3rd time out

[DennyV]

This time out I went on a 1 hour ride around my neighborhood, got out on the local roads, and got up to speed, 50mph to get a feel for it, did make one mistake but was able to save myself, I downshifted to take a turn, but felt I was still going too fast for the turn, I pulled the front brake, but instantly let go when I realized it, I looked left and rolled on through the turn, I thank twist of the wrist for that, beacause this ride I was extreme loose on the bike which helped a lot , especially during that hairy moment.

[Boomstick1491]

Hey dude, welcome to the forum and good on you for buying a 250 for your first bike. I put my bike, and myself, on the pavement two days after I bought it. Silver Spring, like downtown DC, where I was when I decided to customize my "weed whacker," is a tough area for a n00b. I would recommend finding a big parking lot and working on the fundamentals from the MSF for a lot of hours before you take the bike on the street for any length of time. Trust me, all that practice will pay HUGE dividends as will simply recognizing your limitations and being cognizant of your mistakes. Given you ability to write coherent English sentences, you're probably a smart dude and will probably advance your riding quickly.

Good luck and stay safe out there!

[DennyV]

Originally Posted by Boomstick1491

Hey dude, welcome to the forum and good on you for buying a 250 for your first bike. I put my bike, and myself, on the pavement two days after I bought it. Silver Spring, like downtown DC, where I was when I decided to customize my "weed whacker," is a tough area for a n00b. I would recommend finding a big parking lot and working on the fundamentals from the MSF for a lot of hours before you take the bike on the street for any length of time. Trust me, all that practice will pay HUGE dividends as will simply recognizing your limitations and being cognizant of your mistakes. Given you ability to write coherent English sentences, you're probably a smart dude and will probably advance your riding quickly.

Good luck and stay safe out there!

Hahaha I first had my bike outside of silver spring, near georgia and seminary... I had my first crash there, and I was scared of riding around there

[Boomstick1491]

Well, really my point was that the entire DC metro area (to include the area where you crashed outside of SS) is a very difficult place to learn because the roads are very congested, the pavement is often in disrepair, and people drive like retards. That said, I ride to work 98% of the time and on every road in the area, including the major highways. My life expectancy may have gone down to about 6 months, but the danger is not enough to keep me from riding.

For now, until you cement the fundamentals, you should stick to a big parking lot and avoid roads to the extent possible. Free tip: I recommend using Google Maps aerial imagery to do some recon of the area closest to your house, so you can spot a big open parking lot. When you find something, take your car (or your bike if you think you can handle getting there and back safely), and scope it out. If it's legit and not full of cars or peds, take your bike there and practice, practice, practice until you're comfortable doing the drills you learned in the MSF. For your reference, I scoured my area until I found a hospital complex nearby and then would ride up there after work and on weekends to ride around in one of the parking lots. It was not ideal because it was not a big open slab of pavement like you had in the MSF, but it was enough to practice. If you need help, PM me or something and I can try to help you find something suitable or maybe make my way to SS to practice with you.

[DennyV]

Since then, I've taken my bike home to the suburbs of SS near rt 29. The side roads here are in much better condition and traffic isn't bad at all, I do visit my old hs parking lot if I pass it on a ride and practice my cornering