First ride on my Harley...

[RaoulDuke]

Hello all:

Bear with me; this might get lengthy; I'm nothing if not verbose. Some of you may remember me. I was posting here last year - looking for advice, mostly - leading up to my Rider's Edge course. I just took delivery on my '02 Dyna Wide Glide today, and took it for couple of a quick spins around the neighborhood. These are my thoughts about the ride, and I welcome any and all feedback, words of encouragement, etc. Feel free to chide me as well (you'll see why I say that in a bit) - all I ask is that your criticism is constructive.

A little background: I rode dirt bikes a little bit when I was younger (23 years ago), mostly 125-250cc Hondas. One sunny day I took a nasty spill on a gravel road, and I never got back on. I did, however, promise myself I would get a bike one day and ride again.

Flash forward 23 years.

I enrolled in a Rider's Edge class and passed with flying colors on the 500cc Buell. Meanwhile, I was getting a lot of varying advice on what my first bike should be. Many recommended I get a smaller bike (e.g., a 750 Shadow) and learn to ride, then upgrade to a larger Harley. Some said that I would outgrow the Shadow very quickly, and would likely be able to handle a larger bike, as long as I took things slowly. Basically, said they, "get what you want, take your time, and you'll be fine."

Well, I'm sure some of you will admonish me for my seemingly imprudent choice, but as I mentioned earlier, I bought an '02 Wide Glide (a 88ci engine, roughly 1450cc). I took out for a couple of quick rides today, not long after it was delivered. These are my thoughts:

First thing, I was nervous as hell. This was 3 times the biggest bike I had ever ridden, and I wasn't sure what to expect when I let out the clutch. Is this thing going to take off on me? Will I lose control and slam into a parked car? Well, it turns out I worried for naught. The clutch is silky smooth, and I took off just fine, and was in 3rd gear coming down the long street behind my house before I knew it.

No question, it's a helluva strong bike, and I do need to (and will) take things slow. I'll probably putter around the neighborhood practicing stopping and starting, quick stops, tight maneuvers, that kind of thing. It's strange, though...it's not the power that seems to bother me. It's simply the act of operating a motorcycle of this size out on the streets that creeps me out. It's a 600+ lb. bike, and it builds up quite a bit of inertia. Stopping, slowing, downshifting, turning, all that...oh, it's a thing, man. It's a lot to consider, as I'm sure you know. I'm guessing it's simply a matter of Seat Time. Comfort and confidence will come.

I could go on and on about my emotions during and after the rides. It was definitely a case of Adrenaline City, Population: Me. One of the rides was to a little Mexican place for lunch. I was shaking all during lunch, but not from fear. I damn near couldn't eat. Yes, fear was a part of it, but it was excitement, too. A little of both, I suppose, the ratio constantly changing and impossible to calculate. When I got home, I paced around, keyed up from the thrill of it all. I didn't get a bit of work done for the rest of the day...maybe an email or two, but not much else.

The final verdict: I'm hooked, and can't wait to get back on.

If you're still with me, God bless you. I'm interested to hear your thoughts and/or advice, and as always, thank you in advance.

Regards,

--Anthony

[king robb]

The bad news is that time will NOT heal these wounds.

[dr_bar]

It's still not too late to get a small used bike to practice on. Slow speed manuevers on a big bike may cause a bit of concern to begin with but working on a smaller bike and transfering those experiences to the bigger bike will be an easier transition...

By the way, congrats on the bike and welcome to the site...

[RaoulDuke]

Thanks, dr_bar. I appreciate it. So far so good on slow maneuvers, but I hear you on the smaller bike. I've ordered the Ride Like A Pro DVD on a friend's recommendation (whose story is similar to mine). He said his confidence skyrocketed with just a few hours of practice.

king robb: I'm confused...what wounds are you talking about? No harm nor foul to body or bike as of yet...

[Zagnut]

I think King Robb was referring to the tinge of fear and excitement and the adrenaline rush you felt.. You learn to deal with it but it never really goes away entirely.

