[r3neil]

Hey guys! I am new to riding and just pulled the trigger on a pretty much brand new 2019 R3 with 347 miles. I am located in NJ and just wanted to see if there was anyone else around here and where you all ride. I needed some advice on some mods and gear to get and if the stuff I bought was overkill. I have ridden other bigger displacement bikes before and felt an r3 was the best to start on. I don't intend on selling the r3 since it is my first bike and I am grateful to be in a position where I can keep it if I do decide to upgrade.

Bike already has a rear fender elim kit.

I have bought:
-Dianese leather jacket w/ level 2 pads and back plate $350 for jacket $70 for backplate
-Shoei helmet $420
-Sedici leather gloves $30

I want to buy:
-Toce full exhaust and tune $720
-Frame sliders from TST
-Integrated taillight
-flush side indicators from TST
-r6 throttle tube

Any advice on mods/gear I have gotten and if I should avoid/exchange something? Should I buy boots? Jeans? Gauntlet style gloves? Any and all advice is appreciated.

 

[airhead83]

Congrats on the new bike. Welcome to the Forum. I'll leave the opinions and advice to the others.

 

[Maxpressure520]

Congrats!

 

[r3neil]

Congrats on the new bike. Welcome to the Forum. I'll leave the opinions and advice to the others.

Congrats!

Thanks guys : )

 

[slowstang305]

Hey guys! I am new to riding and just pulled the trigger on a pretty much brand new 2019 R3 with 347 miles. I am located in NJ and just wanted to see if there was anyone else around here and where you all ride. I needed some advice on some mods and gear to get and if the stuff I bought was overkill. I have ridden other bigger displacement bikes before and felt an r3 was the best to start on. I don't intend on selling the r3 since it is my first bike and I am grateful to be in a position where I can keep it if I do decide to upgrade.

Bike already has a rear fender elim kit.

I have bought:
-Dianese leather jacket w/ level 2 pads and back plate $350 for jacket $70 for backplate
-Shoei helmet $420
-Sedici leather gloves $30

I want to buy:
-Toce full exhaust and tune $720
-Frame sliders from TST
-Integrated taillight
-flush side indicators from TST
-r6 throttle tube

Any advice on mods/gear I have gotten and if I should avoid/exchange something? Should I buy boots? Jeans? Gauntlet style gloves? Any and all advice is appreciated.

Congrats on the new toy and welcome!

Dianese leather jacket sounds great. I recommend looking for a second jacket for summer riding as it can get hot even up there I'm sure. When just cruising the streets I like to wear a jacket that has breathable qualities. I'm an alpinestar fan so most of my gear comes from there.

Helmet... this is a personal choice. All helmets are different and fit people with different head shapes. I have tried a bunch of different ones. HJC helmets are pretty budget minded but noisy. Speed and strength helmets are cheap, look great but also noisy. I have recently switched to Scorpion helmets and VERY pleased. It's hard to say which helmet is the best because the best helmet may not be the best for everyone. Whatever helmet fits, is full face, reasonably quiet works for me. I recommend ear plugs etc for highway rides.

Gloves... MOST important thing to wear on a bike second to the helmet. Most falls you end up on your palms somehow. Natural reaction. Good leather gloves are important. I used the alpinestars with carbon. I'm sure yours are great quality.

I have the TST turn signals, rear plate delete and integrated taillight. These were all very simple modifications and made the bike better looking. No comment on the exhaust etc as mine is still stock.

Congrats on the new ride once again!

 

[privilege15]

R6 throttle tube is a very good and cheap mod.

Just FYI with flush turn signal oncoming cars will not see your intention to turn. It's a bummer in the roundabout especially. So be careful if you install ones.

Have fun!

 

[physicsnerd_on_wheels]

Welcome!

Echoing some of the previous posts and adding some new advice:

1. Definitely start wearing earplugs to make it a habit. They aren't uncomfortable once you get used to them and they save your ears. Even the quietest helmets (such as the RF-SR which I'm guessing you got and the RF-1400) still generate wind noise that will cause ear damage.
2. Frame sliders are a must. Cheap and easy to install if you get the no-cut kits. They've saved my bike from a drop and a lowside at the track.
3. I'd personally recommend looking for gloves with TPU palm sliders. They're your best defense against a broken wrist.
4. If you intend to use the bike to commute, I highly recommend riding jeans and riding pants. I wear more intense riding pants and racing boots when I go for a long ride or hit the twisties, but when I go to work on my bike, it's huge having aramid reinforced jeans and motorcycle-specific riding shoes. TCX just came out with the new Street 3's and the entire line is fantastic. It's truly like wearing normal pants and normal shoes, but knowing they'll save your skin and your ankles if you crash.

Lastly, you're going to find yourself getting asked questions like "Is it powerful enough?" or receive comments implying the R3 is a weak bike. You'll also find yourself realizing you could ride something like an R6 after just a few months of riding the R3. Do your best to resist the pressure and temptation to get a bigger bike. Far too many riders ride entry level bikes, get just enough skill in a few months to be capable of riding a bigger bike, and upgrade without realizing that they lack the skills to be a truly competent rider on the larger displacements. Why go to an R6 if you haven't mastered trail braking yet? Do you need more power when you still lack proper body position in turns? What's the point of a faster bike if you're scared of making slow u-turns?

The R3 is a wonderful bike and presents new riders with the opportunity to become masters of riding before upgrading. Use this opportunity. Ignore those other riders. Become skilled enough that you can ride better, safer, and faster than them on your R3 and use that to shut them up.

