Finally out riding!!!
Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 5:20 am
Woo hoo! Picked up my new bike end of May (a little Honda Nighthawk 250 cc, great starter bike). I fiddled around in the back fields for 2 or 3 days, until I could do figure 8's and could slip the clutch comfortably on the steep hill in our driveway. Rode the streets in the neighborhood for a couple days, then ventured into town to get it inspected. Surviving that intact (except for the moron who decided to pass me on the RIGHT in a single lane!!) I decided to start commuting to work on it.
I've been grinning from ear to ear.
I have a 15 mile one way commute, on a fairly busy two lane road. The recent spike in gas prices spurred me into this bike (it was costing me $70 per week to go to work) At 70 mpg, it was a no brainer.
I didn't say anything to anyone here, I just drove in on it. All the guys have been coming up to me, raving about how they always wanted a bike, and their wife/mother/father/etc wouldn't let them have one. (I'm a 40's something female...) Too funny. I wasn't expecting that sort of reaction, and it made me smile.
There's nothing like the feeling of riding. I used to ride a lot as a kid (teens/20's) but have been away from it until now. And damned if I know why it took me so long to do this.
Oh, I have to share my first biker salute with you. On my way home that first day, I encountered another biker. I know that you acknowledge each other, so when I saw him and he lifted his hand, I lifted mine too. Err, unfortunately, I was doing 50 mph, and I lifted it UP off of the handlebars...right into the slipstream. So my salute turned into a Gernam style Sig Hail salute!!!
I'm sure the other rider was saying, "Newbie!" in his helmet. I figured out why they were all dropping their hands DOWN from the bars when they greeted you. 
Ah well, I'm really enjoying it again. I'll run this bike for this season, and then start figuring out what I'd like to have for my more or less permanent ride. I can tell I'll be outgrowing it fairly quickly. But hey, better less power and more forgiveness than the other way around.
I've been grinning from ear to ear.
I have a 15 mile one way commute, on a fairly busy two lane road. The recent spike in gas prices spurred me into this bike (it was costing me $70 per week to go to work) At 70 mpg, it was a no brainer.
I didn't say anything to anyone here, I just drove in on it. All the guys have been coming up to me, raving about how they always wanted a bike, and their wife/mother/father/etc wouldn't let them have one. (I'm a 40's something female...) Too funny. I wasn't expecting that sort of reaction, and it made me smile.
There's nothing like the feeling of riding. I used to ride a lot as a kid (teens/20's) but have been away from it until now. And damned if I know why it took me so long to do this.
Oh, I have to share my first biker salute with you. On my way home that first day, I encountered another biker. I know that you acknowledge each other, so when I saw him and he lifted his hand, I lifted mine too. Err, unfortunately, I was doing 50 mph, and I lifted it UP off of the handlebars...right into the slipstream. So my salute turned into a Gernam style Sig Hail salute!!!
I'm sure the other rider was saying, "Newbie!" in his helmet. I figured out why they were all dropping their hands DOWN from the bars when they greeted you. Ah well, I'm really enjoying it again. I'll run this bike for this season, and then start figuring out what I'd like to have for my more or less permanent ride. I can tell I'll be outgrowing it fairly quickly. But hey, better less power and more forgiveness than the other way around.
