[Medic]

You made a great decision by asking questions and getting your info straight instead of letting impulse or a salesperson make your decision for you. You obviously have concerns about flat-footing, and I will agree that your concerns as a new rider are well founded.

I can’t make your decision for you, but what I can do is share my experience with you. Much like you, I visited this site among others and asked questions regarding my first bike. I too was steered in the direction of the Rebel, and eventually did choose that as my first motorcycle.

Since then, I’ve been a very happy rider and I don’t regret my decision for a bit. Sometimes I envision myself on a 750 Shadow or something similar, but I know I did the right thing with this bike. Not only is the Rebel an inexpensive introduction, its also a very reliable and forgiving machine. With simple routine maintenance, the Rebel will run for many many years, as evidenced by the mid 80’s models still available on the used market. Simple rider errors that may prove more problematic with larger bikes are much more easy to correct and overcome on the lightweight and agile Rebel, making learning more of an enjoyable experience than a teeth grinding nightmare.

The agility of the bike is something you’re not going to find in some other bikes and it is very easy to not only work on, but lightly customize to suit your individual preferences. I’m a bit taller than you at 5’8″, and with a simple adjustment of the handlebars, I’ve found my bike much more comfortable than it came from the dealership. A simple (and free) 5 minute fix, can’t beat that.

So I guess that’s about as much of a plug as I can come up with right now haha but really, I think its a good bike and a great first bike. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Medic]

I spent about $170 on my helmet, HJC FS-10. Got it on ebay.
Jacet I got from Leatherup.com for about $90
Maybe $20 or so for some gloves, although I like my Oakleys better, but unless you can buy from USStandardissue, they’re gonna cost you.
Haven’t gotten pants yet, suppose I should do that.

Shop around, you can get good gear at reasonable prices

[Medic]

I was surprised at how easy it was here in TX. Take a MSF course, stop by the DMV and take a little written (computer) test, $15, good to go.
No permit, no chaperone, nothing. Anyway, gotta get ready for work now.

Takin’ the bike again today!

[Medic]

Thanks guys. I’ve been registered on the Rebel forums for a little while now already and yeah, they are great for info specific to the rebel. I’m actually the test subject for these new crash bars someone found online.

You know what was cool? I saw 2 guys from my MSF class at the registration place today and talked to both of them. It was cool, we were talking about our bikes and stuff while we waited in line, it was actually pretty fun seeing them again. Good folks, these bikers

[Medic]

I have a Garmin 7…something. Its a nice unit, I got it for around $300 I think. Bought a couple as gifts too.

Anyway, I was thinking about trying to rig up a mount so I can slap it on the bike if I want to. I can’t imagine that its so difficult to make it work that I’d need to spend a bunch of money on a specialized unit. When i get it done I’ll post up what I came up with.

As for tools, I carry a cell phone and have plenty of friends nearby. For now, that’s what I got.

[Medic]

Have you checked your local craigslist listings for mid-sized bikes?
Nothing says you HAVE to start on any certain size bike. There are plenty of bikes you might feel more comfortable on so, if you exercise some restraint with the throttle, I don’t see why a slightly larger bike wouldn’t be a reasonable alternative for you.

I don’t know that much personally, but I know there are alot of threads on here about that sort of thing. Poke around some and see what you come up with. I think I could’ve gone a bit bigger myself, but I like the bike I bought so I’m happy with it.

Take your time and see what’s out there. You obviously have a concern with regard to your stature, so get out and get your butt on some saddles, see what works.

[Medic]

That sure is a cool looking bike!

The price is quite a bit higher than the Rebel though, and are you going to be able to take it to a quaified shop for service if need be? How about getting parts? Are there any internet forums with riders of those bikes who can answer any and all questions you may have about it? When you get ready to move up, are you going to be able to get most of your money back for it?
There’s just a few things you DO get with a Rebel.

