Newbie's first post \ question
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Well Texun, tomorrow's the BIG day for you! I'm excited for you.
I remember well how I felt when I could hardly wait for the moving van to deliver my bike a couple of months ago. Seemed like it took them fffoooorrreeeevvvvveeeeeerrrrrrrrr!
I'll be eager to hear how the two of you get along.
I remember well how I felt when I could hardly wait for the moving van to deliver my bike a couple of months ago. Seemed like it took them fffoooorrreeeevvvvveeeeeerrrrrrrrr!
I'll be eager to hear how the two of you get along.
To All: Thanks! 
I got it tonight and it's awesome!!!!!!! I've got a lot of reading to do in the owners manual and I also got the study booklet from the DMV so I can take the test. Next step will be to schedule the MSF class. One thing the DMV booklet does is tell the cold hard truth about accident rates, but I'm not going to let that keep me from riding. I have no illusions about safety and the need to watch out for everything and everyone, including me! My plan for this weekend is to stay off the busy streets, take it easy and get back to the basics of handling the bike. It's been twenty-plus years, but after 5 minutes a lot of it was coming back to me.
Thanks again for the advice and encouragement! :wink:
I got it tonight and it's awesome!!!!!!! I've got a lot of reading to do in the owners manual and I also got the study booklet from the DMV so I can take the test. Next step will be to schedule the MSF class. One thing the DMV booklet does is tell the cold hard truth about accident rates, but I'm not going to let that keep me from riding. I have no illusions about safety and the need to watch out for everything and everyone, including me! My plan for this weekend is to stay off the busy streets, take it easy and get back to the basics of handling the bike. It's been twenty-plus years, but after 5 minutes a lot of it was coming back to me.
Thanks again for the advice and encouragement! :wink:
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4,353 Posts
re
congrats on the scoot :wink: your gonna have some fun now!!
forget the accident stats-they can be very misleading
pay attention to your riding,not the mistakes of others :wink:
good luck and keep us posted!
ride smart
ride safe
congrats on the scoot :wink: your gonna have some fun now!!
forget the accident stats-they can be very misleading
pay attention to your riding,not the mistakes of others :wink:
good luck and keep us posted!
ride smart
ride safe
Accident stats are simple to understand.
Get training, ride within your limits and at speeds appropriate for the road you're on and don't drink and ride. These tips will eliminate 99% of the fatality statistics.
Ride within your abilities and just watch out for the infamous left hand turning cage and you'll be fine.
Get training, ride within your limits and at speeds appropriate for the road you're on and don't drink and ride. These tips will eliminate 99% of the fatality statistics.
Ride within your abilities and just watch out for the infamous left hand turning cage and you'll be fine.
Joined
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4,353 Posts
re
i'll give you an example of misleading stats, there is a big issue here in fla. right now
about the increase of bike accidents since the repeal of the helmet law
fla showed something like a 42% increase in fatalities in the 18 months since the repeal
and some are trying to attribute this increase to the no-helmet law.however not much mention is made
of the fact that almost 40 thousand more bikes have been registered in the last year.
more bikes = more wrecks but if you calculate the number of miles riden by these bikes then
fatalities are actually down over 5% per mile since the repeal. just shows that state figures
are biased and sometimes misinform folks.and no stats are available to show how many
riders were not wearing helmets,so i take stats with a grain of salt :wink: the dot stats prolly come closest to being true,the lastest one i saw said 70% of cage vs bike accidents
were caused by the cage!! so its the cars not the riders that are the problem,drivers just have not been educated to look out for us that's where we have to step up and make drivers aware we are out there,that's were ABATE comes in,if your not a member,you should be(american bikers aimed towards education) join up and help save lives!!
i'll give you an example of misleading stats, there is a big issue here in fla. right now
about the increase of bike accidents since the repeal of the helmet law
fla showed something like a 42% increase in fatalities in the 18 months since the repeal
and some are trying to attribute this increase to the no-helmet law.however not much mention is made
of the fact that almost 40 thousand more bikes have been registered in the last year.
