Hello,
I have a R18 Transcontinental. My previous bike was an R18 Classic. I’ve been finding it hard to get the transcontinental to stop smoothly. At 940lbs I found it can be a handful at slow speeds and I have a tendency to get front end dive when stopping. I wanted to give a quick list of things that I have done to my riding and some things that I have had done to the bike that might help you have a better riding experience. Some of these things are extremely basic or you may not agree with me on certain riding techniques, which is fine. I’m only sharing what works for me, so use what you can.
Best,
Tom
I have a R18 Transcontinental. My previous bike was an R18 Classic. I’ve been finding it hard to get the transcontinental to stop smoothly. At 940lbs I found it can be a handful at slow speeds and I have a tendency to get front end dive when stopping. I wanted to give a quick list of things that I have done to my riding and some things that I have had done to the bike that might help you have a better riding experience. Some of these things are extremely basic or you may not agree with me on certain riding techniques, which is fine. I’m only sharing what works for me, so use what you can.
Best,
Tom
- Get the rear brake of the Transcontinental adjusted so that there is less play. The rear brake on the Transcontinental, at least for me, had way too much travel so when stopping if I didn’t stop fast enough with using the rear brake and front brake I was grabbing the front brake lever too hard which caused the front forks to dive which then makes the bike difficult to control. The bike became WAY EASIER to brake smoothly for me with the rear brake engaging earlier so that I had more equal braking between the front and rear brakes.
- Consider getting a seat pad or getting a higher seat. I find sitting up higher helps me be more comfortable and I think I have better control. I got a seat pad that raises me on the seat an inch which has helped my comfort and I think I maneuver better too. I bought a SKYJDM foldable motorcycle gel seat cushion off of Amazon for around $40.00 as a short term solution. This winter I plan to order a Russell Day-Long replacement seat.
- Use only the rear brake during slow speed maneuvers. I take my right hand off the front brake lever when doing parking lot maneuvers to slow down for turns. For full stops I continue to use both brake levers.
- Ride the clutch friction zone during slow/tight parking lot maneuvers with using the rear brake to slow you down and keep control.
- Make sure you turn your head into the direction of a turn. We have a tendency to look straight ahead even when we should be turning our head. You go in the direction you are looking in.
- Make sure you are going fast enough to turn. If you are going too slow and you lose momentum, you are fighting the weight of the bike and you will have difficulty turning adequately or you could drop it.
- Use the front and rear brakes evenly when stopping, even during an emergency, otherwise the bike will dive on the forks with front brake use only because of the weight and you could lose control.
- Make sure you shift down when stopping so you are in first by the time you stop.
- Focus on braking with your right foot and front brakes when stopping. Don’t focus on putting down your left foot. Your left foot should be going down naturally when you slow down sufficiently.
- Try to stop the bike with it straight up as much as possible, as the weight is unforgiving if the bars are cut to one side when you brake.
- I stop at every stop sign to maintain control. I know this isn’t everyone’s thing but focusing on stopping smoothly instead of potentially rushing into traffic gives me better results and smoother stops.
- Keep your right hand on the end of brake lever when stopping to better modulate the brakes to facilitate stopping evenly. I have a tendency to grip too far in on the brake lever which makes it more difficult to determine the amount of force needed for proper brake engagement and disengagement. Gripping the brake lever further out on the bar closer to the end gives you better leverage.
- Give yourself plenty of space between you and the car in front of you, especially in heavy traffic, so you have room to continue to move forward slowly as a light changes. From observation, many experienced riders of large bikes don’t need to put their feet down if they leave enough space to continue to move forward with a small amount of momentum as a traffic light changes.
- Find a large empty parking lot to practice turns and braking on weekends.
- Get/watch some of the instructional videos to improve your techniques. I have been watching “Ride Like a Pro” which has a lot of good content.
