Which Motorcycle To Start Out On?

I had been doing a lot of reading about which motorcycle a first time rider should get. The amount of information out there is astounding. Books, magazines, on- line forums, talking to other riders, everyone had an opinion. Most riders suggest that you get whatever their style and brand is. A lot of people suggest getting a small used bike, the style of your choice, and after getting used to riding, purchase a larger one. Others recommend getting a larger bike so you do not have to trade up as soon. I kind of liked the buy big theory myself. It would make it a little more challenging at first but you would be able to enjoy the ride for a lot longer without wishing you had something bigger.

The style of bike you get is really a function of personal preference and the purpose of it's intended use. There are several choices of styles including; Sport, Dual Sport, Cruiser, Chopper, Touring, and Adventure Touring. Each of these styles of motorcycle had their own purpose and were designed for specific intents. They each had pros and cons to certain types of riding and conditions. Although similar, riding positions and handling characteristics vary as well. There was the bare minimum, “naked” bike to the completely decked out Tourer with everything on board but the kitchen sink. Come to think of it, maybe I did see a Gold Wing with a kitchen sink.

I had decided early on that I wanted a Cruiser. I felt that the American brand bikes, sad to say, were overpriced, so I looked mostly at foreign made bikes. I had no brand preferences set in stone, but the Star brand of motorcycles seemed to be catching my eye a lot. For those who do not know the Star brand is a part of Yamaha. They were sexy looking with tight lines and attractive curves. They set low which gave them a lower center of gravity helping comfort, control and handling. There was a plethora of accessories to customize them. They also had a very large, loyal, and dedicated bunch of riders.

I looked at all the local motorcycle dealers. Service at the dealers was hit or miss. Sometimes I was waited on right away and sometimes completely ignored by salespeople while I browsed through the new and used bikes or accessories. I even applied for credit with Yamaha and Honda on-line. Both turned me down. Looking back, I'm glad they did. So, it was settled, I would be buying used. I also went to several used bike dealers and checked out what they had in stock as well. I saw bikes of all shapes and sizes.

During this process I set on several different machines to see how they felt. All the V-Stars I sat on sure felt nice. Being a large 6'2” guy, I felt that a 650cc sized engine/bike would be too small of a bike for me. It would probably be just fine starting out but I wanted to get something that I would not outgrow and want to trade up too soon. The 1100cc size seemed to be just about right. They set right in the middle of the large cruiser segment. The search was on.

Ride on,

Torch

Motorcyclists Make Safer Cage Drivers

It takes a lot more cognitive awareness to negotiate a motorcycle down the road than an automobile, or cage, as we like to call them. I have been riding my 2003 V-Star 1100 motorcycle now for almost a year. I have noticed some of my motorcycling cautiousness has rubbed off on my cage driving. This is a good thing.

When I’m in my cage at a minimum I tend to keep a better watch out for motorcyclists on the road. I am always taking my time to double-check my mirrors and physically turning my head to check blind spots and the lane next to me before changing lanes. Cagers have no grasp of just how fast a motorcycle can speed up and how nimbly they can change lanes.

While piloting a cage around I now find myself much more aware of my surroundings. When riding a motorcycle you are much more intimate with the road, traffic, and weather, after all, we have a lot more at stake because we have less protection. I find myself keeping a closer watch out on vehicles waiting to pull out of a side street or parking lot now. I’m also a lot more cautious when approaching a yield sign, stop signs and stoplights, always looking twice before proceeding.

I even caught myself slowing down in my cage the other day coming to a stoplight when it was starting to rain and the road appeared real slick, and the cage has anti-lock brakes! I find myself always watching the road for its condition and debris that might make navigation harder. I now approach cagers that are talking on the phone, driving erratically like they are intoxicated, or going slow doing a lot of stops like they are lost a lot more timidly. I try to give them a wider birth or go around when it’s safe to do so.

Even cage drivers that I know that have a relative or are close to someone who rides tend to be more cautious. I think its because they get to hear first hand of all the issues motorcyclists have to deal with. That alone is enough to make them a little more aware, hence safer. Take for example my lovely wife. She called me at work to let me know that on her way home from her job, when she went through a construction area on the freeway that we both have to drive through, she saw a gravel spill. How considerate is that?

I have come to the conclusion that maybe a part of drivers’ education should be to teach motorcycle riding to everyone. Then make them ride a motorcycle for a couple months. Heck, one commute on the freeways where I live in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex would give them a real eye opener. Or, maybe they should just have to take a ride with someone to get a glimpse of what it is like to be on the other end of a loaded cage. I can say that the motorcycle riding experience has definitely made me a safer cage driver.

