New rider with some beginner questions.

A

Area57

Well-Known Member
Visit site
Hi, I have only ever ridden a bike once, a 250 dirt bike through the bamboo in Haleiwa.

Well, I have been wanting a motorcycle for a long time now and I finally pulled the trigger.

What I want to be able to do eventually is:
Ride around town
Ride for fun
Take day trips with my camera and explore
Go on windy mountain roads
Take ultralight camping gear and take themed road trips. Like a fly fishing weekend. Or a rock climbing weekend.

I decided on the FZ1 because it is what they had for sale locally. It was the nicest, most well kept bike I could find, and that is important. And it fits the bill of what I want. I had always previously looked at dual sports, like the KLR650 and the BMW GS650, but I think I will be mostly on pavement.

Everyone said this bike is too powerful for a beginner. It's only my first day. I don't really have a basis of comparison. The throttle definitely jumps if you touch it just a hair too much, that and emergency braking are what I am really going to have to watch out for.

Otherwise it's a beautiful bike. I'm not a speed demon, I drive my car slow and carefully, but I've got to admit it's cool to have the power in this bike. To know it "can".

Are there any tips on this bike in particular? Any maintenance issues I need to watch out for? Things this bike likes? Like a good warm up or cool down before starting out? I don't know anything about motorcycles. I know my car wants you to let it warm up although nobody ever does, they just get in and go.

What about things I need to watch out for? Ways the bike likes to be treated? My main question really is when to shift. I have no idea when I should shift. Again, it's just my first day, but I was taking it easy in first. Maybe going to about 20mph or 3000 rpm, and then second to about 40, or 4000 rpm. after that, once I get in third I can stay in third and cruise at highway speeds right? I was told to shift more at 6-8000, but that seems high. When do you guys recommend shifting.

That's all really. More just a welcome to the club post if anything, more than any really pressing questions.
 
Welcome to the forum! Where are you located in the PNW?

I would suggest first and foremost that you sign up for a basic rider training course. You can also often find basic maintenance courses that will show you how your bike works and how to perform basic maintenance. Unlike a car, a motorcycle should be checked on a regular basis for your safety. Fork oil seals, chain slack, tire condition, loose bolts, etc. Overlooking any basic items can sometimes be catastrophic.

I've got a few great book recommendations for you and will post up links when I finish work tonight.
 
Last edited:
 
Thanks. Are those books that a local bookstore would have or more the type you have to order?

I do have all protective gear, armor from head to toes.

Say, when my visor is closed on the helmet it fogs, even with the mouth piece open, is there a remedy for this?
 
Area57 said:
Thanks. Are those books that a local bookstore would have or more the type you have to order?

I do have all protective gear, armor from head to toes.

Say, when my visor is closed on the helmet it fogs, even with the mouth piece open, is there a remedy for this?
Click to expand...

I found all mine at bookstores around Canada and the US. I always make a b line for the motorcycle section :)

Regarding the fogging, what helmet do you have?

You can try cracking the visor open a touch at low speeds, or try to find a breath guard for your helmet (if it's available).

There's a few coatings you can apply that are supposed to help but in my experience, nothing really works except a Pinlock insert. I am a fellow PNW'er and I ride 365 so I've had plenty of foggy visors over the years. My current helmet has a Pinlock visor and now I am fog free.
 
thanks, i'll go to the bookstore today. I'm in oregon. i love vancouver though. i sailed up far north into bc one summer and and anchored my boat in false creek for a fun week.

i have an array helmet. i watched a video review on it and there are some tricks to try about angling vents different ways that are supposed to help. i just didn't expect that i rode to the gym let night and it was chilly and i really wanted to put the visor down but very time i did it fogged badly the vents were open, but not the eyebrow ones endnote angled like they said.

why do you think about the when to shift question? what do you think the speed range is for each gear? at what rpm do you up or downshift?

I'm glad the people on this forum are friendlier. I posted on adv rider first and they said I was a troll. i have no idea why. weird folks.
 
I had an Arai helmet in the past and was plagued with fogging issues as well. The only thing that helped was to crack the visor open sightly. Arai (and most other helmets) have a 'city mode' of sorts which locks the visor in a semi-closed position, allowing more air to flow in to clear fog. You can try to apply some anti fog coating if it becomes a problem for you.

As for shifting, it's really down to feel. You'll have to get used to the character of the bike. Your owner's manual does have recommended shift points in it but it's really down to how it feels for you. Practice being smooth and listening to what the bike is telling you.

Oregon, eh? My favourite state of all; I try to ride down as often as possible. I love riding on the coast and around in the high desert.
 
Last edited:
Well BC is my favorite Province. Alberta is great too, but they don't have the water. I've been in a car and in a boat twice. Very fun to explore those islands. I'll bet the riding is good. I've heard Oregon is a great state for riding. I can't wait to get good enough to go up into the Cascades on some windy and scenic mountain roads. Good thing it's still winter so I have time to get better. Probably still too cold up there.

Are there any must get add ons that these bikes love? I have a Yoshimura pipe, risers, levers and bar ends but otherwise stock. I wouldn't mind getting some easily removable panniers so I can carry stuff. I am used to having a car. When I went to the gym I took a backpack for clothes and shoes but at some point I will need to carry a bit more.

The previous owner just had the carb cleaned for a couple hundred dollars. On my boat the dinghy outbox can get clogged too. The jets are super small. Do you periodically run anything through there or with each gas fill up to keep it cleaned out?
 
