Ducati Monster Forum

Hi All. New member and new rider here looking for some advice. I recently purchased a 696 as my first motorcycle and to this point I've been storing it in mid-state CT and riding some lovely rural routes in order to get comfortable and get used to the bike. My only experience up to that point was the 250s at the MSF course.

I actually live on the LES in Manhattan and am bringing the bike back into the city in the coming weeks. I'm hoping someone has some advice on some good roads or even general ideas on how to get used to riding in the heavy congestion of the NYC metro. Also looking on advice for the best ways in and out of the city with minimal congestion for when I want to take some leisurely rides out of the city to Bear Mountain or upstate.

At this point I'm feeling very comfortable on the bike and I have the basics pretty well down. I just know it will be a big jump going from mostly empty highways and small towns and curvy roads to the stop and go of the city or I-95 or the FDR (the roads seemed like an utter minefield last time I was on the FDR).

Any advice on how to ease the transition process, similar experiences, etc? Good spots to practice skills (empty lots, empty roads, etc) would also be great.

Thanks for any advice! This board has been invaluable and I'm looking forward to seeing some of you on the roads when I feel like I can hang.  [thumbsup]

Jeff,
Welcome and congrats!  There are several thread on riding in NYC, but I'll rattle off some thoughts to get you started:

Watch out for taxis.  They are trying to kill you. No, really.  They are trying to kill you.  Pay special attention to pedestrian flagging down cabs.  The cabs will jump in front of you and slam on their brakes to rush to pick up a fare.  I repeat...they are trying to kill you!

The first 1K are the most dangerous miles.  Don't take a passenger.  It take a (long) while for counter-steering becomes natural.  By natural, I mean a cab is trying to kill you and you swerve/counter-steer instinctively and accurately.

Target fixation is no joke.  You do hit what you look and it's damn hard to not look at what you don't want to hit.

Keith Code's A Twist Of The Wrist II is great.  Get II first, not I.

NYC is hard to practice in.  If you have to practice in town, get up early in weekend so the streets are clear (like 7am early). 

If you take the northern entrance to Bear Mountain, beware of the decreasing radius right hand turn at the end.  This turn has gotten several beginner bikers.

Palisades is a fine road to get use to you machine, but watch your speed.  5-0 everywhere.

Get an EZ Pass.  It beats fishing out bills and change at the toll plaza.

When riding the FDR or the Westside Hwy, I tend to stick to the inner most lane.  The concrete road divider eliminates crazy cagers from my left.

Westside Hwy feels more civilized than FDR.

Bennet Airfield have been mentioned as a great place to practice.  I haven't been there, but several DMFer have and like it.

Tunnels (Holland, Lincoln, etc...) sucks!  The air inside is stale and humid and filled with exhaust.  I prefer GWB.

I haven't done a "New Rider Ride" in a couple of years, but if you want to do the heavy lifting of pulling a small group together, I'd be happy to take a group  out.

Ride on the fdr when there's no traffic to memoriz the pot holes..  if you see a guy taking pics or flagging u down from a time Warner cable truck,  a ranger, its me lol.. 

Thanks for the advice guys.

I've heard many horror stories about cab drivers and I know from my experience in hailing them that they will dart across 3 lanes to get to you. I've really been making a conscious effort to "ride like I'm invisible" so I am not dependent upon other's attention (or lack thereof) to keep myself alive. Obviously this is easier in small town CT than in NYC.

I'm a pretty cautious person so I'm really trying to take this whole thing slow and do it right while still having fun. I've read Proficient Motorcycling and trying to take the lessons into practice. I did the MSF course, I'm making an effort to ride within my abilities, etc. I only have a few hundred miles under my belt now but I don't have jitters getting out on the bike at this point. Rush hour NYC may be another story, though.

I've heard the Palisades is a good route for bikes and also 9W. A few people have recommended just taking Broadway all the way up into Westchester when it turns into 9D (I think) to get my bearings and see a wide variety of traffic and road environments without having to pay attention to directions, etc. on top of everything else. I'll be honest, I'm intimidated by the GW, the ripped to hell FDR leading up to it, and the huge swelling highway/interchanges right after the bridge in NJ. I think I'll need to work my way up to that.

I'll also likely stick to the West Side highway a bit more initially. Seems a bit more subdued in my driving experience in the city.

Obviously I want to eventually get to the point where I don't have to be intimidated by any particular route and can just go out and ride like I would in a car. I'm hoping to get there in time. Til then I'll probably try and stick to some early morning riding to slowly acclimate myself.

There has to be many, MANY thousands of motorcyclists in NYC. It can't be rocket science, right?

actually it can be. if you put a rocket on a bike that is. otherwise not really.

you'll get used to it is all i can say. If you know you will be commuting everyday, day in and day out. do accept the fact that your bike will be knocked over eventually or someone will try to run your ass over.

