"Beginner" routes in and around NYC

[jeffcon0]

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.

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?

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

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.

[thought]

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?

for me it came down to the xena vs a scorpio system (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.

[cokey]

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.. 

[jeffcon0]

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.

[cokey]

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

[thought]

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

[TiNi]

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.

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

[altlash]

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.

[mookieo2]

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.

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.

[jeffcon0]

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[positivecarry]

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.

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.

[mookieo2]

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.

[froggert]

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.

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

www.rydersalley.com

[timeforpoptarts]

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.