looks like i've found my new addiction...

[VermilionX]

before i bought my bike i was addicted to video games for as long as i can remember (started playing video games in the old 386 PC and old atari console era) i did and still do a lot of other xtra curricular stuff like playing guitar, basketball, gun shooting, martial arts(JP swordsmanship)... but video games has been the only consistent hobby that i did.

but now, i rarely touch my PS2. i always think about riding or spend time here on the net on forums about riding.

i wonder if that maybe it's only bec my bike is new and im still learning that im always looking forward to it. im sure the learning possibilites on riding is endless but im afraid of being contented at some point.

like today, i was practicing but returned home after only a few minutes. i didn't have a clear destination so i didn't feel like riding longer. it did somewhat fix my riding needs for the day but im not very satisfied.

yesterday, i went to a friend's house and collected games that i let him borrow. it was longest ride i took(distance-wise) so far and it felt good. but that's just it, i need some purpose in riding. im not really a fan of joy riding.

it's either im getting bored w/ the roads around here or im getting bored bec im alone when i ride.

i can't wait to take the BRC and get my DL389 so i can regularly bring my bike w/o any worries of being limited to riding daytime hrs only.

i still need work on shifting smoothly from 1st-2nd gear (the higher gears are easier to change smoothly, just like in cars) so that still gives me reason to practice around here but once i get that, what else should i practice?

how about you guys? do guys ride w/o any clear purpose?

i can imagine myself joy riding on canyon type roads, but that's a whole diff story.

[Shiv]

People ride without any clear purpose all the time.

Well unless you call pie a clear purpose. Pie's important but you know it's the ride you go for, the pie is just a perk of it.

Hook up with a local group and go riding with them.

[VermilionX]

People ride without any clear purpose all the time.

Well unless you call pie a clear purpose. Pie's important but you know it's the ride you go for, the pie is just a perk of it.

Hook up with a local group and go riding with them.

of course pie would be considered a bonafied 100% crystal clear purpose to ride.

we are thinking of the same "pie" are we?

[jackM50black]

I also don't like to ride for just a short time with no particular destination. i like having someplace to go. I have ridden a few times with a group which is great and a couple of time with just one other rider. When I can finally cut out and go on a road trip is the best. I did a 5 night trip last summer here in western Oregon: mountains, coast, valley, some fre
eway, but mostly local roads and older state highways. That was the highlight of 2005. Went by myself...with a backback, a bit lonely but I wanted to test myself on my first real ride.

[swatter555]

I know exactly how you feel. I started learning how to ride 8 months ago. At first I took it really slow, local streets and such. I have a large respect for the dangers of riding, I was very conservative about what I did. I reached a point where a started developing skills, but my confidence was developing slower. My brother gave me some simple advice to get me out of that slump- he simply said get out there and ride. Riding a whole bunch will be the only way you develop your skills and confidence.

You are lucky to be a motorcycle owner, mostly because of where you live. As you move past being a novice rider, you have tons of options available to you as a cyclist. Riding a sportbike is going to put you in with the canyon carving crowd. Riding in the canyons is awesome and exhilerating, but not for novices. Well, novices can ride the canyons, just slowly

Up until about a month ago I used to live in Irvine, now I live much farther east. Anyway, sounds like what you need to do is to start making contacts. Socal is just packed with sportbike riders, meeting tons of riding friends is super easy. I know a couple of groups in the Orange area if you need some suggestions. Just show up to a couple of club rides and you will meet some peeps.

From what you are saying, it sounds like your still pretty green. I would say for the time being, until you get your motorcycle endorsement, find the biggest parking lot you know of and practice slow speed manuevers. You need an open area to practice u-turns, throttle control, and emergency stops. One word of caution, practicing low speed manuevers could result in drops, I should know I would recommend getting frame sliders that will protect your fairing, because even a 2mph drop can cause great damage. For you, throttle control practice is probably key. Sorry, I ramble on...

[VermilionX]

yeah, i already got frame sliders. and they work, i dropped my bike already, i dropped it while maybe in the 2mph area, lost my balance and i wasn't strong enough to pull the bike up when it leaned too much so it only got very minor scratches since i was pulling all the way until it dropped so the force was considerably less.

this accident happened in the 1st week of practice inside our gated condo complex. i was more upset that i couldn't lift the bike up more than i dropped it.

i did already do several throttle control practices, not yet very good but decent at it... throttle control while staying in low speed 1st gear is hard. since i only move the throttle so little, that's all it takes for my bike to move me around the parking lot in the DMV or the other lot i practice on. i need to find a bigger parking lot.

[dr_bar]

Well, I found the secret to that problem, just invent a reason. This last summer, a friend and I decided we needed to go buy some fresh fruit. Living in BC made the destination of the Okanogan seem like a good idea. So we got an early start and headed out to Keremeos for some fruit.

Now, we live in the Vancouver area and made a 435 mile round trip for a couple of apples three pears, some honey and maybe a couple of other things as well. All of that was available in the local store, but hey, it was a reason to ride. We stopped for dinner on the way home in Princeton and had a totally enjoyable ride. Little trips like that help my friend put over 6,200 miles on her new motorcycle in the first year of her riding a bike.

I'm sure living in your part of the world you can find all sorts of reasons to ride. Maybe a trip to San Fran to have some fish and chips on the wharf, Why would you just go to the corner liquor store when you can get a bottle of wine from an estate winery, isn't that a good idea? I imagine a trip up to the Napa Valley would be incredible especially if you stayed away from the huge interstate highways. See, anything can be a reason to ride, use your imagination.

[VermilionX]

Well, I found the secret to that problem, just invent a reason. This last summer, a friend and I decided we needed to go buy some fresh fruit. Living in BC made the destination of the Okanogan seem like a good idea. So we got an early start and headed out to Keremeos for some fruit.

Now, we live in the Vancouver area and made a 435 mile round trip for a couple of apples three pears, some honey and maybe a couple of other things as well. All of that was available in the local store, but hey, it was a reason to ride. We stopped for dinner on the way home in Princeton and had a totally enjoyable ride. Little trips like that help my friend put over 6,200 miles on her new motorcycle in the first year of her riding a bike.

I'm sure living in your part of the world you can find all sorts of reasons to ride. Maybe a trip to San Fran to have some fish and chip on the wharf, Why would you just go to the corner liquor store when you can get a bottle of wine from an estate winery is a good idea... I imagine a trip up to the Napa Valley would be incredible especially if you stayed away from the huge interstate highways. See, anything can be a reason to ride, use your imagination.

those are great ideas, but im looking for ones around my skill level for now.

san fran? just imagining those slopes gives me shivers, i need tons of downhill and uphill practice before i go there. plus, like i said, still need to get my full license after the BRC, so no freeways for me yet.

i think i'll try to find an even bigger parking lot for now. that should be reason enough to ride for the time being, thanks.

[swatter555]

Hey, I just went back to a forum I used to frequent when I lived in California. I was going to link a write up I did for my first canyon ride. I noticed you have already meet that group, Socal-Lets Ride. Those are some great people, make sure and go to Hawksters Skillz Days. I learned so much from those

Anyway here is the link, if you want to read about a newb riding on Ortega:



http://www.socal-letsride.com/forum/ind ... 400.0.html

[VermilionX]

yep im also a member there.

in fact, i met in person a member from that forum, she and her husband visited me last weekend or so. im very thankful to them since they went out of their way to visit me and teach me.

they taught me several drills that they do on their skillz day.

i can't go to their meeting place yet since it's too far if i can't take freeways. but once i start taking freeways, i'll definitely try to go to hawksters skillz day.