[owlie]

Definitely not red since there is a purplish cast to it. I’m calling it magenta. I sat on the V-Star 650, and it just felt like too big a bike for me. This one, I can pretty much throw around.

[owlie]

That sounds like the same bike that I had for my class. The first day I had trouble finding Neutral also, but the second day, it came naturally. Also, U-turns on that bike were a cinch. Our instructors called the bike the “cheater bike” because you could just power through them…

Glad to hear you are having a great time!

[owlie]

That book was on my list somewhere; I’ll bump it up.

In this case though, I think the issue is just practice since the bike has plenty of lean to make the curve. The curve is just longer and deeper than I expect, but everytime I go around it, it gets a little easier.

[owlie]

Thank you for the great discussion of when to use this technique. (btw, that is a serious and not smart-ass gratitude) I had seen something about it elsewhere and apparently didn’t really understand the context.

The short answer to my question is then “practice, practice, practice” on the twisties.

[owlie]

Welcome to the group!

[owlie]

I know about the taking more than a couple days off thing. I get enough grief when I put in for 2-3 days, much less trying to take a whole month off.

It sounds like it would be a fun trip, until everyone gets to Homer. I just can’t see a crowd like that descending on that little town for a weekend of revelry.

[owlie]

Good Luck! We’re all counting on you.

If there is anything we can do to assist in this, let us know. (Pizza delivery, suds runs, moral support, prayers for rain…)

[owlie]

Also, if you are completely new (if you’ve read the BRC book three times, the answer is yes), you might check out the MSF’s Motorcycling Excellence. It is a little more basic than Proficient Motorcycling, but has more information and detail than the BRC book. I read it first by chance (ordered both at the same time) and am glad that I did.

Proficient Motorcycling is a great book, but if you are really new, the MSF book will give you a stronger foundation because it doesn’t implicitly assume you know the first thing about motorcycles.

[owlie]

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

[owlie]

Agreed.

Also, if you don’t know anything about motorcycles, it is a great precursor to Hough’s Proficient Motorcycling. There is some overlap, but not so much as to detract from the value of each other.

[owlie]

Welcome back. Glad you had a good trip!

[owlie]

I’m struggling with the same thing on turns and braking. The only thing I can say, is more practice.

BTW, does anyone use a double apex on their turns? I have a curive in my neighborhood that has too large a radius to be called a hairpin, but where the road nearly doubles up on itself. That seems like the only way to take that turn that might make sense…

[owlie]

I know that the whole 1%er thing was taken to heart and made a phenomenon by the hard-core, hard-living Harley crowd, but I have to say that in the last 10-15 years, the crotch rockets have them beat for being a public nuisance.

My husband refers to days like yours as “F#@%-wipe on the road” days.

Kick back this evening, be glad that you made it home in one piece and without having to decide whether you should laugh maniacally first or call 911.

[owlie]

Honestly, I don’t think I would have ridden it home if the dealer was in Anchorage. Definitely not if I still lived in Tulsa. But around here, the only four lane road is one that I had to cross. None of the roads are really any busier than what I would be practicing on near my house anyway.

[owlie]

Thanks for the tips on the belt and crash bars. I’ll be sure to check the belt for this as part of the pre-ride inspection.

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