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Nice helmet, and no, it's not too girly with the exception of the pink one!

I sat on a friend's Sportster (no riding, just "fitting for size") that had been lowered a good bit-it wasn't as top-heavy as I expected, but it felt pretty intimidating. I'm sure in a few months that will change, but I'm all about taking one step at a time-and enjoying each step.

ITA agree about wanting to ride and not trailer-however, I live in an area that is infamous for horrible drivers and badly-maintained roads. 20 miles on an interstate in this area is spooky in my SUV, much less a bike. Again, I'm sure that will change in a few months. But if I can find a decent single trailer for a pittance, I can always mod it later to carry one of the boats. Besides, I think it would be well-worth it to keep practicing on the MSF course lot for a bit.

SCgurl wrote: But if I can find a decent single trailer for a pittance, I can always mod it later to carry one of the boats.

"One of"? How many boats do you have LOL
I respect you practicing on the MSF course. Ours was closed during non class hours so I practiced in a gated neighborhood nearby the house for a week or so before going out on the "main" road. Still haven't hit any highways yet, but maybe one day!

MrMarbles wrote:

SCgurl wrote: But if I can find a decent single trailer for a pittance, I can always mod it later to carry one of the boats.

"One of"? How many boats do you have LOL
I respect you practicing on the MSF course. Ours was closed during non class hours so I practiced in a gated neighborhood nearby the house for a week or so before going out on the "main" road. Still haven't hit any highways yet, but maybe one day!

Well, the boats:
1 16' Hobie Cat (I love that one has a racing jib on it)
1 21' nondescript keel (single mast, centerboard, jib-I have no idea what type it would fall into)
1 Hydrasport
1 johnboat
2 kayaks
1 canoe

There's just me and BF. The unnamed keel and 1 kayak are mine, the Hobie, johnboat, and canoe are his. The Hydrasport he inherited when his dad passed and one kayak was his nephew's before he moved. Yes, we spend a lot of time on water.

So I thought I'd get a bike to round out the collection of toys we seem to be amassing (j/k). We seem to justify it by saying "It's for the dog..."

The MSF course happens to be painted on a parking lot that belongs to the technical college-so, by law, it is open to the public so long as a class is not using it. We saw people lining up on their bikes waiting for us to clear so they could use the course! And apparently the biker thing to do on Saturdays is to ride by the class, honk and wave to the newbies. We got lots of honks and waves

Is that all? I figured you'd have more than that! haha

SCgurl wrote: The MSF course happens to be painted on a parking lot that belongs to the technical college-so, by law, it is open to the public so long as a class is not using it. We saw people lining up on their bikes waiting for us to clear so they could use the course! And apparently the biker thing to do on Saturdays is to ride by the class, honk and wave to the newbies. We got lots of honks and waves

Funny, ours is at the same type of place, public technical school parking lot. Except they have it gated off and close it when its not in use.

SCgurl, the good news is it doesn't feel so hot when you actually go faster than 20 mph . Congrats on passing!

MrMarbles, I used to live in Lakeland, so I'm sure your course was a beast (depending on when you took it). I'm a little more North Central FL now (Ocala area) and that's where I took mine. I think I took mine in October or something, so it really wasn't bad. I'd hate to have to take it now though .

yay - always good to see someone else get training and approach riding motorcycles as responsibly as possible.

RhadamYgg

roncg41677 wrote:SCgurl, the good news is it doesn't feel so hot when you actually go faster than 20 mph . Congrats on passing!

MrMarbles, I used to live in Lakeland, so I'm sure your course was a beast (depending on when you took it). I'm a little more North Central FL now (Ocala area) and that's where I took mine. I think I took mine in October or something, so it really wasn't bad. I'd hate to have to take it now though .

Yea, it was pretty much the hottest experience of my life! I can handle the heat now, even with my mesh jacket, because we're not driving in a line then sitting for 15 minutes.

I think it is a good idea to have a trailer - especially if you have another use for it. Just after passing my MSF - I had no desire to ride my bike 25 miles home starting from roads I wasn't all that familiar.

Just make sure you lock it down with straps or get some form of wheel blocking apparatus they have out there.

Do you have the rest of your gear?

RhadamYgg

RhadamYgg, I've been "collecting" gear for a while now. I have my full-face helmet, a mesh jacket with armor, 2 pairs of boots, 2 pairs of gloves, a couple of Buffs (it's a girl thing), I even have ANSI glasses if I decide to use a 3/4 helmet for any reason (mostly 'cause that's what we used in the class-I have several pairs of ANSI rated glasses and goggles for work). I'm ok with wearing jeans for now, but am looking for pants and/or chaps (ahem, sizing is an issue for me -it's the hips). And of course, I'm still looking at rain gear, leather jackets, etc etc. I love shopping

As far as trailering, well, if you saw the boat list... We have TONS of ratchet straps and bungee cords in every size and strength possible. We have comealongs, shackles, etc etc. We're pretty well prepared to haul anything-a bike is small potatoes and we have hauled a Road King in the back of the pickup a few times for a friend.

I'm still saving up to buy a bike. Every once in a while I use my neighbor's Triumph. For like a couple feet. Hahaha I don't want to be in debt if I mess it up.