HELP!!! I think I am going to Kill myself

Art FJR · Mar 9, 2008

I went on my first official ride today (2007 FJR AE).

I rode about 1/4 mile when the bike was delivered in the rain. I drove the bike up and down our private road on Super Bowl Sunday and only dropped it once in the gravel.

Today I geared up and I was going to ride it officially. I guess I am a head case because I dropped the bike before and couldn't lift it. I think my previous issue was footing in the gravel, but the net effect was that I couldn't lift it. I am a ***** - I admit it. I have no confidence that I can lift the bike (maybe I can with the right footing), but my last attempt at the end of the world resulted in hurting my lower back and there I was with a fallen bike and a hurt back. i contemptlated calling 911 on myself. So I have that in my head.

But today is a different day isn't it?

The bike is tall and heavy for me. I am 5'10" and I weigh 130 on a good day. I back the bike out of the garage and and I take all the time it takes to make the bike point in the "goes out" direction from my house. I start it and let it warm up.

I head out on the driveway and all is good. I take a right on the gravel road and then another right on a semi-paved road and I wait to make a right on the real road that is posted at 50 mph. I want to wait until there are no cars to be seen in any direction, but after 5 minutes I realize that the best I can do is no cars in the left direction.

So I proceed to take the right and I am on and off the throttle. I am jerking myself all over the place and I get really close to the traffic coming from my right. ****, it is hard as hell to start out on this bike. I realize that you are supposed to look where you want to go, but the Cagers were really close so I had to look.

Shifting to 2nd and 3rd and 4th were easy. I needed to get gas so I stopped at the gas station 2 miles from my house. I was really shaken and the pump kept clicking off before it was full and I was Ok with it. Perhaps the additional weight would help me. I re-geared up and decided on a wide right swing out of the pumps. A Suburban beat me out of the hole and I allowed them to go. Man, the cluctch is hard to modulate. Again I am jerking myself front and back trying to maintain a low speed.

I take a right out of the gas station without a problem because of no traffic. I then needed to take a left. There were cars coming so I rolled back and I think I was in 2nd. I was just trying to pause a bit as the cars passed. **** this is hard too. I ****** myself forward and backwards as the cars that I was taking a left to looked to be laughing.

I then had a few miles of twisties and I enjoyed that. The shifting was smooth. I will get better.

The twisties were good and I was thankful that I didn't want to go one hundred. Sixty was good for me. So, at least I am partially sane.

I make it home without much problem and I park in the driveway as if I was going out again. I end up perpendicular to the the garage and I shut it off and let it cool down. I am so uncertain on this bike.

I come back out later and I want to aim the bike out the driveway. It is hard to move the bike forward or backwards for me even on relatively flat ground. I am on my toes although I am close to flatfooted when sitting on the bike. FYI, your feet move forward when trying to move the bike backwards and backwards when trying to move the bike forwards which decreases their length.

Since the bike doesn't have reverse (it is all on me), I tried starting the bike and letting it warm up for any forward movement. The throttle was still too on / off for me and any slight grip on the front brake would stop me immediately and abruptly. I might have looked stupid out there, but I didn't drop the bike. It is hard to be proud of.

-----

I got the G2 Throlle Tube coming this week. I have read all posts about this issue for hours. Days. I will get used to it? Or I will die first?

I am not sure what to do.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Art

madmike2 · Mar 9, 2008

Caveat: I've only ridden an AE once.

I didn't have any problem, but I didn't keep the revs in the range where the clutch slipped in and out. I twisted the throttle and motored away, just like I do on my standard model.

I rode it for a short distance in the parking lot, but not in that "feather" RPM range. I understand from those who own AE models that you kep the RPMs steady (@ 1500?) and use the rear brake to modulate your speed.

Evidently its a learned behavior.

rocketdoc · Mar 9, 2008

Art FJR said:
I went on my first official ride today (2007 FJR AE).
I rode about 1/4 mile when the bike was delivered in the rain. I drove the bike up and down our private road on Super Bowl Sunday and only dropped it once in the gravel.

