First Ride :D

[dwright0723]

I finally took my bike out today and rode beyond around the block. I previously hadn't gone any further than that because I didn't have any gear, was missing turn signals, and had a beat up fairing. So I'd fire it up and go around my block at like 10 mph lol. I'm still missing boots and gloves, but I at least have my helmet and jacket and pants. Boots and gloves are next on my to buy list. I almost bought a pair of A* SMX Plus boots off eBay for $99. But they were red and black. I need blue and black or all black!

Anyways, the first thing I did was ride to the gas station and fill up because I didn't want to fill it back up with the old gas I drained out before pulling the carbs. The first thing I noticed is that my leather suit feels much better when moving lol. Even sitting still with sun hitting me, it still wasn't that bad! I was really surprised at how cheap it was to fill the bike up, even at $3.65/ Gal.! This is gonna be nice!

After filling up, I went out to the main road, trying to be as alert as possible of the other vehicles around me. I found myself adjusting my mirrors a lot (when stopped of course). When using them, I had to swing my arms out a little and look through the holes that opened up between them. It seems like everytime I looked in them, people would be riding my ass! I was doing the speed limit and I swapped lanes 3 times to let people go by so they weren't so damn close. Maybe they just looked closer than they were in my mirrors?

The bike rode pretty smooth! Thanks to @csmith12, there was absolutely no hesitation in the throttle at all. It wasn't too bumpy or too harsh or anything. I did accidentally go from 1st to neutral instead of to 2nd a time or two. I guess I didn't kick up on the shifter hard enough! I've also got to get used to turning off my turn signals. It's just not natural!

I thought my helmet would be a lot noisier than it was. After reading reviews and stuff of people talking about the wind noise and having to use ear plugs, I thought it was actually rather quiet. I got up to 55mph and had all of my vents on my helmet open. The face shield stayed well planted during head checks and stuff. I like it! . The only thing I did notice was after a while, the helmet did seem to be a little tight on my forehead. I wonder if I just pulled the chin strap too tight. I pulled the hell out of it when I put it on. The helmet didn't feel bad at all after I released the chin strap when I got home.

The only kind of oh ****! moment I had was when a car was merging on to my road from another road. Normally in a car when you are going by someone, when you are halfway past them, they start pulling out, which is fine. On my bike, I got about halfway past the car and it started pulling out and I was like oh ****!, and moved over to the left part of my lane. I think the car in the left lane thought I was going to come over there because he back way off, but I stayed in my lane. Just wanted to get away from that merging car!

All in all, it was a good ride! I had fun! It seemed a little weird at first being out on the road without a cage around me, but I got used to it! I noticed a few people looking at me. I don't know if they were looking at my sexy bike, how sexy I was in leather, or my crazy helmet (Scorpion EXO 750 'Live Fast')

[Driddle]

Congrats on the first ride.
Just remember to always stay vigilant, dont get too "comfortable." Some people are on the road that shouldn't be.

As for boots, idk what you are thinking, but I wear the A* Fastlane boot (all black), which I ordered from Revzilla, and I love them.
They are comfortable enough to wear around when not on the bike, but still offer (from what I think) a decently good amount of protection.
Good luck in your searching though, and ride safe!

[dwright0723]

Originally Posted by Driddle

As for boots, idk what you are thinking

I was looking at the SMX Plus Boots http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/a...-mx-plus-boots.
Just reading around, it looks like they offer more support for keeping your ankle from twisting than the lower ones

[csmith12]

I like it when a plan comes together.

[Aggrotech]

I got http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/s...p3-sport-boots for boots and i like them, definitely feel way better then the work boots i used to wear before lol. Also dont brake the bank. Dont have any experiences in any other boots though. These have withstood floods, rainstorms, casual walking around, heavy riding. never been down in them.

[dwright0723]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I like it when a plan comes together.

The next plan is to figure out how to keep up with you at Mid Ohio.. Being a n00b, I guess I'm a little ways away from that though

Originally Posted by Aggrotech

I got http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/s...p3-sport-boots for boots and i like them, definitely feel way better then the work boots i used to wear before lol. Also dont brake the bank. Dont have any experiences in any other boots though. These have withstood floods, rainstorms, casual walking around, heavy riding. never been down in them.

