You can blip the throttle to match RPMs, but just do one gear at a time at first. Your rear won't lock up if you are on clean road and you are not pushing it and you are gentle with releasing the clutch. But some rear brake, a rough downshift, dirty road and yes you could have a problem. There are some very good books out there about how to do this safely from any speed.

 

http://www.sportrider.com/ride/RSS/1...blip_throttle/

 

As far as your problem with the mirrors, you can buy mirror extenders from e-bay. You simply remove the stock ones at the upper put the extender blocks on the mirror and re-bolt to the ferring with the longer bolts that are included with the extenders.

 

new rider here aswell. i've had my bike out the past three days in a row for atleast an hour each time. and i have a cul-de-sac at the end of my street aswell. you just have to get used to it. this is my FIRST time on a bike and by the second time i went down there to turn around i had it...feet up! but the tighter the turn, the smarter it will be for you to put a foot down. like if you're turning to the left, just let you're left foot slide and be PREPARED to stomp it down in an instant if need be. but honestly, it gets easier each time. so keep practicing and it'll become much easier.

 

Low speed work is all about the left hand. Know your clutch, love it, take it out to lunch...

 

I started out doing the same thing. I would drive around my block and switch directions in the dead ends to get a feel for everything. That really helped me learn how to use the clutch and steer. When I went to the MSF class i pretty much knew how to do everything the first day. The goal is to go for a little trip this weekend and find some good roads around here.

Does anybody else get stiff knees and hands after a ride? I guess I need to adjust my death grip but any suggestions for how to keep my knees from killing me?

 

Yeah, that deathgrip thing...pretty funny. My wrists hurt more that my hands, and I never get sore knees, but my a$$ muscles hurt when I go on a long ride.