<-used to commute 6x a week until the cost of train was cheaper than gasoline. lol

Get this free 696 shop manual if you haven't yet:
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=22342.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=22342.0)

i know the exact turn you're talking about... it freaked me out a bit when i first took it too

my suggestion would be to avoid the fdr and just cut across town to the hh till you're a bit more comfy... space is a bit tighter on the fdr and the potholes are ridiculous right now.  or if you dont mind the lights, you can take riverside dr all the way up to the bridge starting from the 70's.

you can take the lower level on the bridge to avoid all the trucks, but it's not a direct exit to the pal parkway... and be aware that the wind on the bridge will shift your line a bit.

if you're taking the pal parkway, you can stop by the state line park btwn exit 3 and exit 4... nice view there.  and 9w is also really nice for a easy getting to know the bike ride... the pal parkway is a bit of a straight line.

if you want to get used to riding on highways, you can take the hh to the saw mill to the merrit.  no trucks at all that whole route and you can stop by the colony grill in stamford for some great pizza.

Thanks again for the replies. I will definitely download that 696 manual. Very useful.

Thought - Thanks for your specifics. That's actually very helpful. Since I'll be riding my bike down from Litchfield county in CT in the next few weeks I was wondering the most "pleasant" route to take. I really don't want to deal with 95. Your suggestion of the Merritt --> Saw Mill --> HH will be my likely route. It's easy enough to get to the Merritt from route 8 which is a pretty nice ride as far as highways go.

He Man - I suspect you're right  that it's just something I'll get used to. As with most things in life that's usually the case. It's just dipping my toes in for the first time that is intimidating. I've wanted a bike for many years but held off because of the headaches and impracticalities of owning one in the city. I finally decided it was time to stop fretting over it and just go for it.

np man, also keep in mind that there is a $4 toll from the saw mill to the hh... might want to make sure you have your bike registered with your ezpass before you take the trip.  there's no barrier, it's just a drive through ezpass lane so you wont have to stop if you have it.

also, if you're going to be parking in the city, def get a bike cover.  it'll help out a lot in terms of peace of mind and keeping people away from your bike.  i got a nelson rigg one from www.revzilla.com (http://)... about $40 and revzilla is based in philly so it gets to the nyc/nj area in about a day after ordering.

Good call on the EZ Pass. I will be ordering one this week. I've read threads about problems with the readers picking up the EZ Pass on bikes but I guess that's nothing to worry too much about at this point.

I've ordered all of my gear from Revzilla so far and they've been great. Honestly one of the best online vendors I've ever done business with. They were especially helpful for a newbie like me. I think a cover is a necessity for parking on the street as I'm planning on doing. The parking prices hovering around $200 for motorcycles seems nuts even by NYC standards.

Make sure you get a beefy chain and immobilize the bike.  I had one stolen in '98 and it was a gut punch.  Insurance deductible just added insult to injury.
 

Do you mean chaining the bike to something or just wrapping a heavy chain around the rear wheel? I've seen a number of bikes parked with just the chain around the rear wheel and I always wonder if that does much good. It seems like it would be tough to park legally while also chaining to something immovable (lamppost, sign post, etc.). I've considered at least getting a disk lock thinking maybe that yellow cord would be enough to make a thief consider another target.

I lived in Bay Ridge before I moved to Manhattan a few years ago and in Brooklyn I regularly saw bikes covered and parked on the sidewalk, chained to light posts, etc. I very rarely see that in Manhattan and when I do see a bike parked on a sidewalk it's usually accompanied by a fluorescent orange envelope wedged between the handlebars.

i think he means to chain it to something immovable... most bikes are light enough that 2 guys can easily just lift the bike up and take it away.  you can see it in this video... just skip to the 3 min mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D96QM-lzLM8

i know some people get away with putting down anchors like these:

http://www.motrax.co.uk/index.php?pg=3&action=dept&id=23&pid=0&p= (http://www.motrax.co.uk/index.php?pg=3&action=dept&id=23&pid=0&p=)

but i really dont know if you can get away with that in the city.

i have a xena alarm disc lock for mine... got it when someone in my own apt garage sat on my bike and dropped it... about a month after i got my bike  [bang]  the alarm goes off once it sense vibration and should deter people from sitting on your bike.

where in litchfield county? that's my turf!  ;D
when i go into the city i usually take that route. i like the merritt  [thumbsup] and the HH is a nice drive too

I meant chaining to something.  If that cannot be done, then definitely use a cover and lock the cover.
Theft is the down-side of owning a hot bike.

I've checked those out and was considering getting one. My only concern is being the a-hole who has an alarm going off nonstop and not being around to turn it off or something. I do have some concern about the kids in the neighborhood just sitting on the bike or otherwise screwing around with it just for the hell of it. Would you recommend the Xena alarm?


