As my first post I just wanted to say hello and that so far I have learned a bunch just from reading a few threads on this forum. For some reason about a month ago I decided I wanted a sportbike... a CBR was much coveted out of all the choices out there. It just came from nowhere, nobody I know has one. I guess I'm starting to feel old as I'm 32 now and I needed to fulfill some sort of void in my life. Anyways asa noob I'll probably have a bunch of questions and any replies would be much appreciated. I took a motorcylce safety course a few weeks ago (which didn't seem too difficult) and am waiting til this Saturday to take the riding test at the DMV. I already passed the written part and have obtained my permit last week. I found a local guy on Craigslist that had a 2001 cbr 600 f4i with 8000 miles, silver/black for 4500, I talked him down to 4200. I'm 5' 10" and this is plentyof bike for me I'm sure. Well, it's sitting in my garage now, I probably should have researched some more but once I saw this thing I knew it was going to be mine. It's been dropped, some fairing damage but nothing major which is cool with me since I'll end up dropping it at some point myself even though I"m extremely careful with everything. So my first question would be, what is the best way to get over the first gear jitters? In that I mean I find myself stalling out or taking off too fast and almost losing control. I hope I'm not the only one that has experienced this.

 

Hi and welcome.

You just need to get customized with your bike... it will take time I'm sure. Then I bet you will be flying away with your f4.... Same like when you are taking your friend's bike for a ride where you will find a kind of odd of everything...

Good luck..

 

Feather the clutch til you find that perfect balance point. Takes practice but you'll get it.

 

+1 to feathering the clutch. Don't be afraid to ride the clutch a few extra seconds, it beats the hell out of stalling it and slamming your nuts off the tank, or losing your balance and tipping over.

 

Congratulations on the bike.

I suggest youpush or tow your bike to the closest huge empty parking lot and practice there so you'll be more relaxed. Learning while dealing with traffic all around you isn't a good idea. Shoot, bring some cones and set up your own mini MSF course.

 

Right on, all good points. I will give it a go with the feathering. I have a little space to work with in my neighborhood that I can practice. Much appreciated.

 

I have the same problem. I am a female just starting out and I get those jitters every time I think about riding. It is so nice to here a male gets them too. I cant give much advise because I need all the advise I can get. One thing everyone on this forum says is dont ride out of your limits. Take your time do not rush!!!!!

 

ive got an 01 F4i and am also a new rider.. i was woried about the clutch as well at first, only because i had ridden my friends RR and thought it would be the same.. WRONG. the F4i is SO much more forgiving in my opinion. i fell in love with mine

 

So how long did it take to get to that level where 1st is second nature? I'm gonna ride a little tonight when it cools down, it's hot as hell in Atl metro right now.

 

ive only had mine for about 2 weeks and im pretty much used to it for basic street riding skills... i want to ride so bad, but its been raining here for the past 20 something days straight... OKC SUCKS. i got caught out in the rain yesterday on the highway, i FREAKED. that was some scary stuff, being so new to riding and being in the rain, i got off the highway immidiatley and rode home at 25 mph haha. took me 30 mins to get there and i was SOAKED