Today I geared up and I was going to ride it officially. I guess I am a head case because I dropped the bike before and couldn't lift it. I think my previous issue was footing in the gravel, but the net effect was that I couldn't lift it. I am a ***** - I admit it. I have no confidence that I can lift the bike (maybe I can with the right footing), but my last attempt at the end of the world resulted in hurting my lower back and there I was with a fallen bike and a hurt back. i contemptlated calling 911 on myself. So I have that in my head.

But today is a different day isn't it?

The bike is tall and heavy for me. I am 5'10" and I weigh 130 on a good day. I back the bike out of the garage and and I take all the time it takes to make the bike point in the "goes out" direction from my house. I start it and let it warm up.

I head out on the driveway and all is good. I take a right on the gravel road and then another right on a semi-paved road and I wait to make a right on the real road that is posted at 50 mph. I want to wait until there are no cars to be seen in any direction, but after 5 minutes I realize that the best I can do is no cars in the left direction.

So I proceed to take the right and I am on and off the throttle. I am jerking myself all over the place and I get really close to the traffic coming from my right. ****, it is hard as hell to start out on this bike. I realize that you are supposed to look where you want to go, but the Cagers were really close so I had to look.

Shifting to 2nd and 3rd and 4th were easy. I needed to get gas so I stopped at the gas station 2 miles from my house. I was really shaken and the pump kept clicking off before it was full and I was Ok with it. Perhaps the additional weight would help me. I re-geared up and decided on a wide right swing out of the pumps. A Suburban beat me out of the hole and I allowed them to go. Man, the cluctch is hard to modulate. Again I am jerking myself front and back trying to maintain a low speed.

I take a right out of the gas station without a problem because of no traffic. I then needed to take a left. There were cars coming so I rolled back and I think I was in 2nd. I was just trying to pause a bit as the cars passed. **** this is hard too. I ****** myself forward and backwards as the cars that I was taking a left to looked to be laughing.

I then had a few miles of twisties and I enjoyed that. The shifting was smooth. I will get better.

The twisties were good and I was thankful that I didn't want to go one hundred. Sixty was good for me. So, at least I am partially sane.

I make it home without much problem and I park in the driveway as if I was going out again. I end up perpendicular to the the garage and I shut it off and let it cool down. I am so uncertain on this bike.

I come back out later and I want to aim the bike out the driveway. It is hard to move the bike forward or backwards for me even on relatively flat ground. I am on my toes although I am close to flatfooted when sitting on the bike. FYI, your feet move forward when trying to move the bike backwards and backwards when trying to move the bike forwards which decreases their length.

Since the bike doesn't have reverse (it is all on me), I tried starting the bike and letting it warm up for any forward movement. The throttle was still too on / off for me and any slight grip on the front brake would stop me immediately and abruptly. I might have looked stupid out there, but I didn't drop the bike. It is hard to be proud of.

-----

I got the G2 Throlle Tube coming this week. I have read all posts about this issue for hours. Days. I will get used to it? Or I will die first?

I am not sure what to do.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Art

Art , what is your previous riding experience? What did you ride last?

rocketdoc · Mar 9, 2008

Artie my man, what are you used to riding? The FJR is big at slow speeds but gets so much lighter once rolling. The auto clutch I rode was tricky to get smoothed out, but after an hour or so, I got it down for 80% of the time. What was you last bike?

kaitsdad · Mar 9, 2008

Art FJR, what MM2 says is correct - there are a few 'tricks' to riding the AE - I don't own one, but I'm sure that a lot of the AE riders on this forum would be glad to let you know what those are - TurboDave98, care to enlighten this newbie AE rider?

You might also want to do the following mods:

1. Barbarian mod to allow CO to be changed in each cylinder, it can make quite a difference in smoothness.

2. G2 Throttle cam for the FJR - this is huge.

3. Throttle spring release -

Jetmaker737 · Mar 9, 2008

You need time in the saddle dude... with no traffic. And keep out of the gravel.

