just bought my new 2008 r6s

So I just bought my first new bike 2008 r6s does anyone have any advice for me on riding and enjoying my riding expierence i plan to do general maintnance on it but not yet since it only has 170 miles on it.  

Before we can answer your question...

You say this is your first new bike, but is it your first bike overall?  Are you new to riding?  If you had a bike before this one, what was it?  

completly new to riding but i am familiar with someone who has been working with me on riding he has about 20 some odd years of expierence i try to pick up as much info from him but just want to get feedback from other as well  

Ok, in that case, practice practice practice is the key!  I, too, started out on a super sport (against my better judgement).  It is doable, but you must be more careful and always practice your skills.  I suggest working in a parking lot on simple things, such as, basic throttle response, quick stops, slow turns, braking capability, etc.  I put in 20 miles of parking lot work before I even entered a street.  Have you taken the MSF course?  If you haven't, do it ASAP.  It's a great learning resource.  It's a must for new riders.

Stay off busy roads for your first couple hundred miles.  Stay on back roads away from traffic until you get a feel for your bike and how it responds to throttle, braking and countersteering inputs.  Neighborhoods are a good resource for this as well.  You DO NOT want to get out in traffic and have to think about what you're going to do in a certain situation.  Usually you won't have time to think, you just have time to do.

Next, get some good riding gear and wear it ALL the time, especially in your first few thousand miles.  Do it no matter how hot it is outside.  The brighter the colors, the better.  I have a Snell/DOT helmet, protective gloves, protective jacket, boots and am shopping for riding pants as well.  I am astounding when I'm riding and I see people without a helmet or in gym shorts.  Boggles my mind.

Read everything you can in these forums, magazines, books, etc about riding.  There is a great information out there about riding and I guarantee you'll learn something you hadn't thought of before.  "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough is a good book.  The "Riding Skill Series" on this website also has great info.  Be defensive out there on the road.  Bikes can be invisible to cars, so always assume that you are NOT visible to that guy ahead at the intersection who could or could not pull in front of you.  Assume he will turn and cover the clutch and brakes.

Keep your bike maintained.  Always check tire pressure, oil levels and the chain.  Lastly, keep your ego at the door.  It's easy after awhile to get "too" comfortable.  You're going to want to go fast.  Probably the best advice I can give is RIDE WITHIN YOUR OWN LIMITS.  Know your skill level and do not exceed it and you should be fine.

Good luck, congratulations on the new bike, and ride safe!  Hope this rambling helps (sorry for the length).  

i would read some of the older threads as you are likely to be getting the same advice and also read through the rider skills series on this site as well it has tons of invalueable info. When i got my first bike (current bike as well) i got an 02 R6 and i decided one of the first thing i should master was throttle control and i still believe that to be a very important skill especially when rideing a bike with that kind of power. Also take your time and develope your skills at your own pace even if your have to check your ego abit from time to time.

Ride safe and enjoy the ride!!  

thanks for the info  

I'm in the same boat with you on the bike. I had been wanting a bike for as long as I can remember, but with my finances being digested elsewhere, and school and work I never got around to it till now. With that being said since I never had a bike, I never had anything to learn on, or anyone to teach me till recently. I bought my 2007 Yamaha R6 in about mid-May. I was taking an EMT class down at UCLA and got lucky enough to cross paths with some very interesting people, one of them my current friend who is the one teaching me how to ride my own bike. He has the 2 R6's, one is also an 07' and the other is an 03'. I honestly never thought I would never learn how to get my bike to not stall out, but wow, you'd be amazed what your bruised ego and being pissed off at your own failure will do, LOL.

I am not anywhere near close to the skill set or confidence I want to have yet, but as everyone says, baby steps. It is sadly the ones who actually have been riding for a while that go out thinking they're indestructible that end up getting hurt, so as I believe someone above me said, DON'T GET COCKY. I suppose it's a bit easier for me considering I'm a female, but it is also with many downsides, I get a lot of scowls when I go on forums because apparently there are still a lot of guys out there who think bikes aren't for girls. Personally I've been a tomboy most of my life, but regardless, it's a hobby that I believe anyone of any age (almost), size or gender can enjoy.

I guess you would say the slightly bad part of my current situation is that my friend lives in Thousand Oaks and I live in Pasadena right now, so the riding lessons are somewhat time consuming only because of the driving to get there. I am in no way bashing the MSF course, but in all honesty I took it at Cerritos College and didn't walk away feeling I learned a whole lot that I wasn't able to learn from my friend in half the time a whole lot easier, and with more tips.


Not sure why it's so split, but there are half that talk crap for first time riders jumping on a 600 or not. In all honesty, I wasn't trying to drop any sort of money on anything I didn't plan on keeping. I figured that I would rather develop the learning early on in the game with something I planned on sticking with me for a while to make it easier for me, so far so good. I have dropped the bike (doing something really ridiculous of course), but the damage wasn't too bad, and trust me, I went out and got myself some extended Freestyle Ingenuity sliders immediately after lol, not to mentioned shin and elbow guards.  

practice and practice and practice, i totally agree with other people with same ideas. Please be skillful first at the beginning.
good luck!