A year ago this month I drove to an empty industrial lot in the outskirts of Philadelphia and spent 4 hours learning to ride a 125cc Kawasaki in 30* weather. A week later, after another 4 hours and a skills test that was full of fumbles but not
too many, I received an "M" classification on my driver's license for the first time in my life, at 34 years old. It would be another month before I had the courage to get on my 1978 Honda CB400 and hit public roads, but eventually I did it and I have never looked back. Simply put, the best decision I made in 2012.
To commemorate my one-year anniversary on two-wheels, I present the following debrief. It's really a post for myself as I realize, but maybe it will be helpful to the occasional noob that is researching their first bike. Anyway, on to the debrief:
Things I did right:-
Be old. I had had my auto license for 18 years, probably 200k miles, and had never been in an accident (well, unintentional accident, but that's another story). I am a much safer driver at 34 than I was at 20, and it carried over to the bike. I shutter to think how reckless I would be if I learned to ride at 18 (and how bad my gear selection would be!).
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Started on a moderate sized bike. I read a lot about what type/size bike to get, and decided to listen to the better angels of my nature and resist the urge to get a 600-800cc Duc. Good call. The Honda was much lighter which made it much easier to handle and to learn on. Plus, I didn't worry about dropping it, since I paid $600 and not $6000 for it.
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Found Revzilla. Being in Philly, I was able to go to the brick n mortar Revzilla store. From day one, the staff has always been very helpful. Great people, great selection, great business. Made my gear selection and general introduction to riding very positive.
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Invested in good gear (sort of). I was hesitant to spend $1000+ on gear for a new interest that I wasn't even sure I'd like, especially since my bike cost half that amount. But I took the advice of the Revzilla staff and of websites like this and invested in good gear, even though it meant spending more than I ever wanted to. The reason I consider this a good move was because: 1) I would eventually spend more money to upgrade, so why buy crap gear if I'm going to replace it, that just makes it even MORE expensive; 2) as a newbie, my chance of crashing was higher, so it makes sense that I needed more protective gear. Anyway,
once I saw pictures like this, I stopped wearing jeans and invested in kevlar ones and knee pads. Good move.
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Took a maintenance course. This is not something everyone can do, due to location/availability.
But I took this and it has helped give me a lot more confidence in working on my bike. Perhaps more importantly, I don't feel like a sucker every time I talk to a mechanic (see mechanic shop error below).
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Got on the DMF and contributed. It's worth noting the value of being part of a forum. Here I've learned much more, much faster; I've saved money, been guided to better gear/equipment, and have even purchased used parts at good prices; I've learned good places to ride, about track days, and been recommended websites/movies/MotoGP/other things that have enhanced my experience as a moto owner.
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Bought Total Control (by Lee Parks) and the LT Snyder maintenance book. Who knew riding was a skill to be developed and worked on? Also, who knew maintenance books didn't have to be overly technical? Well, now I do.
Things I did wrong-
Upgraded too soon. I got my Duc on a whim, but also because I had reaaallly wanted one ever since ever. Problem with the quick upgrade was that 900cc is a LOT heavier and a LOT more sensitive to throttle/brake than the Honda. I wasn't ready. Luckily I was careful and survived without crashing.
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Tried to skimp on gear. The first gloves
I bought were these online. Seriously. Not only do they not have armor or protection, they have HOLES at the knuckles! Luckily for me I lost one and had to buy another set at a random cycle shop,
which were these. Also a bad idea, but I didn't want to spend money on gloves since I already spent money on gloves. Again, websites like the DMF helped convince me to be fully protected so I upgraded at Revzilla with some Rev'its.
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Took the bike to a bad shop. At some point I had to take my it to a local mechanic. Terrible experience because the guy never answered the phone nor returned calls. It took 6 weeks to get the bike back, after what I know now to be probably 1-2 days work for any good mechanic. Two months later I took it to him again for something minor. It took 4 weeks to get back. All he did was flush the carbs. Seriously. Anyway, moral of this story is find a good mechanic you trust, even it means going farther or paying more. Ten weeks during riding season my bike was at this guy's shop. Not fun.
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Rode with a passenger. To be fair, she was really really hot. When she asked for a ride I couldn't resist, even though I had reservations. We went around the block---four right turns. The most nerve-racking 0.2 miles I've ever ridden. A passenger is a MAJOR change to how the bike handles. Not for the inexperienced, and not for noobs with < 1 year experience. We survived the 0.2 miles without incident.
One final anecdoteAt the end of my first day in the MSF course, when everyone was near frostbit, someone discovered that you can grab the exhaust with gloves on and warm up your hands. This was perhaps the greatest lesson I've learned as it saved my fingers from certainly amputation, thus preventing this great two wheel experience before it began. Once this Nor'easter passes and spring comes, I begin year 2. I can't wait.
