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Old February 11th, 2014, 06:05 PM   #1
Jdb17
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Freeway riding tips for a beginner?

I have been riding dirt bikes all my life but finally made the switch to the street. I am very comfortable cruising around the city, speeds upto 55mph are awesome and a lot of fun. I ventured out onto the freeway today and was scared SH**LESS! The wind felt super intense, the little "rain grooves" made me feel like the bike was wobbling all over the place, i had a death grip on the handle bars and was terrified of looking over my shoulder. Soooo i got off after 2 miles which was the first exit possible. Since i have rode dirtbikes that jump and bounce all along the track i really was surprised at how scared and novice i felt !

Any tips on becoming more comfortable with freeway riding on the ninja 250?
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Old February 11th, 2014, 06:10 PM   #2
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Wear earplugs for one, assuming you don't. The wind noise on the freeway can be intense and pretty intimidating. I never really felt fear my first few times, but I was disoriented beyond hell because of the wind noise, couldn't think straight and it made me concerned.

Definitely do not death grip your handlebars though, your bike needs to do its own thing, you gripping it tightly doesn't help it.

Also, try to stay in the left lane if you can, you only have one lane of traffic to worry about potentially diving in front of you with no signals. As to your wobbling, the death grip can contribute to that feeling. Check your tires and everything, go through T-CLOCS and make sure everything is peachy before going out on the bike.

But I will say, kudos for you for knowing to pull over ASAP. It's better to admit fear and address it than to pretend you're alright and to cause an accident.
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Old February 11th, 2014, 06:19 PM   #3
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Have you ever ridden on a deep sand like a sandwash before on the dirtbike?
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Old February 11th, 2014, 06:27 PM   #4
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Have you ever ridden on a deep sand like a sandwash before on the dirtbike?
No not really, I grew up in Connecticut and we mostly just had dirt trails and tracks. I've road in some sand but only once or twice.
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Old February 11th, 2014, 06:29 PM   #5
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No not really, I grew up in Connecticut and we mostly just had dirt trails and tracks. I've road in some sand but only once or twice.
Just dont get run over , texters will come for you ! they always dooooo
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Old February 11th, 2014, 06:35 PM   #6
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Old February 11th, 2014, 06:36 PM   #7
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My first time riding on public streets with no prior experience I got right onto a major highway, and took a little 50 mile road trip at first I was a little scared but adrenaline quickly overpowered that. I had a group of friends about 4 or 5 riding in front of me and behind me. And when it was time to change lanes my friend behind me went first then me. I felt totally safe and don't think I could of done it without them. So I think experienced friends are the key. Actually they weren't even friends I only have 1 other friend who rides a much bigger bike, he invited me to ride with his group and they all took me right under their wing and we all became good friends. lol
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Old February 11th, 2014, 06:43 PM   #8
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Well I was going to say it's kinda a same thing but you wouldn't know what I'm talking about. Confidence will be key because without it your going to freak out about **** you don't need to be concerned about.

First don't fight the bike over every little movement it make while your headed strait, you have over 8' of lane to work with so let it float a bit. Stay relaxed in your shoulder but keep a grip in the bars, if you grip the bars to tight you'll tense your shoulders and that's why we say stay loose on the bars. Just grip the bars like you would while riding in a parking lot.

Make sure your tire have the right pressure and if your still running the stock IRC from tire then consider swapping it out for something that's Radial and not Bias-Ply. I noted my bike stopped chasing a lot of lines and groves after I changed tire from the IRC.

If you still have a dirt bike or can borrow one get someone to take you out and show you some socal sandwashes. After getting a feel in the sand riding over groves or dealing with wind will seem to easy, and I guarantee after you stop swearing at the sand and the bike because you can't seem to get started or keep it strait you'll have yourself a good laugh. I've taken some top A class(the really fast guys) enduro riders with me on Socal rides and of those who have never ridden sand all struggle and some just down right can't ever get the hand of it. You just need to understand it isn't necessary or even possible to be 100% in control all the time.
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Old February 11th, 2014, 07:49 PM   #9
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grip the tank with your knees, this is your anchor to the bike. Use as little pressure on the bars as possible, at times you may need to remind yourself to do this but long term it'll become natural as you become more comfortable. Try not to ride in too much traffic or during a time where people are willing to kill you to get to work 10 seconds faster. My daily highway commute is like that and it's awful to the point where I've just given up on staying in one place for too long unless there's a sizeable gap between me and the rest of traffic. Learn to lanesplit (controversial in the US, a lot of people will disagree, including johnny law) once you're comfortable riding around on highway. Being rear ended is out of your control if you sit still and follow the flow of traffic, if you exist in your own free bubble splitting lanes everything is more in your control and you can better avoid accidents (assuming that you know what you're doing)

