The Reapers Blog--My very first bike

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The Reapers Blog--My very first bike

#1 Unread post by TheReaper »

Intro

Okay, this may take a bit of catching up as I'm about 5 weeks into my adventure, but I think I can keep things straight.

A little about me, my name is Chad and I live in the suburbs of Minneapolis MN. I'm married and the happy father of 3. I've been wanting a bike of my own since I was in Junior high (man that was a long time ago). At that time some friends of mine had gotten yamaha big wheels. For those that don't know they were dirtbikes with 3 wheeler tires on them. Honda had a version called the Fat cat. Not sure of the size engine, but being teenagers we didn't care. Fired them up and tore up anything not paved (and even some that was) I was over there riding every chance I got.

Of course my father never caved to my relentless bantering so I was stuck waiting until I could afford my own bike. To make a long story short it never seemed to materialize until I hit the ripe ol age of 31. Looking back on it now and the opportunities presented, I denied myself years of joy all in the sake of vanity. Yes, I was one of those fools who wanted the sportbike thus I never took advantage of opportunities to acquire a "lesser" bike that came my way. Sigh......can't change the past.

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#2 Unread post by TheReaper »

April/May 05

Every spring I get the itch and start trying to come up with a plan that will allow me to acquire a bike. This year was no exception. As we sat down and looked at the finances what did we see? Extra money? Well, I know what to do with that. And thus started my motorcycle career. It was back in April of this year I realized we had some extra dough to put towards a bike. We weren't quite sure yet of the amount available to us so I just started looking on the net and seeing what was out there. Man there is a lot out there and I started realizing how little I actually knew about bikes and riding.

I was doing a lot of looking on the net when I stumbled across this website. I've never seen a website with so much info in it. I spent hours browsing and absorbing. It really opened my eyes to what is involved not only with riding, but in buying a bike and gear as well.

Okay, remember that bit in the last post about my vanity? I'll run you through the process of my picking my bike. Of course being the uninformed motorcyclist I was, I was confident I was going to buy an R1. Okay, go ahead and laugh, I'll give you time.................................................................................................................................................................................................................Alright, times up. Realizing the cost of the R1, I decided I would settle for an R6, since they were cheaper. Again, insert laughter here. After reading this website and a couple others I decided maybe that wasnt' the best choice either. One day, towards the end of April after reading through this site I had finally decided I really wanted to look at the SV650S. I felt this was going to be the bike for me. So, I gather up the list of suggested bikes and headed on down to the local dealer.


We don't have a dealer here in MN that sells the 4 major japanese bikes, the best I could do was a dealer that sold Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. This was fine though considering it was the SV I was looking to purchase. I had found a couple of used SV's in the area, but I wanted to sit on it and look at them before I contacted the sellers. Figured the dealer would be good for that. I also wanted to be able to look at some of the other bikes suggested to newbies. When I got there, they had both the SV650 and the SV650S on the floor. They didn't have a Katana or GS500, but that was okay since I wanted to avoid a full fairing bike initially anyways. I took a quick look/sit at the Ninja. I'm sure it's a great bike, but it just didn't feel right for me. Not to mention I thought it was butt ugly. So, I went and sat on the SV650S and started chatting with the sales rep. The bike felt good, looked good wasn't really anything wrong with it. It was a little weird due to the more aggressive riding style (For a streetbike that is) but nothing I couldn't handle. Now, by this time I had pretty much made up my mind, looking at the bike had pretty much decided it for me.

But, the dealer had options. He pointed me towards the Kawasaki Z750S. Man, this bike feels nice too, and it sits more upright. Just like that all my confusion and indecision came crashing back. After leaving that day I went back to do more research. I figured I'd give Yamaha and Honda a look, just to be fair. I threw Honda out immediately. I just didn't like the look of it. Yamaha's FZ6 intrigued me a bit, but it was a passing interest. With more info and knowledge in hand about the Suzuki and kawasaki I went with the wife to get her opinion. Up to this point she was being supportive, but staying out of it since she knew I was the one who had to be happy with it. We went back down and I sat on both bikes while she looked on and gave me input. She noticed I looked more comfortable on the Kawasaki than the SV. We discussed it and felt maybe the more upright seating position was the way to go. The next night, just to be fair I went to yamaha dealer and sat on an FZ1. This dealer didn't have an FZ6, but I guess they sit the same. AFter sitting on it, I was hooked. I immediately found another yamaha dealer that had an FZ6 on the floor. Once I sat on it, it was decided. It combined the looks of the SV and the seating position of the Kawasaki. I called the original dealership up, said get me this bike and we've got a deal. And so it happened. They had one in a crate it would just take time to set it up. Took a few days to finalize the paperwork and get the bike prepped but it finally happened. I couldn't believe it. Was this rea? After all these years was I finally getting a bike?

