[Clay Dowling]

Some pants, like Alter Ego, are vented rather than full mesh. So I still get abrasion protection, but I also have good air flow.

[Clay Dowling]

You might want to keep it in first when waiting at a light. You may have need of a quick getaway if the person behind you isn’t stopping. Step-son had a friend killed in a cage that way, so I keep the same paranoid eye out when I’m in the car now too.

As for the guys who don’t think non-HD bikes are real bikes, I usually ignore them as they get smaller in my rear-view.

[Clay Dowling]

She kept mentioning how I’d look good on a bike. A friend bought a new Honda VTX1300, a beautiful machine, and then she really ramped it up.

I had another friend show me the basics on a beat up old Yamaha XS400, in his office parking lot. That hooked me, because it was an absolute blast.

A co-worker encouraged me to take the MSF class. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to take the class as a birthday present to myself. When I went out at lunch and bought a helmet, folks realized I was serious. When I bought a used bike, it finally dawned on my wife that I’d been paying attention when she said I’d look good on a bike (she claimed it was idle speculation on her part).

When I went to buy the bike I was too nervous to take it on a test ride. I couldn’t get the thing under motion. The seller threw me on the back and took off down the road, intent on demonstrating what a Honda Magna is capable of. It scared the bejesus out of me–this is a damned fast bike. I had to get the friend who owns the VTX to ride it home for me.

I took the bike out every day after work to a parking lot at the end of my street, working on basic throttle control. I had to knock that off pretty quickly though, because to buy gas I would need to go into town, and there was no way I was ready for in-town traffic. Fortunately, it was only two weeks from purchase of the bike to MSF class.

Class was stressful because I was learning a lot of new skills. It was also fun, because I got to apply those skills, and had fun with the other folks in the class, who were largely in the same boat. Testing was nervous making because of the u-turn box, which I just barely passed (it’s easier on my larger bike, even in the same box).

After I got my endorsement, I kept it to local roads for a couple of weeks, mostly training runs in the evening and on weekends to expand my skills. I finally took it out on the highway so I could go and show the bike to my parents.

Riding on the highway showed me that I needed to change some of the setup on the bike. The cruiser windshield was okay for riding on surface streets, but at highway speeds it made too much turbulence, so I took it off. The ride got smoother, but it took a lot more strength to hold on, and I got kind of tired after an hour or so. A flyscreen solved the problem, on a friend’s recommendation. A lot less air resistance and no turbulence.

Now I’m eager for the weather here in Michigan to get decent so that I can start riding to work again. We’ve been having freezing mornings with warm afternoons. So when I’m driving home in the cage, I can watch all the guys riding around, which is annoying. I’m compensating by doing motorcycle maintenance. Zenlike it isn’t, but it keeps me from going mad.

[Clay Dowling]

Me, I’d buy a BMW z3 or z4 long before I bought that. But yes, it should be a lot of fun to play with.

[Clay Dowling]

Our high school parking lot is set up very nicely for driver’s training, with somewhat narrow lanes marked out, a variety of parking scenarios, and a pair of figure 8 tracks that are tight for a car but fun at higher speed on a motorcycle.

You might find something similar at your local school.

I use the marked intersections for practicing swerves and sudden stops, and the figure eights to see if I can make my foot pegs shorter.

Your concerns over leaning are the easiest to address. Go pull figure eights in a parking lot, increasing speed until you can hear the foot pegs scrape. Just keep your feet tight against the bike and your knees against the tank. Wear full gear, including pants and heavy boots, so that if you misjudge things you won’t get any injury other than a bruised ego.

[Clay Dowling]

They’re definitely very pretty bikes. Saw them at the dealership and thought they were very nice looking at. If you’re touring on your bikes though, have you considered some of the touring/sport touring models? Honda and BMW are both definitely well known in that category, and HD is known to have a good touring cruisers. None of those options are cheap though.

[Clay Dowling]

I don’t have any moral opposition to leather (or eating animals), but my gear is pretty much all non-leather. The only exceptions:

Boots: I had these boots already, so I’m keeping them. And non-leather boots might be a challenge to find.

Gloves: my summer gloves are currently a pair of heavy leather work gloves, although I intend to replace them with something better by summer.

There isn’t any leather on my helmet. The chin strap on an HJC helmet is vinyl or some other synthetic material.

My pants and jacket are likewise textile. I’m wearing Joe Rocket’s Alter Ego, but I think most of Joe Rocket’s textile gear is sans-leather.

If you want to go completely over the top, Aerostich gear is rated very well, and comes in a variety of high-visibility colors. If I get to the point where I can afford to tour, I’ll be getting one of these. They aren’t as crash-resistant as leather, but according to the manufacturer they’re equivalent protection at normal speeds: http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Roadcrafter-Darien-FAQs-sp-18.html#crash

[Clay Dowling]

Than just the one finger next time

[Clay Dowling]

Is what you’re thinking about. The cycle shop nearest to me has three of them sitting in their showroom. Don’t know if they’ll move or not. For that kind of money, I could have a really awesome motorcycle, and I think I’ll have more fun on two wheels anyway.

[Clay Dowling]

is pretty rare. In my class one lady got the boot because she couldn’t control the bike. That was really it. A couple people left because they weren’t comfortable with their ability, especially the guy who couldn’t quite get the gear shifting thing down.

I suspect that your friend who was asked to leave may have had more serious issues than they were letting on. MSF instructors don’t seem like the sort to bounce somebody because they’re slower than the pack.

[Clay Dowling]

I bought Tour Master Polar-Tex gloves over the winter, and they’ve definitely been worth the money so far. They keep the wind out wonderfully, which is important in Michigan in the spring, where the weather alternates between Windy and Tornado.

[Clay Dowling]

at the dealership. The bike looks small, but seating position is the same as my Magna. No more or less cramped. So in spite of the small look to the bike, it wouldn’t be any worse to ride around than the bike I’m riding now, and I really like my bike. Of course, when I set out to buy a bike my first choice was the Rebel because I like the look. But the Magna was prettier and the price was better than what you could buy a used Rebel for last year. There are some advantages to a down economy, and the advantage for me was a guy needing cash quick at exactly the same time I wanted a bike.

[Clay Dowling]

That’s a beautiful bike, but you really should look like you know what you’re doing. Presenting yourself as Squidly McSquid doesn’t inspire confidence that you’re the guy for the job. I certainly wouldn’t send my wife or daughter to learn from somebody who is riding a high performance bike in shorts and a tshirt.

If you want some help getting that website and the image you’re presenting whipped into shape, contact me privately via my contact form (click my name, choose the Send User a Message link at the bottom). I’m not any kind of web designer, but I do help small companies get their web presence in order.

[Clay Dowling]

Scottrngr is clearly a mortician trying to drive up business. A 600cc inline 4 sport bike is definitely not for the new rider.

[Clay Dowling]

See, you and your girlfriend should both buy bikes. Way cooler than having her ride pillion. Way more expensive too, but it would be cool. Right now we’re still paying for my bike, but as soon as it is paid, I want her to take the BRC and get a bike, even if it’s just a little 250 for local commuting.

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