Thanks to dgyver, I was able to work on my bike this father's day with my daddy AND RIDE IT.

So I hopped on for the first time since my MSF class 4+ years ago.  It's ok, everyone told me.  It's like riding a bike!  

Picture it, lonely dirt road, daddy following me in my isuzu ('ready to pick up the peices') me, in full gear wobbling out in 1st gear.  So, we're getting to the end of the road, and dad says 'just make a uturn, put your foot down if you have to' and i try, but the turn is getting too wide, and I'm fairly sure I'm about to end up in the neighbors yard, having visions of terrible trouble going from gravel to grass, and I just lay it down, engine cover side first.  I doubt I had even ridden 250 yards before laying it down.

Broke the left mirror and scratched a little plastic. I'm completely fine.  As is the bike.  My poor ego tho.. Dad won't simmer down about it.  Keeps calling me 'dropee.'

The rest of the afternoon's refresher course went much better.  Can't wait for next weekend!!!!!!

And I gotta tell you, I love this little bike!

me, looking all squidly (no, i didn't ride like this!!)

ah, hahahahahahahaha!

no, just kidding.

I've found that being nervous can be the worse cause of minor (or sometimes even major) accidents...  if you think you can do it, you'll do fine, if you don't think you can, down you go.     I actually layed my bike down once coming out of my driveway when the street was more icy than I thought.  I did a smooth, slow turn, and as I tried to straighten out, my bike smoothly went down onto it's side.  Scraped up the side a bit, and bruised my ego, but no serious harm done.   :mrgreen:

Congrats on getting back on a motorcycle, though...  I just got mine running (mostly) again.

Well, look at it like this. At least now you don't have to worry about the first drop. Glad your alright and you got back on a bike.

Ba ha ba ha ba ha   :lol:

Sounds vaguely familiar.  Six weeks ago I got my first bike.  I too took the MSF course about 5 years ago.  I got on it, turned to go down my driveway, and toppled over.

I did it again one week after that, so here's to us...  

Since then, I'm doing much better.

Smooth Dave

Quote from: SmoothDaveBa ha ba ha ba ha   :lol:

...
I did it again one week after that, so here's to us...  

Since then, I'm doing much better.

Uh oh, i was hoping this would be the only oopsie.  maybe I can oneupya and keep it sticky side down from now on.



~e

Glad you weren't hurt.  Remember, gravel roads are not the best places to practice you skills.  Maybe find an empty parking lot somewhere?  Good luck with the learning.

Glad I could get you riding but if I knew you would lay it down I may have had second thoughts  

Good to here you are getting back on the bike. I have had more that my share of wrecks and it will take a lot more to keep me from riding.

Sometimes when there is someone following it makes you nervous. I have had slower riders wave me past since they do not like me following.

Practice turning, it will make you much more confident in slow riding. It takes a little while to get the feel of a full steering lock u-turn, especially in grass. Shift your weight to the outside peg and will be surprised how tight the bike will turn.

i find that the gs isn't that easy to U-Turn. the buell i MSF'd in was so nice to turn and u-turn. i got done with my msf and went into the neighborhood to practice uturns (very sparce traffic). it was the closes to falling it's been. i was really close to setting it down on its left side, but i managed to keep my leg under it and my knee barely touching the ground. after an "umph" or two, i got it back up. who knows, it may have even touched the pegs or something.
i've been nervous to do UTurns ever since, but i practice every time i go out.

i bet you've got some nice roads in New Hampshire to practice your knee draggin tho. south eastern wisconsin is the worst.

hey,, where in new hampshire              i live in massachusetts         but got a lake house im lake sunapee

if ur newhere close     mybe we can go for a gs ride

Glad you're allright and had a good time (minus the drop, but now you know what that's like; you're getting experience!).

MSF practice: Turning your head in the way you want to go. Finding the radius that the bike can turn in will give you a very good idea how much room you need to make a tight u-turn. I have found in my company parking lot that the tightest I can get a u-turn is a little over two parking spaces which (after a quick jog out there with a measuing tape) is approximately 18 ft.

You turn your head, you look where you want to go, you tell the bike where you want to go and how (steer, throttle, clutch, gear (not necessarily in that order)). Don't mind the bike, that's when it drives you. You drive the bike and tell it what to do.

Have fun!

Yes, horray and thankgoodness I've dropped it for the first time.  I was joking with my father about that was what first bikes are for.  It has been dropped a couple times before I even got it too.

Everyone, thanks for the wellwishes.  It was completely almost a non-event.  Just broke the mirror.  And scratched the already scratched plastic.  Funny, it made my heart go a little faster next time I pulled out, but I didn't even CONSIDER for a moment not getting right back up.

perfdrug - yeah, I can't wait until I'm confident enough to go exploring.  There are TONS of twisty turnies out there I'm just aching for.

brandon - It will be quite some time before I feel comfy enough to ride with anyone!  I'm planning on a bunch more time just stupid start stop turn riding, practicing my skills, but thanks for the offer.  Maybe towards the end of the summer- I'm actually not to far from you - my pop's house is in henniker-  right off 202/9.

Scratch - did you honestly just run out there with a tape measure?  You're TOO MUCH.  that radius would change with speed tho, right?  Or not necessarily?  I'm still working the kinks out.

Anyway, is it friday night so I can get out there again yet, boys and girls?

I did. It's just right out my huge office window that is my warehouse garage door.

That radius would change with speed.

This was done basically idling around, but as was taught at MSF, feathering the clutch, feeling for the friction zone in the clutch, maintaining rpm's around 1500 in first gear, and what I beleive is called 'counter leaning the bike' where you lean the bike but not you to reach the maximum lean angle for that speed to get your tightest turn radius.

And looking at the tree planted in the middle of the four parking spaces (basically over my shoulder).

Its bad ju-ju to laugh at someone for dropping a bike, everybody does it.  Looks like your having a lot of fun, I'm sure you've got a proud dad too.  Keep it up, I'm sure you won't have any problems finding riding partners.

Quote from: esokittyJust broke the mirror.

I have a left mirror, if you want it I will put it in the mail for you.

Bwahahahahahahahahha.

Man, dgyver, are you just the coolest guy ever or what?

How much?  You know the drill.

Man, are you guys this helpfull to all the noobs or just the ones who fill out the riding jackets like so?

:lol:

~e

Well...I do have a weakness for a chic on a bike.  

Watch your mail, it is on me.  

OK OK Its probably neither... Dgyver has recently loaded up on a rather ratty looking GS, so I believe he's doing the normal thing by creating the demand for what he has, and then rushing to supply that demand... Usually the snide remarks and useless comments follow, but since you have opened with a crash report, and weren't doing anything stupid and the reports of people getting killed on the hyper sports have taken its toll on our minds... so the snide remarks have subsided a bit... ha ha... fill a jacket... we ignore everyone regardless of their jacket status... Ask the other girls here.
Cool.
Srinath.

i think he's just bein nice. lots of free and ultra-cheap stuff gets traded around here. stick around, and you'll experience tons of gstwin.com love. every transaction i've had with people on here has been better than perfect.

Hey, as long as you still love to ride, thats all that matters. I wrecked awhile back. My bro did too. The only difference is, I still ride.

 -Anti