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Finally took my 02 GZ250 out for the first time the other day. I was able to run home for a few hours from a fireworks tent my wife and I had been running for our church. My friends had installed a new battery for me, so it was finally running. I rode it down to the gas station and then took the "really long way home" . Only went about 6 miles, but I was loving every minute of my first ride on MY bike. Couldn't stop smiling.

Couple of things I realized:
~ All of the things I thought would be difficult really weren't bad; steep entrance into the gas station, bumps on the road, bit of gravel. As long as I took it slow, it wasn't too bad at all.
~ Even in July in central Florida, jeans, boots, a jacket and full face helmet are not bad at all at 30+ mph . Relieved.
~ I have a hard time remembering to shut off my turn signal .

Once my office hours return to normal I'll start commuting regularly on it, weather permitting.

Just wanted to share.

Congrats

The turn signal will come in time. Just remember that you forget!

I flipped off a guy who almost cut me off but I forgot to turn off my turn signal

I realized later and I felt like a jackass

Good job Ron! The first time is always the toughest. It will get easier with practice. Riding is pretty cool isn't it?

I still forget to turn off my turn signal. Just make it a habit to glance at the controls after you make the turn/lane change to make sure it's switched off.
I'm proud of you Ron! Welcome to the club

fun isn't it!!

Congratulations! It's a great feeling being out on the road, isn't it. I forget too about the turn signals, but now I try to remember to look down every time I turn or do a lane change. Take care and be safe.

Lots of riders forget their turn signal. I refer to the Spouse Thingy as Blinker Boy quite often...he'll go 30 miles with it blinking and not realize it unless I signal to him.

Create a nice little mantra for yourself for a while. <i>Turn, shift, blinker</i>--say it every time you make a turn, and pretty soon you'll remember it 95% of the time.

The other 5% will be spent with teenagers in a car behind you, honking and pointing, and laughing when you have no clue what their problem is.

Not that I would <i>know</i> that...

Thumper wrote:Lots of riders forget their turn signal. I refer to the Spouse Thingy as Blinker Boy quite often...he'll go 30 miles with it blinking and not realize it unless I signal to him.

Create a nice little mantra for yourself for a while. <i>Turn, shift, blinker</i>--say it every time you make a turn, and pretty soon you'll remember it 95% of the time.

The other 5% will be spent with teenagers in a car behind you, honking and pointing, and laughing when you have no clue what their problem is.

Not that I would <i>know</i> that...

Hah it's funny you mention that I used to try to make a song out of it

Thumper wrote:Create a nice little mantra for yourself for a while. <i>Turn, shift, blinker</i>--say it every time you make a turn, and pretty soon you'll remember it 95% of the time.

Thanks for the tip . I'll try it.

And yes, it is lots of fun ! I took a 20 mile ride with some Harley riding friends yesterday on the rainy Florida roads. Tried to get a feel for riding on wet streets. All local roads, nothing faster than 45. Found out my tires were 6 lbs under inflated. Once I fixed that up there was a fairly noticeable difference in the response of the bike.

Later this week I'll start riding daily to work. I'm really having a blast. The hardest part is supressing the urge to ride every minute of the day .