Here's the motorcycle i'm getting.

[kwong2001]

Well, she's in her new home. My friend said the bike rode really nice and had plenty of power, he never felt a need to have to downshift on the freeway to pass someone. It should be a nice starter bike.

When I moved the bike in the garage, it felt heavy and was a bit hard to maneuver (nothing like a bicycle ). I figured it out pretty quick how to move it properly, but I can totally understand how people can drop their bike. Lean it over a few degrees the wrong way, and it does feel like it wants to crash. Gotta be paying attention when the bike is moved.

There's definitely a lot less room in the garage with the motorcycle. The front tire doesn't leave a lot of room to walk passed it to get to the rest of the garage. I'm parked right near the entrance to the house from the garage. I just hope my mom doesn't fiddlesticks up the bike. I'm right next to her bicycles, and she's very clumsy

My dad stayed home today because he wasn't feeling well. He's pissed off right now cuz he thinks I skipped class to pick up the bike. I actually didn't have class, but whatever, he'll get over it. Just wish he wasn't so mad so I could at least start the bike up and let him hear it and appreciate it, the exhaust sounds really nice.

Sometime after finals, when my dad's accepted my purchase, i'll try to have him ride it to the gas station and fill the tank up full. The seller had it on reserve when I picked it up.

But anyhoo, i'm really happy with my purchase. It's a good look for me, and will definitely be fun during the summer. It's great timing since this puts me in a really good mood before finals, usually i'm pretty grumpy and overstressed.

 

[slothy]

CHECK TIRE pressure - low tires give it that PITA turning feeling - 32-35psi

 

[kwong2001]

I'll be sure to check it before the first ride. The manual has a list of stuff to check before riding, so i'll make sure to go through all that stuff everytime before riding.

Oh, and i'm so excited to have the bike, I actually read the entire manual. I didn't even do that when I got the corolla!

 

[.21Rc10GT]

You change the oil and other fluids too? Just a good idea when you get something used...

 

[kwong2001]

I asked the seller about changing the oil, he said he switched to synthetic and i won't need to change it for another 4000-5000miles.

 

[olds97_lss]

It's still something you should probably do. Just because he said your ok, doesn't mean you are. It's best to start fresh.

Oh, and your dad is probably just pissed because you bought it and he didn't!

He's a dad. He's a biker. He'll be happy for you soon enough. (hopefully)

 

[Revo Rancher]

Oh man, so cool, your first real road bike. I miss my '79 RD 400. That was my high school bike. Take your time learning the handling of it. The moto's can bite back real bad if you don't treat them with respect!

 

[.21Rc10GT]

I asked the seller about changing the oil, he said he switched to synthetic and i won't need to change it for another 4000-5000miles.

As olds stated, it is always a good idea to do it anyway... check for metal shavings or glittery type poop in the oil.. change the filter... start fresh! Its well worth knowing that your oil is fresh instead of relying on someone's word..

 

[kwong2001]

As posted at another forum....

Well on Friday I rode the bike around the neighborhood for about 15-20 minutes. Had a total blast, but found out how much harder it is than i thought it was.

Starting from a stop isn't terribly hard, but getting the gas and clutch coordination down is a little tricky, I think my problem was not adding gas as I let out the clutch. I never stalled it, but it was definitely obvious to anyone who saw me that I am not that good at riding..lol

Turning was a little hard, I started to get it down pretty good, but it's nothing like a bicycle Almost feels like i'm gonna fall over, but I think that's just another thing to get used to. I seemed to get better at it with time.

My shifting was pretty good towards the end. I was starting to get pretty good at match revving, and even did a little downshifting, which went pretty good. Keeping track of which gear I was in was a little hard to do. But I think i'll just pick that up over time.

I think i'm alright at braking, I first started off just using the front brakes, then after one or two stops, added the rear brakes and got pretty coordinated using both. I'm definitely not all there, but I think a few more rides, and practicing emergency braking in the parking lot, and i'll be pretty good.

