:cheers: So I just registered here, and I've been on this site a few times B4 and I really like it. I just purchased my first bike. Which of course is a 2005 GS500F. I haven't rode it yet, cuz I wanted to finnish the bike course first, but in a few days I'll be on it. Ne advice? (PS I'm 21)
Good call to finish the course first...only advice I can give you is take it nice and slow....get used to riding on the streets with the bike before you start doing any spirited (sport) type riding....I remember a few years back when I took the course had an R6 already bought by the end of the class.....I took it to a parking lot with my father in law a few times b4 I even got on the street....Just take it easy and be patient....Grow comfortable, then get into what the bike can do....
The GS500 handles great and you'll really be able to carve the back roads...
What particularly do you need advice on? There is so much to know, where do we start?
Yes, do a course that will teach you the basics of motorcycle control, but don't assume this is all there is to know. Practice what you have been taught till it becomes second nature. It's your reflexes that will save you in an emergency as much as your knowledge, so the important skills have to be trained into your bank of reflexes. Always keep your bike well maintained, use the best tyres you can afford, and learn to do the simple everyday tasks such as chain adjustment for yourself.
Know your limits and learn where and when to push them. Do not allow yourself to be pressured into riding to someone else's skill level- you will get bored and do something dumb or try to hard and do something dumb.
Realise you will crash eventually, so dress to survive.
Accept that other road users don't give a toss about you. Yes, the government has a responsibility to provide good roads, but you know they don't always. Yes, other road users have a responsibility to take care, but you know they don't often. All the right philosophy in the world won't save you from poor roads, stupid or homicidal cagers, or plain bad luck. Take the precautions you can and live with the rest.
Welcome to the wonderful world of motorcycling. May you enjoy it as long as some of the rest of us have. :thumb: