Hello,


My name's Jeremy and I am both new to this forum and new to the motorcycling world. A little bit about myself...I first rode a Suzuki V-Strom back in '04 for about 30 mins and fell in love with motorcylces. I'm almost 28 years old and I've been doing the HDPE thing with cars for awhile now and wanted to get into riding bikes on the weekends for something to do when I'm not doing track days. I've wanted a bike since I was back in college but never got around to getting one until today.

I decided I wanted one a few months back and started saving up for one. I bought gear, took the MSF and read a lot of different forums trying to decide what bike I wanted and learning as much as I could. I was going to get the new Ninja 250 but the dealers just want too much for them and I don't really like the older ones. I came across this bike and said what the hell. It's all about the right mentality anyway. Respect the bike and I thinkI'll be OK. I also live in Floridaand there isn't a curve around (literally) so I figured I'd tire of the 250 pretty quick.

Anyway, I just bought an '04 F4i today with 4400 miles on it. It's got a few knicks here and there but overall I think it's in good shape.

I did have a few questions though.

1) I've stalled it a few times off takeoff from not giving it enough power and when I do I can't get it started again unless it's in Neutral. Is that normal?

2) When I first turn the key and the power comes on there is a red light that comes on associated with a flashing oil can sign. It goes off upon starting the bike and does not come back on. What does this mean? And if I stall it they both come on as well.
Here are the lights.

This one caught the flashing oil can.


3) There are two long lines that are near touching the ground but I can't figure out what they are supposed to go to if they are at all. One of my friends said they should be drip lines but one is damn near touching the ground. Is that normal? Here are some pics.
Here are the strange lines.



4) Is this bike supposed to have a fuel gauge? Because nothing is displaying.


Sorry for typing so much but I'm just excited as hell about riding for the first time. I can't wait for tomorrow.
And for a reminder....yes I have full coverage, yes I took the MSF, and here is my gear.
Frank Thomas SP Tech Boots
Alpinestars GP Plus gloves
Joe Rocket Phoenix 6.0 jacket
Icon Field Armor Vest
Icon Field Leg Armor
Shoei RF-1000 Voyager helmet
The only thing I don't have yet is pants so I was just wearing my jeans but I plan on getting some.

Lastly a crappy pic of the bike. You can even see the long *** line next to the kick stand. And the bike has a Two Brothers slip-on. Sounds awesome. :thumbup:


And yes, I realize I need front turn signals. The guy had robbed them to put on another bike and he is installing new ones for me on Tuesday so until then I'm just using my hands since I'm not going far.

Last question...lol What should the rpm's be at in 6th at 55mph? It was at 4,500 rpm's. Is that right?


Glad to be here!

 

I think everything is normal with respect to the starting and the idiot lights. Fuel gauge is only active when you get down to the last gallon or so, but get gas ASAP when that 4 bar gauge pops up on the left side of the display until you understand its behavior a little.

I have three lines, none are long.

RPMs sound right.

You can start that bike rolling without gas but you need a more delicate touch on the clutch. Regular street starts are easy on these bikes, your hands will just have to learn their jobs better.

Please take it very easy with that bike, it will f**k you up if you let your guard down. The brakes can be frightening, it really would be best for you to learn on another bike, but since you already have this one, stay away from any busy streets for a while. Ride slow. Slow down slower than you think you should. Don't be afraid to pull onto a side street if the traffic gets a little funky. Stay below 7000rpm in the first two gears for a while.

Sportbikes are inherently unstable, that is why they change directions so easily, they are not ideal to learn on, so be careful.


good luck and enjoy your bike.

 

Welcome, Jeremy. To answer your questions...

1) You have to hold the clutch lever if you wish to start your motorcycle while it is in gear.

2) Lights don't mean anything. It's just standard for them to be on while you have your key turned yet the ignition is not running. There's nothing wrong with your bike.

3) You should have three of those tubes total near your left fairing. Coolant overflow, gas tank overflow, and gas tank breather. I'm not sure why one of them is almost to the ground, it's probably just routed a little differently from normal for whatever reason. On your left side fairing there is a small rectangular hole along the bottom - that's where the three hoses should be stuck. Hope it helps.

4) The bike does not have an active fuel gauge, however there will be a gas gauge that pops on when you hit your "reserve" which is the last 0.9 gallons of usable fuel (there is more in the tank, but it is below the pump). They will start blinking one at a time, and then disappear while blinking. If you get down to one bar blinking, I hope you're near a gas station =)

Have fun riding.

 

I knew someone would beat me to that. Oh well, can't hurt to have two answers.

 

Thanks for the help guys! I was worried about that!

I agree with everything you guys said. I have NO intention of riding this fast for awhile. I'm not out to prove anything and just want to cruise around. If I want to ride fast I'm going to sign up for a track day.

I'm going to keep practicing on side roads stopping fast and controlled so I get a feel of the brakes power and how far I actually have to pull the brake to get it to react.


I do have another question. The bike came with Pirelli Dragon Super Corsa Pro Tires. They said they have a max cold pressure of 42. I checked the pressure and the front has 8 psi and the rear 15.

What pressure do you guys recommend for a safe pressure for normal tire wear? I do not want an aggressive pressure setting for handling.

Thanks!

 

holy bananas 8 and 15!!!! man you need to up those to at least 35 in the front and about 40 in the back

 

+1. 8 and 15 are really low. i would do 36 up front and 40 in the rear. when you get more comfortable at riding, you can lower them to get your tires to stick better, but they will wear more. keep them higher while youre learning.