Oh yes I was.

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#3 Unread post by TheReaper »

Sat May 14, 2005

Well, today was the big day. The financing was done, the bike was assembled and the weather was gorgeous. It was a Sat and the dealer opened at 10. I wanted to be there at 10 so I could sign the papers and spend some time getting gear. I had went earlier in the week to scout out some gear, so I was somewhat prepared, but it still was a lengthy process.

Anyways, that morning I borrowed a neighbors trailer and loaded everyone in the truck. Off we went. When we got there, the first bike I saw sitting on the floor was......you guessed it, a blue Yamaha FZ6 with a sold sign on it. It was beautiful, and almost mine. while waiting to sign the papers we spent the time to get gear. Man that stuff is expensive. Oh well, very worth it to be as safe as possible. The wife let me splurge a bit so I got a helmet with a nicer paint job, leather pants and jacket, gortex boots and a set of gloves. I was set.

At this time we went and signed the papers on the bike. By noon, the bike was officially mine. Woohoo!!!!! It was funny though, just after I bought my FZ walking out the dealer I was still looking and drooling on all the bikes I'd love to own. Too many bikes, not enough time. My sales rep took some time to show me the features of the bike and then helped load it onto the trailer. We got home a liitle after 1 in the afternoon. I was so excited at this time I didn't know where to begin.


I took the time to read the manual, pretty straightforward. The pants were on order, so I threw on the jacket, helmet and gloves and rode of into the wild blue yonder. Well, not really, but I did make it around the block without killing myself. It was fun. I couldn't believe what I'd been missing all those years.

There is a pretty big debate out there about what constitutes a good first bike. I realized I pushed the limits as it was but am happy with my bike. We seem like a good fit for each other. I bring this up because, while I know I will own a sportbike in my lifetime, I'm glad I didn't get one initially. My FZ is pretty docile in the low end of the RPM spectrum and has been very kind to me when I make mistakes. One of the first mistakes I made was 1 block from my house. I was at a stop sign. Just as I started to go I adjusted on the seat to get a bit more comfortable. Well, I hadn't learned to keep my throttle wrist controlled while the rest of my body moved, so as I shifted I inadvertantly gave it a blip of throttle. Nothing happened other than me scaring myself a bit, but man am I glad I didn't get a more responsive bike initially. Bad thins could've happened.

That night after everyone was at my house I showed off my new baby. It was cool because my nephew, who's 10, had just gotten one of those electric motobikes so me and him were going around the blocks on our bikes. I gotta say, I'm in a great neighborhood for this sort of thing. We had a good time and plenty of pictures were taken. I think I put on 11 miles that day. I went to bed that night and could hardly sleep waiting for morning so I could go riding again. Is it morning yet?

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#4 Unread post by TheReaper »

More May 05

After getting the bike home on the 14th I took the opportunity on the Sun the 15th to do some putzing around on it. Again, put on about 10-15 miles or so. On Monday, the 16th I not only celebrated my 31st birthday with a ride, but I also enrolled in the BRC course. I was signed up for memorial day weekend. I also went the next day and picked up a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. Good read and very informative.

In the weeks leading up to my BRC course I continued toodling around on the bike. Even got decent enough to take it to work a few times. I work about 5 miles from my house and a relatively light traffic drive. Not too bad. I do recall that it was on one of my trips home from work I killed my bike for the only 2 times I've done it. As I was approaching a 4 way stop I was downshifting and watching the cars. I didn't get down into 1st. So, being a new rider I still wasn't giving it as much gas to make my starts smooth, I definately didn't have enough gas to start in 2nd. Boom, it killed. Son of b***. Fire the bike up and try again. Boom, it killed. WTF!!! By this time I'm cussing like you wouldn't believe and I can just feel everyone watch me. "Look at the noob. He's going to do something funny" Arrrggghhhh. I finally got going but ended up cussing at myself the rest of the way home. I was so embarrased.