There are 3 things to look for when lanesplitting, or in general really. Turn signals, which are rarely used. The driver's head, most will at least look into the lane where they're going and this is noticeable. Finally, the front wheels of each vehicle dictate where the car is going and is the first sign of a car actually moving into another lane. In stopped traffic where one lane is moving ALWAYS check the front tires of the vehicles in the stationary lane as you pass them as they may perceive you as a gap in traffic and cut out into you "suddenly and without warning"

The safest speed is slightly faster than everyone else, key word slightly. The reason for this is if you stay in the same place next to a car they'll easily forget that you're there and just move over. This is especially a problem if you're in their blind spot, don't stay in someone's blind spot. If you go slower than the flow of traffic you're asking to be rear ended. Therefore the safest speed is slightly faster than the flow of traffic. This argument actually held up with an officer one time though he still gave me a warning for my filtering, probably because he rides.
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Old February 11th, 2014, 08:53 PM   #10
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You might also think about wandering out there when traffic is less congested, ie. weekend mornings. That would allow you to get comfortable at 65+ speeds without having to worry about tons of dumb cagers.

And also, tuck! Wind blows
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Old February 11th, 2014, 09:58 PM   #11
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@rasta acctually made some good points... Lots of good info in this thread so far
Just relax and get comfortable with it. The wind sucks. Wear ear plugs! Stay safe
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Old February 11th, 2014, 10:01 PM   #12
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Also, since you're going to be wearing ear plugs anyway I recommend these plugfones. You get the ear protection of ear plugs and music without the pain of normal earbuds falling out a bit when you put your helmet on.
http://www.plugfones.com/
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Old February 11th, 2014, 10:09 PM   #13
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Personally, I don't support listening to music whilst riding. Especially for newer riders, 1000% of your attention should be focused on the task at hand. But I know many people do it, to each his own
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Old February 11th, 2014, 10:16 PM   #14
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The way I see it, with ear plugs you aren't really hearing much anyway. Myself I have hearing loss from birth so once I have the ear plugs in with my quiet(ish) helmet on I can barely hear anything at all. There's little difference to me at that point especially when I'm just commuting. I do agree that you shouldn't listen to music if you aren't comfortable with it though, some songs on peoples playlists have a habit of bringing out your inner hooligan which can be questionable when you're on a bike.
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Old February 11th, 2014, 10:18 PM   #15
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I like this plugfone... Ah no more getting in trouble for listening to music instead of wearing hearing protection.
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Old February 11th, 2014, 10:37 PM   #16
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You just need more experience on the freeway and you'll loosen up in no time. i was the same way when I first started riding.

One thing to watch out for is that sometimes, pretty much all the time down here, the breakdown lane is two or more inches lower than the rest of the road. I had to pull over and wait for a friend to catch up one time and getting back on the road was very interesting climbing that 3 inch mountain. I'm just glad the ninja had enough power to pull me out of the way before the cagers could get me.
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Old February 11th, 2014, 11:08 PM   #17
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The way I see it, with ear plugs you aren't really hearing much anyway. Myself I have hearing loss from birth so once I have the ear plugs in with my quiet(ish) helmet on I can barely hear anything at all. There's little difference to me at that point especially when I'm just commuting. I do agree that you shouldn't listen to music if you aren't comfortable with it though, some songs on peoples playlists have a habit of bringing out your inner hooligan which can be questionable when you're on a bike.
True story. The noise factor is gona be the same regardless. I just have a hard time concentrating when I have some Biebs bumping in my ears
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Old February 11th, 2014, 11:10 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rasta View Post
True story. The noise factor is gona be the same regardless. I just have a hard time concentrating when I have some Biebs bumping in my ears
there's your problem, stop listening to fake music.

edit: yea, I get it. Differing tastes and all, but as a musician I just can't listen to the majority of modern mainstream "music" it just lacks so much in comparison to more complex instrumental music and music composed with passion.
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Old February 11th, 2014, 11:29 PM   #19
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Old February 12th, 2014, 05:21 AM   #20
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I'm not sure how everyone else feels about this, but hearing while riding is very important to me. So I don't use any kind of earplugs or music. I tried earplugs one time but they were so disorienting that I had to pull over less than a mile away and pull them out.

