[gitchy42]

So far all I really am doing, or have planned are long day trips. Sometimes I ride with some guys from work, but as often I go out alone. Probably not the best thing, since I tend to do the ‘Where does this road go’ thing. I almost always end up somewhere interesting, though not always somewhere you want to be alone. So far I have had a bunch of 100+ mile days, a few 200+ mile and one 300 mile day. I think that I’m going to need to get some luggage if I plan on being out for more than a day, a big bulky backpack doesn’t quite cut it, lol.

Right now I’m working out a long day trip, only 260 miles, but it should take around 7 hours. I’m considering doing it tomorrow, but will probably wait to do it until I have someone to go with.

[gitchy42]

I’ve only really had experience on an older honda, and then newer ‘sport’ models, other than tooling around on a big polaris once. Other than the throttle, the go-and-stop controls are identical to a bike….anyways, I digress. I was just trying to give an alternative, really it is up to him to figure out what will work.

I will echo the dirt bike suggestion again….if you start on dirt, then go to the street on a dual sport then the only thing that changes it what your tires are on…..

[gitchy42]

I have to admit that I was a little concerned when I read your first post to the forums, your seemed really gung-ho and got your gear, or were at least planning on it before you knew if you would like riding or not.

I really congratulate you on being honest with yourself now. Riding is not easy. I assume that you can ride a bicycle fairly well, a motorcycle isn’t really anything more than a bicycle, with an engine attached. Well, at least that’s how they started.

There is a lot of good advice above, starting with dirt of a scooter would definitely get you used to being on two-wheels. Another suggestion is to find a friend with a 4-wheeler and see if they will let you play on it. Most of the controls are the same, and you don’t have to worry about falling over, unless you are going waaaay too fast. Possibly a combination of the above.

If you are good a ‘nerdy’ things, do the nerdy thing here. Sit back, take a look at where you are, and where you want to be then make a plan, and stick to it.

[gitchy42]

Looks like an awesome ride, some parts that would definitely make me nervous, lol. Thanks for sharing, I’m going to have to head up your way for some riding soon, my brother-in-law live in Lake Stevens and just got an ’05 Sportster 1200.

[gitchy42]

I would suggest that you go with either Overpants or riding jeans to start with. Preferably armored, but you can go a little cheaper on the pants and buy some field armor too.

Overpants are nice, in that they go OVER whatever you are wearing, meaning that for 30sec worth of hassle (not much), you have protection and you don’t have to change out of your gear when you get to work, just unzip and slide them off. An up side and a downside to them however is that they are usually waterproof/windproof, which means that they are quite warm on hot days, but if it is a little drizzly out you don’t have to worry about your clothes getting wet.

[gitchy42]

Hate to say it, but some of the best reviews, as far as protection goes is in crash reports/reviews from riders. These are people that have tested the crash-worthiness of the gear the hard way, and will show any weak-point in their gear.

When I was looking for a jacket, I found the FieldSheer Corsair on closeout at the local Cycle Gear, did a review search on it and found a guy that had a high-speed crash, slid a long way and the jacket barely had a scuff on it. Of course, this review didn’t help me figure out the ergos for it, but it made me a lot more comfortable with the purchase decision.

[gitchy42]

When you have the helmet on and the strap tight, reach back and push up on the back of the helmet, it should roll forward a little, but not enough to block your vision. Then push up on the chin, again it will roll a little, but not much. Next grip the helmet with a hand on each side, and try to twist the helmet right and left, without moving your head, preferably infront of a mirror. Again it will move, but it shouldn’t move much, and when it move your cheeks should get pulled along with it. If a helmet passes those tests, see if the store minds you wandering around the store with it on for about 15-mins, sometimes a helmet will feel right at first, but after a while you get a headache, which is bad when you are on two-wheels.

The instructor in my basic course suggested that if you are buying a ‘better’ brand helmet, they usually have removable/replaceable cheek-pads, so you should first try them on with the cheek pads out to pay more attention to the fit around the crown of your head, then when you have that fitted find the right cheek pads to go with it. Also the SHAPE of a helmet varies depending on manufacturer and style of the helmet, so depending on the shape of your head some helmets will fit better than others.

If you want something visual, there are some good videos on youtube, here are a couple that I have found.
Proper Fit by The Helmet Center
Helmet Fitting by JPCycles

If you look at The Helmect Center’s channel, they have reviews of different helmets too.

[gitchy42]

I took the Team Oregon training. Honestly, I’m starting to have trouble remembering what we did do now, but I know we did not do the box, or any variation. We did do a lot of turns, did swerves, sharp 90, weave and offset weave, braking in a turn, umm….and a few other exercises. I’m planning on going back for the IRT (the intermediate course) either this fall, or next spring.

