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TWEAK YOURSELF: 5 DIY Motorcycle Maintenance Tasks
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ranetteParticipant
Thanks for the responses. I don’t need the waiver as I already have my endorsement. However I passed the test on my 150cc scooter which was so easy it was almost cheating. I think I am going to take it in November but would still welcome any insight that anyone else might have.
ranetteParticipantManaged to get out today after the weather cleared and the roads dried off. Have to say that today went even better than yesterday. Today is the first day that both of us were on motorcycles. No scooter crutch to get me out to the less congested roads, I rode from home. After setting out we stopped by the high school parking lot for about 10 minutes of reinforcement; just practiced starts, stops and low speed maneuvers over and over, and over and over. After that we headed onto the state highway for about a 70 mile round trip(Route 100 to Route 2 from Stowe to Montpelier for anybody who might be familiar with Vermont). Didn’t need to make any short stops but felt very comfortable with starting, even having to cross over a lane of traffic from a stop, and breaking for stop lights was very comfortable. At no point, not even for a moment did I not feel as if I had 100% control of the bike. Again, I realize that I have been lucky, nothing unexpected, like for example a moose, has popped up in front of me. However part of that is because I do feel confident, not cocky, not without respect for the bike, but confident enough while riding, to be able to scan ahead, know what’s behind me and get a sense if anyone is in my blind spot. I do feel that the first time I do have to apply the brakes in a hurry I’ll be ready but we won’t know until that happens.
Bottom line is within a week I have made enormous progress. Would I have made more progress on a Rebel? I don’t know, but a consistent theme I’ve heard, both in comments in this thread and also, truthfully, from my friend who has ridden with me every mile so far, is that I’d probably have more fun and less stress learning on a 400cc or smaller bike. To tell you the truth, I can’t imagine having more fun than I did this afternoon. I do believe today I crossed over the threshold of having more fun than fear. Again, I’ll stress that doesn’t mean I don’t respect the power in my right hand and the dangers beyond my control that are out there, just that I felt totally relaxed, confident and in control. Funny thing I just passed the bike on my way inside and it doesn’t look quite as huge as it did last week.
ranetteParticipantJust got back from today’s ride, and it was a great one in every sense. First of all it is a beautiful late summer day up here. Second, and more relevant to this forum, I really felt some things starting to click today. Ended up being the first time I had ventured beyond roads where cars were few and far between. Was on a state highway, keep in mind the state is Vermont so we are still talking relatively light traffic, and felt totally at ease. Found myself with a much better feel for the throttle and clutch. A little, actually make that quite a bit, hesitant, about making my first left turn from a stop sign; waited quite a while so that there were absolutely no cars in sight and made the turn. The next time the situation came up I approached it much more confidently, saw a car in the distance but plenty of room to be safe, let out the clutch and off I went. It’s a great feeling to feel yourself making progress and learning.
So far everything has gone great. Actually too great so that I’ve hardly needed to break except when coming to a complete stop after downshifting to a very slow speed. I realize at some point someone is going to pull out in front of me or I’ll need to stop short for some other reason and that is a test I’ll need to pass. Having owned and ridden a large bike for less than a week I realize that I am not one to speak with any authority on any subject, even on the basics. I can tell you that what I find most awkward is handling the bike when stopped. It may be relatively light compared to some others in its class, but 400+ pounds is still quite a bit of dead weight to be pushing around. Once I am moving I do feel quite comfortable and at no point today did I grab even a tiny bit more throttle than I intended to. Hopefully next time out will be just as much fun and just as productive.
ranetteParticipant“Why does it have two brake fluid resevoirs?”
For balance of course.
ranetteParticipantI posted a link to a photo of my bike in my previous post. Yes, that’s her, but mine is gray rather than the two tone in your shot.
ranetteParticipantThanks everyone for the good words.
Andrew, I realize that mine is not a mid sized bike. What I meant is that I looked at a few mid sized bikes, most notably the SV650. Also, thanks for the hint on keeping my wrist low. Hadn’t heard it before but will put it in use tomorrow. At this point in time I am much more concerned with accidentally grabbing too much throttle than intentionally pushing it beyond my meager skill level.
Again, I do appreciate the nice comments and I’ll let everyone know how I’m managing the beast.
If you care to take a glance at the beast here she is. Say what you want as to whether it was the proper choice, you have to admit she’s beautiful. Don’t ya?
http://randystern.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album04&id=DSC00838 -
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