Motorcycle Guys?

[springerpete]

Congrats. And now it begins.

[klatterblast]

congrats thats a fun bike.

[TFord]

heres a couple of pics of my Warrior

[Mindz]

That warrior looks kinda girly with that big motorcycle next to it, don't you think?

[Dave Coyle]

By the looks of the pictures, I'd say that you took a big jump up from your first ride!!!!
Be careful and always LOOK OUT FOR THE OTHER PERSON while driving. Nice Bike!

[hypurone]

Originally Posted by TFord

Just got to set up the saftey courses, and get proper gear!

Instructional Safety Courses a definite must. MSF is the leader and there are others out there too.

I cannot stress enough the importance of high quality gear as number one on the checklist when you ride. Second is, ALWAYS believe the idiot you are near/approaching, WILL do the WORST thing possible!!

Ride like your life depends on it (it does) and stay focused. Everyone wants to get out there and relax for a putt, but that's exactly when sh1t happens. Take it easy at first and do short trips. You will be surprised at how taxing it can be on your mind when you are new at this.

The increased concentration of having to watch/anticipate/react and move to a safer position can feel like work at times but with practice and miles it will become second nature.

I highly recommend parking lot drills. Simple things like throttle control at low speeds and while turning is critical. You must become adept at using/relying on the FRONT brakes to survive out there. Yes the rear is used too but the fronts will save your life when used properly.

Perfect your balance when cornering slowly to save yourself the grief of the low speed tipover. Practice downshifting while braking over and over and over....


Enjoy!!

[Michael_Js]

Nothing beats practice! There are some cool parking lot drills in most of the bike manuals. I've taken the MSF Experienced course when I got my last Honda - they paid most of it. Very worth it! We go to the track now and then to take courses also. Last one was Streetmasters course - even my gf did it on her V-Star 650. Next week we'll be doing their 2-up riding course at Horse Thief Mile at Willow Springs

[2ndgenz28]

"Only a foolish man, superman's"

Lay it over on its side/dump it, n kick away from the bike and slide on your butt, rather then stay up right and say t-bone a car getting launched like a rocket landing on your head.

butt meat is easier to replace then brains.

"When in doubt gas it"

Works 50% of the time, 90% when you learn when not too.

dirt riding is the best for them all to be learned, just the nature of it, you learn how to go down easier as its gonna happen in the dirt. First time the front end washes out in a muddy turn sucks, till you learn how to bail and not take a bar in the knee. But the wide open play in the slop on 2 wheels teaches you how to stay up right in the best and worst way.

[cplhester]

I work for a Yamaha Dealer here in Ok. The Raider is the best performance cruiser on the market right now. You being a beginner the used v-star 1100 would be perfect for one summer but at the end you will want a bigger bike most likely. Check out the Yamaha V-Star 1300 its a great bike and has a bit more punch than the 1100.

[2SS10RS]

I bought a Yamaha 650 Vstar two tone blue, and I loved it but my brother in law wrecked it, so I sold it and bought a 04 Honda VTX 1300C (put some vance & hines and leds on it and it turns heads). It is a very good bike IMO the only thing I think they should have put on it is the fuel injection like the VTX 1800. You can get pretty good deals on the metric bikes in off season.

[2000v6]

if you want a cruiser, nothing can beat a saralea

[klatterblast]

warrior's the best f the rest just kidding its all good on 2 wheels.

[MrIcky]

Nice bike, have fun with it .

[2SSJIM]

I use to teach the MSF course at Team AZ and I highly recommend taking the class! I started out with a used Honda 700 to learn on so I could drop it if I had to and then bought a bigger bike (BMW K1200LT) when I had the experience of riding a year!