i LOVE to ride ... and still have some questions

[Rogero]

Hi folks,

thanks again to all those that gave me advice on the first ride - still taking some of the pointers to heart.

the scariest thing that anyone had said is that a lot of people buy a big bike then realize they hate riding. turns out I'm NOT one of those people. I rode to work today for the first time (some country road then mild city traffic) and passed the 150 miles mark on my bike (it's got more, but those are MY miles). I was happier than a pig in <poo> the whole way in. Usually I hate the 12 miles into work. Today was fantastic. One thing that I never thought of before having a bike was that you can smell the world while riding. Fresh cut grass, new manure, restaurants, BBQs, skunks - I LOVE it - even the stinkier stuff ... you feel much more alive on the road.

So - some random questions that are on my mind for the more experienced riders:

The instructors on the course said that you should check your oil "all the time" on a motorcycle. I've had my bike about 4 week, but was on vacation for 2 1/2 of those. Should I check it weekly? monthly? at a regular mileage mark?

When practicing hard stopping - how hard is hard? Lately when I go out for my evening 20-40 minute ride - if I stay in town, I hold off on braking at stop signs later and later, so I have to do a hard stop (only when there's no cars around, mind you, ... or I stop more steadily). But I wonder for those that have practiced braking - do you get to the point of practicing some really radical stops ... or just really hard stopping. Just wondering on opinions here. I wonder if eventually I should try to brake to a skid - just to see where that threshold is. That thought scares me a tad though, so it's far far off, even if it does make sense to practice.

When are pillions are good idea? I know I'm not close now, but friends are already asking when I'll take them for a spin (people LOVE my bike, which I didn't expect. I mean, I certainly love it. But I didn't expect all the attention from others. My kids friends are now asking me to start it to hear how loud it is - cause other friends have heard it and love the roar. hahah). So my default answer to people is 2 years. In two years I'll take passengers. I'm sure the answer is "whenever you get comfortable" - but any experience on how much time/mileage it takes to get to a comfort level to carry a passenger?

Rust removal advice? My bike is a '03, and the foot rests (main and passenger) at the hinge all have a little bit of rusting going on. It's very minimal, and seems the only place on the bike with rusting (I've had a lot of people think the bike is brand brand new!) So I'm thinking of popping them off and cleaning them up myself - but wondering about how to go about it. Someone told me SOS pads will clean it right up, and you don't need to treat it at all after. I haven't done any research yet - but looking for good advice here.

Lastly - picking up a wrench. Been reading here on a few posts - esp the one about how old a bike you can go. And wondering how much money I can save, and/or how much fun I can have by learning some basics about my bike to tinker on it. I see flip sides of the coin. If I do nothing, and trust the Harley dealer - it's done right every time. If I learn some, then maybe I protect myself in knowing my bike that much more, plus could save money on basics like oil changes, or whatever else makes sense to do solo. I'm the type that loves to drive a vehicle into the dirt. I traded my first car in at just shy of 250K miles. Considering the Deuce is my "ultimate" bike, and I found a 100 anniversary one, I'd like to think this could be a long long long relationship - so maybe more of a reason to know it better. Anyway - love some opinions here too.

thanks again in advance for anything anyone has to say ... I love riding, but I'm also really liking even reading about riding. haha.

r

[Superfly3176]

Since you ride a harley, there's one general rule to follow:

If it's not leaking oil you don't have any.

[flynrider]

If it's not leaking oil you don't have any.

That's an old one. Fortunately it's not true anymore, but there was some truth to it in the past. When I bought my first Harley in the early 80s, all of the bikes in the showroom had cookie sheets under the engines to catch the drips.

For Rogero, I check the oil based on mileage. I check it whenever I fill up with gas (about every 200 miles). My engine is pretty tight, so I rarely have to add any oil between oil changes (every 3K miles), but I always check it.

Riding in Phoenix traffic, I get an opportunity to practice hard stops (for real) several times a week, so I don't go out of my way to do them when I don't have to. As a noob, I'd really recommend practicing somewhere other than the street (like an empty parking lot). A stray patch of gravel, sand or oil (not unheard of on a public street) could have unfortunate results.

As far as wrenching goes, I'd recommend you start slow. Get a maintenance manual for the bike and start with the easy stuff like oil and filter changes, spark plugs, batteries, etc... One word of advice. Before starting any maintenance procedure, read the manual thoroughly. If you don't completely understand what is required, defer to your mechanic.

[SCgurl]

If I've been commuting on the bike, I do a full T-CLOCS inspection (handy form) on Saturday mornings, including checking all the fluids. We actually caught an oil leak on the BF's BMW (*gasp*) by doing this.

Before heading out on my commute, I run my hand over both tires checking for nails (I get at least one a month on the Jeep-haven't gotten any on the bikes yet).

I haven't been riding lately due to an injury-therefore, I've been starting it up and letting it run once a week. It's been almost a month since I've ridden, so I'll do a thorough inspection this weekend in case the dr. clears me.

Get a service manual for your bike-You can probably find it on Ebay. Then read it cover to cover. The Clymers are ok, but I found the illustrations in the HD manual more helpful. I'm ok doing most things myself, but a few things are beyond my comfort level (rebuilding forks).

Passengers? Not for me at all yet. I'm trying to con one of my buddies who's very experienced with passengers to be my first guinea pig.

Try naval jelly for the rust.

And practice hard stops in the parking lot, not traffic. Just practice braking as hard as you can without locking up either brake. Remember not to grab the front brake-squeeze it.

And not a single oil leak on my Harley, and it's camped out on carpet in the garage.

ETA: I should add that we use the T-CLOCS forms as a record of maintenance-we save all the forms for each bike including what we did to fix it, if anything.

[Grey Thumper]

When are pillions are good idea?

r

Hmmm. For my first bike, I waited for around a year. And even then, it was pretty gradual; for my first ride with a pillion, we basically just went around the neighborhood on a Sunday morning (not even 5 miles in total, I'll bet) practiced stopping and starting, U turns, inclines, swerving, basically all the boring stuff you do when you've got a new bike, except now with more weight on the back. After a few days of those, we went for a 30 minute ride at higher speeds, etc. Now that I've got my 2nd bike, I cut it down to three months of riding it alone, and now my wife and I are back to the "practising skills around the neighborhood" stage. I think it helps to relearn basic stuff until you're really bored. Better to be bored for the right reasons than excited for the wrong ones.

[InAsia]

I tried riding with someone on the back after a few weeks of learning....wasn't too difficult....
Except for the fact that it was my Ultra girly, princess-like coworker on the back...

I told her everything not to do....she then said she would ignore that...which I said "I know, but I had to inform you anyway"...

She proceedered to sway around, pinch me, yell things, beat my helmet, slap me, and act like a very stereotypical korean girl(IE: overly dramatic).

One of the few times something occured 100% like I imagined it would!