more bikes = more wrecks but if you calculate the number of miles riden by these bikes then
fatalities are actually down over 5% per mile since the repeal. just shows that state figures
are biased and sometimes misinform folks.and no stats are available to show how many
riders were not wearing helmets,so i take stats with a grain of salt :wink: the dot stats prolly come closest to being true,the lastest one i saw said 70% of cage vs bike accidents
were caused by the cage!! so its the cars not the riders that are the problem,drivers just have not been educated to look out for us
that's where we have to step up and make drivers aware we are out there,that's were ABATE comes in,if your not a member,you should be(american bikers aimed towards education) join up and help save lives!!
Joined
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487 Posts
I believe we should have stricter punishment for accidents. I think if I hear I didn't see the motorcycle one more time I'll explode. If they can't see a 600 pound motorcycle with a human riding on it then they need to grab an ear and pull their head out. :x
Joined
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487 Posts
I also agree with Bob, we need the proper training and practice so we can avoid what the other idiots are doing.
As a noob returning after so many years I made what I believed to be an important re-discovery, at least to me. Then I come in and check the board to read that my hunches are right!
As I went for my first solo ride this afternoon (logged a whopping 15 miles) I started out practicing slow turns, left, right, large circles, etc. Once I began to get a feel for the bike and how it responded, especially with 5MPH turns, I realized that in order to ride safe it would be up to me to know my own limits and not do anything goofy. This is simple logic that anyone could agree with, but it feels much different once it has been internalized, experienced by one’s self so to speak.
A person with little to no experience at all can read reviews and stories for months as I did and probably never fully appreciate that little tidbit of information for its full value until they get up and get out. What I got out of my first 15 miles is nothing compared to what I have left to learn, but it is miles beyond where I was 24 hours ago and I still have a lot of work ahead of me; remembering where I am in traffic, speed, road conditions, other traffic, don’t panic or react hastily, etc. but I feel better about it now and the buyer's remorse is starting to fade. WOW! What a bike!
I am also internalizing the importance of looking for idiots. Learning how to turn and do figure eights is only part of the ride. Idiots are everywhere. I wasn’t on the street more than five minutes when a guy in a pickup truck pulls up behind me and started tailgating. It made me mad! I never would have noticed that if I were in my own truck. I know now that I have to add him to my list of things to look out for.
This may be "See Spot Run" stuff for experienced riders, but for someone like me who is learning this all over again it is an interesting discovery that I hope will help me build on the basics. I know on thing... I entered my driveway a lot better than I did when I pulled out. Now I wonder what tomorrow is going to bring????
And I agree with Bikeaholic and the manipulation of statistics. In my opinion there is too much political involvement in the numbers. With enough numbers, anyone can make them do or imply the any message they desire. The key is to see beyond the text and question the message. This is something else that I was caught up in a couple of days ago.
One more thing that must be mentioned: There is almost no chance that I would have done this if not for the people in forums like this one. I’ve read through several, and every single one of them has had nothing but the nicest people who are willing to help others with tips and encouragement. Thanks to all!
As I went for my first solo ride this afternoon (logged a whopping 15 miles) I started out practicing slow turns, left, right, large circles, etc. Once I began to get a feel for the bike and how it responded, especially with 5MPH turns, I realized that in order to ride safe it would be up to me to know my own limits and not do anything goofy. This is simple logic that anyone could agree with, but it feels much different once it has been internalized, experienced by one’s self so to speak.
A person with little to no experience at all can read reviews and stories for months as I did and probably never fully appreciate that little tidbit of information for its full value until they get up and get out. What I got out of my first 15 miles is nothing compared to what I have left to learn, but it is miles beyond where I was 24 hours ago and I still have a lot of work ahead of me; remembering where I am in traffic, speed, road conditions, other traffic, don’t panic or react hastily, etc. but I feel better about it now and the buyer's remorse is starting to fade. WOW! What a bike!