Last edited:
Yes, great riding all over the coast, Cascades and especially in the eastern high desert. It's really some of the best in your country.

Add ons? Well, that's entirely up to you. I had a first gen like yours, an 01. Out of the box, they are really quite good and very well made. I added some hard luggage racks as I always use a Givi top case.

If you just keep running fresh gas through it, you'll be fine. You can always add a little cleaner additive like Seafoam to a full tank every so often.

This is how I set up my FZ1:
 
Last edited:
I used to have the same problems with my visors. What Arai helmet do you have? I have a yellow tinted visor with a new Fog City Pro Shield Insert if you would like it. Fits my old RX7. PM me if you would like it. I am also in Oregon, beaverton. And Welcome
 
I have an Arai and mostly ride with the visor cracked open a bit, I would replace the stock wind screen to deflect a bit more wind. After I did that it helped me to leave the visor open a bit. I second Dustins advice, take the course, buy some books and have fun brother, remember that if you want to ride hard you can always do it in a controlled environment like the track, nothing is worse than taking a leaned cblind corner just to have a surprise waiting for you on the other side...take it easy and let your skills catch up to your bike.


Area57 said:
Thanks. Are those books that a local bookstore would have or more the type you have to order?

I do have all protective gear, armor from head to toes.

Say, when my visor is closed on the helmet it fogs, even with the mouth piece open, is there a remedy for this?
Click to expand...
 
I have an Arai and mostly ride with the visor cracked open a bit, I would replace the stock wind screen to deflect a bit more wind. After I did that it helped me to leave the visor open a bit. I second Dustins advice, take the course, buy some books and have fun brother, remember that if you want to ride hard you can always do it in a controlled environment like the track, nothing is worse than taking a leaned blind corner just to have a surprise waiting for you on the other side...take it easy and let your skills catch up to your bike.


Area57 said:
Thanks. Are those books that a local bookstore would have or more the type you have to order?

I do have all protective gear, armor from head to toes.

Say, when my visor is closed on the helmet it fogs, even with the mouth piece open, is there a remedy for this?
Click to expand...
 
I was reading the manual about when to shift and it say to shift from first to second at 10 mph and then to the next gear every 5 mph so you will be cruising in sixth at 30 mph. Is this possible right? I thought you shifted maybe every 15-20 mph and sixth gear was only for when you were going over 100.
 
I'll check the bookstore again. I actually went last night but I had limited time and they led me to the reference section when I asked where motorcycle books were and they weren't there. So I wandered around by myself for 10 minutes trying to find them, got distracted and looked at magazines, then had to go.

I have been watching youtube videos though.

Today I was practicing shifting. The manual says, and this is a rough estimate since it was even numbers in KPH, but in MPH it was 9.9 2nd, 15 3rd, 20 4th, 25 5th , 30 6th. I played around with what felt right on the highway today, and I wouldn't say I know what I'm doing, but I have driven cars and semi trucks and I really like the way when I let off the throttle the bike has a really goo engine braking effect. I don't know what I'm supposed to do or what you all do but I use the engine to slow myself down a lot so far.

Say I am coming up to a light, and I have been trying to be safe, have long following distances and stop well before a light. I use the engine to brake a lot. I could stop the bike over enough ground with just downshifting. Hopefully that is how its designed and isnt wearing on the engine.

I think I got into 6th today but not at 30, more like 70. I have been cruising around at about 3500 rpm's. If i were to follow the manual, I would be shifting closer to 1500-1800.
 
My bike came with new levers. Are they hard to install? is there a guide on this site? I loved but might have missed it, seems like a common thing to replace
 
Area57 said:
My bike came with new levers. Are they hard to install? is there a guide on this site? I loved but might have missed it, seems like a common thing to replace
Click to expand...

Very easy to replace, you generally just need wrenches and screwdrivers. Check YouTube for a how-to video. If there's nothing specifically for the FZ1, any Yamaha of the same generation will typically suffice.
 
Thank you for all the help, I really do appreciate it. When I get into a new hobby/lifestyle, I go all out.

Now this is probably paranoid railings, but I rode my bike in the rain for the first time today. First, while starting it somewhat cold, while revving the throttle slightly, it made a sound like a fan was coming on in the radiator. As soon I i switched it from neutral to first it stopped. Then, and I'm probably just being paranoid, I thought it smelled hot when I got to church, which was a 40 MPH cruise on stoplight streets for about 4 miles. And when I got home. The hot light didn't come on. It did feel hot, but it always feels hot after riding it. As soon as I shut it off the hot smell stopped. Was it just burning off water from the road that I was smelling or is it something or nothing?

Thanks, I just, you know, bought it used, and don't want to, through ignorance, do anything to damage it.
 
Few things:

Fan on in neutral is normal at start up. It will run for a while as (I believe) part of the start up procedure for the bike. Once you click it into gear, it stops, as you said. As for the smell, I don't know what to say about that one without actually seeing it.

Here's a helpful site full of technical info about the first generation FZ1:
http://www.angelfire.com/ia/z/FZ1sitemap.htm

It's loaded with how-tos, maintenance guides, torque specs and loads of other stuff. Very useful.
 
Thanks, I'm pretty sure it is oil, water and roa stuff burning off the headers from the rain. Thanks for the link, you are indispensible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top