Wife did 30 miles today
- Thread starter 1 B.M.F.
- Start date
Cool
pknowles
RETIRED
You need to get her in one of the rider courses. My wife started riding her on in late 06. I bought her a 100 honda dirt bike to ride around the field and early 07 she bought her first heritage classic. She now has over 75,000 miles riding. In march of 07 she took the class and never looked back. Well worth the money for the school.Beautiful day,wife is getting much better, she went out and bought a new Harley so she could go with me. came home in the back of her truck and said unload it and teach me how to ride it. She now has 80 miles under her belt. She is doing fantastic.
pknowles
RETIRED
Most schools use the smaller bikes like 250.i took it with the wife and had a ball
Jersey Big Mike
100K mile club
You don't even need to have a MC license to buy one!
I started with a motorcycle late in life -- didn't start riding til I was 43, had only been on a couple of dirt bikes not even 1hr total prior.
So in Feb 2003 I bought a 100ci chopper (38 degree rake, 6in over, 565lbs) -- drove to VA from NJ to check it out, put a deposit on it. Went home got my loan approved and drove back a week or so later and trailered it home. Got it to my parents house where there was still snow and ice and put it up on the porch (that was an ordeal in itself).
Went an got my permit
Found a class but it was months off.
Went out one night with a friend to a parking lot -- Coming around the turn I needed to slow down -- I knew better but -- yes you guessed it I grabbed the front brake (which was very grabby on top of it) As I said to myself "This is going to hurt" there I went to the ground.
Killed the headlight, scratched some other stuff including my knee, which now had gas flowing on my leg.
Get the bike off me with my friends help, put it back in the truck with custom cap (my parking garage)
So well we're done with that for the night.
Got out a few times after that before my course in May. Had already found the entire course online so I had read everything and was prepared.
Took the course and passed with flying colors.
I was amused by the "Keep your knees on the tank instruction" as I told my instructors -- that's just not possible on my bike as well as the "What do you do if XX is across the road" -- I told them I stop and turn around -- they insisted no, get up on pegs and go across -- again I explained I had a little less than 4.5" of ground clearance -- I was stopping and turning around.
Monday, I go to DMV and get my official MC license endorsement.
Tuesday, I start taking the bike to work -- After work I head to see friends -- down what is known as the "corridor crawl" the high traffic section of Rte 1, had co-workers that thought I was crazy (or is that, realized I was/am)
The course was the best thing I did.
While I had read the course and had the book knowledge, there was nothing more valuable than having someone watch me and tell me what I was doing vs what I knew or thought I was.
Too this day, if I am in a circle/turn and I drift I can see my instructor placing his hand on his chin and pushing his head to the side saying "look where you want to go, not where you are going" (Target fixation avoidance).
A couple of days later I run into one of my pool shooting buddies and show him my new toy, He looks at me and says, "I've been riding over25yrs and have never ridden anything with that much HP or that much rake. Are you nuts getting this for your first bike?" As I told him -- look I'm not some dumb kid that's going to be doing stupid things to show off for some girl.
Had a number of girls wanting to go for a ride -- was able to put them all off -- sorry no pegs, no seat.
17 yrs later and I'm probably close to 170k miles and only wish I had started sooner!
take the course, wreck their bike if you have to, and save your bike for when you feel comfortable in ALL situations. well worth the $450 or so for the beginner class. then, after you have ridden 6 months or so in caution mode, take the intermediate class. will feel so much better about yourself and your ability to ride even with another person on the back with you.
awg
Guru
Your story reminded me of my first bike. Went to the local Honda dealer, bought a Honda CB360. Not sure of the year. 70 something. Jumped on and off I went. Didn't ride a motorcycle before. Not sure if I even had a permit to ride. (can't remember that far back) Been riding ever since. Only got run over once so far. 46 years of riding. How about the rest of you guys. How many years have you been in the saddle?
1 B.M.F.
Well-Known Member
I started at 8 dad got me an Indian 50cc dirt bike just to piss off mom rode it for 5 years I was way to big by then I gave it to a kid down the street I got a Rm 125 @ 14 yrs then a cr 250. my first street bike was a Honda nighthawk 700s my wheelie bike. Then went to a straight up drag bike a gsxr1100 9.38 quarter mile 148mph then I got a H-D deuce put less than 10k on it and got a B-D Chopper last spring I’m 52 and knock on wood only one accident got rear ended on my Honda no injuries though not on the street bikes dirt different stories lots of crashes on the whoops never could get those damn things figured out no broke bones my son got his bike for Christmas he is 8 and started off with a crf50 he loves riding on dads chopper
roadie1389
Well-Known Member
you didn't have a neighbor girl down the road to keep you entertained ???????My first experience was around 1962, that's right, it's not a typo. All we had on the farm for fun was the old ragged ass bikes to ride. Well, the hunting was fun too