Have fun and make lots of friends who can take you on great rides! I'd ride with you if you didn't live on the exact opposite side of the country. Best of luck!

 

[r3neil]

Thank you all! I definitely feel that the bike community is much more welcoming than some of the car forums. You all seem to genuinely care about the safety and learning attitude a new rider should have.

@slowstang305
The jacket I got has two layers, the inner being an almost thermo-ball jacket material that can be removed. I figured that in the summer I could ride without this inner portion and be alright. Any experience with this type of jacket? I was told that AlpineStars makes great jackets as well. A friend said I should stay away from synthetic materials for jackets since they will get eaten up and burn thru on a slide like the mesh ones? Is that true? I also ordered some ear plugs. The gloves I got do not have full leather on the palms, so I will be going to get them changed out today with some full leather. I will be purchasing everything from TST!

@privilege15 I am glad to hear that about the throttle tube. Does it take long to put on? And should I get some seat time before doing this or is this something that I can do as soon as I start riding?
And regarding the turn indicators, I appreciate the tip, I might hold off for some time then.

@physicsnerd_on_wheels
I have ordered some ear plugs! Thanks! The helmet I purchased was the RF-SR as you guessed. I will be getting the sliders asap from TST, just not sure to go with no cut or cut. I don't mind cutting, I just would like whichever offer the best protection and strongest. I will look for gloves with the TPU palm sliders as you suggest. On the pants and shoes, thankfully I don't need to commute for work at least not for a while because of covid but I will definitely look into those shoes and pants.

You hit the nail on the head with your last point. One thing I realized is that all the true experienced riders have been happy I made the choice of the r3 over a higher cc bike because it allows be to learn how to handle and learn how to squeeze everything without being scared or intimidated. I want to develop my own skill before getting on something faster. I really appreciate you saying all that, it reinforces to me the importance of getting skill up. I really dont intend on upgrading anytime soon, especially if I don't feel my skill has surpassed what the bike has to offer. My goal is, as you said, to be faster than them with my little r3! I hope maybe I can ride with you when I am out on the west coast! I visit often.

I also have been watching The Twist of The Wrist 2. It seems to have a wealth of knowledge and I will probably need to watch it 10 times to absorb the bulk of what Keith is trying to teach me haha.

Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate it!

 

[privilege15]

I'd say ride the bike with the stock throttle tube until you get used to the bike and as soon as you find your wrist twisting uncomfortablly too much while going full throttle or maintaining highway speed this will be the time to install R6 one. It will make your riding life much much easier and your wrist will say thank you.

PS I can't say the installation takes too long. Maybe 1 hour. But if you are doing it first time it will take slightly longer.

 

[Paulie.online]

I'd say ride the bike with the stock throttle tube until you get used to the bike

Totally agreed. As a new rider, you're just making things harder for yourself by doing a throttle tube before you've mastered basic throttle control.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[SlimJim]

I got a new R3 yesterday!
And I ordered R and G axle sliders front and rear from RevZilla.
Also tank grip.
And CRG clutch and brake levers.

And a battery tender is on the list as well.

 

[r3neil]

@privilege15 @Paulie.online sounds good, that's what I was thinking, wait until I master the wrist. I am pretty good at wrenching so an hour sounds easy.

@SlimJim congrats! How necessary are tank grips and the levers this early into riding? Battery tender I should get.

 

[SlimJim]

@privilege15 @Paulie.online sounds good, that's what I was thinking, wait until I master the wrist. I am pretty good at wrenching so an hour sounds easy.

@SlimJim congrats! How necessary are tank grips and the levers this early into riding? Battery tender I should get.

Tank grip is a must I thought.
I will find out as I will be riding tomorrow for the first time and the tank grip will arrive on Monday.

Adjustable levers could have waited but I could not wait! Lol

 

[SlimJim]

As far as frame sliders, I got the no drill T Rex ones

 

[2JZGE]

Make it a goal to plan out track time, you've got 2 great tracks within reach NJMP and NYST. I was a new rider back in 2007 on a '01 SV650, rode 3 years until I hung up the helmet (marriage, kids). In 2019 I made the deal with the wifey that I'd get a track only bike and picked up a 2015 R3. First time on the track, I realized how wrong I rode all those years ago and the lessons learned are immeasurable. Plus, it's hella fun rippin' the little R3 on the track, the 300cc class is so nimble and lightweight that I see our bikes passing 600s and 1000s on the corners all the time (I'm not there yet). We lose on the straights but it's fun seeing at the next turn the bigger bikes brake hard and early from 150mph (because that'd scare the sh*t out of mee, too) while our bikes (R3, Ninja 300/400) stay steady at 100 and late trail brake through.

 

[cornerslider]

R6 throttle tube is a very good and cheap mod.

Just FYI with flush turn signal oncoming cars will not see your intention to turn. It's a bummer in the roundabout especially. So be careful if you install ones.

Have fun!

I second this!!! Flush mounts look really nice, but really can't be seen by oncoming traffic. My wife's R3 came with them, and I pulled them off almost immediately. R&G makes some "short" LED's, that can be seen by oncoming traffic (even in direct sunlight)-

 

[Avexius]

Agreed on the throttle. I'm a beginner rider and I just got it installed on my R3 after almost a year of practicing on the roads and highway. It is definitely super useful for the highway, and I would highly suggest anyone to install it as soon as you're comfortable with the controls. After all, the R3 won't throw you back or wheelie with the throttle mod.