Monday, September 15th, 2008
This article was written by Jay Gaulard on behalf of CycleClassifieds.US, a popular motorcycle classifieds website.
The Thrill of Motorcycling – 5 Ways to Get into Riding
Motorcycling is cool. Motorcycling is fast. Motorcycling gives you a rush. There is no doubt about it. I don’t think anyone can dispute the fact that there is a certain breed of person out there that just loves the feeling of being out in the fresh air, cruising down the highway. I suspect there are a lot more people who would like to ride than we know about. The question is, how do they get going?
It’s like a lot of things; take it one step at a time. Later on, I will give my 5 top ways to get into riding, but first, I am going to tell you about my own experience learning to love motorcycles.
I would say I was about 14 years old when I purchased my friend’s tiny Honda Z50R. It was very small, but very fun. I used to ride it around the block and travel to friend’s houses on it. I grew out of that bike fast, but I did learn a few things; how to balance and corner a motorcycle.
My next few motorcycles were all dirt bikes. They were a Suzuki RM80, Honda CR125 and a Suzuki RM125. These were bigger machines and worthwhile investments. They taught me how to ride taller motorcycles and how to ride on a dirt track.
There were many other smaller learning experiences that went along with owning and riding dirt bikes. Those came with time. Some of them included learning where the best dealerships were located, how to repair and maintain a motorcycle, how to purchase the right parts and where the best places to ride were. It was a lot of fun and I wouldn’t give up those experiences for anything.
When I turned 17 years old, I purchased my first street bike. It was a Suzuki GR 650 Tempter. This was a big change for me, because I had never ridden a street motorcycle before. I have to say, it was a great learning bike. There was enough power, but not too much to do anything stupid or get in any trouble. The bike was smooth and just enough to get my feet wet on the streets.
There were a few years during college where I didn’t own a motorcycle, but knew I would soon. After college, I went ahead and bought the bike I own today, a Suzuki GSXR 1100. This is one serious motorcycle, and yes, one I could easily get in trouble on. Sometimes I get shaken by its unexpected power. I would only recommend this type of motorcycle to the most mature and experienced rider.
I love my current motorcycle, but will admit that it does get on my nerves at times. I sometimes wish I owned a laid back highway cruiser. Now that I am getting older, I don’t enjoy hunching over the gas tank as much as I used to. Style is not as important to me anymore and comfort is becoming more. Also, having a larger seat for a passenger is becoming a necessity. No passenger likes riding so high up and having to hold on for dear life.
With all the experience I have gained on a wide variety of motorcycles through the years, I feel that I am in a position to offer to some great tips on how to get into riding.
1.Visit a dealership. Yes, it seems so simple, but a huge hurdle to get past is deciding if you really can feel it in your blood. If you are like me, you will leave the dealership panting like a fool. If you leave still undecided, motorcycling might not be right for you.
2.Talk to people. If you have ever heard a group of riders talk about a trip they have taken or are about to take, chime in. Ask them questions and notice how easily they will include you in the ride. Some of them might even offer to take you as a passenger. The community is friendly and always welcoming to new riders.
3.Think about costs. Motorcycling can be an expensive hobby if you are just getting by already. You need to be ready for the financial side of things. You can expect the cost of the motorcycle, insurance, registration, maintenance, apparel and the cost of fuel. It’s easy to get sucked in to buying every after market part available for your motorcycle, so be sure you can afford the hobby first.
4.Go for a ride. Try to find someone who owns a motorcycle and ask them if you can hop on the back during their next ride. Try to find someone with a larger motorcycle for this, especially if you are larger yourself. You’ll know if motorcycling is the right thing to do once the wind hits your face.
5.Take a training course. I am one of those types of people who just want to get a bike and hop on, but friends of mine have told me how important a training course really is. They thought they knew all there was to know about motorcycling, but each day they came away with new knowledge. It’s important to learn how to ride properly.
After considering and completing the tips above, you should be in a position to purchase your first motorcycle. Look through the motorcycle classifieds or visit your local dealer. Find the right motorcycle for you and make the purchase. Since you made some riding contacts and are somewhat familiar with motorcycling in general, you should be in good shape. Just remember, safety comes first and when it comes to riding, patience is a virtue.
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Friday, November 16th, 2007
After I changed the oil in my car this afternoon, I had a nagging little chore to get finished up. It’s like one of those things you keep saying to yourself, “Oh man, I forgot to do that again.”
I had to pull out the motorcycle, add fuel stabilizer to the gas and take it for a ride. Since I only rode the thing once this year, I was looking forward to it. I added STABIL - Fuel Stabilizer to the almost full tank. I think it takes one ounce to every two and a half gallons of gasoline. I shook the bike around and started it up. The exhaust didn’t smell that good, but oh well. I had to take it for a ride to make sure the stable fuel worked its way into the carburetors. There are four of them. This is the most important thing. Here is a quote from their website -
“STA-BIL, America’s top selling fuel stabilizer, is a blend of scientific additives that prevents fuel from deteriorating. Stored fuel goes bad in as little as 60 days causing varnish deposits and corrosion to build up in engines. This build-up results in starting problems, poor performance, and reduced engine life. STA-BIL stops the formation of varnish and prevents corrosion.”
