Newbie Here

[PacificShot327]

Yeah, I feel rather fortunate. I remember looking at this one briefly online before I went out and started looking in actual stores for a helmet, and liked it, but I wasn't ready to spend so much on it.

Since I've been home, I've found masses of great reviews on this helmet, so I'm really happy and excited. I can't wait to take it out on the road!

Looks like bike day for me will be around the 15th of next month. I'm so exciiiiiiiiiiiiited!!!

[goodies]

I just got the EXO-400 also last Saturday. I haven't had the chance to try it out yet. I didn't get that good of a deal. LOL!

[Purple Princess]

I am a new rider who took the course on 7/19/08. I didn't want to get a bike I was going to grow out of in a month. I went to different dealers, sat on other bikes of friends & so on. I finally found my bike on 8/1/08. I have put 1200 miles in 6 weeks on my Honda Shadow Spirit 750. I absolutley love it. I am SO GLAD I got a bigger bike. I took it real slow at first, so afraid to drop her . But you get used to the weight real fast. I drove it in the neighborhood for 1 week. Then took it out on an early sunday morning. Eventually I grew more confident to ride with traffic and so on. Every ride I get better and more confident. It just takes time & miles. Today I did Cherohala Skyway. I am so in LOVE with riding!! Good luck finding your bike!!

[PacificShot327]

Well, bike day just got pushed away into the less-near future. I think I will wait until late March to get one. I'm really nervous about the economy and everything, so the less financial obligations right now, the better. Plus, I've found it to be a real pain to be approved for financing. I'm really young and haven't had the time to build my credit, and my parents' credit isn't that great, so I can't use them as cosigners. So I'm just going to wait a few months, do some more research, sit on a few bikes and see which one is best, and in the mean time, just save up to where I can pay cash for the bike.

I've been looking at different bikes in the past few days. I dearly love that Custom 650, but sport bikes have caught my eye as well. I really liked that Ninja 250, but the problem is that there are NONE. Zip. Zilch. Not a single dealer within a 50 mile radius of me has one, and most won't have them for a long time. So that's out. Then I started looking at a 2008 Suzuki SV650S. I figure a 650 sport bike will be way too much to me, but what opinions/advice do you all have? I checked out 2006 Honda CBR600F4i, and while I'm not getting that bike in particular, I really liked the feel and fit of a sport bike. So what should I do? Recommendations, anyone?

[blues2cruise]

Too bad about the money for now.....but look on the bright side....the weather is about to go seriously downhill soon. No point in getting a bike only to have to store it for a few months during the really cold frosty months.
When the bike show comes around in the new year, go......you will be able to sit on dozens of bikes. Often in the new year, dealers want to make way for the new stock so good deals happen usually.

Also....there are some very good used bikes out there....you may be able to find yourself a used 250 Ninja or a used smaller cruiser. They frequently come up for sale.

A 650 Sport bike might be a bit powerful for a newb.....

[PacificShot327]

Thanks.
Yeah, that's the only thing keeping away the total disappointment - I DESPISE the cold, and I really don't think I could handle riding in the winter months. (I wear jackets in July and August... and I'm in Texas...)

Yeah, I really thought that anything above a 500 would be way too much. I've been looking for a used Ninja 250, but I can't find any of those yet, either. But, I'll keep trying.

The reason I even looked at anything above 250 was that every person at a dealership that I went to told me that a 250 would be too small of a bike for me because I'm so tall. But when I look at the specs for the 250, the seat height is maybe an inch shorter than most other sport bikes I've seen and sat on. Are they telling me this mostly just to get more of my money, or what? It doesn't look that small to me. All I've seen were pictures of it, but still...

[blues2cruise]

It's possible they want more cash out of you....but...they also might be trying to save you from having to change bikes again.

Listen to your gut feeling.....

Go and sit on the bikes.....feel how the controls fit. That is what is important. If 250 Ninja feels comfy, then go for it....

I ride a 650 V-Star. It was my first bike and I have ridden it 32,00km now....(that would be about 20,000 miles in USA)

I started with a smallish cruiser and still have it almost 4 years later....

Now that you have decided not to get a bike right now, just take your time to check out lots of bikes.....

[PacificShot327]

Oh, geez... I take the BRC today. I'm so excited, I've barely been able to sleep!

Did some more looking around in my "spare" time - what are everyone's thoughts on the GS500F as a starter bike? Still seems a little big. But I've seen more than a few people saying this was their first bike. Comments?

[goodies]

Cool! Gook Luck!!! You will be surpised it is so physically challenging. But it is a good feeling!!

[PacificShot327]

Well, I did it. Almost didn't finish, but I did, and ended up with a score to brag about (sorry, but I have to, especially after the stressful weekend I've had...).

Yesterday was rough. Was on a Virago 250. The thing kept stalling. And, of course (rightfully so), the instructor kept telling me to ease out the clutch (I was!!!) so that wouldn't happen (like it was my problem). Other than that, there was no problem. Unfortunately, that was a REALLY big problem. I could take off without stalling maybe 25% of the time. It was soooo annoying.

This morning. FIRST exercise of the day was that friggin' blue figure-8 box from hell. That was the hardest thing for me to do. I just couldn't get it right. Especially 'cause the bike kept stalling. It did that in the middle of the uturn, and I ended up dropping the bike. I felt sooooo bad.

However! He had me switch bikes early in the 2nd day. He said that was really unusual, but maybe it'll help. And boy, it did. Didn't stall a single time. Turns out the clutch on that other 250 was goofed up somehow. But he put me on Rebel 250, and that really helped.

More exercises - swerve, quick stop, stuff like that. After all that, we practiced everything we learned. I finally got the offset weave down. Then came the u-turn box again... I messed up during practice a lot. Then came the test. I was the 5th person to go. The first part was the box of course. I can't believe it, but I actually got through it. I did accidentally put a foot down, and apparently I went out of bounds (I know I touched the line, but didn't think I went over it - *shrug*). Those were my only two mistakes in the whole test. I was so excited! Better believe I'll be up at the DMV tomorrow morning to get that pretty little M on my license. Yay!!!