I also remember an incident during one of my nightly rides. I was practicing my cornering and working on keeping my head up and looking through the corner. I was almost done with my ride and taking a right hand curve at around 55mph. I was set up by the centerline so I could get into my turn. As I was getting there I noticed a big ol truck and trailer in the other lane coming at me. Oh S***, that's a big truck. That's a really big truck. And the more I stared at it, the more I drove straight at it. I finally tore my eyes away, slowed a bit and made the curve, but not before scaring the bejeebies out of me.

Lesson learned: Look where you want to go.

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#5 Unread post by TheReaper »

Again, more May 05

MSF BRC

Well, it finally came time to take the BRC. It was excited, more so for the range than the class, but excited none the less. I took the classroom portion on a Tues night, from 5:30-10. What a letdown that proved to be. Sadly, after reading the state book to get my permit and reading Proficient motorcycling as well as this website, I didn't really gain any new knowledge in the classroom. But, reinforcement of knowledge is just as good, right?

My biggest dissapointed with the classroom part was there was no open exchange of ideas or stories to build on the principles they were trying to teach. The class was broken into 4 groups, each group was assigned a few questions to answer and then each group read aloud the question and answer to the class. Once a question was answered you moved on. After a certain group of questions were answered we watched a short video and moved on. The videos were good, some info was there, but the instructors could've done a better job of building discussions. One beef I remember specifically was the instructor ran through the list of necessary gear to ride the range. The bare minimum was over the ankle boots, long pants, gloves, long sleeved shirt, helmet and eye protection. They didn't expand on that to pormote safety or the myriad of options available to a rider to help keep them safe. That bothered me when you were putting 24 people who had little to no riding experience on a motorcycle. I got through it though and passed the necessary written test so I could do the range.

I debated long and hard on using my bike at the range. Looking back on it, I wish I would've. I decided not to because I figured if I made a mistake at the range and dropped a bike, I'd rather it be theirs than mine. My range was from 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sat and Sun. There were 12 scheduled for the range. Surprisingly we didn't have anyone in standby during our course. I got my gear and headed down. We got to choose the bikes we wanted to try and I ended up on a Yamaha Dual sport. After a couple hundred miles on my FZ that was a really weird feeling. The suspension was softer, it was narrower, not to mention lighter.

After everyone got a bike we were ready to start. It was then a new mustang pulled into the lot and Gomer Pyle came running at us cause he was late. This guy was unbelievable, totally unprepared, unkempt and he had stuff falling out of his pockets like you wouldn't believe. We waited for him to get setup and the class started. It was slow going at first, especially since I had some familiarity already with my FZ. I stuck with it and we got going. On our first trip across the lot with our feet actually on the pegs, Gomer Pyle developed a cramp or something and had to leave the class. I have a feeling there was more to it than that, but I'm guessing. He was moste definately not safe on a motorcycle. Glad they figured that out early so we didn't have to deal with him. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I did some exercises better than others but overall grasped them relatively quickly. I do remember my first quickstop I wasn't used to the rear brake on the dual sport and locked the tire up for a good 15 feet. Oops. Luckily nothing happened.

On Sun, I rode my bike to the class. One of the other guys was looking at buying an FZ and wanted to see mine. Hey, an excuse to ride, no problemo there. Except, I had to leave my house at around 6 so I could find backways to the range and it was only about 50 degrees out when I left and it rained on me for part of the trip. It sounds horrible, but it was actually a nice trip, the rain was a drizzle and I was dressed for the cold. It was really a good ride. This time I ended up on a Kawasaki KLR250 with a kickstart. That was fun on a cold morning. After I got it going it was no big deal, but man. We started out with the U-turns (figure 8's) and built on the exercises from the previous day. I sucked at the u-turns by the way. I finally got it to where I could do them, but I was horrible at it and fighting the bike every step of the way. Mostly this day was uneventful, we had a good class and everyone grasped the concepts well. The only incident came later on when we were working on braking while in a corner. They set up the curve and told us at sometime during the corner, at our discretion, get the bike upright and stop as quickly as possible, not worrying about whether you went out of the cones. The idea was to just implant the notion of getting the bike upright before trying to stop. Well, one guy didn't get upright soon enough and hit the brakes a little too hard and down he went. The only crash of our whole weekend. He was okay, but it was a good reminder to not do anything sudden or violent, always strive for smooth on a bike.

