Riding the storm hard... and newbie tips.

[Squiffythewombat]

Slim-

Quite agree about tyre wear on the road, however not so sure i agree about using the rear to correct corner lines..

[orangestorm]

Hi people, ref your missing toolkit I had owned my storm 4years before I found my toolkit it normally hides down the seat cowl where you can't see it.... Honda don't normally send bikes out with bits missing Cheers

[Rincewind]

don't have one either.....

[Kitch]

anyone got the stock suspension settings? I might try setting it back to stock and then playing with it from there. i've no idea if it had been played with before I got it.

a

Standard:

Forks: preload - 4 rings showing / rebound - 1 turn out from fully in.
Shock: preload - position 2 / rebound - 1 turn out from fully in.

Thats the factory setting, Roger (Firestorm guru and all round top bloke from Revolution Racing) advised me these settings for stock suspension:

FORKS
1) wind the pre-load adjuster (14mm spanner) until only one ring is showing
2) Set the rebound (screw at the top of the fork) until you have "the fastest possible return, but under control" - this will be around 3/4 to 1 turn OUT from fully IN
3) Ride the bike accordingly !!!!

DAMPER
1) Set the pre-load to the LOWEST level (step 1 )
2) Set the Rebound (screw at the bottom of the damper) to "fastest possible return etc. etc. ---"

that's based on me asking for a setting based on my 13 stone and for road / occasionally spirited riding.

[sirch345]

anyone got the stock suspension settings? I might try setting it back to stock and then playing with it from there. i've no idea if it had been played with before I got it.

a

Standard:

Forks: preload - 4 rings showing / rebound - 1 turn out from fully in.
Shock: preload - position 2 / rebound - 1 turn out from fully in.

Thats the factory setting, Roger (Firestorm guru and all round top bloke from Revolution Racing) advised me these settings for stock suspension:

FORKS
1) wind the pre-load adjuster (14mm spanner) until only one ring is showing
2) Set the rebound (screw at the top of the fork) until you have "the fastest possible return, but under control" - this will be around 3/4 to 1 turn OUT from fully IN
3) Ride the bike accordingly !!!!

DAMPER
1) Set the pre-load to the LOWEST level (step 1 )
2) Set the Rebound (screw at the bottom of the damper) to "fastest possible return etc. etc. ---"

that's based on me asking for a setting based on my 13 stone and for road / occasionally spirited riding.

I'll second that Kitch
When I set my bike up to Rogers recommendation's more or less as above it transformed the handling for me, but bear in mind I don't carry a pillion

[slim_boy_fat]

Slim-

Quite agree about tyre wear on the road, however not so sure i agree about using the rear to correct corner lines..

Simple leave using the rear to the pros.

[Squiffythewombat]

Slim-

Quite agree about tyre wear on the road, however not so sure i agree about using the rear to correct corner lines..

Simple leave using the rear to the pros.

well then why recomend it on the NEWBIE thread?

( i never said i couldnt do it... )

[Stormin Ben]

Are people getting confuse between rear-wheel steering (ie on the throttle) and using a dab of back brake to scrub off a bit of speed and turn the bike in a bit tighter?

Used properly the back brake is a very useful tool

HOWEVER
the time to discover how to use it is NOT the first time you need to use it in anger!
I've spent a good few hours over the years going round and round at Redditch, cranked over knee on the deck and then seeing what happens when you put some back brake on and what happens when you put the front brake on
You can get away with a surprising amount of both but the key thing is to apply them GENTLY

If you're too harsh with the rear the back will slide out but there's a reasonable chance you can save it by letting the brake off

However, if you're too harsh with the front it WILL tuck faster than you can say "Poo!" and the road will be suddenly very close to your visor

[slim_boy_fat]

Used properly the back brake is a very useful tool

He shoots he scores.......................