With a newbie on a cruiser, I think the issue aint so much the power of the bike... they don't accelerate like sport bikes. The safety issue IMO is the long wheelbase. It's a heavy bike with a long wheelbase and so at speed, that bike won't want to turn, the bike will want to travel in a straight line...and if the road curves that could be a problem. You get to looking at the scenery and all of a sudden there's a sharp curve in the road.. you better be very familiar and comfortable with countersteering or you are gonna end up in the ditch, or worse.

My advise would be to get very comfortable with countersteering so you dont have to "think" about it, should that scenario present itself to you. Practice it in situation where you are comfortable like a huge parking lot or something or even in your lane of a desolate road. Practice that "push left, go left" thing. Just do it slightly at speed and see how it makes you bike "dip" into the direction you want to go. It's a little counterintuitive but it works and it will save your butt.

If you come into a turn too hot , this is the way to save yourself if you dont' have time to stand the bike up and brake, and it seems like I read somewhere that the majority of new rider accidents are single vehicle accidents and are due to not adequately navigating turns, or in other words... coming into a corner too hot and not being able to keep from ending up in the ditch because the bike wanted to go straight and the rider wasn't skilled enough to make the bike turn.

Anyhows, that's my two cents on the subject... Good luck and enjoy that scoot!.. Oh, and the adrenaline, the excitement, and the tinge of fear?... I think that's what makes us all do it.
.

[king robb]

good advice from the zag nut....practice three things til you are so bored you want to cry...then keep doing it.

1. Countersteering
2. progressively tighter figure eights at low speed (will get you used to the weight and teach you to trust the balance of the bike)
3. hard stops (again this bike is way heavier than anything you have ever ridden...get familiar with how long it takes to get it stopped. )

[flw]

To master item #1, if you ever drive in the snow that's requires countersteering.

To master item #2, use of the clutch friction zone and the rear brake along with looking where you want to go will be all that you need to practice on.

You literally modulate the rear brake, feather the clutch and
look what you want to go. Once I tried it a few times it was so much easier to do a u turn or tight figure 8's.

To master item #3 you must master both the front and rear brakes at the same time.

good advice from the zag nut....practice three things til you are so bored you want to cry...then keep doing it.

1. Countersteering
2. progressively tighter figure eights at low speed (will get you used to the weight and teach you to trust the balance of the bike)
3. hard stops (again this bike is way heavier than anything you have ever ridden...get familiar with how long it takes to get it stopped. )

[RaoulDuke]

I think King Robb was referring to the tinge of fear and excitement and the adrenaline rush you felt.. You learn to deal with it but it never really goes away entirely.
.

Thanks, Zagnut and King Robb. Yeah, I realized that's what he probably meant the second I hit "Submit". Indeed, that's a reason to keep riding. What a rush!

And thanks also for the recommendations for drills/practice. A good friend told me, during a conversation about working on basic skills, that "a little humility would serve you well right now", meaning that I might feel silly doing figure 8s until I'm bored to tears, but it's well worth the effort.

To that end, I know I've started my Serious Riding on a bike a bit larger than most beginners start on, and I HAVE to respect that and keep it in perspective. That said, I'll take things slow, but constantly and boldly push myself to move to the next level. Finding that balance will no doubt be a thrilling challenge.

Thanks again, and I'll keep you all posted on my progress.

--Ant.

[RaoulDuke]

To master item #2, use of the clutch friction zone and the rear brake along with looking where you want to go will be all that you need to practice on.

You literally modulate the rear brake, feather the clutch and
look what you want to go. Once I tried it a few times it was so much easier to do a u turn or tight figure 8's.

Yeah, I nailed the figure 8 drill in Rider's Edge (granted, on a Buell Blast, not a Dyna) thanks to a great instructor that taught the clutch/rear brake method. Once you get the feel for it, it's a breeze.

Thanks!

--Ant.

[follow]

Hey Congrats....In my humble opinion, You wanted a HD and you got one, you picked a good bike, not too small, not too big, just right.

If you had gone another way, you may not be eager to go out the next time around or get the adrenaline rush, if you had gotten something you did not want but what people told you needed to get. At least this is from my own view and experience. I have to have a feel for the bike (laugh here if you feel) which makes me a better rider (I think).

The Dyna family is my favorite bike to practice figure 8"s, slow ride etc.
With the way you described your ride and not being able to eat, I think you have a lot of miles ahead of you.

Once again, Congrats and enjoy the ride.