Veterans feel free to chime in

[Reluctant-but-ready]

Well, i just purchased a 1995 Honda CBR 600 F3 for a couple grand and its in good shape, and ive been driving it round my block for the past couple weeks... but how do you know when your ready to hit traffic... is there anyway to ease in.. this is my first bike and i love riding it but as i was reading some of the other posts i think i might have gotten a little more power than i can handle.. the bike is top heavy and extremely responsive.. is night time a good time to hit the road? .. or would it be better to muster it out during the day. I went into this with alot more confidence but everytime i stop to talk to someone they always end up telling me ghost stories of a ride that went wrong. Honestly would taking an MSF course really prepare me for road riding and last off.... i would like some good gear thats affordable so if you guys could tell me what you use and how it works for you id really appreciate it.... well happy trails fellas!

[Wizzard]

1st off , welcome to the forums . And yes I highly recommend the MSF course .
Regards, Wizzard

[Mintbread]

April fools day was a little over six months ago...

[swatter555]

If it is a prank, I would have inserted ZX-10 in there. If your for real, change your sig.

[TechTMW]

You should take the MSF before you get out on the road...

You already notice your bike is top-heavy. Can you do a tight figure 8 within the confines of 2 parking spaces WITHOUT putting your feet down? The MSF teaches you how to do this - and the secret's not in the steering - it's in the throttle control. Throttle control is one of the most important skills you have to learn - especially on a bike like yours.

[Reluctant-but-ready]

cmon ... i like my sig... drowning would be a definite worse way to go.... or burning alive... or starving to death... so you know.. a motorcyle death isnt the most unfortunate way to go... but anyways.... i have been taking it easy on my bike... spent 2 weeks in first gear alone... i was really looking to purchase a kawasaki ninja 250 cc but while looking through cycle trader this guy needed money and was getting rid of his CBR ... though it is a 95 it has low miles... and the outside was a little tattared wich i liked cause i ended up dropping it once or twice... oops! but anyways dont forget about gear advice... i was reading a post where the guy was wearing a raptor jacket and came out pretty unhurt... and i noticed someone sayed joe rocket gear is just for the looks.... so i want something that will keep my insides on the inside and relatively unroad rashed... and that thing you said about a figure 8 in 2 parking spaces... THeres no way i can do that!! i guess i should really look into the classes im kinda teaching myself... ya know... well sorry if I bothered you guys with my sig.. im only 21 and you know how young people look at death... IM INVINCIBLE lol anyways apreciate the feed back happy trails fellas!

[ZooTech]

Don't worry about the sig, Reluctant. The ones who will give you a hard time about it were the ones crying for an hour after scraping their knee on the playground. The rest of us shrugged it off and kept playing.

[Craig7220]

MSF is the best way to go.

[niterider]

It is okay to be a little apprhensive, but don't let it dominate your riding. You may need to ride out to rural roads to get the feel of your bike. It is a total freedom that one feels when riding on open roads, opossed to riding in the city traffic. Just be careful for the critters that may be crossing the roads. Have fun.

[swatter555]

cmon ... i like my sig... drowning would be a definite worse way to go.... or burning alive... or starving to death... so you know.. a motorcyle death isnt the most unfortunate way to go... but anyways.... i have been taking it easy on my bike... spent 2 weeks in first gear alone... i was really looking to purchase a kawasaki ninja 250 cc but while looking through cycle trader this guy needed money and was getting rid of his CBR ... though it is a 95 it has low miles... and the outside was a little tattared wich i liked cause i ended up dropping it once or twice... oops! but anyways dont forget about gear advice... i was reading a post where the guy was wearing a raptor jacket and came out pretty unhurt... and i noticed someone sayed joe rocket gear is just for the looks.... so i want something that will keep my insides on the inside and relatively unroad rashed... and that thing you said about a figure 8 in 2 parking spaces... THeres no way i can do that!! i guess i should really look into the classes im kinda teaching myself... ya know... well sorry if I bothered you guys with my sig.. im only 21 and you know how young people look at death... IM INVINCIBLE lol anyways apreciate the feed back happy trails fellas!

Well, check out newenough.com, they have probably the cheapest prices I have seen.

What you want are either leather gear or textile gear. Textile gear provides good protection and is cheaper, but leather gear has excellent abrasion protection. Im most cases, leather will also be hotter to wear. Its a matter of weighing your preferences and the risks.

In any case, spend at least 200 bucks on a decent jacket, but make sure you get matching pants. You want pants the will zip onto the back of the jacket. With pants you want good butt and knee protection.

On top of that, you want racing gloves and either high-top hiking boots(steel toe) or racing boots. I assume you already has a DOT or Snell helmet.

Expect to spend 500 or more dollars, probably alot more. If you go down in full gear, your chances of walking away unscathed are much greater.