I bought my Rebel because it made sense after all the research I did, and I think its a good looking bike. I could care less what people think about it or me for riding it. Odds are they’re NOT going to laugh at me or say anything to my face. If people want to talk about me that’s on them, I could care less. I know I made the right decision.

But if that’s the bike you want, then by all means go for it. Like I said, I think its really cool looking. If you do buy it, I’d love to hear what you think of it.

[Medic]

I’ve always been more of an O-dark-thirty kinda guy lol

Now I find out that I have to be in to work tomorrow, ON SATURDAY!! haha … at 0500!!
Oh good grief. Just when I think I won one, the big green …yeah.. comes back and shows me who’s boss. Hahaha

[Medic]

Yeah, 0800 is a rare treat. Truth be told, I was up at like 0530 anyway, but still, I didn’t HAVE to be up until 0800.

And yeah, it is nice to be a part of a group like that. Kinda like wearing the uniform, we all have something in common and its usually pretty easy to make friends.
I was pleased with the folks in my class yesterday, real nice group of folks and really supportive. Makes things so much nicer.

[Medic]

Hahaha yeah, we learned that in EMT class. What’s the first thing you check when you have an unconscious patient? … His wallet!

That does explain things though, his gloves must have been scuffed up pretty bad since he opted not to take them.

[Medic]

Oh definitely, I think that can be said for most things in life really. Everybody gets a unique perspective, which is cool.

I was all bundled up this morning man, cold and raining pretty heavily. I was layered up to no end, and topped it off with my wet weather gear. But they cancelled the class and moved it to Monday. I guess the instructors were still soggy from the other day when they got rained on pretty good.

I was really looking forward to riding this weekend so that kinda stinks, but on the upside, I did get out of work this morning! I’ll get up at 0800 instead of 0600 any day!! Speaking of work… hahaha I should probably get going.

[Medic]

Well guys, I finished day 2 today. I have to say, I’m glad I got in with the group I did. We 2 new instructors, apparently the lady just does the classroom portion? Whatever, she wasn’t all that bad.

But yeah, when they asked who had little or no experience, it was me and one other guy raising hands. Turns out he had more experience than me by a long shot. So I was definitely the low man in this group. No probem, I like to be challenged so I figured this would be perfect.

Had a pretty good day, we got through 7 of the exercises in about 3 hours. We were moving along pretty well despite the cold weather. Nobody dropped a bike, and little instruction really needed to be given above what was already put out. I probably got the most, but I think I did well and kept up with the group.

Got some good advice today and I think I really gained something from the experience. That’s what its all about. Tomorrow is the final day and we’ll get our MSF cards as soon as we pass so I can go straight in to get my endorsement. I know tomorrow will be more challenging, but I’m looking forward to it. All the other riders were really supportive and friendly (I guess it helps that we’re all in the military), and I’m glad I didn’t end up slowing things down.

Wow, do I ramble! … Sorry about that.
I’ll come back and let y’all know when I get my stuff together and can ride for real.

[Medic]

Not the best idea on his part, or the spectators either. Kinda neat to watch from that perspective though. I’m positive that’s as close as I’ll ever be to actually doing something like that.

My question is, The guy who comes and stands over him, what the heck is he doing? He appears to check his gloves and then moves down for whatever reason, checking somethng? At first I thought he was checking LOC and then maybe doing some kind of assessment, but I’m not real sure what’s going on there.
If he’s a medic, how aout a little c-spine? He’s all checking out this guy’s periphery while he moves his head and neck at will. Yeah, check your MOI bud.

[Medic]

This is a good place for you if you’re just starting out (like me). I learned alot just reading through all the info here. Folks are really helpful too, so ask questions if ya got ’em.

[Medic]

So…what bike are you getting?

I bought my little Rebel a couple weeks ago and its just sitting in storage waiting for me to get my endorsement. I finish the MSF course this Friday, then straight off to the DMV or DOT or DPS, whatever they call it here haha.

But you’re right, everyone has been really nice to me here too. And I’m a goofball most of the tiime haha.

So yeah, share the bike info, maybe a pic?

[Author]

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