My dad came home sometime after I started riding in the neighborhood, he yelled at me hardcore for not having a permit to ride. So I guess now I gotta get one before riding again. Pisses me off cuz he's all like "get a permit today and i'll teach you how to ride." It's like WTF, he was pissed off two days ago when he saw the bike here for the first time, and now he wants to teach me how to ride?

But anyhoo, when I pulled up after the ride, I had to get the bike in the driveway, and we have this big ass curb that's so hard to get up. I swear, it took me 30 second to get it up, plus it didn't help my dad was watching me like a hawk when I pulled in.

I'm gonna get a permit on Thursday which is the day after finals. My dad says he'll help me with doing all the initial maintenance, which will be nice. Probably just change the oil and do a bunch of little things, but shouldn't be too bad.

I finally found a buyer for my ntc3, so I can buy some riding gear. Probably just a good helmet and gloves, then i'll buy a jacket, pants, and boots later on after I sell more stuff or save more money. I still need to pay the sales tax for purchasing the bike. I figure it'll be in the $150 range.

Hopefully I can get decent enough to take the bike out on the street and get some gas since it's still on reserve. Or maybe get my dad to do it.

I think my dad's coming around and actually starting to like the idea of me having a bike. Either that or he's just accepted it or some poop. But since our big fight, he's seemed to cooled down and seems to be more supportive.

I hope the bike will give him enough inspiration for him to restore his Triumph Bonneville that's sitting in the garage. It needs a lot of work, but most of it is relatively minor for a 30 year old bike. Just clean up all the parts, having some re-chromed, then just tear apart the engine and clean out all the crap. Well, it's probably a lot more work than that, but figuring he's got about 10 years to live (not trying to be negative), and he's a pretty slow worker, he needs to get started as soon as possible...lol

Anyhoo, I think this summer will be filled with mostly riding the motorcycle with my dad. Should be fun.

note: I know i'm probably rambling, but right now i'm DEAD tired...finals week sucks.

 

[.21Rc10GT]

Yeah, shifting, braking, and throttle control are pretty hard to get used to when you are starting out. I have ridden dirtbikes since i was about 7, so now its just natural... I thought about buying a street bike, but i dont know how they go in size, since I'm about 6'5....

 

[kwong2001]

well pretty much the shifting was the only thing I really got the hang of. It actually surprised me cuz i though the coordination involved would be a lot more harder, but I think it helped i'm good at driving stick shift on cars...I at least understand why i'm doing what i'm doing.

But definitely doing my initial start, and turning is the hardest for me. When i've rode bicycles, I think I always used the handlebars to steer and never really taught myself to lean into the turns, so when going to a motorcycle, it was just that much harder cuz i'm not used to leaning the bike at all. I didn't have much trust in the bike's capabilities.

But just like anything else, i'll have it figured out with time and practice. Just need finals to be over with

 

[jon2]

I have a Honda CBR 600 F4. I need to start her up and get going. The wife wants one too but not for a while till the baby is born and she recovers completely. Its an OK ride for me....

EDIT

Congrats on the purchase and good luck with your Pops on the acceptance of it.

 

[rossb]

You need to master the art of counter steering:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=countersteer+motorcycle

 

[kwong2001]

Yeah, I figured that was one of the things that was holding me back, but that's another thing i'll pick up over time.

 

[kwong2001]

Just to revive a somewhat old thread...

I've completely caught up with maintenance on the bike, thoroughly safety checked, changed the oil, and it's basically good to go. My dad and I have come to the conclusion the previous owner didn't do the maintenance, this was evident with the very clean Clymer manual I received with the bike. But no worries, i've already gotten the manual quite dirty, even if it was just doing little things.


NOW, for the important part, and the reason WHY I decided to revive this thread....

I passed the MSF course I took over the weekend. I wanted to ride after coming home from the class, but I was dead tired and it was raining. Hoping tomorrow will be better weather so I can actually go for a real ride. It will definitely be nice to ride my own bike since it fits me much better than the MSF's bike I had.