First solo ride

[motoman]

My first street ride..had to ride 24 miles to get to the test area so I could get my license.Had to go to hardware store to get a license to drive there..nutz.
Learning to ride in the rain,stay loose and don't tense up,it is not that bad,stay out of the oil drip line and watch out for tar snakes they will give a little OH Chit once in awhile.
Just beware of what is around you,front back and sides...enjoy.
Oh yeah watch out for the painted lines in the road especially when wet,they musta changed the paint formula around here,have a stop bar about two feet wide on a bit of a hill and I just barely make it across without sliding when I first start out.

Semi flowtation glass beads for reflectivity is major cause of wheel slipping. So, definitely watch crossing the lines in a curve, wet OR dry! Just a word of advice from one who stripied the highways 15 of my 31yrs. employed by Colo. Dept. of Transportation.

[STEPPENWOLF]

Motoman..so you are the one

[newc4]

. . . and decreasing radius turns. Usually most consequential on off ramps since you're at speed. Braking while turning can be a bad combo.

[motoman]

Motoman..so you are the one

Just on the Western Slope of Colo. Majority of states contract out the highway striping, among other duties. If you happen to observe one striping, you'll see beads coming out of a bead gun behind the paint gun. What makes STOP bars and such so slick at intersections is the fact that they are cut out thermo-plastic patterns cut out, layed down and then heated with a propane gun in order for them to stick to the pavement. So yes, stop bars and such are really slick, wet or dry, and will throw back of bike off taking off from an intersection. Some applications are recessed in pavement, but still really slick. Just another hazard for us ALL to be aware of.

[ViperRon]

I agree Moto those beads are slick and a hazard I have a little experience with but in the rain and fog at times its the only thing giving enough reflectivity to see where you are.Many people in cars when they can't see they are all over the road their side your side and I know you don't want anyone else on your side you been there done that!

[Bonz]

Amen STEPPENWOLF!

[MaximPhil]

Keep your head UP. Look way down the road. Watch your mirrors. Stay out of other vehicle blind spots. Keep your mind in the game...you are riding everything else can wait until you arrive. Enjoy the ride.
Phil

[ViperRon]

When I got my bike in 1980 I was in the military and they had a real problem with young riders getting injured and killed on bikes so the base course was structured to reduce statistics. You had to pass with a 100% score and to bring a bike on Base you had to have a base permit so it really controlled issues with military personnel riding motorcycles. These were rules the instructor put up as best I can remember.


Basic rules of the road for Motorcycles on this base.

1 Everything put on the roadway is designed to make you slip slide wreck or run over you.

2 At the very best your brakes may not stop you in time to prevent you from hitting something but will stop you fast enough that anything behind you will run over you.

3 Most can not see or hear you on the road and if they do, see you as the problem.

4 Police look for easy tickets and tag you are it.

5 Generally cars and trucks do not dodge the squirrel or dog unless they can hit you doing it.

6 Motorcycle riders who loose concentration and focus are called statistics.

7 This course was specifically designed by the State Police Motorcycle Police Training Program and implemented here to reduce statistics.



Many people failed and hated the course because it was so nitpicky but lots of good thought processes and even though I had a lot of experience by then taught me a lot.

[Schming]

#6

Words to LIVE by

[MaximPhil]

Words to LIVE by

Hi Schming,
+1 I think #6 is the best. The others are good too. The one about breaks definitely applies to the XS.
Phil

[latexeses]

Best advice I ever got about riding...

RIDE LIKE YOU ARE INVISIBLE!

And...

DON'T BELIEVE A BLINKER...