Brand new rider

[Magnanimous J]

A month ago, at the tender age of 22, I did what I'd always wanted to do and bought a motorcycle. I chose a 2004 GS500F in bright yellow with 600 miles on it. I taught myself to ride it in the parking lot of my apartment complex and have put 200 more miles on it in the last month, (seattle sucks when your waiting for a sunny day in February). Im waiting to take the safety course before I take it on the freeway, there are alot of residential areas where I live to ride around in. My only complaint with the bike is not being able to find an aftermarket muffler. I think the engine sounds like a lawn mower, and Id like to find a nicer sounding pipe. Its certainly fast enough for me at this point and Ive scared the crap out of myself a couple of times with how fast I can get the thing between stoplights. My main question is this: What do you say to the people who immediately tell you your going to die on it? Everyone I know feels the need to tell me a story about someone they knew who crashed and died. I love riding that bike, and when Im on it, Im having a blast. But sometimes, afterword, Im thinking, "what the hell did I get myself into?" Does that go away?

P.S. Yesterday, A light turned red at I had to brake hard. I locked up the back and skidded straight for about 15-20 feet. How do I hard brake without doing that?

[annguyen1981]

Welcome!

I guess I'm gonna be the first bad guy and say that you should take the MSF course BEFORE you jump on the bike again.  It taught me a bunch of good techniques that have saved me on the road.

Now that that's out of the way, are you using the front brake as well?  The front brake has the most stopping power, somewhere around 70% of the total stopping power.  When you use BOTH brakes evenly at the same time, you will be able to stop more effectively.

[Codger]

ditto, ditto, ditto  annguyen 100%

[Jeff P]

Go buy a copy of "Proficient Motorcycling".  Read it over a weekend.  It covers all of the basic lessons you'll learn in the safety course.  No kidding, 99% of the sorts of questions beginning riders ask about riding techniques and street strategies are answered in the course and in books like Proficient Motorcycling.  I dust off my copy every spring.

Some people simply cannot be convinced that riding a motorcycle isn't a death wish.  Best you can do is be aware of the risks and manage them accordingly.  Get training, wear gear (full face helmet, riding jacket, gloves, pants, and boots), and dont ride like an idiot.  Stay out of the rain for a while, and ride during the day.  Never ride after you've had a drink.

jeff

[pandy]

Welcome, Magnanimous, and +10,000 to what the others have said here. Teaching yourself how to ride is like performing surgery on yourself without anesthesia: it might be *slightly* possible, but do you really want to? 

[Egaeus]

Dude, MSF class post haste.  Give the keys to a parent and instruct them not to let you have them until there's a motorcycle endorsement on your license.

[Grainbelt]

How not to die: ATGATT. All the gear, all the time.

Pls tell us you bought alot of gear to go along with the bike. And take the MSF, I rode my GS for a month before the class, and I felt much safer and more confident after the class.

[Cal Amari]

There are other members in your area; you should try to meet a few of them while you're waiting to take the MSF class. I'll bet they'd be happy to find another GSTwinner in Seattle, so make yourself available, and be prepared to make some new friends. Odds are good that someone might already have installed an aftermarket exhaust you'll like, or they could have some good suggestions for mods you'll want to do (like rejetting those lean, stock carbs).

Knowing others who ride the same type of motorcycle can help you a lot, because they've probably already done many of the things you haven't learned yet, such as how to brake properly, especially in low-traction / wet-road conditions. Maybe someone else has adjusted their clutch for smoother shifting, and you'll want to learn how to adjust yours to work the same way, or someone has installed gel-filled grips (to absorb some of the vibration), and you'll want to check them out... there are a thousand reasons for you to meet some of your local brethren.

To this day, in a tradition we started years ago, some of my friends still come over once a month for a combination bean-feed (we keep the garage doors WIDE OPEN) and wrenching session. We do our maintenance together, eat, watch sports on TV, flirt with the assorted wives and girlfriends who attend... keeps us connected, especially when the weather isn't suitable for riding. Everyone brings something for the table, and our one rule is that if someone has to ride / drive home later, no beer or booze shall cross their lips. We occasionally alternate the hosting duties, but since I have a three-car garage and a big backyard, most times we meet at my place. Mostly, the few single guys show up with their girlfriends, but every now-and-then, we make the effort to get everyone together, and it turns into a one-day three-ring circus...

Anyway, now that you've made your presence known, I hope some of the Seattle area members will PM you and make themselves known (are you out there, RVertigo, aaronstj, tophyr...?); hope some of you guys can find a dry weekend soon and meet the new rider in your neck of the woods...

[Trwhouse]

Hi there,
I agree with every word of what the others have shared here.
Get MSF certification now, before you ride again, or you are asking for trouble.
Get full gear, including helmet, proper boots, gloves and jacket, etc.
I've been riding for 30 years and nothing replaces the MSF class and its refreshers, including the Advanced Riding Class, which I took last summer I learned plenty and will take it yet again this summer.
Believe me, you're not smarter than everyone else and you can't do this educational stuff on your own.
Enjoy the bike, ride safe and we look forward to meeting you on the road soon.
Best wishes,
Todd

[scratch]

Welcome!

My main question is this: What do you say to the people who immediately tell you your going to die on it? Everyone I know feels the need to tell me a story about someone they knew who crashed and died.

Here's your answer:

I did what I'd always wanted to do and bought a motorcycle.  I love riding that bike, and when I'm on it, I'm having a blast.

But sometimes, afterword, I'm thinking, "what the hell did I get myself into?" Does that go away?

Yes.  Sometimes.  When you're having a good time.  But, you may get reminded (by yourself) when you encounter an "Oh, $#i+" moment, when you realize that you're riding in over your head.

I chose a 2004 GS500F in bright yellow with 600 miles on it.

Was the first service performed before you purchased it?

[RVertigo]

++ on the MSF...  You'll learn a lot of good habits, rather than bad ones.

So, go take it and let's go ride!


There are lots of Aftermarket muffler options...  Just about any will fit with some work.  The search function will be useful in finding info about just about everything... As well as the FAQs...  (Quick!  Someone post a link to 'em...  I'm overcome with laziness!)