When the time came I was asked to lead the test, basically I was first through every excercise. Oh great. Oh well, I got through it. When it was all said and done I passed. I lost 9 points total. I aced the figure 8's, go figure. I lost 4 points because I didn't stop quick enough and five because she said I didn't accelerate through the cornering portion of it. I really shouldn't care about the score so much, but my beef with the stopping portion was, we never practiced or were told that was how we were going to be scored. So I always worked on the technique and stopped quickly. Now all of a sudden I have to do it in a certain space? Oh well, like I said, I passed.

I went down on Tues and paid the fine and became a licensed motorist in the state of Minnesota. All in all I liked the class and the idea behind it. The range was 100 times better than the classroom and they actually did expound on what they were saying. I plan on signing up for the ERC sometime later this summer and maybe some track days next year.

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#6 Unread post by Psycluded »

Sounds like your instructors were going through the motions a bit more. Our class was only 5 guys, but we still had a lot of discussion time in the classroom about street strategies, stories of crashes, etc.

Our range time was awesome. The instructor was incredibly patient and helpful, though it helped that everyone there had ridden their bikes for a few weeks. He pushed us to challenge ourselves in the exercises and push the limits of what we were comfortable in doing on our bikes. I know I am now a TON more comfortable with slow-speed tight turns because of that figure-8 box, because of how he told me to do it... "feather the clutch, use the back brakes, then when you think you're about to fall over, look, lean, and roll on the throttle while slowly feathering the clutch out." I was about to do them perfectly, and comfortably after that.

I've got my ERC this August. Hope yours goes well!
-Psycluded-
2005 Honda CBR600F4i - STOLEN
2005 Honda CBR600RR Black Tribal Edition

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#7 Unread post by TheReaper »

Thanks. I've since then went out and practiced on my bike. I've got room to improve, but much, much better now with them.

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#8 Unread post by TheReaper »

May/June 05

Well, to get caught up a bit the rest of May and the early portion of June were nothing spectacular. It rained a lot so my riding consisted of mad dashes in the brief dry spells we had. I have a full set of gear so the rain doesn't bother me, I stay mostly dry. However, I would like to find something to help with the faceshield. It's a pain looking through a shield covered with raindrops. Since I was now endorsed I didn't have any restrictions on my riding. That allowed me to experience a couple of firsts. First ride in the dark and the first ride on the freeway.

My first ride in the dark was on the way home after dark. Once a week I work second shift. I live in a rural suburb of the cities so deer are not uncommon in my area. I was a little anxious about it, but it turned out to be pretty easy. As long as I stayed at the posted my low beam did just fine, the brights were more than enough. In fact, my biggest problem with the ride was it was wet out and I didn't wear my riding boots. My feet got soaked on the way home. Since then I've ridden after dark a few times and i'm a lot more comfortable with it. Still have to remember to keep letting my eyes glance off the road instead of just straight ahead.

My first ride on the freeway was actually about 7 miles round trip. Did it towards dusk just to do it and see what it was like. Cakewalk. It was easy and I adjusted to the speeds really quickly. I've since traversed the freeway several times and it doesn't bother me a bit. For me the biggest thing I have to keep reminding myself is to not get complacent on the freeway. Keep my eyes moving, if I do that I'm good. I do find on the freeway, more than any other road, I tend to let my mind wander a bit. Still working on that. While I know with time and experience I won't have to concentrate as hard as a new rider, I'm not at that point yet.

I've had a couple opportunities over the past month to show my bike off, a task I'm more than willing to do. I've owned my truck just over a year, I've washed it about 3 times during that time. I've had my bike 5 weeks, I've washed it 4 times over that span. Go figure, guess I knnow what takes a priority to me.

