pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
Hi
I think it depends on the person. If you are unable to control yourself then you're probably going to come to grief on any motorcycle. Personally (weight aside) I think that 1200cc bikes are actually really good for learners. For a start they don't feel the need to "wring its neck" for every skerick of power (as they usually have oodles).
The torque allows a rider use of single gear operation, meaning you can focus on corners, timing, entry speeds and just apexing while always having sufficient power to exit and move on (without doing a tap dance with the left foot).
I prefer to focus a learner on
having said that ... I'll come back to that
The TMAX is presently having itself stripped and some work done (steering head bearing, brake seal kit, probably new thermostat, maybe a fork rebuild ... I'll be doing everything myself). The KTM is just a fun little thing. Its the smallest road bike I've ever had (I've had a YZ125 and some smaller off road things) but its the most fun I've had with my pants on for some time.
Circling back (as promised) the KTM is really a handfull on tight twisty downhills. You need the left foot always moving and the right has its own job on trailing brakes into corners all while playing with levers and throttle. In contrast the T-Max is a peach, I often hurry up other riders on that because the CVT ensures I'm always in the right gear, there is no clutch or gears, rear brake is on the left hand so its easy to trail brakes into a corner. Having said that there's less need (except for transmission slap when transiting from trailing to leading throttle) because largely the CVT is fantastic and the final chain drive never needs tensioning.
With respect to where I ride, well when I lived in the city I had to make a transport part of the ride to get to the mountains. But generally I like to ride places like this:
you'll note that the engine RPM basically remains pretty constant (between 4000 and 5500) due to the CVT.
I live 5 minutes from where the video starts
I secretly want a Supersports S but it may be too powerful for me as a newbie.
I think it depends on the person. If you are unable to control yourself then you're probably going to come to grief on any motorcycle. Personally (weight aside) I think that 1200cc bikes are actually really good for learners. For a start they don't feel the need to "wring its neck" for every skerick of power (as they usually have oodles).
The torque allows a rider use of single gear operation, meaning you can focus on corners, timing, entry speeds and just apexing while always having sufficient power to exit and move on (without doing a tap dance with the left foot).
I prefer to focus a learner on
- good lines
- not shying at the corner
- not just twisting the power
- understanding RPM and gears
having said that ... I'll come back to that
my God ... that's quite a weapon ... and you're worried about being a learner given too much power on that?My Aprilia RS 660 arrived at the dealer this week though!
Right now I have two bikes; Yamaha T-MAX and KTM Duke 390What are you riding nowadays? Do you mostly ride mountains?
The TMAX is presently having itself stripped and some work done (steering head bearing, brake seal kit, probably new thermostat, maybe a fork rebuild ... I'll be doing everything myself). The KTM is just a fun little thing. Its the smallest road bike I've ever had (I've had a YZ125 and some smaller off road things) but its the most fun I've had with my pants on for some time.
Circling back (as promised) the KTM is really a handfull on tight twisty downhills. You need the left foot always moving and the right has its own job on trailing brakes into corners all while playing with levers and throttle. In contrast the T-Max is a peach, I often hurry up other riders on that because the CVT ensures I'm always in the right gear, there is no clutch or gears, rear brake is on the left hand so its easy to trail brakes into a corner. Having said that there's less need (except for transmission slap when transiting from trailing to leading throttle) because largely the CVT is fantastic and the final chain drive never needs tensioning.
With respect to where I ride, well when I lived in the city I had to make a transport part of the ride to get to the mountains. But generally I like to ride places like this:
you'll note that the engine RPM basically remains pretty constant (between 4000 and 5500) due to the CVT.
I live 5 minutes from where the video starts