[Munch]

Welcome!

[Munch]

First I might want to point out or remind you that 500cc’s cruiser like a Vulcan 500 is very different of a 500cc sport bike. I learned on a Vulcan 500, it is a cruiser and very user friendly. Its all about 400 lbs and well balanced. The short length will allow you plenty of agility to weave and bob with the best of sport bikes and the power of the motor will keep you comfortably in highway speeds without sucking the life out of your MPG. Getting up to that speed is not a break neck pace like you would see from the higher performance bikes which is a plus, but don’t get disillusioned that she’s sluggish and perfectly safe.

[Munch]

Poor guy is in Houston…. yuck.
LOL…oh and harassment… .nah…as aggravating as my posts may be I am much more sarcastic and stubborn without an edit tab. LOL… I can take the time to proof read my rough humor and quick wit responses and sensitize them for those that do not share my humor.
Though I would probly jump in a chat channel from time to time… but those in the room would have to have fair warning.

[Munch]

Fear as I know it is irrational and immobilizing. Controls your thoughts, emotions and motor skills.
Caution often mistaken for fear is mindful observation to the possibility of danger but allowing you the freedom of those skills to avoid a consequence.
Ask a person with arachnophobia to hold a tarantula and likely they will come close to complete spastic reactions in emotion, motor and rationalized thoughts. Take that same person and tell them to grab a naked wire in a wall socket and they keep the ability to tell you “heck no!”
You can control both though FEAR in its reality is far more complicated and deep routed to conquer….caution however is more easily dealt with by positive conclusions, but should be remembered to keep the conclusions positive.

[Munch]

MSF uses that to condition you to get into the habit of using both brakes simultaneously and especially at higher speeds. I am not sure if you had the misfortune of a beginner rider in the class dropping a bike , but we did. That’s when the instructor explained what happened, why and a real life situation that would be better for it.
In a parking lot or speeds similar if you turn the handle bars your bike is slightly off balance… you are the counterweight…. touch those front brakes harder then you can adjust instantly for and you will go down…. or come close. Use that rear brake more in that situation and being that it is aimed straight with the frame it will not have that tendency to drag you down. Good illustration is to look at your bike while it is on the side stand…. notice how the weight of the bike shifts when you turn the handle bars from one direction to the other. Without the stand you need to be the counter balance to keep the bike up…. that sudden shift of your weight forward…. bike leaning slightly to the side…. and down you go. Which is also why they emphasize getting the bike up and as straight as possible for emergency stops in a turn.

[Munch]

erm…..grats!? LOL…just kiddin…. happy for ya man… end of this coming week we should see around 50 degrees again… so I am stoked to be able to ride again soon.

[Munch]

#1) Recommend the course before the bike….though I did not do this and could have ended my riding early, giving my life experiences I was very ready to be slow and conservative on my on set. Though mistakes were made.
#2) option choice A
#3) ….. cruiser guy…. dunno
#4) Helmets from different manufacturers offer different benefits and options. Some offer more protection…some offer just a name. Like motorcycles you should go out and try helmets on to see what more comfortable to you and if you think you can manage long rides with it. Also some manufacteurers don’t do certain head shapes well.
#5) As with anything bought off the internet you don’t get to see the bike in person and go over the structure and mechanics of it to make sure your purchase was a sound one. Also you may not have the option of sending the purchase back if it isn’t in ride able condition or what you thought you were getting. You are at the mercy of some ones honesty. If your good with that then go for it.

[Munch]

Hehe….. that’s is exactly what it is for. Another caution I was throwing out was not to let your mind defeat you before you get a chance to experience the joys of what you want to do. Riding is as much a mind set as it is physical experience. I went down the paths of “what ifs” and nearly canceled my chances of the enjoyment I am now experiencing. I remember being in the position you are in now. Should I ….. shouldn’t I…. if I do, what if I get the bike and can’t control it…. what if I become a statistic, what if I can’t get the hang of this….what if…. what if…. what if. This trickled over into my early stages of riding as well. “what if I can’t get out of my driveway with out getting run over…. What if a deer hits me or vice versa……what if I can’t ever seem to manage that curve ….What if I panic on the entrance ramp that has a near 180 turn inside of 50 feet…….” so on and so forth. I can remember my heart racing every time I got on the bike and let my mind get back on the What If train. Some times it stayed that way half way up the road. However I realized what I was doing to myself and told myself that it was very self destructive and What ifs matter as bout as much Shoulda Couldas .
I guess I should not have made it seemingly directed towards you. It is kind of a way of me saying… yea I been there and its cool but you gotta shake it off…. to anyone else in addition to you.