[OldBob]

My two pennies worth

Back brake - I think there's two points here. If riding hard on twisties etc, then try to avoid it where possible. I've been riding for a while and it does take some skill to use the back brake to knock of some speed when going quickly around a corner. My first ever attempt did see me sliding face first down the road watching my pride and joy doing sumersaults into the distance (well, I was 17, the bike was a GT250)... broke my heart.

Although riding through town, traffic, etc. then I use it all the time. It gives me greater control, manuverability and lets my right hand concentrate on the throttle (not a woman.. can't multi task)

How many of you have tried the U-turn without getting your feet down and without using the back brake

Hard to shift from left to right - Do you counter-steer? If not, then you should try it.

Check out http://www.superbikeschool.com It's not just for racers. I've got a copy of the "A twist of the wrist" on vhs somewhere. (Maybe I should try to get it into multimedia format). I could never afford to go on the actual school.

I did attend Ron Haslams Race school at Donington. Well worth it. (Maybe something to suggest when people ask, what do you want for your birthday) (http://www.haslamraceschool.com) I had the Premier package (cbr600).


Chicken lines - Not quite Stormin Ben league ok, let's be honest.. no where near Stormin Ben's league, but front is nowhere near the edge and rear has no line.

For all those newbies that want to check how far they can get it over.. draw a line horizontal across your tyre using chalk, then got for a ride, then check out the bits that are left.

[Stormin Ben]

Back brake . . . My first ever attempt did see me sliding face first down the road

Thats why I said practice it first, before you need to use it for real
Its the same reason I treat every 30mph limit, regardless of road surface etc as an emergency stop. (NB check there's nothing behind first -obviously)
Hopefully when I do come to have to do one in an emergency I'll know what the bike's likely to do, how hard and quickly I can brake etc.
That might be the difference between stopping and flying

How many of you have tried the U-turn without getting your feet down

Does the knee count?

For all those newbies that want to check how far they can get it over.. draw a line horizontal across your tyre using chalk, then got for a ride, then check out the bits that are left.

And remember boys and girls, you'll scuff more of the tyre in fast corners than in slow ones

[Squiffythewombat]

LOL @ does your knee count...

slim- Im not saying the back brake inst a tool, i just think advising newbies to use it to scrub off speed in a corner aint the best of ideas....

Oldbob- twist of the wrist is great for new and experienced alike in my opinion!

[slim_boy_fat]

slim- Im not saying the back brake inst a tool, i just think advising newbies to use it to scrub off speed in a corner aint the best of ideas....

That may be the case, but when i did my bike test i was taught to use the rear brake, primarily as a control for doing u turns but also in other situations.

But i get the impression that you didn’t realise it could be used to control the bike in a turn.

I’m no Keith Code that for sure but what I am talking about are pretty basic principles. Sometimes I get worried about the questions that new riders ask, its no them asking the questions it’s the fact that they have to ask them, where is all this improved training going. Where are the basic bike skills and roadcraft? I think its far to easy to do a direct access in 5 days (or whatever) and go out and buy a 160mph bike. The old fashion 125, 250, 750, 1000 route has gone.

Someone else has mentioned that if you find a bike hard to turn you should try countersteering. Its comments like that which are non-seneschal.

If you have ever gone round a corner then you countersteer. There really is not other way to change direction on a bike above about 15mph.

Maybe what the poster should have said is "you should try countersteering even more than you are" adn at the sme time use the throttle in a more deliberate manner.

[Squiffythewombat]

Dude i think we both kno wwe're not talking about scrubing speed off in a u-turn, for a start you shouldnt have any speed to scrub off if your doing it correctly!

But i get the impression that you didn’t realise it could be used to control the bike in a turn.

Whats that surposed to mean?(i guess the entire thread on dragging the rear for sub30 11's was all wrong)

I totally agree on the access route, i think people shouldnt be allowed on bikes over 500cc if theyve not been riding for awhile. The 125/250/400/600 route is by far the best way!

LOL@ countersteering, yeah totally, have no idea what hes on about?

[Squiffythewombat]

see we're off on one again !!!!!!

LOL!