[dcJohn]

Two cars in the family: Honda CRV and Mazda 3. I’ve usually owned a sports car for autocross racing, but traded in a VW GTI V6 to get the CRV when we had kiddo a year ago, and the bike is now scratching that itch.

[dcJohn]

Hey now, don’t be too tough on Baltimore. I like the place, for all its struggles. (I live in the DC burbs, but work in Baltimore.)

While they’re cracking down on the dirtbikes, my experience has been that Baltimore cops are pretty laid back regarding bikes in general. For example, if I park my bike in a place that isn’t getting in anyone’s way, there’s not much anal-retentive enforcement of parking laws. (In other parts of Maryland, I’ve found that police won’t hesitate to write you up, despite having a perfectly fine spot that isn’t in anyone’s way and that keeps you from taking up a spot that could otherwise fit a whole car.)

Then again, I sure hope they don’t start confusing my Versys with a dirtbike. And, yes, there are some parts of Baltimore than are in depressingly bad shape. I lived in some tough parts of DC for over a decade and have done work overseas in warzones, so it takes a lot to keep me out of a place, but a few times I’ve had a conversation with my GPS while riding in Baltimore that went along the lines of “A left here? Seriously? Oh hell no. Are you trying to get us killed?”

[dcJohn]

As it happens, my wife is an attorney, and following her legal counsel I paid the ticket and washed the dishes.

[dcJohn]

As an amateur photographer, I also was struck by the composition. Great critique Orgre

[dcJohn]

The heated gear isn’t cheap, but I didn’t think it was too bad. I suppose everything is relative. Winters here in the DC area get cold, but often not too much snow, so it can make the difference between riding year round or having to store the bike away for several months. First Gear jacket liner $180, gloves $115, controller $70 (First Gear is actually just rebadged Warm and Safe heated gear.) Boy is it comfy and toasty .

The liner works great and really is the most important thing, since it keeps the core body temperature from dropping. But my favorite part is the heated gloves. The winter gloves I’d been using were bulky things that didn’t give me a lot of feel, but the heated gloves are much thinner and yet stay much warmer.

[dcJohn]

A little over 2 months riding and 2100 miles… smiling all the way.

I just got wired up with a heated jacket liner and gloves, so hoping to not slow down too much as it continues to get colder.

[dcJohn]

Here’s a good video of how to pickup a bike: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPjYweKeiLk&feature=related

[dcJohn]

I loved my Ninja 250, and it certainly could get up to 75-80 without much fuss and keep buzzing right along at that speed. However, having moved up to the 650 Versys, I have a new perspective on what it means to be comfortably going at that speed.

Yes, my Ninja could get to 75-80, but along my 40 minutes (80 round trip) commute up and down I95, 75mph is often the cruising speed of traffic. The 250 got to that speed just fine, but there wasn’t much umph left if I wanted to pull forward quickly out of a messy situation, and the light weight of the bike–which was great in all sorts of other scenarios–didn’t play well with big rigs flying by.

In contrast, when I first got on my Versys and drove home from the dealership, I got up to 75mph without even really noticing the speed. (On the Ninja, I certainly noticed if I was above 70mph). And while the long commute on the interstate was do-able on the Ninja, it’s a lot more comfortable with the Versys.

Now, if I wasn’t spending a significant amount of time using the bike to commute on the interstate, I’d have been happy as can be staying on the Ninja 250 for a long time. Moreover, I’m very glad I spent my first 1000 miles learning on the Ninja before moving up to the Versys, since the torquey power and height of the bike would have made the learning curve go a lot slower.

[dcJohn]

That’s a great looking bike. Congratulations!

[dcJohn]

Just to complicate things, there is also hard armor that flexes. My Spidi jacket has hard, CE-rated armor that has flex points at the elbows and shoulders to keep things more comfortable/ergonomic. The best of both worlds in some ways, but darn pricey.

[dcJohn]

Crosswinds were … exciting … on my Ninja 250, but I’m finding them a lot less of an issue now on my Versys. For me the biggest wind issue comes with gusty crosswinds. Leaning into the wind isn’t a problem, but when the wind suddenly stops and that lean snaps into turning (instead of just holding a straight line), things get interesting.

[dcJohn]

Beautiful new bike! Well, for a cruiser Don’t take the ribbing too seriously (and it looks like you’re not). I moved up from my Ninja 250 to a Versys after just a little over a month and 1,400 miles. The 250s are fantastic for learning on, but when you’re spending lots of time on an interstate, the extra power starts looking attractive quickly.

[dcJohn]

Have you looked at the Street Triple? You could get the guts of the Daytona with a less extreme/aggressive riding position.

[dcJohn]

The SV650 consistently gets good reviews for performance and for maintenance/reliability. As Blasphemy4kidz pointed out, you might also want to try the Ninja650R. The ’09 Ninja 650 has some nice new styling, an upgraded instrument cluster, and promises a smoother ride and the engine tuned for an increase in low-end torque (which is what many folks like about the SV650). If you like a more “naked” look of the Ninja 650, there’s the ER6-N (or, the Suzuki competitor, the new ’09 Gladius). Personally, I went from Ninja 250 to a Versys that, 700 miles into riding it, I’m loving. The Versys is also based on the Ninja 650 engine, but with upgraded sport touring suspension, increased low-end torque, and more standard ergonomics.

[dcJohn]

Mostly just what Megaspaz wrote. I went on my first group ride a few weeks ago, and here’s what I also thought was helpful:

1. Find out how the group will handle things if it gets separated/split at intersections.
2. Introduce yourself and don’t be bashful about letting an organizer know that it’s your first group ride.
3. Always ride at your own pace. If you start falling back, it’s a message to the folks ahead to slow the pace. If they ignore that, find another group to ride with.
4. Aim to be near the front of the group, not the end. Less chance of getting split from the group and a better chance that your pace (again, ride the pace you’re comfortable at) will be noticed and factored in by the group leader.
5. Bring a map that covers the general route area (just in case you get separated from the group or decide to part ways and would need to know how to navigate your way home).
6. Don’t weave around. You’ll likely follow a staggered formation, so you’ll want to generally stay in your third of the lane. (See the MSF info on group ride formation: http://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/Group_Ride.pdf )
7. Show up to the start early with an empty bladder and a full tank of gas.

I had a great experience on my first group ride. Hope you do too.

[Author]

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