Me …I bought my Vulcan 500 first before MSF. BBM majorly influenced my decision on the bike. Though I am mostly a hermit ( deep south country boy) and rarely get into major discussions I really didn’t look into the forums much. You have that much over me on what I had already. I rode my Vulcan 500 for about a month and a half before the next available class came up. The type of person that I am I NEED to experience it to learn it. If I read it my brain pushes it to …ok….well here’s what I would do different….and reality will kick in with a big fat “Oh REALLY! Try it!”
To be completely honest my purchase was completely spontaneous. As a matter of fact I bought the V500 three days after telling a co worker that I didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to hit the highway on a motorcycle. Guess that hit the wrong button ( or in my case the the right one) in my brain.
In ending… I apologize if I came off wrong, completely my fault.
BUT I stick to my guns…. Caution makes a person wise and safe…. What ifs will keep you from LIVING

[Munch]

I was wondering…alot of what us noobs don’t get told is in parking lots the rear brake is better for control. the front brake is a good way to take you down. Higher speeds its the reverse as the Fronts actually apply better stopping force. Good thing to remember when following behind “Johnny teenager” scoping the mall for his future girlfriend. Or…. in my case…. slow crawling your way through stop and go traffic first thing in the morning.

[Munch]

I would like to point out one minor thing that seems to be a constant in your posts.
You have to try and remember that your brain is a powerful tool….and weapon. If you allow “what ifs” bog you down you will be headed down a path of misery. Envisioning things to try and figure things out are great and a good way to prepare for the “just in case”….how ever the mind will take you back down the side street of “what if” and can eventually lock you down.
Slow your thoughts down a bit. Your concern and care for your safety is wonderful, however over thinking a problem and letting the imagination run wild with you can likely prevent you from something that is very enjoyable and a great escape.
In not so many courteous words….. Chest out, phone at the ear…. sign up for the MSF already!

[Munch]

Either way MSF would benefit you greatly. A scooter is great to learn on though depending on type would give you limited experience. They are light…mostly, with some exceptions, limited to a certain speed threshold and somewhat varying riding positions. It all depends on what you end up with.
Shifting on a bike is the same principle as a car but obviously different in mechanics giving the position of the clutch, throttle and “selector”. If you get an automatic transmission scooter you will get limited help if any on the coordination and multitasking skills you are going to need to acquire.
Turning and balance will be near the same- the main variations will be speed and weight in slow speed maneuvers.
IF you do not have access to a MSF or equivalent course then I would recommend the scooter first or very least a 250 cc motorcycle. The scooter however (depending on state laws and speed restrictions) may not require you to have an endorsement or permit. Make sure to look up local laws always.
Some of your focuses should be are:
Function– commuter? Recreational? Highway or just in town?
Skill and comfort– When looking and sitting, which you should do lots of! Get a feel for the girth and weight of the vehicle, try the balance to see if its too top heavy for you, and try to see if the riding position is comfortable to be in and any steering is not restricted.
Riding requirements– Again this goes back to local laws. Permit needed? Insurance?
Just those few questions can get you started in the right direction.
Look around…sit on everything you can manage to squat on. You will get a good idea. Never let your ego, or your friends decide your ride for you. Especially not for your first ride.

[Munch]

+1 for parts and support. No bike is perfect off the assembly line. You will find hick ups, flaws, and stuff just plain forgotten to be put on. If you can’t find the information on the WWW for it…. chances are hard parts are going to be even more impossible. No fun in paying for something just to wait for the parts to be found, shipped, competently installed and back on the road.
Taking a chance on an unknown bike as a first, for me is alot of risk. You should really be looking to something where you can focus on your riding skills and not so much on what your riding.

[Munch]

Out of curiosity…. did you go down in the parking lot or on the ride to the lot?
Another question I have is which brake did you use the most?

[Munch]

Any “rewards” system are always subject to useless abuse just for the fact that it amuses the easily entertained. If you keep it under the control of admins and developer its less likely to happen, though it could become a small aggravation when the OC types start coming out of the wood work.
Personally I like the idea. Might even encourage some of the un-named out from behind the curtains.
Though I definitely appreciate the “props” I am sure there are more here more deserving then me of such compliments.
I hope to see it get implemented and become a “fun” and informative idea.

[Munch]

Howdy! and welcome

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