when you are used to your bike. It's like having a jack hammer outside your window and trying to sleep then getting sound proof glass... You sleep like a baby. Try it you'll like it.

 

[Aguacate]

You sleep like a baby. Try it you'll like it.

[laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

Plus, you can stay up late reading motorcycle technique books, then catch up on your sleep while riding!

 

[newbies2r]

I finally dropped it, with VERY minimal damage. My 20th lap or so weaving between the parking lots today and I leaned too hard into a very sharp turn at extremely slow speed, lost balance and it all came down.

I immediately hit the engine kill and was lifting the bike before it even touched ground, so I only chipped a very minor amount of coating off of the front brake lever and put a few small chips in the right passenger peg. I was absolutely shocked that the frame, tank, etc never even touched the ground and the cosmetic damage was so extraordinarily minor!! My wife thought I had completely lost it when she saw the bike on the ground and a grin on my face....

I also found out, my skinny 6'0" 120lb butt can lift that S2R back right... which to be honest, I had alot of doubts before actually doing it!!

Bike's running great, feels fine... i'm fine. I dont even want to know how plastic i would have broken doing that with a jap bike.

Now I just need to wait for some sliders to come in...

 

[Paolo Sepi]

I finally dropped it, with VERY minimal damage. My 20th lap or so weaving between the parking lots today and I leaned too hard into a very sharp turn at extremely slow speed, lost balance and it all came down.
. . .
Now I just need to wait for some sliders to come in...

I just got a new 695 2 days ago, and managed to sort of drop it this morning. The low fuel light came on, so I stopped at a gas station for the first time. It was misty, I was distracted by not being able to see very well, and I thought I put the kickstand down. Apparently I was wrong. When I got off the bike and let it rest, it just kept tipping over. I say I almost dropped it because it actually landed on my leg, and never hit the ground.

I was thinking three things:
1) What happened to the kickstand? ???
2) I wish I had frame sliders, and
3) I hope nobody is watching this. :

No harm done, except a sore left leg. :'( That will heal. No damage to the bike at all. [thumbsup]

 

[test-reg]

I just got a new 695 2 days ago, and managed to sort of drop it this morning. The low fuel light came on, so I stopped at a gas station for the first time. It was misty, I was distracted by not being able to see very well, and I thought I put the kickstand down. Apparently I was wrong. When I got off the bike and let it rest, it just kept tipping over. I say I almost dropped it because it actually landed on my leg, and never hit the ground.

I was thinking three things:
1) What happened to the kickstand? ???
2) I wish I had frame sliders, and
3) I hope nobody is watching this. :

No harm done, except a sore left leg. :'( That will heal. No damage to the bike at all. [thumbsup]

Trust me, you are not the only one to do that.