Good2Go · Mar 9, 2008

Sir, you need training and practice in a big EMPTY parking lot. You are a danger not only to yourself but those you share the road with. Instead of spending money on mods, spend it on having someone teach you how to ride this motorcycle...or at the very least have someone make sure there is nothing mechanically wrong with the bike.

Silver Penguin · Mar 9, 2008

Jetmaker737 said:
You need time in the saddle dude... with no traffic. And keep out of the gravel.

What he said! My bike isn't an AE but I struggle with the sheer size of it a slow speeds. Practice, under controlled circumstances is key to getting the confidence to ride smoothly and confidently.

When parking my bike, I set it up beforehand, with a view to an easy way out. At home, I walk the bike out of garage, leaning it against my hip as I turn it. Then I set up the bike so that it point to the way I want to go, before I even sit on it. Unless DH moves the bike for me, the FJR never leaves the driveway other than forwards, under power.

Have you got sliders yet? They will save some of the 'ouch' from a low speed drop.

Jill

FlyingLow · Mar 9, 2008

madmike2 said:
Caveat: I've only ridden an AE once.
I didn't have any problem, but I didn't keep the revs in the range where the clutch slipped in and out. I twisted the throttle and motored away, just like I do on my standard model.

I rode it for a short distance in the parking lot, but not in that "feather" RPM range. I understand from those who own AE models that you kep the RPMs steady (@ 1500?) and use the rear brake to modulate your speed.

Evidently its a learned behavior.

That is word for word what I would have wrote.

I, too, have only ridden an AE once, last summer at Park City. Maybe a 15 mile loop. It took all of 30 seconds to get used to it and then it felt right at home.

Like the others say, get out and ride it. Safely. Good luck and enjoy.

jesse · Mar 10, 2008

Do not go out in traffic again until you have this thing mastered. No kidding. That was a frightening post. So frightening, I'm wondering if was

real. Sounds like you bought the bike and then decided to try it out in traffic. My gosh man, get to an empty parking lot and ride it for as long

as it takes to get it down pat. If you don't, there is a good possiblity that you will kill yourself, and possible hurt someone else. Be smart.

jesse · Mar 10, 2008

jesse said:
Do not go out in traffic again until you have this thing mastered. No kidding. That was a frightening post. So frightening, I'm wondering if was
real. Sounds like you bought the bike and then decided to try it out in traffic. My gosh man, get to an empty parking lot and ride it for as long

as it takes to get it down pat. If you don't, there is a good possiblity that you will kill yourself, and possible hurt someone else. Be smart.

You get smart about riding, and I'll try and get smarter about using spellcheck............

user 8909 · Mar 10, 2008

rocketdoc said:
Artie my man, what are you used to riding? The FJR is big at slow speeds but gets so much lighter once rolling. The auto clutch I rode was tricky to get smoothed out, but after an hour or so, I got it down for 80% of the time. What was you last bike?

Please don't tell us that this is your first bike in X many years, if so you need something lighter and smaller before you hurt yourself and others..

Lake Powell · Mar 10, 2008

Artie,

First of all you are doing the right thing by realizing that you could use some coaching to get a handle on the FJR. This board has an incredible network of assistance and I would bet that someone from here would would be glad to meet with you and help you out.

I would recommend giving out a general location and network with people here to get you started and help with the initial steps.

Not sure where you are at but I am in the Salt Lake City area.

Best Wishes!

JRO · Mar 10, 2008

Art,

I see by your profile that you have (had?) a '75 CB550. I had a '74 or '75; put near 140,000miles on it - zero engine probs. I wish I had another; they were great first-time big street bikes. Gas mileage wasn't as good as on a CB750, though.