[gitchy42]

lol…well, at least no permanent damage to you, eh? You going to show us the pretty sunset?

[gitchy42]

Hey Madjak,

Most (all?) new digital cameras use solid-state storage, buffers, etc. Although susceptible to electromagnetic fields, generally magnets found in every-day items don’t have a large enough field to have an affect on solid-state devices. We did have a magnet at work a few weeks ago that was strong enough to induce a magnetic field in aluminum (when moving), and magnetize a 3-foot crowbar. That one might be able to screw up a digital camera, but I wouldn’t worry about it in a magnetic tank bag.

I don’t know if you have a little point-and-shoot or a DSLR, but I carry my camera in the front breast pocket on my jacket….just another option, makes it easy to get to.

[gitchy42]

Try not to get stuck too much on the size of the engine, look at the performance numbers. Most standard/cruisers are under-powered for their displacement, when compared to sport bikes, an example is that the Scrambler that you are looking at produces 58 HP, where the Zuke GS500 (considered a great starter bike) produces about 50 HP, with 2/3rds the displacement. Another issue with the larger standard/cruiser bikes is that they can be fairly heavy, which makes them a little harder to handle and harder to right in the event of an unscheduled dismount. However this ends up making these larger bike more user friendly than a similar sized sport-bike.

As far as the exhaust, it looks like it has decent heat shields (can’t tell for sure in the photos I’ve seen), which should keep the heat manageable, as long as you are wearing decent pants.

For lowering the bike, you may be able to gain an inch on the bike by shaving down the seat. Any adjustments made to the suspension will effect the handling of the bike, but I’m not sure how. There are a lot of alternatives in the standard/cruiser market that have lower seat-heights.

As far as commuting with it, please no one hurt me for saying this. One thing to consider is whether or not you are planning on doing any lane-splitting when your on your way to work or home. This is generally considered dangerous, and is illegal in many (most?) states, however it is legal in Cali. I am NOT endorsing the practice, but I just want to point out that if you do plan on doing it you may want to consider a smaller bike with narrower handlebars.

Well…those are my thought, let us know what you decide on!

[gitchy42]

You mentioned the Ninja 500, good mid-sized bike, managable (from what I hear), but not boring in the least. More than enough power to get someone in trouble if they aren’t careful. They have discontinued them, and you may be able to find a dealer that has a new 2008 or 2009 marked WAAAY down.

Used is a great option. When looking for my bike I was thinking new. Don’t have to worry about someone else thrashing a bike before you get it, and some factories are having some great deals on new bikes. However, when you get a brand new bike, you have to break it in, which can be a long process for a beginner. Just about everyone I know that rides has never bought a new bike, but have bought many used bikes; either from a private party or a dealer.

One thing to consider, is that if you buy new and decide to sell in a year or two, you are going to lose up to half of the price that you paid for the bike when it comes time to resell, even if you didn’t put that many mile on it. If you buy one that is 2-3 years old, ride it for a year or two and decide to sell it, you’ll likely be able to sell it for what you paid for it, or near to it, and if you get a screamin’ deal on it, maybe more.

[gitchy42]

I was going to get my shots yesterday, but being 95 here in Portland, after going by 5 or 6 different boat launches, and not being able to get anywhere near where I could get a Dock in the shot, I gave up….I’ll have to try this weekend, assuming someone else hasn’t beaten me too it.

[gitchy42]

The problem with the Hyosung is that it doesn’t have much of a dealer support network yet. However, the way to make that better is start buying it; more dealers will start carrying and supporting it. One really nice thing about it is that it is fuel injected (2010 model), some people would say that that is worth paying nearly as much as a new Ninja, for a Korean bike.

I’ve ridden the Kymco Quannon, and found it to be a fun little sportbike. I’m about 6′ and 215lbs, and it didn’t seem to complain when I turned up the throttle. This bike is carburated, and only has a top speed of about 60 (down hill, tail wind), but new, out-the-door you can get it for about what you would expect to pay for a ten-year-old ninja 250.

Anyways, those are just my thoughts.

[gitchy42]

Sorry to hear about the incident, hope everything heals up well and the bike is out and road-worthy again soon.

I’ve been lucky enough to not have had a wreck. I have had a dumb stop-and-drop moment though, that ended in a quick, unplanned dismount. Just this was enough to rattle me a little, so I can’t really imagine how going down ‘for real’ would.

I have heard (read?) that analyzing what happened, and using it as a learning opportunity can help the ‘mental healing’ process. For me it was easy, see the slope in the road before stopping. For you, it may be a little more difficult. Perhaps do what Eon suggests and post a new thread, possibly with a more detailed description of what happened. Working though what happened, and what could have been done differently and practicing those skills/techniques should make it easier to get back on the road on the bike.

Perhaps have a friend get the bike to a parking lot and start over from the beginning.

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