yet another first ride story...

[alexmadden]

i had my first real ride yesterday, and it was amazing!  i've had my '93 GS for over a month, but i haven't had my license, so i've been resisting the temptation to take her out of the alley next to my building.  but i finished my MSF course over the weekend (which, just like everyone says, was a helpful, great experience) and i picked up my license yesterday morning.  i took a long lunch break to go home and get my bike, and then rode into work, taking my time to get there so i could get a feel for the bike on the open road.  i got a little nervous when she started feeling squirrely on one of those open-grate metal bridges, but aside from that everything felt great. 

sitting at work, riding was all i could think about for the rest of the day.  Longest.Afternoon.Ever.  when i finally managed to leave for the day, i intended to do a short, 20-30 minute ride, since i remembered what my MSF instructors had said about not overdoing it on your first day out.  my GS, however, had different plans, and i found myself unable to go home.  my normally 3 mile, 10 minute commute was stretched to over 30 miles and around 1.5 hours (mixed city, rural, and highway).  i was a little nervous at first, but as soon as i was able to relax and just let things flow (or "don't think about it, just let the ride happen" as my uncle told me when i was younger) everything seemed to click into place and it all felt completely natural.  all of the gentle-lean turns at 15mph that i had been practicing in my alley for weeks had instilled enough confidence that i felt comfortable tucking into a corner around 50mph, which i thought would take me weeks to do.  i finished the last few miles a highway heading back into the city, and once i got used to the wind buffeting, i actually felt comfortable at 65-70mph, something that i was not expecting at all.

i knew this was going to be fun, but i didn't expect to have this stupid grin stuck on my face 12 hours later...


Lastly:  thanks to everyone who posts on the boards and answers all of the questions that are asked.  not only has the forum given me lots of reading material for the last month while i've been waiting to ride, but i've found answers to every possible question that i've had about my bike or about riding, which i really appreciate.

alex

[Mayoke]

Awesome!
Sounds like you are well on your way to many good rides and great stories!   

[Cal Price]

Enjoy - stay visible - bikers have most fun but in most traffic situations are most vulnerable.

[groff22]

Right on... I think if you're lucky that grin won't go away.

3 years later I still get giddy on my GS.

Cheers, and welcome to the forum!
Jeff

[VSG]

I've been riding for a little over a week now and I still have a huge grin on my face.

A couple of days ago was my first time on the highway, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I much prefer backroads though.  Much more fun!

I rode a few times before the MSF, and I'm really glad I took it.  I gained confidence in my riding and could see myself doing things better right away.