Those are some nice boots for the price. I'm starting to see some different nice ones that look like they offer decent protection for much less than the SMX plus or the comparable Sidi's...

[csmith12]

Step 1 - Learn the basics and be able to handle yourself
Step 2 - Ride some twisties and get to the point where you want SOMETHING MORE
Step 3 - Send me an email/pm and we will make it happen

ps. I just got the down low on trackside fajitas that are off da hook. Definitely on the menu for next time. As a matter of fact, imma make a new thread right now.

[crazymadbastard]

Glad you enjoyed the ride,
as to the helmet strap- make it so that its uncomfortable when you open your mouth.

[dwright0723]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Step 1 - Learn the basics and be able to handle yourself
Step 2 - Ride some twisties and get to the point where you want SOMETHING MORE
Step 3 - Send me an email/pm and we will make it happen

ps. I just got the down low on trackside fajitas that are off da hook. Definitely on the menu for next time. As a matter of fact, imma make a new thread right now.

?? Damn that sounds good! I love fajitas!

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

Glad you enjoyed the ride,
as to the helmet strap- make it so that its uncomfortable when you open your mouth.

Roger that! Thanks!

[dwright0723]

Soo, I've rode a few more times! Yesterday being my longest ride yet! I left at 6pm and didn't come back till around 10:30.. I think I have finally got my mirrors adjusted to a comfortable spot, so I'm not screwing with them anymore. My helmet is getting much more comfortable, especially around the forehead, or at least I'm just getting used to it .

One question is have is with rev-matching while downshifting and braking. Do you temporarily let off the front brake to rev the engine a bit? Thats what I was doing. Just hoping it was the proper technique.

I took my bike on the highway for the first time yesterday. I wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I guess I was kind of nervous from reading about people talking about the 250 not being powerful enough for highway use. I thought it was fine for 65mph riding..

On a regular road, I was doing the speed limit, but still had some idiot ride up on me then pass me on a double yellow, coming up on a blind hill. Idiot.

My Oh S***! moment on this ride was riding back home, I was in the left lane, and a car was getting ready to come out of a parking lot on my right. I saw him pull up and stop, but he didn't have turn signals on. I let off the throttle till I could figure out what the hell he was going to do, and as I got closer, he pulled out and it looked like he was going to cut me off. I grabbed a handful of front brake to stop and he stopped, completely blocking the right lane. He finished his RIGHT hand turn by coming halfway in my lane and rolled on. I don't think he was certain he was going to turn, then turned at the last minute.

[csmith12]

Hey Darryl, glad riding is going well for you.

No, you don't let off the brake while rev matching. Just slide your fingers over the brake lever while trying to keep the same amount pressure on it. The most common error here is pogoing the bike because of uneven brake pressure. It takes some practice but once you get it, it's easy from then on.

And intuition, yep.... trust it. It will save your bacon.

[dfox]

sounds like you're keeping your head on a swivel. preventative maneuvers are better than emergency ones!

for downshifting... You want to keep on the brake while blipping the throttle, but it's not easy. Sorta like heel-toe shifting in a car. One appendage doing two jobs at once.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by dwright0723

On a regular road, I was doing the speed limit, but still had some idiot ride up on me then pass me on a double yellow, coming up on a blind hill. Idiot.

That was me















































































jk

[dwright0723]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Hey Darryl, glad riding is going well for you.

No, you don't let off the brake while rev matching. Just slide your fingers over the brake lever while trying to keep the same amount pressure on it. The most common error here is pogoing the bike because of uneven brake pressure. It takes some practice but once you get it, it's easy from then on.

And intuition, yep.... trust it. It will save your bacon.

Hmmmm ill have to try this..

Originally Posted by dfox

sounds like you're keeping your head on a swivel. preventative maneuvers are better than emergency ones!

for downshifting... You want to keep on the brake while blipping the throttle, but it's not easy. Sorta like heel-toe shifting in a car. One appendage doing two jobs at once.

Teeheehee heel toe is fun! Yeah.. I try to.keep my.eyes open.. almost feel like I'm too cautious..

Originally Posted by csmith12

That was me

jk

Damn it Chris! Hahahaha... I saw a group of guys riding on my way home.. I wanted to join them but I didn't just wanna 'pop in' lol