I hate my new V Star 650 custom

Message

honda599 · #21 Unread post by **honda599** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 6:38 pm

Hey Debbie

Just wanted to add my two cents. Don't give up, it will become easier and easier as you acquire more experience. Blues2cruise has the same ride and she is becoming more confident each and every time she rides.

I was watching her riding ablilites and was impressed considering she only started to ride late last year.

Keep working at it....and ride safe.

mammy · #22 Unread post by **mammy** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:19 am

ok deb... i was in here reading as a guest... and got a little afraid by your story. i am 42, just took the msf course oct 7-9 and got my endorsement the next week. i did awesomely on the bikes in class... had fun "dancing" with them. I am 5'8 and medium build. My dream bike is a Harley. So after getting my endorsement, i went looking at my local harley shop. The sportsters were too little.. my knees felt like they were in my chest, and forward controls made me feel like i would have no control...the bigger Harleys, were HUGE.. i knew i'd be afraid on them, and it would be a bike to sit in my garage and do nothing but gather dust. I went looking at Honda's.. and liked the way the shadow aero fit... AND THEN... went to Yamaha, and sat on the 650 vstar.. it fit me well, looked good, and i felt like it was something i could handle, being a taller woman. HELP!!!!

Loonette · #23 Unread post by **Loonette** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:34 am

When I first got out of the MSF class, I went straight to a 250 Rebel. It was a great little starter bike, but I became bored with it very quickly. In the past two years I've ridden the 250, a Yamaha FZ6 (600 sports bike), a Honda Shadow 1100, and I'm now on my Meanstreak 1600. I've even ridden my husband's bike a couple of times - a Kawasaki ZRX 1200 (crazy-fun bike!!). With each bike the riding experience has been vastly different. It takes time to get used to the whole enchilada - you just have to take it easy, and practice, practice, practice. Slow speed practice is great because you really get to know the bike best this way. Any bike can perform well in a straight line at 40 MPH, but seeing how well it does doing U-turns and quick braking is essential. Spend your first bits of practice in an empty parking lot, and force yourself to utilize your newly learned skills in every scenario possible. To this day, I still look forward to a light quickly turning yellow, so that I can practice my braking.

A 650 will feel quite different at first - there's just no way around that. But you'll soon get adjusted, and then your bike will truly be yours. Enjoy yourself!

Cheers,
Loonette

mammy · #24 Unread post by **mammy** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:54 am

LOTS of people told me not to get something so small... my inseam is 34..LONG LEGS... and the concensus has been about 50/50 as to what i should get. I have a big catholic church parking lot a block away, will give me lots of room to practice, and get really good at the skills taught in class.. and get to know the bike, even more important, and then finally my first real backroad ride. Everyone i know is an hour away from this little town i live in, so i wanted to have something i could ride longer distances, and not fall into..... this is hilarious.... "the zor funster" syndrome. Any info from anyone is welcome.... good links to read... that kind of stuff. I think it's going to be a LONG wisconsin winter.

Loonette · #25 Unread post by **Loonette** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 4:04 am

I say... if the ergos are good for your body size, then go for it. I'm only 5'2" tall, and I have to say, my new bike was quite intimidating when I first straddled it. But... I could flat-foot it, so I knew that would make things easier. My bike, with its added accessories, weighs in at around 700+ pounds. I spent a bit of time, both on and off the bike, just letting it almost fall over - getting used to its size was easy. You just have to respect and understand how much machine you actually have under your arse. The power shouldn't be an issue for you either - once you've done some practice on it, you should be good to go. It sounds like you have a lot of confidence in your abilities to learn and adjust.

One more bit of advice... people love to give unsolicited advice! But they can only speak from the experiences that have shaped their personal opinions. Your intuition about your ride will be much more valuable than anything. It's okay to listen to others and try to understand from where they're coming, but in the end, you're the one who has to live with your choices. Just keep things in perspective, and you'll make a fine choice for yourself.

Cheers,
Loonette

mammy · #26 Unread post by **mammy** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 4:24 am

27 years i've wanted to ride.... and now im doing it.. am i confident ??? i would say yes, but also cautious, and aware. One thing i have heard time and time again.. practice practice practice.. and i plan on doing that for a while before takin her on the road. I have lots of friends who ride, and have asked a bunch if they wanna ride beside me when im ready, they all have told me sure. Which helps

mammy · #27 Unread post by **mammy** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:02 am

hey guys... long time no read!!!!! .... well... d-day is almost here.. i have 5 days to wait, after today .... to go get my bike. I haven't ridden since the MSF course, in oct. This should be interesting. It's february in wisconsin, cold, and some snow on the ground, but having the bike in the garage, is going to be a thrill. Im nervous!!!!!!!!!! and excited/scared in the same breath. But............. what drives me is the feeling i had when in class.. driving my own. Im not going to let the scared feeling get to me, because the exhillaration of driving my own was enough to make me get this far, not to mention this spring/summer.. and what i have to look forward to. After 27 years, im going to have my own bike. UUUGGGHHH... at 42... friends are waitin for me to give the ok to ride with them, friends have cheered me on. *BREATH*.......... it's damned near here.

cbm · #28 Unread post by **cbm** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 2:42 pm

mammy wrote:hey guys... long time no read!!!!! .... well... d-day is almost here.. i have 5 days to wait, after today .... to go get my bike. I haven't ridden since the MSF course, in oct. This should be interesting. It's february in wisconsin, cold, and some snow on the ground, but having the bike in the garage, is going to be a thrill. Im nervous!!!!!!!!!! and excited/scared in the same breath. But............. what drives me is the feeling i had when in class.. driving my own. Im not going to let the scared feeling get to me, because the exhillaration of driving my own was enough to make me get this far, not to mention this spring/summer.. and what i have to look forward to. After 27 years, im going to have my own bike. UUUGGGHHH... at 42... friends are waitin for me to give the ok to ride with them, friends have cheered me on. *BREATH*.......... it's damned near here.

You go, girl!! I'm not too far behind you...I'm 38 and can hardly wait to go pick up my bike from storage next month. I just did the course and got my license last year and ride with a huge goofy grin on my face because I'm living my dream!!

Have fun out there!!

Wizzard · #29 Unread post by **Wizzard** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:59 pm

cbmn wrote: and ride with a huge goofy grin on my face because I'm living my dream!!

This has been a terrific read and a great thread . And after all these years of riding I still ride with that goofy grin .
Kindest regards, Wizzard

Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:30 pm

mammy, I learned at 53. I got licensed a year ago. I'm still smiling that goofy grin.