Changing down technique, and that's not all...

[cruiser]

Cruiser,

I've noted the same problem with stops. They felt and looked sloppy because, like you said, the front brake was more sensitive than the rear which is a no no when riding slow with the slightest turn of the front wheel. Like the others, I use the front brake until less than 5 mph and then shift to the rear brake. Much smoother. In fact, I wish I could do this with my RT which has fully linked brakes, so it doesn't work.

here's my dilemma... I agree that using the rear brake at low speed to come to a standstill makes for a much smoother halt - on any bike - but then it follows that, as you've used your right foot to apply the footbrake, you have to put your left foot down to support the bike. This means that in order to do anything with the gears - e.g. select neutral for a long stationery wait - you have to change feet to support the bike. Years ago when I did an advanced rider's course under the supervision of police class 1 motorcyclists, this foot swapping was referred to as 'tap-dancing', and was to be avoided. Hence, as far as I can remember, I was taught to bring the bike to rest using the front brake only, supporting the bike with the right foot and thereby leaving the left foot on the footrest to operate the gear selector.... thoughts on this please?
cruiser

[chris]

I was taught to come to a stop using the front, hold it with the rear and hold the bike up with my left foot. No tap dancing involved, only thing that moves as I stop is my left foot to the floor and the bike always stays in gear ready for a quick escape in case of rogue tincans approaching at speed from behind.
I think the idea behind the rear brake being on at a standstill is that if you are unlucky enough to be rear ended, the bike should slide if it's being held by the rear. If you're holding the front it's more likely to fold and go down.

[awagnon]

I agree with Chris. I was taught in MSF basic and advanced that all down shifting was done before the stop and the bike was left in first gear if needed for a fast escape from a car. (The advanced instructor was a police instructor.) The right foot stays on the brake and the left goes down to support the bike. I've seen discussions (more like debates) about whether riders put the right, the left, or both feet down at a stop. I suspect it boils down to how you learned, the weight of the bike, and what you are comfortable with. However, most riding safety books I've read advise not leaving the bike in neutral at stops, regardless of which foot is down.

[Invictus]

My happiness with this bike is also pretty limited at the moment. I am new to the R with only about 1,000 miles on the bike since I bought it. I love the looks and the engineering of the bike and I am not ready to give up on it yet, but something needs to "click" fairly soon for me to keep it longterm. I have several hundred thousand miles on various Harleys and "hours and hours and hours" on numerous Honda & KTM off road bikes. Maybe it is just a matter of taste or just comfort in past experience, but nothing about riding the R has gotten comfortable yet.

[cruiser]

My happiness with this bike is also pretty limited at the moment. I am new to the R with only about 1,000 miles on the bike since I bought it. I love the looks and the engineering of the bike and I am not ready to give up on it yet, but something needs to "click" fairly soon for me to keep it longterm. I have several hundred thousand miles on various Harleys and "hours and hours and hours" on numerous Honda & KTM off road bikes. Maybe it is just a matter of taste or just comfort in past experience, but nothing about riding the R has gotten comfortable yet.

Invictus, your words echo my thoughts exactly, especially with regard to the looks and the engineering, but let's give it some more time to 'discover' this enigma of a motorcycle... before we give up and go elswhere

[Daryl_stamp]

I learned the herky-jerky, helmet banging graceless method of motorcycling from a friend when I was just out of high school. Nothing smooth about it, at the time it seemed to be part of the experience.

Then I saw a guy on a burnt-orange Boxer ride so fast and so smooth I was in awe. Bought a newer bike just prior to going into the Navy and started to be a little smoother by shifting at too low a speed / rpm.

Last year I got back into the sport after a 15-20 year break with an 02 RR. I picked up a book by Reg Pridmore about riding to see what I might get out of a book (habit I learned in the Navy & college) and was dumbfounded to learn that I had been fumbling around with bad habits for all of my previous motorcycling.

