[eon]

Hah…I thought you would bite at that one
For us normal mortals I think 12 ~ 15mph is the average on a flat road over any type of distance. And I have to say a lot bicyclists do not do themselves any favors with the way they ride, and I am come from a family of bicyclists so if they annoy me then god only knows how much they annoy others. But this is getting way off topic here

[eon]

I was reading in the paper today how the 12,000 tons of sand the city of Seattle had used on the snow was causing havoc for bicyclists! Some poor guy took a spill and broke his pelvis, wrist and elbow. Ouch…but I gotta wonder what he was doing. When you are doing 12mph you have a bit more time to see and react to road hazards like that. The good city has cleaned up 6,000 tons of the stuff which means there are still 6,000 tons out there. It is so bad that it even jammed one of the movable bridges twice in one day last week.

Glad you survived without much damage.

[eon]

The same thing happened here in WA back in the summer and some of the motorists caught it on video cameras. There was a huge public outcry and the police started cracking down on bikers after it. Lot’s of innocent folk getting harassed and getting tickets for anything and everything. One dude got pulled over after standing on his pegs to stretch his legs. Some motorist freaked out and called 911 on him and reported he was doing wheelies. Now that I think about it, I think he was charged on suspicion of dangerous driving. I think if someone calls 911 and makes a complaint against you the police can arrest you on suspicion of that charge. The officer did not see you commit the offense but have someone willing to testify against you.

If this is happening in your area, make sure you are 100% legal or expect to get a ticket.

[eon]

There was a significant spike in demand this summer due to the high gas prices. Do you want to predict where gas prices will be this summer and base your factory production run around it? Or how many bikes to order for your dealership? It’s a tough call and I have a feeling we are in the minority here (in this forum). I suspect most potential buyers are looking at the larger bikes without any prodding from the dealer.

[eon]

Hmmm….I’m not sure I agree that feeling fear when you get on a bike is a good thing. I have a healthy respect for the dangers involved but I do not feel fear. Fear can lead to mistakes, like falling off the beam at 300ft or braking in mid corner when there is no need. The OP mentioned fear when he was suiting up. That to me is not good and is something he needs to work on removing. Not saying he should become fearless and start wheelie’ing down the interstate but he should not be afraid to get on the bike.

[eon]

The points system sounds like a slight variation on a post count and BBM has always been slightly unique as the only site I know without one. I’ve always kind’a liked that.

I agree with Elwood that knowing the experience of someone would help me decide how much importance to place on their advice. Maybe a simple “Riding Since” date would be helpful? Knowing the miles they have ridden would also be nice but that would require someone constantly updating their profile. If it was broken into a few broad ranges it might work. Say <1k, 5k, 10k, 20k, 30k and > 50k.

My $0.02

[eon]

I was out on a day long group ride today and the weather was just freaking weird. Started off at 30′ with icy patches on the ground. Then we hit freezing fog which lasted for about an hour. Just when I thought my fingers were about to break off we turn a corner and get hit with WARM 40mph winds. I’m getting frostbite on my fingers and I feel hot air blowing up my helmet. The temp gauge on my bike went from 35′ to 60′ in the space of a few minutes. Then later on the winds died down and the temp dropped to a manageable 40′.A good day’s riding.

It was the first time I’ve been riding with you cruiser types. I can start to see the appeal of loud pipes. Definitely gives you a feeling of raw power but I’m not sure I could live with it every time I went out. Was only my second time out on a group ride and I’m not sure if I really like it. This group was a bit too bunched up for my liking, almost parade formation at times. I tried to hang off the back but didn’t manage always manage it. Nice to meet other riders though.

[eon]

Renton Motorcycles is down by Ikea. You can also take the Evergreen MSF class there if that area is convenient for you. I hadn’t heard about University Honda closing shop. That’s too bad as they have been around in one form or another for 50 years or so (various owners) and they had a good reputation. I got good advice from them when buying a helmet and had no pressure to buy a bigger bike when they had no 250’s in stock.

I also agree that experience with a manual car will stand you in good stead. It’s not really needed for the class though as it is mainly slow speed maneuvers you will be doing. Yeah, trying to coordinate all four limbs at once is a bit tricky at first but you soon pick it up. Definitely take the class on a bike and then you can take stock and evaluate where you want to go from there.

I have no personal experience on switching from bike to scooter but have read others saying it is no big deal. The two ride so differently that the brain has no problem knowing which one it is on, in other words you still operate the correct controls instinctively. But yes, I think you would be smart to stick to one or the other for a while till you master everything else.

