newbie 100 mile report
Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:26 pm
Passed the MSF course recently and got a BMW 650 GS Dakar.
First day rode it home in light rain and did some neighborhood riding to get a feel for it. Felt pretty comfortable and had a lot of fun. My wrist was a little sore from braking and clutching but healed quickly.
Next ride was a commute to work. The day I choose it was pouring rain very heavily but I went anyway. Had to start on a very steep hill and stalled once and got into some very heavy traffic but did fine. On the way home about 5 people got within 1cm of my bumper at red lights. I wasn't too happy about it but oh well. Seemed to be mainly women that did this for some reason.
Today I took it on my first canyon ride up into the hills and had a blast. Weather was good and I took it easy with very light traffic. Did some good leaning, braking, and accelarating and the bike felt good. Down the mountain was a little more challenging and I found that the bike got a little unhappy when I downshifted. One time I downshifted one too many gears and the bike got really unhappy but held together. Later I figured out that if I blip the throttle then the downshifts were more smooth and didn't unsettle the bike.
Anyway I think my bicycle experience helped me a lot in my motorcycle riding. People say they are nothing a like but too me it's very similar. Especially the turning/leaning aspect. I feel fairly comfortable after 100 miles but know I have a lot to learn and will take it easy for a while longer.
Tomorrow I might hit some off road trails we have around here in a motorcycle park.
First day rode it home in light rain and did some neighborhood riding to get a feel for it. Felt pretty comfortable and had a lot of fun. My wrist was a little sore from braking and clutching but healed quickly.
Next ride was a commute to work. The day I choose it was pouring rain very heavily but I went anyway. Had to start on a very steep hill and stalled once and got into some very heavy traffic but did fine. On the way home about 5 people got within 1cm of my bumper at red lights. I wasn't too happy about it but oh well. Seemed to be mainly women that did this for some reason.
Today I took it on my first canyon ride up into the hills and had a blast. Weather was good and I took it easy with very light traffic. Did some good leaning, braking, and accelarating and the bike felt good. Down the mountain was a little more challenging and I found that the bike got a little unhappy when I downshifted. One time I downshifted one too many gears and the bike got really unhappy but held together. Later I figured out that if I blip the throttle then the downshifts were more smooth and didn't unsettle the bike.
Anyway I think my bicycle experience helped me a lot in my motorcycle riding. People say they are nothing a like but too me it's very similar. Especially the turning/leaning aspect. I feel fairly comfortable after 100 miles but know I have a lot to learn and will take it easy for a while longer.
Tomorrow I might hit some off road trails we have around here in a motorcycle park.
