New Member from Ohio taking the MSF tomorrow
Hello,
Been lurking on here and occasionally posting but havn't added an intro yet.
I don't have a bike yet but tomorrow and Sunday I am taking the Ohio Basic Rider Course which is an MSF course.
I am excited despite the predicted 50 degree temps with rain.
I have never ridden a motorcycle before so hopefully I don't embarrass myself too much.
I have been pouring over reviews of bikes and scanning Craigslist for adds for a while now. I'm leaning toward a dual-sport bike, however the practical side of me notes that ninja 250s and rebels are much more common and cheaper. But the wr250x/s just looks and feels really nice. :)
Anyways wish me luck tomorrow.
Craig
Best of luck to you.
Best of luck to you CB. You're lucky to get in the class before the end of this season. I also went through the Ohio Basic Rider Course last summer. I signed up for it in March or April and didn't get to take it until August.
Hopefully the weather will cooperate for you. If you are near central Ohio, we were expecting rain and clouds today, and we've had a great sunny, warm day all day. It also may depend if your class is in the morning or afternoon. Also, you won't have to worry about too much wind chill because you don't get over 30 mph (give or take) through out the weekend.
I didn't know what I was getting into when I went, and I ended up doing fine. I even passed. Everyone in our class passed, so your chances are good.
We'll be excited to hear how it goes when you're finished.
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2004 Suzuki GS500F
I'd have killed for that weather when I did my class
Even with a chance of rain.
When I took my BRC, it was July and 95 degrees with near 100% humidity (typical mid-atlantic area summer). Standing outside in a parking lot all day or sitting on an engine, I felt like I was going to collapse at times...it was soo oppressive.
Funny thing was after the test on the final day (since the stress is over, everyone's a lot more talkative at that point), when the topic of the weather came up, EVERYONE - including a couple of rough-looking cruiser guys who had been riding for years w/o licenses - couldn't stop talking about how they thought they were the only ones feeling terrible out there.
Anyway, best of luck! I was in the same spot as you when I took the BRC, and I did fine (except for the box, but I eventually, in the ERC, got that down cold). Great thing about having no prior experience is it's much easier to absorb what the rider coaches are telling you...you haven't picked up any bad habits yet to straighten out.
They passed me!! I just need
They passed me!! I just need to go back to the BMV to get my license updated.
Here's the bike I was riding the last couple days.
From ADV
And no I was not responsible for any of the damage. :)
Craig
Congratulations!
Congratulations on passing the Beginner Riders Course! Let the bike shopping begin. (As if it hadn't already started.) I remember checking craigslist (it was made for you) and cycletrader almost every day for several months, even though I knew I couldn't afford to buy anything yet. Finally the time came about 10 months later, and the right bike came along, finances were there, and the planets all were perfectly in line, and I jumped into a purchase. I've been lovin' it ever since. Again, congratulations!
btw... that black Nighthawk in the background could be the very one I rode when I took the class.
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2004 Suzuki GS500F
Right now I'm checking
Right now I'm checking craigslist and several rider forums several times a day, and I haven't even gotten the OK from my better half yet. Seems to be plenty of ninja 250s on the market and quite a few rebels and SV650 s. However I was interested in dual-sports, which seem to be pretty rare. Still I'm unlikely to get much riding in before spring so I have plenty of time to hunt.
There were only 7 people in the class. 2 TW200s, a rebel, a gz250 and 3 nighthawks. Among the 7 bikes I think we could have found 1 working turn signal for each bike and a mirror for every other one. They all did seem to start and run without a problem.
Craig
Grats.... and yea.....
Grats.... and yea..... mirrors and turn signals are unnecessary in a parking lot/ practice range. It's the motion that's needed.
****Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but, rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy Shit....What a ride!!!"****
Ah, the venerable Yamaha
Ah, the venerable Yamaha TW200. That thing was good to me when I took the MSF course and I can guarantee you I was having more fun out there than all the other people on rebels, eliminator 125s, and GZ250s. It was the bug that bit me and made me want a supermotard bike. Unfortunately, the only ones on the market that wouldn't feel like a downgrade power-wise for me cost nearly as much as a full supersport.
I have been lusting after the
I have been lusting after the supermotos also. And they are fairly expensive. The Japanese supermotos are $5000-$6000+ and the Euros are even more expensive. In addition its a fairly new style for road factory built machines so very few used bikes.
After perusing CL and reading reviews a DR650 looks like it might be a good option. Fairly common for a dual-sport, inexpensive, enough power for the road and comfortable for my long legs. I really like the WR250 but it is much more expensive and limited availability used. Nice thing about dual-sports is that even the DR650 is lighter than a ninja 250r.
Craig
Best of luck to you. Recently
Best of luck to you. Recently I learn how to ride a motorcycle. I'm also so excited as I love to ride. I planned to buy a bicycle for me in the next month.
Liam Planket
Got my first motorcycle today
Bought a nearly new Ninja 250 at a great price.
Here is the picture from the add. I'll try to get some pictures riding it tomorrow. I can't go far because I don't have tags for it yet.
Craig
Great lookin' bike!
Hey, that's a great lookin' bike! I think you will really enjoy it. If only we could squeeze out a few more sunny weekends here in Ohio, but we've been pretty lucky to have them last this long. Now is the time to be picking up some great deals, apparently, with the season being pretty much over. I'm glad you were able to snatch one up.
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2004 Suzuki GS500F
Congratulations. Here's
Congratulations. Here's hoping you get to enjoy it before winter sets in where you are.
Thanks for the comments. I'm
Thanks for the comments.
I'm in Cleveland, which means nice weather for riding wil be in short supply until spring. I still hope to get a few chances to practice this winter so I can start "riding" once the weather improves. Today looks nice so I'm going to ride around a parking lot for a while. Unfortunately I don't have plates for the bike yet so I can't take it on any roads.
Craig