[eon]

What else do you need to learn? Just that it is addictive and will soon become an obsession. While waiting to take the MSF class you could start reading Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. That’s kind of the safety bible for 2 wheels and will start you out on the right path.

[eon]

I think you are worrying too much about the controls. I am another person who had never ridden before the class and had no problems (to be honest, I never got enough speed up to get past 2nd gear). From reading internet forums like this for the past 6 months it seems only a very few people struggle so just relax and go there to learn and you will be fine. The test will take care of itself.

From what you have said it sounds like you are only considering a scooter because of the worries over the clutch. If it is more than that then the bigger scooters could work for you. I ended up with a maxi-scoot and have no regrets. For in town riding it is perfect and can reach 95mph so it is plenty fast enough. They do tend to be heavier, slower and more expensive than motorcycles so there is a steep price to pay for the ‘twist and go’ and storage. If you haven’t been to Renton Motorcycles yet that would be worth your while. They have Honda, Yamaha’s and Kawasaki’s in there, both bikes and scooters. A good place to window shop. Also University Honda has a good reputation (but not quite the same quantity of stock on display)

I also took the course with Puget Sound Safety (but in North Seattle) and I thought they were good. Have no experience with Evergreen yet but will probably take the ERC with them next month. And I would wait to take the course before buying anything. There is a person on another forum who bought a scooter like mine AND a cruiser but has been kicked off the BRC twice now. Now she is selling the bike (and hopefully the scooter). Expensive mistake to make.

Good luck with whatever you choose and keep us informed. There are starting to be enough of us in this area that one day we might be able to organize a BBM WA group ride!

[eon]

You looking to buy new or used?
If used you may be able to get the previous owner to drop it off at your place if you give him a ride back. If new you may be able to negotiate getting it delivered to your home as part of the deal. Whatever you do I would try and hold out to get the bike you want. This is not the best time of year to be riding so if you can be patient it may be worth your while.

[eon]

Glad there was no damage, I was fearing the worst when I saw the title of this thread.

Just wait till you try going through a tunnel with sunglasses on. The first time I went through I-90 Mercer Island tunnel (which is pretty long and has curves in it) I panicked a bit as I belatedly realized it’s not so easy to lift your sunglasses up when you are wearing a helmet. Going from bright sunshine to a dimly lit tunnel leaves you blind for a little bit and that’s not a nice feeling. Since then I have ditched the sunglasses and got a little sun visor thingy for my visor. Will see if that suffices when it actually gets sunny again.

[eon]

Not sure I can help you much as I have not had to go through this myself, but I think you have taken the first important step in analyzing why you crashed. Once you understand that you can take steps to make sure you don’t do it again. Also, I would think going back to the basics such as parking lot practice might help. Regain your confidence in your ability to control the bike etc.

I would only go on solo rides. That way you can ride within your comfort level and even call it a day if it is just not happening for you (I’ve done that myself). Maybe even take the BRC again, or sign up for extra riding instruction. The way I look at it is this is a skill that is going to take years to master, so I am in no hurry to force it along. I ride within my comfort zone but that zone gets bigger as the months go by.

As to your question as to how many other have incidents to learn from, I think we all do, all the time. You don’t have to fall off to learn valuable lessons. Early on I was nearly hit by a car and it shook my confidence. By posting about it on another forum it forced me to think about ALL the reasons it happened and I realized it was a chain of events (just like they teach in MSF) that started long before the near miss. By understanding this I was able to change my riding habits and regain my confidence.

If the fear does not go away then it might be that bikes are not for you, and there is no shame in that.

[eon]

As you can see from my avatar I have a slightly unusual ride, a 3 wheeled maxi-scoot. Having 3 wheels certainly helps stability in the wet and I have not had any scary moments despite having to ride across steel grated bridges in the rain. I do not have to commute so for the most part I chose when and where I ride. If I was commuting on the bike then I would think twice about having a car for the winter months. Having said that I would still ride in the rain on 2 wheels but it would probably have taken longer to get to the comfort level I am at now. But, I will admit riding in the rain just sucks. It’s the reduced visibility that gets me.

I did not buy any special rain gear but I did make sure my jacket would be up to the task. A textile jacket works well in these conditions. My Teknic Freestyle jacket is pretty good in the wet.

[eon]

I would call you a complete loser but your tweeter profile makes you look like a psycho killer, so I won’t!! Yet in your picture here you look so innocent?

This just makes me feel old. Never really understood the point of MySpace or Facebook. Twitter looks even more banal. But then I am old enough to have worked with COBOL and Fortran so I will just retreat back into my cave and fight off the longings to buy a Harley

[Author]

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