The ride was nice and short. I just cruised up the road and back. It was a little chilly and pretty windy, so it wasn’t really the day to go for a long ride. I am really going to try to ride more next summer.
The last thing I did was to take the battery out of the bike and hook it up to the battery tender. This is good to keep the battery lasting a nice long time. You should hook a battery up to a tender when it isn’t going to be used for a while.
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Monday, October 23rd, 2006
This post really has nothing to do with anything, but I thought it might be wildly funny. That’s right…WILDLY funny!
I was on my way to the supermarket yesterday around 5PM. I was driving in one direction and this little Suzuki SUV thing (you know, the little ones that you can buy your eight year old son to drive around the front lawn…kidding, it was a real car) is driving in the opposite direction towards me. As the car gets closer, I see this girl sitting in the driver’s seat. The seat was leaning back somewhat and she was looking real cool. You know the type. I also think the Suzuki was pink. Do you have the vision? Ok, as the car got closer and I noticed something about four feet wide written across the windshield in white. It said “Linda” in script. So there we have it, this cool girl driving a pink Suzuki with her name four feet wide written across her windshield. Now, mind you, this is an area of New York where there are lots of farms. There is a good chance this girl lives on a farm. Can you imagine being her hard working father, who owns farm tractors and corn fields, having to see this pink car in the driveway every morning?
Now, I am a reasonable person who doesn’t like to get excited about little things like this. Sure, people who know me may argue with that last claim, but they know, in their heart of hearts, that I am extremely even tempered. Seeing this car named “Linda” got me thinking. How much did that sticker cost? What would provoke someone to do this to their car? I am not saying that I have never been that age and never did things like this, but now that I am older and wiser, I feel that I have earned the right to give my opinion on these types of things.
It just so happens that Laura and I just finished an hour long conversation about what makes the poor, poor and what makes the rich, rich. Of course there was politics thrown in there all the while. Laura and I work very hard to make our money and, like other hard working people, we have opinions on how our money should be spent by our government, whether it be local, state or federal. We also, probably unjustified”ly”, have opinions on how other people should spend their money. C’mon, you do too. What about your idiot brother who just bought another…whatever. I don’t want to get into politics here because half of the people reading this post will end up hating me and the other half will end up loving me. Let’s just say I am very “middle of the road” on most things. How’s that? I am confident that what I write in this post, most people have thought at some time or another in their lives.
Back to the hot Suzuki. I am going to make a wild leap here…because I work in advertising, I think I can make an educated guess. This girl who drives the Suzuki doesn’t make all that much money. People who make good livings don’t buy pink Suzukis. Considering the fact that she was of the age to write her name across the windshield (four feet wide) tells me that she is in her late teens - early twenties. Knowing the town that I live in, I am also fairly confident that if this girl has a job, it is most likely at the one supermarket that we have or, if not there, in the hardware store or the Chinese restaurant. Either way, she couldn’t make more than $7 an hour.
Now, pardon me for dissecting this split second of my life, but I think this little microcosm explains a lot about America. Have you ever wondered why the neighbor that is having their house foreclosed on has two brand new SUVs in their driveway? Have you ever wondered why your friend with $60,000 worth of debt on their credit cards just took off for a week long vacation in Italy? Have you ever wondered why someone you KNOW has no money has more stuff and lives someplace nicer than you? This is America and the car named “Linda” explains it all.
Let me explain what went through my very even tempered mind the minute that car passed me (in order):
1. I have to write a blog post about this
2. Look at that girl, she so bad…she gets three snaps in “Z” formation
3. I hate those Suzukis
4. What the heck is that on her windshield?
5. Oh man, who the heck writes their name on their car?
6. There must be something wrong with her
7. No, probably not
8. Who buys a pink car?
9. Her
10. What gives someone, who probably works at either the supermarket, the hardware store or the Chinese restaurant, and who probably has 32 cents in their pocket, and who probably lives on a farm with hard working parents, and who probably isn’t doing well in school, and who probably has all the wrong friends, and who isn’t planning on going to college, and who probably knows someone on public assistance, and who will probably BE ON public assistance one day, and who may be a real sweetheart but just misguided, and who needs to get her priorities together and listen to her parents once in a while, the right to spend the money she doesn’t have to put her name across the windshield of her pink Suzuki?
I concede, that was a crazy set of thoughts. You be the judge. It may be the result of an hour long political discussion of poor people and rich people and after eleven hours of working diligently on a Sunday to grow my business.
Wasn’t that funny?
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