Ride on
Torch

Midlife Motorcycle Madness is now on Alltop - All the top Motorcycle News

Alltop is a one stop news aggregator website similar to, and inspired by, Popurls. I usually check this site for the latest news everyday. They have everything organized neatly by subject. This makes it easy for the user to bookmark just the subjects they are interested in. The layout and color scheme is simple, easy to read, and navigate. Clicking on a link opens the complete article in a separate window making navigation much easier. You can check out all your favorite news sites at once on Alltop.

Rid on,
Torch

The MSF Basic Rider Course Part 5

I left early Sunday morning to head to the next phase of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course. It was still raining and after being soaked yesterday I wanted to stop at the local Wal-Mart and see if they had a rain suit. I headed straight back the sporting goods section and found that they were out of rain suits my size. I grabbed a waterproof jacket at least, thinking that some protection was better than none, and headed to the class.

We got the motorcycles set up while the Instructor set up today’s courses using small flat top cones. We practiced more of the same riding techniques we learned from the day before. Then we added in some lane changing practice, which we all performed fairly well. Then, suddenly, one of the more experienced dirt bike riders dropped his bike making a turn. Funny, I always figured that it would be one of us less experienced riders that would drop one. Neither he nor the bike was hurt much other than his pride.

By now it had rained enough that my legs were soaked again. Soon the water started seeping in from the neck opening of my waterproof jacket. My shirt acted like a wick and just soaked it in. After a while of riding in the rain it wasn’t long until there was not much of me left dry again. This waterproof jacket was not designed with motorcycle riding in mind.

Then we moved on to the figure eights. You have to ride the bike in the friction zone making a complete figure eight inside a very, very small rectangle (60’x20’). The Instructor demonstrated it for us a couple of times and we were ready to try it on our own. Almost everyone had a hard time staying inside the rectangles borders and keeping the circles the same size. So far I found this to be the most challenging part of the class. We had to get it down to pass the riding portion of the course in order to go get our licenses. After a couple of tries it got easier.

I was still amazed at how well the motorcycle tires gripped the wet road surface. I did not imagine that with it being so wet and leaning the bikes over while turning at speed the tires would not slip. Once I got used to it my confidence in the handling characteristics of the bike went up and my abilities to navigate the bike through the various turns and stops went up as well. Motorcycles are indeed fascinating machines.

Soon the Instructor felt we all had it down enough to start doing some of the exercises for the riding test. He let us take a practice run first and then do the one that counted for the test while he graded us and the others watched. One by one we went through all the lessons. Everyone passed the course and the instructor passed out the paperwork we needed to go to the Department of Public Safety to take the written test for our licenses.

A week or so later I took a long lunch from work and went to take my test for the license. It was basically a rehash of the things we learned in the MSF Basic Rider Course and similar to its written test. Because I took the riding portion of the test in during the course I did not have to take it again at the DPS. They gave me a temporary paper license, took a photo for my new drivers license that arrived in the mail a month or so later. Now if I only had a bike to ride!...

Ride on,
Torch

The MSF Basic Rider Course Part 4

We graduated from walking our motorcycles to using the friction zone, the point when releasing the clutch that the clutch just starts to bite and move the bike. From there it wasn’t long before we were riding the bikes around. The skills we practiced after the veteran Instructor demonstrated for us were numerous. Some of the lessons we practiced that first day were, cornering, slalom, sharp turns, stop and goes, and hard braking. I’m sure I’ve left something out.

Counter steering came almost naturally to me. I will not go into a long explanation here. Basically, on a motorcycle, other than at very slow speeds, when you want to turn, you actually turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction of the way you want to go. This induces the motorcycle to lean and then turn.

One of the most important lessons I learned when taking the course was that the bike would go where you are looking. I had read about it and now I got the chance to see it in action. The bike will follow where your eyes are focused. You do not want to look at the obstacle you are tying to avoid, but rather, the track that you want to follow. Also, the motorcycle can do a lot more than you think it can.

Another lesson that was confirmed happened because of the rain. I came to a stop somewhere in the parking lot and planted both feet firmly on the asphalt. My right foot however did not stop moving. Despite the aggressive tread design on the boots, my right foot had landed on a red parking lot stripe. When my foot hit the stripe it slid sideways giving me a slight scare that I might drop the bike right before my foot hit the unpainted asphalt and the tread bit in and came to a stop.

We took an hour break for lunch and then came back and practiced some more. Next we practiced riding over an obstacle. The obstacle we used was a 4/4 board that we shifted our weight from back to front on the bike as we drove over perpendicularly. We were all getting used to the motorcycles by now. What really amazed me was how well they gripped the road, even with it being constantly wet. In between practice courses we could get the bikes up to a little faster speeds, turning and stopping. They just stuck to the wet ground, very impressive.