I am also internalizing the importance of looking for idiots. Learning how to turn and do figure eights is only part of the ride. Idiots are everywhere. I wasn’t on the street more than five minutes when a guy in a pickup truck pulls up behind me and started tailgating. It made me mad! I never would have noticed that if I were in my own truck. I know now that I have to add him to my list of things to look out for.
This may be "See Spot Run" stuff for experienced riders, but for someone like me who is learning this all over again it is an interesting discovery that I hope will help me build on the basics. I know on thing... I entered my driveway a lot better than I did when I pulled out. Now I wonder what tomorrow is going to bring????
And I agree with Bikeaholic and the manipulation of statistics. In my opinion there is too much political involvement in the numbers. With enough numbers, anyone can make them do or imply the any message they desire. The key is to see beyond the text and question the message. This is something else that I was caught up in a couple of days ago.
One more thing that must be mentioned: There is almost no chance that I would have done this if not for the people in forums like this one. I’ve read through several, and every single one of them has had nothing but the nicest people who are willing to help others with tips and encouragement. Thanks to all!
Joined
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4,353 Posts
re
yea-your gettin the picture texun,as your seat time goes up you will
pick up the finer points like constantly checking the rear view mirror,
scanning the side streets for stop sign runners,and red light runners
looking far enough ahead for road debis and hazards,giving way to big trucks
all the little thing that separate the good riders from the careless ones.
sounds like your already having fun and it only gets better :lol:
ride safe :wink:
yea-your gettin the picture texun,as your seat time goes up you will
pick up the finer points like constantly checking the rear view mirror,
scanning the side streets for stop sign runners,and red light runners
looking far enough ahead for road debis and hazards,giving way to big trucks
all the little thing that separate the good riders from the careless ones.
sounds like your already having fun and it only gets better :lol:
ride safe :wink:
Joined
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487 Posts
it would be great if everyone had to ride a motorcycle,after training, for a day in traffic just to see what it is like to really pay attention to what you are doing out on the road instead of just aimlessly pointing your vehicle down the road and being rapped up in the notion that the road belongs only to me and nothing else matters. Besides look at the help it would be to the enviroment if your vehicle is getting 40mpg instead of 10mpg.
I'm not sure if I bought a bike or a tractor. That thing pulls like a train! Yea... still have the grin, a real big one!hawleysh said:
I posted a Q about a noise that I hear coming from the lower right side of the engine. It's a clacking sound that I can hear at idle after it's good and warm. Doesn't do it, or at least I can't hear it, once it's above idle speed.
The weather today was pretty poor so I let it stay in bed. I waxed it yesterday and changed the oil\filter. I don't dare take it out on rainy streets yet. I'm keeping it close to home and riding on the back streets until I get my endorsement this coming week. It must have been a mandatory overtime day for the cops yesterday. I saw about a dozen in my neighborhood Saturday afternoon. I really wanted to take it out on the highway, bad! I didn't buy it to ride around on city streets. I think a bike like this needs to breath.
Thanks for the check up!!!!!
Ride safe and well.
Another newbie question for the group... It's coming up on a week now since the bike was delivered and I am getting a pretty good feel for how it handles. My biggest problem is getting it in the driveway. I almost always have to go around the block at least once or maybe twice before I can get it parked. On a few occasions I even had to retrace part of my route before I could get it parked! Should this be considered normal?
It's still here and so is the grin. Last weekend I went for a ride in the country. It was sunny, about 70'ish and after a while I started to get a little dry. I stopped at this little "Fred and Ethel" looking Bait stand, BBQ, Beer joint and gas station where I stood in the sun and poured down bottle of water that had ice crystals in it. None of that 51 degree Circle K city crap. This was the country where you find clean air, cold drinks, friendly people and tall trees. That was when I realized why I bought the bike. 8)hawleysh said:
MSF class coming up in a few weeks. So far all is well.
Apologies in advance to those living in the north.
Thanks again everyone.
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