My Dad lives on the Watertown/Woodbury border and I've been storing my bike at his place this winter. Some beautiful riding up there. I was just there last weekend and took a great ride through Washington/New Preston/Kent/Goshen/Litchfield. I have to assume it's going to be a letdown going from motorcycle country up in CT to the grid streets of Manhattan. I must say I envy you living up there. Some day I'll end up that way if things work out.

for me it came down to the xena vs a scorpio system (http://www.scorpioalarms.com/products/motorcycle/sr-i800/ (http://www.scorpioalarms.com/products/motorcycle/sr-i800/))... in terms of pricing they come out close enough that it was a coin toss for me.  in the end, i chose the xena because i didnt want to have to deal with the battery drain from the alarm system.  i dont have access to a tender for winter storage and pulling the battery on the new monsters is a really annoying hassle.

overall, a great lock, and it's not super super sensitive.  i've heard that the older ones were, but the new revision seems to be pretty good, though i've had it go off when i had it parked outside on a really windy day.

truthfully, i was worried about being that guy that has his alarm going off all the time too... till i then realized that i would rather be that guy than the guy that got his bike messed with all the time.

What part of les?  If its parked during the day ill keep an eye out for it.. I'm always working around LES.. most times 6 days out of the week.. 

I'm near Eldridge and Rivington. The "quiet" part of the LES, if there is such a thing. I still need to work on finding the best street parking around there. I just downloaded the PrimoSpot app for my phone which seems pretty useful. Having never owned a car in the city I'm a total rookie with all the parking idiosyncrasies in NYC.

Parking around there sucks..  a lot of no parking from 8am-6pm..  I've seen a few ducs/mc's parked around there thgh.. 

in general, in the les, if you see a nice open spot... it's a hydrant or a church. :\

 [thumbsup] we live in litchfield
 if you're ever back up this way with the bike, shoot me a pm :)

Hey Jeff,

Funny you just posted this, I also just got my first bike (M695) and live in Williamsburg.

If you're ever looking for another new rider with a Ducati to go on a ride, hit me up.

Welcome.

Fontanas is a cool bar.

Just don't ride over your head. Take it easy the speed will come. Look into taking the Lee Parks ARC class when you get some more miles under your belt. I think Ducati New Roc is having them in their parking lot now.

You nailed it. Parking is rough around there during the day. I need to get in the habit of commuting on the bike so I don't have to worry about finding a spot around there. Although I work in the financial district so that is probably even worse. *Sigh* No easy options. There's a Triumph and a few other bikes that park around that area on the LES. I'll probably do my best to join them and hope there's some deterrent by having a number of bikes next to each other.

I definitely will. Litchfield is a fantastic, quintessential New England town. I just stopped at the Village Restaurant for a sandwich on my ride last weekend. Very decent. I'd love to ride with someone up there, though I'd probably slow you down at my current skill level. ;) I'll PM you when I'm in CT for a weekend this summer. Would be great to meet some fellow riders.

Awesome! I'm looking for people to ride with since I don't really know many other people with motorcycles in the city. We could get our feet wet together. I should have my bike in the city in the coming weeks and I'll get in touch for a ride. You're just a hop over the bridge from me so that would work out great.

Thanks for the advice, Mookie. I'm pretty much trying to stay in my comfort zone right now and not push. It's much more enjoyable that way. I'm looking at this as a long term learning process and I feel no need to go out there and prove anything right now. I'd much rather be happily riding 10, 20 years from now and letting my skills grow organically. I will definitely look into that course once I get some time under my belt. If it's anything like the BRC it would definitely be valuable.

And yeah, I love Fontana's. Great space and a great place to have a few beers and relax since it doesn't get too crowded until later at night. It's right down the block from me so I'm there regularly.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys! I'm hoping to meet some of you if there's ever a NYMMC ride.

I'd be down for a New Rider Ride...

When I first started riding, I was hesitant to get on the GWB...so I just did the Saw Mill Pkwy, then expanded to GWB->Palisades, then expanded to Bear Mtn, etc.  Keep trips short and close to home when you're first starting out, which will keep your nerves in check.  The first couple of months I was riding, I didn't do more than 100 miles round trip.  I also made sure to leave the city early to avoid the traffic...coming back into the city in the afternoon, traffic is inevitable.  But then again, you're not really moving fast enough to get into too much trouble. 

But my favorite beginner routes is probably West Side Hwy to GWB to Palisades to either Bear Mtn or somewhere along the way for lunch, then 9W on the way back to the city.

But seriously, if you or anyone wants to get out for a short Saturday morning ride at a leisurely pace, I'd be down.

If the guys from Suspectsunlimited dot com go on a street ride I'll post up over here or you can check there. I still have to get my Gsxr registered. The monster is off the road and will be for sale soon.

check out ryder's alley, a motorcycle-only parking garage in the financial district.

www.rydersalley.com (http://)

New rider here as well, for the first few months I am keeping my bike down on the Jersey shore, but I am looking for some routes and rides up here.