- This topic has 11 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 11 months ago by smadaakram.
A day in the RIDE of Ryan Can
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May 6, 2008 at 12:08 am #1336RydRyParticipant
hi all- so today was definitely an interesting ride day- I live in Stowe Vermont and work in Burlington- decided since it was going to be 60 and sunny Id do the 1.5 hour ride eaach way- I definitely learned a ton of lessons- its just amazing how little you can teach but must learn by doing- first I realized I needed to layer up more- and that mesh gloves are great in the summer- but this aint summer I had a turkey cross in front of me at 40- I got behind a truck and couldnt see the traffic lights up ahead- then I understood what a truck on a two lane road can prodcue as far as wind current- beware all its a gust that will take you for a ride if you dont anticipate- I had on jeans with another layer under them and I cuffed the jeans- so at a light the cuff got caught on the foot peg- another lesson! I also figured out that you cant always cover the brake and clutch with yuor fingers as you really NEED TO HANG ON at higher speeds
It was great to feel like I was learning so much- it definitely was a beautiful ride on the way home I watched the sunset over the mountains on some nice new fresh blacktop and even jumped on the highway for a spell but 70 isnt as fun for me as a nice 45 road
anyway thought Id share and hope you find these lessons helpful too
Ride on…RyMay 6, 2008 at 12:43 am #6029megaspazParticipant(-:
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If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…May 6, 2008 at 10:34 am #6044smadaakramParticipantgood stuff, and i totally agree with u on the 70 vs 45 roads
//@R!<
May 6, 2008 at 3:50 pm #6055MattParticipantLessons I’ve learned so far this spring (some the hard way, others less hard):
-Never ride covering your levers, you only need your grip on the bars once it is too late to get it back…
-Long underwear isn’t just for winter anymore
-If you think think you are looking far enough through your corners, turn your head 15 more degrees
-Focusing on the yellow line in a bend means you’re gonna cross it
-Check your tire pressure
-If you can hear the stereo in the car behind you, get out of his way-The best road in the world is the one you are on; especailly when you have no idea what its name is, where it is going, or how on earth you got there
May 6, 2008 at 10:15 pm #6062RydRyParticipantagree totally and the last one is Key!2 today I got lost in the mountains and along streams it was amazing! much more at ease and boy does that wind take you by surprise no covering unless in tight traffic or youll fly off Id say still trying to figure how much gas I have left- I guess Ill have to go down to the reserve and record the miles to get an idea as I thought I needed it today and only took 1.7 gallons on a 4.2 tank
May 7, 2008 at 12:34 pm #6081MattParticipantYou don’t need to go all the way down to reserve to know how far you can get before needing reserve.
Next time you fill up, reset your trip odometer (I do this everytime, my trip odo is my fuel gauge).
Go for a good long ride (or several rides) in typical conditions for you (if you’re normally heavy on the gas, stay heavy on the gas, if you normally visit route with lots of hills, go on a route with lots of hills).
Once you’ve got a good amount of miles on your odometere (you want to use in the realm of half your tank).Then, when you’ve fill up, check how many gallons it took. If it used 2 gallons for 100 miles, then A) you can brag about your 50mpg motorcycle and you know with a 4.2 gallon tank you can easily cruise for 150 miles before worrying about looking for a gas station (that leaves you roughly a 1/4 tank left).
Me, I find I’m getting about 60mpg on my 250. I usually fill up at 200km because it is convinent (I’m still at half a tank at that point).
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Awesome to hear about the mountain ride with the streams. I went for a ride in the local hills last evening. Bright sunny, long sweeping turns, and some specatcular views. Such a treat.
May 7, 2008 at 10:06 pm #6111RydRyParticipantmatt- thanks that will be helpful- of course today I learned that I am making 48- as I ran out (to the reserve tank that is- and I too have a 4.2 galloner so assuming 1 of those is still in there I calculated on 3.2 and got my 48, not bad since I do alot of start and stop stuff- thanks again- today I learned that the bike is accepted here a group of harley guys, real ones, with the look, gear bikes etc, gave me the thumbs up as they passed me that did feel good
May 9, 2008 at 2:18 am #6146megaspazParticipantAdd to the lessons, don’t let your mind wander when you’re riding… I just side swiped some bushes today taking a left turn into a very elevated driveway… Didn’t drop the bike but I got smacked by the bushes on the right and the bike got some light scratches on the wind screen as well as 2 places on the exhaust getting a red paint patch from the curb…
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If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…May 9, 2008 at 11:36 am #6157RydRyParticipantyeah- thats good advice- I am still working on remembering to be extra careful at low speeds too- hell thats when I mostly do things just like that!@ Ive taken to passing my driveway and turning around to enter form the other side cause the dip and angle are all wrong at 5mph!
and looking through my turns is always a challenge gotta remember thatMay 9, 2008 at 5:21 pm #6167RydRyParticipantSo had a great day of riding today in Vermont- gotta just remind all us new riders- CARS, Trucks WILL PULL OUT IN FRONT OF YOU! its not even a matter of doing anything, it will happen- in fact a truck did it today from less than 50 feet at my 40mph- and then a car in same speed wowsers- recall reading that YOU ARE INVISABLE and I just expect it now- so learn those braking and downshift, clutch work youll need it lots especially in towns, cities
RyMay 9, 2008 at 5:47 pm #6171ShannonGParticipantThis is all such good advice! From being a road cyclist I have learned to always ride in traffic as though no one sees you, because chances are they don’t . Covering my brakes coming into a situation has saved my bacon a couple of times.
May 12, 2008 at 12:17 pm #6227smadaakramParticipantfor all these reasons i have yet to ride alone, i ride in a group of at least 4 bikes and up to 8, it really seems to help keep cars from pulling out in front of u. a group of bikes makes for a larger visual image than 1 by itself causing ppl to take more notice. groupe riding is imposable sometimes though. once i gain some street riding experience ill ride alone as well.
//@R!<
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