HI all and
welcome to my site! Hope you come back soon. To those of you who know me, I like to do some crazy things. Skating down hills,
through traffic, or skiing in the Swiss Alps. My newest hobby is motorcycles. At first I was afraid because the bike culture seems dangerous.
But as a friend of mine got involved and I learned more about it, I was better educated. I learned that to own a bike was
a huge responsibility. It is more than flashy colors and leather jackets. Ill just start from the beginning.
In Sep 2002 my friend wanted to get a bike, and I tried to convince him otherwise, but to no avail. He got it anyway. He said
that he took the MSF course, which ill explain later. His Kawasaki
ninja ex500 2000 - blue. It’s a nice looking bike. But at this point I know nothing about bikes, and my friend is a
little ahead of me. After seeing my friend on the bike for a year, I convinced him to let me "try to ride". (As a side
note, never let someone who doesn’t know how to ride, ride your bike. unless you like to spend lots of money.) So he
let me go down the block, and by some miracle, I made it into first gear without stalling. The next miracle is I made it back
down the block without dropping it!!! I was thrilled. Meanwhile that was my first time.
After this
point in time I would try to ride every so often, but I had no training at all and could make it that far without stalling.
As a joke my friend kept telling me to get my own bike, but I told him that I had no interest in a bike. Mainly bec I had
a car. My 1995 Buick skylark. Not a racer, but I liked it. After hearing for 2 more yrs to get my own bike and learning more
about them, I decided to get the bike permit.
There is
a simple DMV test to get the permit, but I recommend you read the motorcycle twice before you go. It’s not hard, but
there are specifics that you will need to know. So in Sep 2003 I got my motorcycle permit.
In the process
of learning about bikes, I wondered how to learn the skills the right way without spending too much money. I couldn’t
borrow my friend’s bike, because that would not be nice if something happened. So my friend directed me to the MSF course
(motorcycle safety foundation). It’s basically a drivers ed course for motorcycles. They teach how to use the clutch,
gears, breaks...and so on. To ride without this knowledge is just stupid!!! I know there are many people, who just pick it
up a bike and knew how to get around, but there is riding, and there is riding the right way. They teach us etiquette and
common sense which you may not understand until you ride. It costs around $400 and it’s a 3 day course, but it’s
not only worth it, but you should get on a bike without it!
In March
2004, my friend tells me he saw a bike in an ad that looked good. It was a 1981 Honda cm400 custom - blue. According
to the guy, he said there was nothing wrong with it. As far as I can tell, the bike looked great, no leaks and it started
up right away. Anyway I got it. It cost me $800. The guy we dealt with was very friendly and straight forward, which made
the whole process much more pleasant. So now I got my first bike!!! Now I just need a license!!!
In April
2004 I took the MSF course in the freezing rain, but it was fun. I went to Yonkers
raceway for training. They give you 250cc or 125cc bikes to learn on. Also, if you aren’t sure you will want to ride,
this course will give you a much better idea of what’s expected. We spent
one evening from 6-9 just going through material about bikes, and concepts. The next day, you get to ride the bikes….the
rest ill let you see for yourself!!!
All I can
say is, listen to the teachers, they are there to help you.
If they say
you can do it….you can do it!