I am not as graceful now as I strive to be but I can accelerate fast and smooth to the point that my lovely wife (passenger) usually can't tell when I shift. Reg recommended keeping the revs up, only pulling the clutch in to point of disengagement and keeping the throttle near constant, shifting quick and letting the clutch out smoothly. Per his suggestion I always keep one or two fingers on the clutch and one or two on the front brake. My thought is that smooth and really fast is way more cool than herky jerky fast.

Just my 2 cents.

DLS

[dragonmojo]

Invictus and Cruiser,
Have you had a chance to take the Rockster on very (and I mean very) twisty canyon roads, and comparing the ride with the other bikes? Often a motorcycle's assets aren't readily apparent until they are in their environment.

[telliott]

I've only put about 2.5K on my 03 and it started out very "herky/jerky". I've been riding BMW's for many years along with Kawasakis, Hondas, my sons Aprilia and several different dirt bikes. So experience with bikes was not the problem. I think it is the combination of the shaft drive, dry clutch, and fuel injection that shuts off if you completely back out of the throttle. Has anyone else noticed that it shifts much smoother when the fast idle lever is on?

I then did some research and found several comments about using only 2 fingers on the clutch as noted previously. I also read other comments about up shifting without the clutch. I tried them both and finally came up with a system that works for me.

Down shifting has always been smooth for me, I can go from 6th to first on the way to the stop with no problems. Neutral to first? Just pull in the clutch, release slightly and shift down as I pull the clutch back in. Very seldom do I get a clunk.

On upshifting: if I am accelerating at a quick clip I can shift up without the clutch very smoothly but I have now started just barely nudging the clutch and not completely letting off the gas and quickly hitting the next gear. It took some practice to get the timing down but it is very smooth and quick with no clunks or jerks.

Hope this helps some of you. I've loved mine even with the Jerks. My fist ride other than around the neighborhood was a 14 hour ride to Florida from TN. ON THE STOCK TALL SEAT! I was in better shape than my "20 something" son in law on an F650 with a Sargent seat.

Just give it some miles and practice. I didn't think I'd get it smooth at first either.

[zooomart]

dragonmojo makes a great point. Everytime I take a long ride on a smooth twisty road my appreciation for the R is renewed. Yesterday for example was a 350 miles from Medina OH to Marrietta OH via route 83 from Wooster to points south. Great ride... 4th, 5th, 6th the whole way with 35mph and 45 mph sweeping curves taken considerably faster. IMHO this is when the R really shines, not for the racer but for the rider.
My gearbox seemed to smooth out when I changed to syn oil, had a more than 6,000 miles and with practice.
Yeah the seat doesn't support well. I'm going to get a sheep skin this year and a Russell next year

[dragonmojo]

dragonmojo makes a great point. Everytime I take a long ride on a smooth twisty road my appreciation for the R is renewed. Yesterday for example was a 350 miles from Medina OH to Marrietta OH via route 83 from Wooster to points south. Great ride... 4th, 5th, 6th the whole way with 35mph and 45 mph sweeping curves taken considerably faster. IMHO this is when the R really shines, not for the racer but for the rider.
My gearbox seemed to smooth out when I changed to syn oil, had a more than 6,000 miles and with practice.
Yeah the seat doesn't support well. I'm going to get a sheep skin this year and a Russell next year

I have never been to Ohio, but having lived in NorCal over half my life... well, I am spoiled! I have the Sierras as my playground. There are so many passes cutting across from this side of the range to the Eastern slope, Yosemite Valley, Lake Tahoe, the Mother Lode, Napa Valley, the Northern Coast. Pick your twisties! True sportbikes could possibly do it faster (not always by much), but there's a an amount of comfort and composure in the R that fits well for an all-day outing. Plus, you get to soak up a lot more scenery at sub-triple digit speeds. True, the seat is not quite as comfy as on my R12C, but my pegs don't scrape in the curves either. Happy riding!