If you've not checked out my other thread, I just got my f4 about a month ago and had fun getting it to pass the MD state inspection. As of Tuesday, everything is legal and good to go so I went on my first "ride" yesterday. Here is the route I took. It ended up being around 2 1/2hrs total. There is a pretty cool bridge going over the lake but there is nowhere to stop and take a picture. It was a lot of fun and I passed about 5 or 6 other bikers on the route.

A few unorganized thoughts from a new guy:
Holy crap wind! It was an overcast and fairly windy day but I was tossed around a bit doing 70/80 mph on the interstate.
Not all interstates are created equal. 83 has a fairly nasty bit that is very bumpy and covered in patches. Not pleasant at all.
I did have a bit of damage because of some of the bumps. I'm not sure if it is because my fender isn't oem or the shop tighten the bolt too much or what but my front fender cracked around the left side mounting bolt. $93 for a new oem painted fender.
Also, I'd say I got some decent lean. You can see on the outer edges where the new unused rubber meets the slightly used rubber. I was riding very easy and conservative since I am a new rider but I'm proud.

All in all, it was a fairly uneventful and fun ride. I look forward to more of them!

 

Glad you enjoyed mate. I like the "proud". And home in one piece. Cant be bad !

 

Congrats on finally getting out to ride. The first ride is special, the last one is the worst. Try to make the best of all the ones in between.

There is nothing wrong with uneventful rides. Going out and returning safely is a great ride.

 

Thats awesome! It seems yesterday was the day for new F4 riders to ride. I rode mine for the first time out of the neighborhood and surrounding area, through 260 miles of backwoods country curvy roads! I'm a first time rider as well. Not to mention in a group of 15 other bikes! So, as some of the others said, "I got my cherry popped". Only 1 other rider knew it was my first ride. Everyone else was suprised!! I know its towards the end of the season to learn and gain experience, and the weathers gettin bad here in MI, but now its gonna make next season come so friggin slow!

 

Congrats to both of you. That first ride is always special. You don't know what to expect and you're not sure if you are "talented" enough, especially going through twisties. Probably going through territory you've never seen, or if you did, you were caging and didn't really ENJOY the road like you do when it's just you and the bike. Then, you get out there and you surprise yourself with how well you rode and you have a grin so big it threatens to eat your ears for a couple of days after. That first ride is always fun. May you have many more just as "uneventful" and pleasant. As Demon said, the first is great, the last is terrible, even if you are only retiring from it and the last ride isn't what puts you in a dirt nap. It's hard letting go of a loved one, even if she is a machine. Enjoy all your time with her.

 

Congrats on finally getting that ride! I know how you've been looking forward to it. Glad it went well & that you enjoyed it.

Did you have your windscreen on the bike? It will def cut down on the wind. Also, if you want more wind deflection, you can get a Double-Bubble windscreen. ..it really helps at interstate/hwy speeds.

Your fender shouldn't have broken like that. I agree that shop prob tightened it too much. Its not uncommon for fenders to crack at the bottom - from the bolt hole to bottom but to break like that, no.

Your stick on fender reflectors look pretty good. If you look at the bike diagrams on bikebandit/etc, you'll see that the oem reflectors were mounted via brackets just behind the fender.

BTW, those black plastic fork protectors are not seated properly...they should snap down onto that detent ring around the top of the fork case.

Don't worry about those chicken-strips. Just *ride your own ride* & be safe. :-)

 

I did have the windscreen on the bike. Everything is back to normal now. I will look into a double bubble screen.

Thanks for the tip on the protectors. I'll try and push them down further. They are very snug as is.

I noticed the stock reflectors in the part diagram when pricing the fender. To get as close to stock as possible, I think I will go ahead and order the oem reflectors as well.

Are the oem fenders white plastic or could mine be aftermarket? I'm hoping its aftermarket and that the oem fender is more durable.

 

Thanks everyone. I'm glad to finally be on the road. I'll most likely be commuting to work starting tomorrow. Between Saturday and today, I've already gone through a full tank and I'm much more comfortable on the interstate now than I was the first time.

Btw, how do you guys fill up your tank? The pump will click off well before 4gal. I visually filled it up until I thought is was close enough to full with a bit of air at the top. Doing it that way ended up being 3.5gal. The fuel light had just come on. I got 137.5 miles until it came back on.

 

I use a small piece of wood to tap them down into place...you have to work around the edge taping down to get them to seat all the way around.

You're stick-ons are ok but understand your desire to have the way it came. Many owners take 'em off when they get their bikes. I take mine off for track but put 'em back on for street.

OEM fenders are molded in color & are ABS. You can order a factory OEM replacement or buy aftermarket. Cheapest replacement would prob be from someone like Delkevic & it would come unpainted black, which you could leave that way or paint it. You can buy matching OEM paint from colorrite.com.

Excellent. Glad to hear it. Nice to know you're finally getting able to enjoy it.

You have a "reserve" left in the tank when your bike's gas light comes on. That's your warning to fill up b/f you run out. I usually get at least 170 per tank.

 

Yeah I knew that but how do you place the nozzle and when do you stop putting gas in? Do you just eyeball it or is there a certain procedure? I eyeballed it last time.