When I had them in, I had a hard time starting the engine even. Then there is the inability to hear traffic. In a perfect world with a perfect bike, I would be able to see with my mirrors all around me and know where all the cars are at, but in reality I can't really see anything except my elbows in my mirrors unless I twist and look around them. That's why I rely on sound to be able to tell when cars are too close behind me.

Electronic earplugs might be a good solution if they exist. They are available for gun ranges, but I don't think those would work on motorcycles.

Then there is music. I tried bluetooth speakers in the helmet. Worked great, but it was so distracting that I was riding like a drunken cager. So the music got turned off.
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Old February 12th, 2014, 09:49 AM   #21
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Freeway riding can be exhausting.

The best thing to do is relax. The grooves in the road are absolutely no danger to you on the interstate. As others have said, it's hard to not be tense, but if you can transfer your tension from your arms to your legs/thighs, the bike is happier and so are you!
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Old February 12th, 2014, 11:39 AM   #22
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I'm not sure how everyone else feels about this, but hearing while riding is very important to me. So I don't use any kind of earplugs or music. I tried earplugs one time but they were so disorienting that I had to pull over less than a mile away and pull them out.

When I had them in, I had a hard time starting the engine even. Then there is the inability to hear traffic. In a perfect world with a perfect bike, I would be able to see with my mirrors all around me and know where all the cars are at, but in reality I can't really see anything except my elbows in my mirrors unless I twist and look around them. That's why I rely on sound to be able to tell when cars are too close behind me.

Electronic earplugs might be a good solution if they exist. They are available for gun ranges, but I don't think those would work on motorcycles.

Then there is music. I tried bluetooth speakers in the helmet. Worked great, but it was so distracting that I was riding like a drunken cager. So the music got turned off.
I think it just takes some getting used to. You can still hear with them, everything is just a little muffled. When you're traveling at 80 mph, can you really hear much traffic noise through all the wind anyway?
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Old February 12th, 2014, 11:47 AM   #23
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^^^ lots of great advice for the OP. 2 mods that help the Ninjette a lot for freeway cruising are a taller windscreen and taller gearing. The bigger windscreen will reduce wind noise and the passing air hitting your torso. The taller gearing reduces the high rpms that a stock Ninjette needs to run 70 mph ( ~ 9500 ). More experience will help you adjust and become more comfortable.
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Old February 12th, 2014, 04:59 PM   #24
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I'm a musician also, and I don't listen to music in the car or on the bike.

I listen to NPR. It's engaging but not distracting.

When I want to just enjoy the ride I simply shut it off.

I work with a 20-something guy who's still young enough that music really gets him going. He likes rap. He got hit with a reckless driving charge for going something like 95 on the parkway and lost his license....

It's guys like that who shouldn't listen to music. Does it calm you and help you focus or charge you up? Depends on the person. Depends on the music.

Music I love transports me. That's dangerous when operating a vehicle. Spoken word audio doesn't affect me like that.

Thanks for the link to the plugfone. I'll have to get a set to try out. I currently use, and LOVE, the S-Plug. Similar to the plugfone silicone model but much costlier.

http://www.plugup.com
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Old February 12th, 2014, 05:37 PM   #25
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It depends on the song that's playing, I do admit that with music that pumps me up I have a tendency to negate traffic and piss people off. However, listening to calming music (mostly classical/baroque) tends to get me going at a reasonable rate of speed in the eyes of those around me.

