"Beginner" routes in and around NYC

[jeffcon0]

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. 

[CDawg]

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.

[cokey]

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.. 

[jeffcon0]

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?

[He Man]

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

[CDawg]

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

[thought]

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.

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.

[jeffcon0]

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.

[thought]

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.

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... about $40 and revzilla is based in philly so it gets to the nyc/nj area in about a day after ordering.

[jeffcon0]

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... 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.

[CDawg]

I think a cover is a necessity for parking on the street as I'm planning on doing.

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.
 

[jeffcon0]

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.

[thought]

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.



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=

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    the alarm goes off once it sense vibration and should deter people from sitting on your bike.

[TiNi]

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.

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

[CDawg]

Do you mean chaining the bike to something or just wrapping a heavy chain around the rear wheel? ...when I do see a bike parked on a sidewalk it's usually accompanied by a fluorescent orange envelope wedged between the handlebars.

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.