OK you guys with all the wisdom

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

Please talk her out of it. The fact that she is not confident cornering on her Suzuki is the big red flag. She has to be a confident cornering rider in order to handle the Rocket. It is a must.

 

[rainman]

Let her read what has been wrote here and that may help you

 

[cr0ft]

she wants me to take he to the dealer to get a R3T I have tried to tell her she should wait some more time that its a lot more bike but she said she's big and can do it

Honestly, aside from the sheer mass of the bike at standstill or very slow speeds, I don't think she'd be worse off on an R3T than on a C50 or some other smaller cruiser. Once its rolling it handles beautifully and in a balanced fashion, as you also know. Then again, she's not my family so our viewpoint may differ somewhat.

Personally though, I would have suggested she start on a Rebel 250 or something light and then ride that for a year to build up the reflexes. So basically, an 800 cc bike or an R3T are both equally bad; she'll drop either of them if she loses her balance at a standstill.

 

[CanberraR3]

If she does THAT; it's proof enough that she's dim.

Scott

No, it would highlight her inexperience. You can't just tell someone not to do that and you can't just learn it from a book. It takes years of experience. That's why it's important to get some miles and time under your belt on bikes you can actually handle - and by that I don't mean ride them fast or round corners. I mean actually handle. This girl does not have the experience not to do it and a Rocket is not the bike to "learn" on. She'd either hurt herself or have a bike on the ground that she couldn't pick up. That was my point.

Anyone with riding experience would never touch the front brake when the wheel is turned doing slow speed maneuvers.

Exactly! It takes discipline and experience not to just grab the brake in a panic situation.

 

[scot in exile]

Oops sorry Richard the point you were trying to make went right over my head, yes I totally agree with you.

 

[R3T-Too]

No, it would highlight her inexperience. You can't just tell someone not to do that and you can't just learn it from a book. It takes years of experience. That's why it's important to get some miles and time under your belt on bikes you can actually handle - and by that I don't mean ride them fast or round corners. I mean actually handle. This girl does not have the experience not to do it and a Rocket is not the bike to "learn" on. She'd either hurt herself or have a bike on the ground that she couldn't pick up. That was my point.
.

I remember the only time I grabbed too much front brake in those conditions. I pulled my back pretty good keeping that 600 lb Vulcan from bouncing of the asphalt.
Yes, I had heard the advice from the MSF instructor and had read the same advice on the internet.
So, I would have felt "dim" if I had done it with forethought instead of a quick reaction.
Experience taught me to use what I know; rather than snap instinct in quick stops. VERY glad I learned it on the 900.

I'm not really sure if following the instructions of the guy "she looks up to for help" will highlight her inexperience, teach her to use good riding techniques or teach her not to trust Rocket captains.
So, I wasn't really taking your suggestion literally. I'm going to avoid doing it now too.

Exactly! It takes discipline and experience not to just grab the brake in a panic situation.

We are in total agreement on this!
IMHO, experience is most specific to the Rocket when throttling through and out of a washed out rear end.
At least that's where discipline and technique have saved my butt.

Scott

 

[R3T-Too]

He did not ride it any more but I sure of hell did, when I told him how fast I had it up to I thought he was going to cry, plus that stupid little rooster thing he had strapped to his seat ended up being a butt warmer for me plus who can forget the ants in his seat.

I don't want to laugh at a guy who dropped his bike; but I really hope someone got a picture of this seat.

On second though; No....it probably won't be as funny as the image I have in my head.

 

[cr0ft]

ABS is the only way to go, really, on bikes this size. It's there expressly to stop the bike without causing it to slide out from under. It doesn't matter how much experience one gets, in a panic-inducing situation nobody - literally nobody - is immune from potentially panicking. A person in a panic won't be worried about modulating the brakes, he'll grab all the brakes he can find and hang on for dear life.

Granted, that won't help if you brake while turning sharply at low speed, you don't need to lock the wheel to go down at that point, but still.

 

[scot in exile]

I don't want to laugh at a guy who dropped his bike; but I really hope someone got a picture of this seat.

On second though; No....it probably won't be as funny as the image I have in my head.

Just to set the record straight he did not drop his bike it was on a easy bit of road he just rode off the side and about 15 feet down the side, it took about five of us to get it back on the road and by that time he had lost his bottle so he left the bike about 40miles from the motel then myself and his Lordship Steve Cowherd went back for it that is when I had some fun.

 

[R3T-Too]

ABS is the only way to go, really, on bikes this size. It's there expressly to stop the bike without causing it to slide out from under. It doesn't matter how much experience one gets, in a panic-inducing situation nobody - literally nobody - is immune from potentially panicking. A person in a panic won't be worried about modulating the brakes, he'll grab all the brakes he can find and hang on for dear life.

Granted, that won't help if you brake while turning sharply at low speed, you don't need to lock the wheel to go down at that point, but still.

I have ABS on my Voyager and it's great.

The thing about the Rocket that separates it from other cruisers is the power. Spinning the rear wheel above 20mph on good dry pavement is a pretty unique feature and probably makes it less than ideal for a first BIG bike.

Scott