One observation I want to point out, on Sun June 11th I went to my cousins graduation party. My other cousin showed up and he rides a 99 Suzuki GSXR600. Of course I took it for a ride. Man, does that thing have some power available to it. While I know I will have a supersport at sometime in the future, I'm glad I made the decision I did with my FZ. We really seem a good fit.

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#9 Unread post by TheReaper »

June 19, 2005


:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

Weather forcast yesterday was 80 and sunny, it was gorgeous when I left work. Today, 85 and Sunny. Tomorrow, 87 and Sunny. Tuesday, 88 and sunny. So, why all the frowns you may ask? Because of my work schedule I had to drop my bike at the dealer yesterday so they could do the initial service on it Mon. I might have it back late Tues, but Weds is more realistic.

:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

It's killing me right now to see a hole in my garage where my bike is usually parked. AAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!

At least it's giving me some time to reflect. I've got right around 625 miles on the FZ and the past month has been a blast. Riding is everything I thought it would be and so much more. Normally, I don't like going places, I prefer to stay home. But if the weather is nice I'm out looking for reasons to ride and going even if I don't have a reason. I love it.

The bike is a good ways into the break in period and starting to show it. As well, I can see my skills progressing as everything I do tends to be smoother. I have also become a little more aggressive, working on quick acceleration and taking turns a little faster. It's a great thing to experience. I still have a tendency to make silly mistakes not remembering what gear I'm in or occasionally too quick of a release on the clutch. Mainly it's stuff that will come with time. I can tell the muscle memory is developing, just need more riding. Oh darn, that breaks my heart. I have to spend more time on the bike.

So I rode the bike to the dealer yesterday and had the wife picked me up. We're still working on getting her a jacket and helmet. We are taking a trip about an hour north of us for a concert in a few weeks and I plan on taking the bike if the weather is nice. Need to get the gear so we can go practice first. Of course while at the dealer I had to sit on the bikes and drool. Funny thing, I've got a brand new FZ6 and I was still running around the dealer like a kid in a candy store. My next objective is to convince the wife to let me get another bike so I'll have something to ride while one is in the shop. :lol:

As I sat on a few I was originally looking at, it again reaffirmed my choice to the get the FZ. For a first bike it just seems the most compatible for me. I did sit and drool on the R1 and dream "Someday I will own this bike"

We left the dealer a little closer to acquiring gear as well. While we didn't buy them we were armed with the sizes she'd need and a good idea of what helmet she wants. The wife did some looking that night on the net and found a good deal on the jacket so I think we'll get that ordered today. She really likes the Arai, as do I, so we will probably have to get that at the dealer. They are spendy, but I really am happy with my choice for a helmet.

Today we're doing breakfast for Fathers Day, I got a set of poker chips from the kids. Woohoo!!!!! Gotta work tonight and tomorrow. I'm off on Tues so I'm hoping they may be able to get the bike done by the morning so I can get it and go riding. I'm kid free on tues so if the bike is done in the a.m. I'm contemplating a trip to visit a friend in Winona. That's about 150-200 miles from my house. It'd be a one day deal, down and back so round trip about 300 miles or so. It's gorgeous in the bluffs and I think it'd be a great ride, but I'm wondering if it may not be too far at first. I'll contemplate it a bit and see how bad the itch to ride is by the time my bike is done.

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#10 Unread post by TheReaper »

Tues, June 21, 2005

Well, it's sunny and warm today. The wife is taking the kids to meet her sister and I have the day off from work. Think I'll go for a ride. Oh wait, I can't. I still don't have my bike back yet. Man, this is killing me. For 15 years I did fine without a bike. Sure, I drooled and schemed, but usually the urge passed and I went on with life. This past weekend however has been torture. I've wanted to go riding everyday and haven't been able to. It's killing me.

On a happier note, the wife order her pants and jacket last night. Should be here by the end of the week. Will order her helmet today. We can hopefully ride by this weekend. That'll be cool.

So, took a break to call the dealer quick and check on my bike. They just started working on it this morning. WTF?? I dropped it Sat, for a Mon service and they're just now getting to it. The thing that really cheeses me about this is I have today off. If I'd have know they weren't going to start until today I would've dropped it off right away this morning, instead of Sat. Oh well. Not much I can do I guess, they just better hurry up before I do something drastic.

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