Honda Knock-Off

I'll assume it is a dirt bike.

1. ignore the light and figure out how to find neutral, half up from 1st gear. A granny gear is super low and only needed for super slow riding in rough terrain.

2. Practice letting the clutch out slower and not giving it so much gas. Sit with both feet on the ground and let the clutch out far enough to make the bike move forward a little, then pull it back in. Use your feet to keep the bike from rolling forward. Do this rocking back and forth till you get the hang of it. If you kill it = not enough gas. Wheelie = to much gas. You want something just above killing it.

3. A safe bet is to change oil every other ride after the break-in. Read the break-in stuff in the owners manual. Basically, if it's dirty, change it. Oil it cheap, overhaul is not.

4. Because your wiring is messed up, probably deliberately from the factory by an unhappy worker. You can debug it your self. All the wires are colorcoded and should be plugged into the same color. Look in the headlight housing. The problem is probably there. Gotta manual? It should have a wiring schematic.

5. See #4 above.

You can have an awful lot of fun with your bike, if you learn how to go slow. I know it sounds boring but if you get all the basics in at a slow pace, then you will automatically do the right thing to save your butt at high speed. The only difference is how far you've twisted the grip. Oh, and practice by yourself. Get away from outside influences if you can. You can concentrate better and you won't have idiot friends asking if you can do a wheelie or jump a hundred feet. You know what I mean?
Try standing up and doing circles and figure 8's. You're doing really good when you can go forkstop to forkstop without touching your foot down. All of this develops body english and puts you in charge of the bike. It also lessens the odds of crashing and the resulting injury and pain.

Good luck

Davet

You're probably good to go on the oil. Change it now and every other ride. You can also look at the dip-stick. If it's amber, like honey, it's ok. If it's getting dark, change it. The darkness is usually caused by worn off metal particles.
Do your bike and yourself a favor and let the clutch out each time when you downshift. It lets the engine slow you down and keeps the revs in range. Also, it's best to keep the bike under power instead of freewheeling (better control). If you're moving at 60+ MPH and downshift to first gear where the engine is used to 5 MPH, do you see a problem? The rear tire probably locked up because the engine couldn't do 40 gazillion rpms! You're lucky it did skid. Engine replacement is expensive.
You'll do fine, let common sense prevail and read the manual. When I started riding, I got back issues of DirtBike and read all the how-to-ride articles I could. I also bought a copy of 'The Boonie Book' by Carl Shipman. It has all the basics of dirt riding, (not motocross). I still see copies out there, sometimes pretty expensive. Try ebay. I can't imagine all the grief I avoided because of it. Keep asking questions and you'll have tons of fun.

Happy :) riding!

Dave

I absolutely refuse to discuss my own errors, endo's and get offs. It sounds to me like your bike has some real issues. If it is under warantee, take it to the dealer and have them sort out the wiring and tranny weirdness. These are things you don't need to have your attention on when you have to make decisions like 1, 2, or 3 above. If the bike can't be fixed, I'd start looking for a used bike with a good reputation.

Everyone starts out as a noobie, doncha know?

Dave

Learning to do doughnuts, I highsided a couple of times and found out what a flyswatter feels like. Sure glad I was on sand. To bad it was wet sand, (thud).
My worst get off was going around a tree at 1 mph. Back tire slipped on the decomposed granite and I went into a ditch. My back hit the far edge and I fractured one of the spurs on a vertebrae. After that it was, move foot - see stars, turn head - see stars, shift gear - see stars, etc. I had to ride back to the truck where I had my emergency stash of Codiene. The 14 year old kid I went riding with got to drive home. I saw many more stars while he learned how to work the clutch of the truck.
My most fun get off was going too fast and finding myself in a turn covered with pineneedles. Slid about 30 feet like a pro. Just laid there laughing my head off. Felt like getting up and doing it again just for grins.
Something I keep in my gear is heavy duty pain killers just in case. I recommend it to all. You never know, I mean, 1 mph? Who'd a thunk it?
I think you meant berms, had me goin' for a second. I wish I was young again and could do the things you are. I'm 57 now and much more conservative in my riding style. By the way, what's your name?

Davet

dont pop the f***in clutch let it out slow

My Names Doug, 16, Well, I Keep My Tool kit filled with the essentals, such as warps, bandages, and ciggs XP

Well, Im ALOT better now, using my brakes at stops, not stalling, and down shifting, standing, and whilles and doughnuts (my bike is so heavy i gotta stand on the "bat wings" then pull up) I "walked" my bike down the main road and ppl were staring at me like I was a freak :P

Doug?
That's my dad's name, and a good one it is. It looks to me as if you have many wonderful years of riding ahead of you. Enjoy it much.

Good to hear you getting better at it. The time spent now, getting the basics in, will pay off big rewards down the road. Uh, what are "bat wings?' Buddy pegs? My old honda, '72 XL250 is heavy too. I made it lots easier to ride by getting rid of the gauges and headlight. I never ride at night anyway. I removed everything I could and it made a big difference. Any excess weight up high slows down the action of the bike. Try to locate stuff like your tool kit as low as possible and to the rear. The lighter the front end the quicker you can steer. You'll notice the difference when you stand up and move the bike side to side. Tie something heavy, ten pounds or so, to the handlebars and ride it for a bit. Then remove it and feel the diff.
Enjoy your riding and let me know how you do in the future. I want to know about your errors, endo's and get-offs to, you know.

Keep the rubber side down.

Your pal

Dave

Doug,

I said I wanted to know about your errors, etc, but I didn't think it would be this soon. Holy Crap - Road Rash! I've had my share. No more, thanks. That's the reason for the codeine in the glove box. What if you had a forty mile ride home after the crash. I'm not talking drug abuse here. Just being prepared.

Hurry and get well. Just think of the scars you can show off to the chicks. "Ooooh, Can I touch it?" or " Wow, Did it hurt much?" or the best, "If I kiss it, will it make it all better?" Could make you wish you'd injured some other part of your anatomy. You can even make up some story to go with it. You got the idea.

NOTE: Dirt tires have knobs to grab onto the dirt. They don't grab onto asphalt very well. I know, I know, you noticed.

Your pal,

Dave

ps: Did the rubber side stay down?