First ride on a VTR1000 - Im in love...

[Mick B]

Any takers on the best way to ride a twin into slow roundabouts(sad admitting to it) .Me and the bike are coming along well but slow roundabouts are doing my head in.I come up to them drop to second and then go around but I then feel I dont have enough revs and give it a bit more then to much.Should I be giving it more power and slipping the clutch to suit

Help

Apart from this I love my bike

[sirch345]

Mick, if 1st gear is too low for your slow roundabouts, then (as you suggested) you will have to use 2nd gear slipping the clutch slightly. I think I probably free wheel slightly rather than slip the clutch a lot, but I do it with out thinking about now, so I'm not 100% sure on that. I'll have to check it next time I'm out

I think the more you ride the bike and adjust to it, you will develope your own technique

Chris.

[LutonStorm]

Hey Gary/Tentman.
Just waiting to sort out my Storm, as its only a 500 at present dur to only running on 1 cylinder.

But i'm in Luton so not too far away from you and an easy blast on the bike.
Should be fixed next week so perhaps we shoud organise a rideout?

enjoying my riding too....
SK

[Mick B]

Mick, if 1st gear is too low for your slow roundabouts, then (as you suggested) you will have to use 2nd gear slipping the clutch slightly. I think I probably free wheel slightly rather than slip the clutch a lot, but I do it with out thinking about now, so I'm not 100% sure on that. I'll have to check it next time I'm out

I think the more you ride the bike and adjust to it, you will develope your own technique

Chris.

Cheers Chris

I will try and stay in first and keep the revs up. Just naturally for me I always cruise up and pull round in second but the storm doesn't like it. Like you said its probably a rider bike learning curve. I love all aspects of my bike but frustrated and driving like a doyle when I know I can ride a bike .

Well off work for a week, wife is at her sisters in London so what can I do with all this spare time alone ? I know I may drive round every roundabout in the North East

[tentman]

Hi Mick

Ive been out for the night and im just loving the bike more and more.... Still not getting it over enough, ill have the squarest tyres in the country soon. It really is good that its going to take time to get the most out of the bike. I think a bike you can just jump on and ride well straight away is a waste... im enjoying learning what to do..

SK, I would love to meet up, do you go to any week night biker meets over your way... If the weather is good i normally go to huntingdon on the A14, there is a big biker meet at Hartford Marina in Huntingdon. A bit far for you i know so if you can suggest somewhere else then great. My email is info@thetentfactory.co.uk

[coledog]

A word of warning if in first gear around roundabouts dont back off quick you could fall over hehe oops! but after a while you will get used to it if not you can always play around with the gearing

[Mick B]

Mick B, are you from the Teesside area by any chance ?
The phrase

driving like a doyle

gave it away...

Is it that obvious Mike
Yeah from Middlesbrough fella

[marravtr]

easy, dont slow down for roundabouts

[firestorm996]

Re the low speed almost-stalling thing....I have to confess that when I took delivery of my new 98 storm I couldn't resist taking it for a quick blip up and down the street. I did exactly the same thing (stalled it proper and the bike started to drop to one side!) fortunately I caught it...how embarassing would that have been, the bike had only been mine for about three minutes....no lid on or nowt either...

You'll get used to it mate

[fritz]

ive just got me self another firestorm after selling my last one a couple of years back!!!!!

the grin is back!!! i sulked for two bloody years!!


as for the round abouts..... approach in what ever gear you like, and on the exit, give it a hand full!!!! your trusty steed will move into "thwaites dumper mode", it will make what you think is an odd noise and start to pull away!!!

its a vee twin.. its what they do best

im a very lazy rider and love the way they pull... cant stand having to go up and down the gear box always looking for the power like you do with an inline 4!!!

although i must admit my LC350 was a big bag of bonkers fun 20 odd yrs ago.

anyone else remember the "powerband" on the 2strokes we all tryed to kill ourselves on??

[Mick B]

Well today was a different day

Went out for a small run and come back 65 miles later . Today everything seemed to click and I couldn't get enough of the storm .I think I have put right what was wrong with my riding. I now hold it in the gears a lot longer and keep the revs up a little more than previous and the bike feels stable and fast. I think I am starting to accept the v twin riding style and forgetting my in line four technique . Roundabouts are a lot better(not perfect) but my confidence (and smile) has improved massively and I didn't what to put the beast away

Thanks for all the tips fellas and fingers crossed things can only get better

[AMCQ46]

although i must admit my LC350 was a big bag of bonkers fun 20 odd yrs ago.

anyone else remember the "powerband" on the 2strokes we all tryed to kill ourselves on??

Oh yes, best year of my life etc etc etc.

As you can see from my signature, I have a bit of a soft spot for the old 2 smoke . Most of my early bikes were strokers, and I had the pre powervalve LC350 in there, I even raced a home built MZ250 18yrs ago, but that is another story. But the 200 GasGas dirt bike has a serious powerband .........mild and great traction before the powervalve opens, then buzzzzz spin and wheelie and suddenly it runs out of revs like you hit a wall.........ooops should have changed up.

[Mick B]

Do you go to the Whistlestop Mick ?
I'll give you a shout next time I have a blat over.

Hi Mike

No not been up there yet though my mates go up when the weather is ok. Will get up there one night fella

[tony.mon]

Using the engine braking instead of brakes is one of the best things about big vee's.

But remember that your brake light doesn't show- you can end up with a car up your chuff!

With any new bike it takes a bit of time until you know exactly what gear you need for any situation.

The one that takes me most time is when I'm trickling along at 85-90 in 6th and then need to gun it big time- do you drop to fourth, or can you get a second or two in third before you need to change up?

Ah, well- you'll just have to practise, I suppose

Glad you're enjoying it- 4 years in on a Storm come Sept.

[tony.mon]

Like the one on your avatar?


Or like the one on the Sachsenring MotoGP practice session yesterday, where (I can't remember who- Hayden?) highsided and then landed on the rider in front of him?

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