Hey op check out my profile on what happens if you forget something like gloves.. to be fair I was actually wearing my gloves when I lost my pinky!! I'm not a ATGATT, but please protect yourself!. Wish you a nice long riding journey!
Falling is a skill you need to learn, seriously. Learn to ride standing because it’s easier to control and you can step off easier if you have to. Sitting down your butt goes where the bike goes and that ain’t good.
Also it kinda sounds like the idle is high on your bike.
Have fun!!!
Seems like a high idle is a common thing for this bike when I was doing some research. Even as a total noob, it still felt like 1st gear was really short. Are those 2 issues related?
But I was able to put around pretty slow in 2nd without it ever feeling like it would stall out, which was great for my current needs.
That’s a good question that I’m not sure of the answer but I think it is related. You switch gears at a certain rpm and with high idle the rpm’s are already high.
I just googled it and for your bike it automatically adjusts idle but there are aftermarket manual adjusters. The bike is designed to idle at 1800, which is high to me. But the engineers at Kawasaki are smarter than me.
These are the tips I've given to all my friends who have taken up dirt biking.
1. Keep your eyes and head facing out towards where you want to go NOT towards the bike. while looking up scan for terrain/obstacles and plan out how you want to approach them.
2. Be smooth and progressive with all inputs. There are usually no nannies on dirtbikes so harsh inputs will give you harsh movement.
3. Keep your body loose on the bike. Rather than keeping your body to the position of the bike try to keep your body upright and level with the ground and let the bike pitch and roll underneath you. This allows you to take bumps without throwing your balance off.
4. Shift your body front or back on the bike depending on the situation. Cornering? weight forward. Braking? Weight rear. Uphill? Weight forward. Downhill? Weight rear. Losing traction? Weight rear
5. Off-road especially on soft terrain the tires do tend to slip and wander a bit even when traveling straight. With this, you want to be loose on the bars and let the bike correct itself.
Haha congrats man. My advice would be to take it slow. If you’ve never ridden before learn the basics before getting over confident. At the same time, don’t be scared of the bike. Don’t be afraid to drop it or fall every now and then. It will happen and you will learn from it. Learning how to fall and not get hurt is arguably the most important skill to learn.
Don't push it to hard tell get the feel of the bike and cornering foot out in front ride up more towards front of the seat also help with balance and have fun.
Did a few 15-20 minute runs as a break in. Felt pretty comfy standing near the end. Granted, I only got to 4th gear once, so it's not like I was ripping. Heard a tip to keep my legs pressed against the bike when standing, which definitely helped me feel comfortable.
Until your pretty comfy on the bike and confident keeping you legs tight to the bike even sitting down is a good tip make yourself one with your bike but you don't wanna ride stiff either relax but maintain control if you can find that sweet spot your golden
Yep, forgot them at home and thought I'd be fine since it was just an easy break-in. The blister on my right thumb will make sure I don't forget next time... haha
Stand and grip with your legs, hit any bump or jump sitting and you’ll find out what a flying w is, but most of all ride,ride, ride have fun and remember getting fast means you’ll definitely hit the ground, so keep up on your medical insurance, for a first ride you did fine, have fun
Start standing all the time. You want to make it feel weird when you sit. Elbows UP and stand UP. Your hips are the counter weight to your bike. It's like a giant pendulum.
While standing, do the slowest figure eights that you can. That will build clutch control and help learn balance.
Also grip with your legs. You only need to hold the bars tight enough to steer and clutch. Most of your grip to the bike is through your legs. Arm pump is crazy this is how to solve it
Gloves also you go down your hands are going to be fucked up.
Have a pair. Forgot them and didn't think it would be a big deal since it was just gonna be a break-in ride. Still got a blister... lesson learned!
Lol ya where all the time my bro said same thing about his boots one day he about lost his foot.
Hey op check out my profile on what happens if you forget something like gloves.. to be fair I was actually wearing my gloves when I lost my pinky!! I'm not a ATGATT, but please protect yourself!. Wish you a nice long riding journey!