These modern bikes have something we never had, back when those Hondas were new. POWER. You need to learn to finesse it. An FJR is actually an easy 'superbike' to ride. It's low-rpm, and very tractable, but you need to learn that somewhere where you can't get kilt off. If you're going from a 550 to an FJR, you've nearly tripled your horsepower. Foolishly, I pushed my 550 up to 120 miles an hour (once or twice). It was vibrating all over the place, and if I hit a curve, I would have killed myself. My 550 was happy, doing about 65mph. An FJR is happy at 90, and 120 is only a few seconds away, and it feels pretty happy there, too. This sounds wonderful, but that's whole lot of difference between two bikes.

Think about it in these terms: You were flying a little single-engine Cessna. Now your behind the stick of an MacDonald-Douglas F-15. There's a good chance you just might get yourself killed, trying to fly the thing.

Honestly, I think you jumped the gun, purchasing an FJR. It sounds like you really weren't ready for the weight or power. I would have suggested something with 75-100 horsepower, for your introduction to modern bikes. But, let's assume you're a man, this is your bike, and you're going to ride the damn thing.

An MSF course might not be a bad idea. An empty, rural highway to practice on is a good idea. Last year, my son and I taught a friend of his how to ride, on his new Suzuki C50, in a suburb area that was being built (no residents or traffic; just great streets laid out with cul-de-sacs, ect.). A place like that would be a good idea. Someone accustomed to modern bikes to advice you would be good to have along.

Practice, get help, and practice, practice, practice. You're going to have to be really familiar and comfortable with this bike, before you tackle traffic. I'd suggest moving to rural North Dakota, until you learn to deal with it (Hughes County, Okla. would suffice, as well).

An FJR is not as good a gravel/dirt bike as a Honda 550. Keep off uncertain surfaces, until you master the weight and characteristics.

You can master this motorcycle if you are determined, smart, and lucky enough. You might do a little damage, along the way; hopefully, only to the bike. My best advice, however, is to park it, and learn to ride something between your 550 and your FJR, first. It's your choice, and I wish you the best of luck, whatever you choose, but please - stay out of traffic, until you learn to handle that thing.

mcatrophy · Mar 10, 2008

QUOTE (Art FJR @ Mar 10 2008, 02:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I went on my first official ride today (2007 FJR AE).
...
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Art

Art -
There's a lot of good advice so far. I'll add my 2 pence worth.

When I got my AS (as we call the AE this side of the pond), I found it tricky at first.

My first advice for you would be to do the simple mod of taking out as much slack from the throttle cable as you can (there's an in-line adjuster near the handgrip). The book says 2mm, I say half a mm. (Just make sure with the engine running that moving the steering from lock to lock doesn't put on any throttle). This will reduce that period when you want a bit of throttle, but it's not happening, that's what makes you jerk so much. Think about the other mods later (I've done the throttle spring release and improved the throttle grip for my rather weak hand).

Then choose a very quiet time on the roads, take it to an empty level parking lot or wherever, and just spend time starting from rest, easing it up to clutch fully engaged, then roll the throttle off, let the bike slow until the clutch disengages, all in a straight line. You need to learn this disengagement for slow cornering, it will catch you out if you're not aware of it. If necessary, roll the bike back. If you can't hoof it back, put it in neutral, put the sidestand down (I ALWAYS have the sidestand down getting on or off), get off, and walk it backwards. I usually use my left hand on the left handlebar and my right hand on the passenger grab rail, and usually leave the sidestand down when walking it backwards for the sense of security, but don't get your foot caught under it, and check it is fully forward before putting the weight of the bike on it. Maybe in the 'States you would stand on the right of the bike? Dunno, that's one for a local.

Repeat as needed, and start to add cornering. Keep it slow, keep you feet on the pegs, keep the throttle fixed, use the back brake to control the speed, and most importantly, don't look down, look round to where you want to go. This bike is suprisingly agile if you have confidence. (Sorry if I'm repeating what you already know, but it does bear reinforcing.)

Then, when you do get into traffic, while you are getting more familiar, don't use 1st gear. It will move off happily in 2nd, and the rear wheel torque is not as severe, making things smoother. Moving from rest, have your left foot down, your right on the brake. Gently wind on the throttle until you feel the bike wanting to move, then ease off the rear brake for a nice smooth start.