as for the plugfones the sound quality is not up to par with my sennheiser headphones but they're worlds better than the crappy apple ear buds that came with my ipod and those are the only other kind that I can get under my helmet without knocking them out of my ears. All in all, it isn't the best sound quality but it gets the job done well enough. From the look of it the S-Plug is a far better set but you also get what you pay for in the difference. For $15-20 the plugfones are fantastic.
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Old February 12th, 2014, 07:27 PM   #26
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I really appreciate all the helpful responses! Got back on the freeway today and felt a bit more comfortable. Gripping the bike with my legs really helped, it allowed me to loosen my tense arms and let the bike flow through the rain grooves. I'm going to try some ear protection for all the wind also. I'll keep you guys updated as i get more experience with freeway riding, thanks again!!!
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Old February 12th, 2014, 09:42 PM   #27
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I think it just takes some getting used to. You can still hear with them, everything is just a little muffled. When you're traveling at 80 mph, can you really hear much traffic noise through all the wind anyway?
Yes, I ignore the wind the same way you ignore everyone in a crowded restaurant except the person you are talking to. That and the fact that the approaching traffic is louder. I can tell if they are approaching from the left, right or rear. If they are too close, I can usually hear something that sounds like a radiator fan. There is a lot of sound proofing in a car so when you are inside one, you don't hear these sounds, but they do make sounds on the outside.

When I'm in the car, I can listen to music and drive with no problem, but for some reason, it causes me serious problems when riding. I was running up on cars and having to do a panic brake - and also wobbling out of my lane. Too dangerous for me to leave it on. However, it doesn't bother me at all to use the phone function and talk to people.

I looked at those wired earbuds. Too rich for my blood.
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Old February 12th, 2014, 10:02 PM   #28
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Hmm...well I only wear ear buds when I know I'll be on the highway. If scanning my mirrors more often means less hearing problems when I'm older, sign me up. To each his own though.
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Old February 13th, 2014, 04:49 PM   #29
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i recently started riding and feel fairly comfortable on the freeway now with and without traffic. Being california i can also lane split which has been a relatively uneventful and pleasant experience *knock on wood*

Tips:
1. Definitely second the ear buds. I wear ear buds all the time because my exhaust is so loud and in orange county where I live most major streets have 45+ speed limits, so you're almost getting to highway speeds on the street as well. I just went to lunch without plugs and it was a night/day difference..forgot how loud my bike was.

I searched high and low for some good reusable plugs to wear under my helmet. Dont bother with the radians DIY kits. I finally settled on Surefire EP5 plugs. They work just about as well as Hearo Xtreme disposable plugs (not as high of a NRR though) but they are washable and reusable up to 6 months.

2. Just get more seat time on Sunday mornings. Not a lot of traffic and especially with a good set of ear plugs at least for me mentally i feel like i'm not buffeted by wind as much. It has made highway riding overall much more enjoyable and less OMG WIND NOISE EVERYWHERE.

3. good tip on gripping the tank with your legs.

4. Something i discovered is at speed you dont want to stick a limb out too far outside of the fairing or it will be pulled back.

5. I see you're in SD, dont lane split until you feel comfortable. I would suggest doing it first on the street to red lights. My rules for myself: Do not lane split when trying to complete a turn (i.e. double left turn lanes. drivers are too unpredictable and cross over a lot), do not lane split when traffic on the freeway exceeds 30 mph and ride no faster than 10-15 mph faster than traffic, if you're lane splitting and traffic starts moving > 30mph merge back into a lane keeping a safe following distance in front.

6. dont ride on the freeway unless you are alert and focused. I feel some accidents happen when riders zone out and then inadvertently target fixate on the bend coming up.

7. During the day switch on that high beam. At night, use it like you would your car high beam.

good luck and stay safe. I was pretty terrified of traffic on the 405S in Orange County during rush hour so i'd leave on the next exit, but with my guidelines for myself it has been pretty safe. Keep in mind lane position and keep open space on either side and in front (back as well but that's largely dependent on the driver behind).
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Old February 14th, 2014, 11:38 AM   #30
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Quote:
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............Got back on the freeway today and felt a bit more comfortable............
In order to be safe on any freeway, the most important things that you need to learn and practice are scanning traffic far ahead, emergency braking and collision avoidance, Joe.

Over there, you are rolling too fast to afford a few seconds of paralysis due to an non-familiar situation.

Here you have some related links:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=133005

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=124754

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Motofool
.................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly
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Old February 19th, 2014, 02:17 PM   #31
misfitsailor
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Name: Tim
Location: Stockton, Ca
Join Date: Oct 2010

Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250R, Harley Davidson Heritage Softail, 2 Honda Monkeys, Polini & GRC mini GP

Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 3
Ride in the left 1/3rd of the lane, instead of the center or to the right. You want to be lined up with the heads of car drivers.

Also, don't tailgate or split lanes. This has helped keep me alive for over 30 years of street riding.
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