My first bike.

[capena91]

that's great Kenny. I just put 100miles in my bike today. It is harder to go long distance here in L.A since it is a city but I plan to take a trip to Yosemite at the end of July. If I feel comfortable with that ride I am considering going cross country to D.C where I go to school.

[dirt dobber]

hi kenny, well i'm 75 had a 250 husung (so.korea) for a yr. then a yamaha t-max 500 for 2 & may 3rd got a H-D, i'm taking the MSF class next mo. i hope. my biggest problems is parking & starting off on a hill. let it crash day after touring pack put on, let it get too slow in a u-turn going up a hill. see pictures in photo gallery. (dirt dobber). my license was already class m. i guess 65 or older? kind of late to have a motorcycle license. . oh, i got 2,184 miles on it now. i ride in a club some, SCRC.

[totalmotorcycle]

To keep you all up to date. I've now put 600+ miles on my Sabre. Having a blast. I have a 150 mile ride planned for this weekend. Admittedly, i did lay it down gently twice within the first 20 miles. Both were a result of braking inexperience and both were in my yard...lol. Most of my riding is on two lane highways with lots of bends here in Western PA/ Northern WV. I wish i knew people around here who wants to ride...but thats another story. My MSF class starts July 27th but i already have my "M" license. I hope it lowers my insurance. A penny saved is a penny in the gas tank. I have two nice rides planned but i don't think i'll get them in this year. I want to do the Black Hills either during Sturgis or not. Also, i want to do the Smoky Mountian run. Financially i guess i'll wait till next year. Thats my story and i'm sticking to it.

Sounds like you are having a lot of fun riding! It's the best isn't it? Nothing like the freedom of the road on two wheels.

Glad to see you will be joining in on a MSF class July 27th, tell us how it goes! Tip: Try not to pick up too many bad habits right now as they can be hard to break when they try to teach you the "right way" to do something.

A trip to Sturgis is one of the motorcycle trips of a lifetime. Hope you get to do it!

Mike

[massy]

Congratz on your first bike. I got my first bike as juz a beginner, Honda CBR250R. Mostly I ride bikes on highways with lots of turns. I like those turnings in which we have to slightly bend the bike with our knee almost touching the road. I learned a technique for how to turn your bike on high speed.

[ZRex]

To keep you all up to date. I've now put 600+ miles on my Sabre. Having a blast. I have a 150 mile ride planned for this weekend. Admittedly, i did lay it down gently twice within the first 20 miles. Both were a result of braking inexperience and both were in my yard...lol. Most of my riding is on two lane highways with lots of bends here in Western PA/ Northern WV. I wish i knew people around here who wants to ride...but thats another story. My MSF class starts July 27th but i already have my "M" license. I hope it lowers my insurance. A penny saved is a penny in the gas tank. I have two nice rides planned but i don't think i'll get them in this year. I want to do the Black Hills either during Sturgis or not. Also, i want to do the Smoky Mountian run. Financially i guess i'll wait till next year. Thats my story and i'm sticking to it.

Welcome

I have not been to the Black Hills (I want to one day), but I have ridden a lot in the Smoky Mountains and it is great there, so many great roads, have fun on you're Sabre and stay safe.

[madjak30]

I'm part of a few of the "beginner bike" type forums and I know the line well of "start on a 250cc bike, it's the best bike for a newbie"...I just think it is the safe answer...every rider really has their own "best first bike"...it depends mostly on maturity level (not age...I know lots of quite immature 60yo guys...yes Dad, looking at you buddie!!), and the broad brush stroke covers these guys...but some are not interested in how fast the bike is (that is usually my first indicator on maturity)...if the first question is comfort...and the conversation is about touring and sight seeing...I don't really worry about the size of the bike...

Don't get me wrong, smaller/lighter is absolutely better to learn on...the heavier the bike, the steeper the learning curve on slow manouvers and emergency situations...but it's not undoable...the Shadow Sabre is a very nice bike, decent torque and lots of comfort...not overly powerful, so you won't end up going 100mph before you know it...that type of speed does take some doing on a cruiser with the exception of maybe the power cruiser market...but let's not go there...

I'm not going to pretend that I know you, or what you are like...but from what you have posted, I think you fit the mature description and are using your bike for leisurely rides, not blasting down the twisties!!

Enjoy the ride, and take some time to practice the slow stuff...that is where everyone can use more practice...

Keep the shiny side up!!

Later.