Ducati Monster Forum

34 y/o dude, bought my first bike, a M696 a few weeks ago. Just rode up to Denton from Flower Mound on 35 and I was wondering how long it will take for my butt to unclench.

On a side note, I was wondering if there are any common things to look out for on local freeways or any advice you guys would like to share with a noob =).

Thanks,

pesto

Congrats!  [Dolph]

In time, you will get used to it.  [thumbsup]

The best advice I have is to learn to read traffic and use your experience of the road to think ahead of what others will do in given situations. They are not paying attention to other drivers, especially not bikes!

Try to stay out of the right lane if there are lots of entrances with merging traffic, or exits with people diving across.  Left lanes are good, as you only have to watch to your right.  Watch out for turbulence off the back of big trucks, passing them is always best.  That works for most potential hazards.  I35 is a tough one, you did well  [thumbsup]

With  construction zones out there, be aware of pinch points as well--people entering or exiting with no lanes on either side to maneuver.

...AND no shoulders.

Thanks for all of the encouragement and advice :).

Welcome to the riding community [thumbsup]
I try to either keep the same speed as the traffic (not focus on my speedo) or pass to get to an open area. 
Good luck and ride safe!

Congrats but I think you picked the worst part.  The on ramps in Denton are ridiculously short.  In time you'll get used to it but always check your surroundings and expect everyone to pull into your lane.

Thanks!

Yeah, it was really busy on the way up and I kept having to find open space. It was very challenging but fun. If I seemed to be spending too much time looking at the car in front of me, I backed off and gave him some room so I could have a couple extra seconds to look around. The way back was wide open and a lot cooler weatherwise too :).

Thanks! Yeah thankfully no 'scary' moments. I know the time will come when the cell phone talker tries to kill me :(. You're not joking about those on ramps either. Kind of embarrassing story but it was really hot on the way up and I started sweating in my full helmet, even with the vents open. My nose started itching so bad I had to exit and pull over wipe the sweat off  [laugh]. When I got back on I hit ~6500 RPMs on the short on ramp which is a new record for me (also kind of embarrassing).

The joys of being a new rider  :D

Congrats!  Nothing like trial by fire to knock the new off, eh?!  [laugh]

I live in Flower Mound and do all I can to avoid that section of I-35... even in the car!  On the bright side, it sounds like you did great and weren't put-off by it.

From all you've posted already, and with what others have recommended, I can't add anything to your survival strategies.  So just have a great time.  Motorcycles can be the perfect attitude adjusters.

P.S. There are one or two "country roads" near our area that are a good change of pace so watch this space for weekend group rides that leave from the Flower Mound area.

P.S.S.  A good back protector is a must, IMHO.

Thanks! I will :). I ride with a taichi RS high protection jacket: http://www.taichimoto.com/rs-taichi-armed-high-protection-mesh-jacket-rsj275/ (http://www.taichimoto.com/rs-taichi-armed-high-protection-mesh-jacket-rsj275/) for now (The white one with grey and red trim). I'll be buying a leather one soon since I hear they are better. I just couldn't find anything that fit right and had good visibility (wasn't black). It has back protection but honestly I've no idea how they stack up against those standalone back protectors. Thoughts?

RS Taichi makes very solid gear, I was looking at their CE back protector (foam) and it looks pretty good.  The best are the hardshell types that extend further up and down the spine:
(http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server1400/5ff11/products/118/images/520/NXV306_img__34524.1277243549.1280.1280.jpg)
But they are not as easy to fit/wear all the time.  Most here use one of those for track days or heavy sport riding days, but stay with the internal/smaller protectors for commuting and running around town.  As a group the DFWM crowd is pretty pro-gear.

Nice tip, thanks. It's good to kind of get a feel of what other people find useful (although when safety is involved it's especially a personal choice). That's definitely more coverage than my jacket. Wearing something like that for more spirited riding seems like a good idea  [thumbsup].

If you're in the flower mound/ Denton area, and cruising on 35 be careful. Denton PD fines are outrageous. 1-10 over is $230 and 11-20 over is $240.

Congrats on the Monster!   [thumbsup]

The only thing I can add to the excellent advice already given is to remember how agile and maneuverable you are on two wheels.  That 6 inch wide strip of pavement you need can mean the difference between hitting an obstacle and snaking your way around/through it.  [Dolph]

Thanks! I saw your message and was watching to see how the shoulders come and go and grow and shrink on my way about town in the car today. Good to be more familiar with the local freeways :).

The only thing I would add to all the sound advice offered thus far would be that if you choose to use the HOV lane during rush hour, either find someone you can follow closely enough to run interference for you (not too close, of course), or hug the median, cover your front brake, and scan the left front wheels of the vehicles of the next lane over for sudden movement left - if they don't see you, and cross the double stripe in front of you, they will be going about 50 mph slower than you.

At times like that, I usually invoke the biker's prayer, which I borrowed from my sailing days: "O God, thy road is so great, and my bike is so small." [bow_down] Then I invoke a couple other things I learned to say in the Navy. [laugh]

Welcome to the DFWM! [beer]

Ah ha! Wouldn't have thought of that, but it makes sense  [thumbsup]. Thanks!