Soaking wet after a hard days motorcycle training learning all kinds of new skills it was time to go for the day. We helped put up all the bikes, cones and equipment.

Tomorrow we would be learning some more challenging things and then take the Motorcycle Riding test so we could go to the Texas Department of Public Transportation and take the Motorcycle Riding License test. The forecast for tomorrow was still rain. I could hardly wait.

Ride on,
Torch

The MSF Basic Rider Course Part 3

Saturday morning came early with a dark cloudy sky covering the landscape threateningly. I grabbed a windbreaker and headed to the office complex not far from my house where the class would be held. I got there early again and waited for the instructor to come let us in, taking close note of the high humidity in the air. We did not have to wait long.

We took the MSF Basic Rider course test and everyone passed. This test would be similar to the State Motorcycling License test we would have to take at the Department of Public Safety. The test is not real hard and if you only paid half attention during the class you should be able to pass it. A lot of it is just plain common sense. After the tests we headed to the spot where we would be doing the riding part of the course.

The riding part of the MSF Basic Rider course was to be held at a local sporting stadiums parking lot. When the instructor got there he unlocked the fenced in area where the bikes were located and passed out the keys. The bikes were a mix of makes with engine sizes varying between 125 and 150 c.c.’s from various local motorcycle dealers. The majority of them were 150 c.c.’s. The Instructor let us pick a bike out that was like one we were planning on riding, either sport, dual sport or cruiser. I think they even had a moped in the mix. He let the ones, like me, that needed a helmet pick one out. Then we rolled the bikes around and lined them up where we were going to start.

About then is when it started to rain and I put on my windbreaker. It would not be long before it was soaked all the way through. As the class progressed the more and more wet I became. Finally I was completely soaked, shirt, pants, and lastly my feet. I found out the hard way that my new riding boots were not waterproof. Welcome to the world of motorcycling.

If you have never ridden a motorcycle before you need not be afraid. We started off with the very basics familiarizing ourselves with the bikes controls. Then we did the "duck walk", walking the bikes about fifty feet and back with the engines off just to get the feel of the bikes. Our Instructor, a motorcycle veteran of 30 plus years, demonstrated each step for us, sometimes more than once, each step of the way. He made it appear easy.

All the while the Texas sky was cryin’, sprinkling her built up humidity back down on us. I could feel the water dripping off the back of my helmet and snaking it’s way down my back. It was not the normal gulley washer and then gone type of rain we normally have. This was a constant nagging rain that lasted throughout the day. Fortunately it was not too cold. I made a mental note to purchase a rain suit soon.

Ride on,
Torch

The MSF Basic Rider Course Part 2

It was Friday evening and I had left work early and arrived at the small office complex where the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Riders Course was to be held. I had arrived at the small two story office building fifteen to twenty minutes before the class was to begin. It appeared that I was the first person there, so I stayed in my old Ford Explorer and waited for more people to arrive. The small office complex was located not to far from a major freeway on one of the main roads running north and south through the Mid-Cities. The building itself already looked old and worn and in need of maintenance and minor repairs. The Texas climate is hard on buildings and everything else for that matter.

I did not have to wait long before several other vehicles started to arrive. Pretty soon people started to get out and gather at the entrance to the stairs leading up to the second story office where the course was going to be held. I got out of my vehicle and joined them. It was a good mix of people. There were two young guys that drove in together in an old pickup truck that looked like typical construction workers from the clothes and work boots they were wearing. There were a couple of well to do business types. There was also some nerdier looking middle-class types. I would say ages ranged from the lower twenties to mid fifties.

An older gentleman carefully pulled up on an older model Honda Shadow, parked his bike and removed his helmet. He was weathered and tough looking and handled his bike like a pro. Since he was riding a bike it was easy to assume that this was our Instructor. He dismounted and came over and introduced himself. Indeed he was the teacher for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course we were there to take. We went up stairs to the room the course would be held in and got the class underway.

The Room was small but adequate with several small tables set up with chairs around them. The air conditioner did not appear to be working and it was hot and stuffy inside. At the front of the class was a TV with a VCR hooked up to it. Everyone introduced themselves and told about how much motorcycling experience they had. Experience ranged from none to multiple years. Some had off road dirt bike experience. We had to fill out paperwork and sign a risk waiver.

We all got our MSF Basic Rider Course material and Handbook to study. And with formalities over we watched the Video about motorcycling and safety. The Instructor paused the tape in several places so we could answer questions and have discussions about the material. We then went though our workbooks given to us filling in all the blanks and marking the correct answers. The material was not that hard to learn and it would cover everything needed to pass the motorcycle license test. We also learned the "T-CLOCS" Pre-Ride Checklist and tons of safety information. We had to pass the course test in the morning before we got to proceed with the riding part of the course.

Ride on,

Torch