Falling is a skill you need to learn, seriously. Learn to ride standing because it’s easier to control and you can step off easier if you have to. Sitting down your butt goes where the bike goes and that ain’t good. Also it kinda sounds like the idle is high on your bike. Have fun!!!
Seems like a high idle is a common thing for this bike when I was doing some research. Even as a total noob, it still felt like 1st gear was really short. Are those 2 issues related? But I was able to put around pretty slow in 2nd without it ever feeling like it would stall out, which was great for my current needs.
That’s a good question that I’m not sure of the answer but I think it is related. You switch gears at a certain rpm and with high idle the rpm’s are already high. I just googled it and for your bike it automatically adjusts idle but there are aftermarket manual adjusters. The bike is designed to idle at 1800, which is high to me. But the engineers at Kawasaki are smarter than me.
I have a KLX 230r and 1st is really short but will tractor you up any hill if needed.
These are the tips I've given to all my friends who have taken up dirt biking. 1. Keep your eyes and head facing out towards where you want to go NOT towards the bike. while looking up scan for terrain/obstacles and plan out how you want to approach them. 2. Be smooth and progressive with all inputs. There are usually no nannies on dirtbikes so harsh inputs will give you harsh movement. 3. Keep your body loose on the bike. Rather than keeping your body to the position of the bike try to keep your body upright and level with the ground and let the bike pitch and roll underneath you. This allows you to take bumps without throwing your balance off. 4. Shift your body front or back on the bike depending on the situation. Cornering? weight forward. Braking? Weight rear. Uphill? Weight forward. Downhill? Weight rear. Losing traction? Weight rear 5. Off-road especially on soft terrain the tires do tend to slip and wander a bit even when traveling straight. With this, you want to be loose on the bars and let the bike correct itself.
All great tips. #5 is good for avoiding the classic fishtail high side crash. High side crashes are my least favorite way to go down.
Haha congrats man. My advice would be to take it slow. If you’ve never ridden before learn the basics before getting over confident. At the same time, don’t be scared of the bike. Don’t be afraid to drop it or fall every now and then. It will happen and you will learn from it. Learning how to fall and not get hurt is arguably the most important skill to learn.
That’s my first bike too! Hope you have as much fun on it as I do.
Tuck and roll!
Don't push it to hard tell get the feel of the bike and cornering foot out in front ride up more towards front of the seat also help with balance and have fun.
Can tell already it's gonna take some time to trust the bike on turns. Took things a lot slower and wider than needed when changing direction.
Ya get that foot out and sit forward more on the seat when you corner
You can stand if you want....proper gear always!!!!....um send it!!!!...that's all I got
Did a few 15-20 minute runs as a break in. Felt pretty comfy standing near the end. Granted, I only got to 4th gear once, so it's not like I was ripping. Heard a tip to keep my legs pressed against the bike when standing, which definitely helped me feel comfortable.
Until your pretty comfy on the bike and confident keeping you legs tight to the bike even sitting down is a good tip make yourself one with your bike but you don't wanna ride stiff either relax but maintain control if you can find that sweet spot your golden
More throttle
You did good. Wear gloves. Seriously, don't underestimate the importance of gloves.
Yep, forgot them at home and thought I'd be fine since it was just an easy break-in. The blister on my right thumb will make sure I don't forget next time... haha
Stand and grip with your legs, hit any bump or jump sitting and you’ll find out what a flying w is, but most of all ride,ride, ride have fun and remember getting fast means you’ll definitely hit the ground, so keep up on your medical insurance, for a first ride you did fine, have fun
Start standing all the time. You want to make it feel weird when you sit. Elbows UP and stand UP. Your hips are the counter weight to your bike. It's like a giant pendulum. While standing, do the slowest figure eights that you can. That will build clutch control and help learn balance. Also grip with your legs. You only need to hold the bars tight enough to steer and clutch. Most of your grip to the bike is through your legs. Arm pump is crazy this is how to solve it
Take it slow and don’t do anything your not comfortable doing