Keep gear changing to a minimum, this will always give you a smoother ride. Let the revs rise (the 1st official brake-in rev limit is 4500, this is plenty). Let the revs fall; if you need to accelerate it will pull well enough from 1500. You won't hurt the engine unless you go to extremes, and the electric clutch won't let you stall. And it will pull from rest in ANY gear (except up hill!).

Decide how you want to change gear. There are several combinations, most riders use one of:

- Foot change only (not for me in case I ride a "normal" bike and forget to use the clutch);
- Finger for change up, thumb for change down (prone to sounding the horn instead of changing down

);
- Finger for change up and for change down (my preference);
- Finger for change up, foot for change down;

If you stick to one way, it's one less thing to think about.

And, as you go to change up, it helps to unload the gearbox by momentarily closing the throttle, a very small and rapid off-on at the precise moment. It gets natural with practice (I expect you've read about it on this forum, it's been discussed no end!).

After I got FJR, I did write up my thoughts here, there may be something of use to you there.

Sorry this is so long, but I do understand your problem, I hope this helps a little. For the record, I am 5'8" and 140 pounds.

Good luck, you will enjoy your FJR.

mooniac · Mar 10, 2008

Either this is a joke or the guy has already crashed. 5'10/130 lbs??? He needs a little ballast to keep him in the seat!

Art FJR · Mar 10, 2008

rocketdoc said:
Artie my man, what are you used to riding? The FJR is big at slow speeds but gets so much lighter once rolling. The auto clutch I rode was tricky to get smoothed out, but after an hour or so, I got it down for 80% of the time. What was you last bike?

Don't laugh ... 1975 Honda CB550 Four. Piece of cake. Currently I am glad that I didn't sell it to get the FJR.

Art

Checkswrecks · Mar 10, 2008

We've got two Dads in our Scout Troop who are re-entering riders and both could afford the big Beemers that they wanted. Both went onto Craigslist and ended up with 650 thumpers early last summer to get back into riding. Not planned but both got early Beemer 650s that fit their shorter legs.

They've ridden 'em, dropped them, fire-trailed them, done the MSF course, had a ball with them, and not worried about them. They've been thinking about their riding and not about the bikes. This year one's buying a 1200GS (he's going to need platform shoes to reach the ground) and the other isn't yet sure but I'm guessing he'll buy the bright red K12RS (old style) like he always talks about. The funny thing is both adamantly want to keep their 650s. They've had a great time without worrying about the bikes and the bikes are great errand runners. When they do sell them, they'll probably get nearly what they have in them.

You might see if there's something in your area to get back into the swing with.

Bob

krashdragon · Mar 10, 2008

Art FJR said:
rocketdoc said:

Artie my man, what are you used to riding? The FJR is big at slow speeds but gets so much lighter once rolling. The auto clutch I rode was tricky to get smoothed out, but after an hour or so, I got it down for 80% of the time. What was you last bike?

Click to expand...

Don't laugh ... 1975 Honda CB550 Four. Piece of cake. Currently I am glad that I didn't sell it to get the FJR.

Art

Just read another of your posts...If you're running a 500 4 flat out just to keep up with traffic, then go take a riding course...even one at the Harley dealers.

Technology has way changed since you got the Honda. Flat out on an FJR will have you doing wheelies in all 5 gears.

You need to relearn throttle and clutch control... or whatever on your bike. I've never ridden an AE.. I did have an 05 FJR. It was too big for me, weightwise.

but it was a very easy bike to ride...except on gravel. I hate gravel. I keep getting my Harley stuck in the danged stuff....always uphill...

Got the FJR stuck in the gravel twice too... uphill, of course...sucks. I may be well over 130 lbs, but I only have a 29" inseam...

MY FJR was very easy to ride at any speed.. you need to get out to a parking lot and LOOK UP!

The cars will still be there, you do not need to look at them..peripheral vision works very well...

good luck

Mary

HELP!!! I think I am going to Kill myself

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