Riding instructions & safety
tips (novice riders)
With the motorcycle set up correctly, your KUBERG Challenger is ready to ride! For novice
riders, please follow these tips and instructions. The riders will get the most enjoyment if
they feel safe and in control. Do not be tempted to start the rides too quickly. Make sure
the speed and power settings are set slow to begin with. For the first time riders, this
should be near the walking pace.
First ride (novice riders)
Stand astride the motorcycle and locate the controls while the motorcycle is switched OFF.
After you understand the controls and are comfortable with them, it’s time for the first ride.
For this, make sure you are dressed correctly in suitable safety gear. Boots, gloves, helmet
and eye protection are necessary. The area for riding must be flat, open and safe, with no
obstacles of any kind. The motorcycle must be set up correctly, with the speed and torque
tuned to a slow setting.
1
Ensure the power is turned OFF.
2
Stand astride the motorcycle, keep your feet on the ground and move the motorcycle
from side to side, forward and back, to get comfortable with the handlebar position
and weight distribution.
3
Switch the motorcycle ON by switching the power switch to the ON position (magnetic
kill switch).
4
Before twisting the throttle, you should have one foot on the ground and the other one
on the corresponding foot peg.
5
Twist the throttle smoothly and slowly and set off.
6
Once comfortable, lift both your feet onto the foot pegs as you ride.
7
Once stopped, set the power switch to the OFF position by unplugging the magnetic
kill switch.
Learning to stand up
Once the basics are mastered, the speed and torque settings can be switched to faster
and more powerful settings, step by step, to match the improving skills of the rider. Before
you get going too quickly, it’s a good idea to learn to ride the motorcycle ‘correctly’. This
means changing the riding position and in control. Learning to change the riding position
is difficult if a rider does not have good throttle control. While the speed setting is set to
low, the rider must learn to rotate his/her wrist ‘around’ the throttle so that when he/she
moves forward or backwards, the wrist is in the correct position. As the power and torque
settings get higher, the ‘dead-zone’ in the throttle diminishes, so it becomes easier to
stand up and work the throttle.
Correct riding technique
Learning the correct riding techniques will prepare the rider for all forms of riding that
come later. The rider needs to learn to control the motorcycle at slow speeds and use the
correct technique to execute tight turns. The natural approach of many riders is to turn the
handlebars but this is not a correct riding technique. The correct technique is to lean and
use so-called counter-steering.
Counter-steering is turning the handlebars in the opposite direction as the rear wheel
intends to travel outwards of the corner (over-steering). This will cause the motorcycle to
lean and turn in the desired direction. Counter-steering needs to be taught slowly and
smoothly, sudden movements of the handlebars may cause an accident. If tight turns are
mastered correctly, many other skills will follow naturally.
28
CHALLENGER - OWNER‘S MANUAL
29
