Wow am I glad I read this before I got my bike. When I first got my Prelude I wanted to go faster I wanted to push it but I didnt want to cause trouble. I kept it safe. Then one night a couple of friends decided to go for a mt. run at 1am and asked if I wanted to come along. I said YES!!! so i took off with them I didnt know the road and was just learning my car so I said I would stay behind thinking that was a good idea. they took off and I stayed behind I was getting anoied of being behind so I pushed my car more than what I felt confortable. And guess what??? I slammed into a tree on my left side quarter panal. The price to fix this was big. I did it all myself. I have kept the speed down after that. So i guess I can just think about that and KNOW that im not going to walk away from a crash like that on a bike.

 

As the above poster mentioned. I think the best way to learn to be cautious is to wreck. That is what really taught me. Not just the wreck, but all the hours of fixing the damage I had done. Both times I had to drop bikes, I got quotes at the dealer, then took the cash from insurance and did the work myself. This taught me a great lesson in how much effort and money is required to fix a bike.

I will suggest for anyone that is reading this and does not already have a bike, that you get a wrecked bike for cheap/free and fix it before you start riding. You will have a lot more respect for the bike and the road. You will also have a better idea of what kind of shape your machine is in. Wrecks are not always caused by human error, the vehicles fail themselves sometimes!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by F34Me?

As the above poster mentioned. I think the best way to learn to be cautious is to wreck. That is what really taught me. Not just the wreck, but all the hours of fixing the damage I had done. Both times I had to drop bikes, I got quotes at the dealer, then took the cash from insurance and did the work myself. This taught me a great lesson in how much effort and money is required to fix a bike.

this is what I did and i have to say I am much more couscous riding because i 1) spent months fixing up my bike and 2) already had a low slide at 20mph saw how much damage that did at that speed to both my gear and my bike... but I still have to say that i ride at where im comfortable, and as i become more comfortable in the twisties I may have to find other things to keep my speed at check

 

I did all the work on my car and i did find it that i had more respect twords how i drove because of it. It takes alot f work and time but you also get to know your car/bike better. I love the idea of building the bike but i yet dont know enough to be able to do so i would just get lost and end up giving up the passion for biks.

 

I think for me it's mostly a maturity thing; I didn't start riding until I got my "stupid" years out of me while driving a cage around. I mean I still get my kicks on the bike, mostly by throwing her down in the twisties, tight turns etc. And of course on-ramp acceleration is a good way to calm the little speed freak inside my skull that screams at the back of my eyes for acceleration. The fact that if I wreck my bike I have to drive my explored when it's not snowing helps to keep me in check as well, I hate driving a cage around, except in the snow that is.

 

I'm reading all this advice for my own good, I usually behave myself on the road out of respect for others. But I have my moments. I promised myself that I will NEVER go more then 10 mph over in town, but sometimes I still do, but then slow down immediately. (Also my speedo reads about 5 mph fast anyway) I find it very difficult to pass on the highway without seeing triple digits, but then I tuck back into my lane and slow down again. I also will speed up to get cages away from me. I've been trying a new technique though. I rest my left elbow on the tank with my hand draped over, right hand loosely on the throttle, all the while meditating on the "Big Picture". Reading the road, traffic, bike, wind, animals, etc, and allowing grace to happen. As soon as a vehicle or other potential hazard enters my "sphere", I get both hands back on the bars. It has help my gas mileage tremendously and it's comfy. I just focus on the right RPM's and the smoothest speed all the while thinking about the Sheriff being the next car I see.

 

Sounds eerily similar to how I ride. What part of the country you in?

 

Sounds liek resisting is not that easy.

 

Well, lets face it. Nobody needs 130hp motorcycle to go the speed limit all the time, every time. Resisting it is part of the fun. I have a devil who dares me to do things. He is like a dog, the more I exercise him, the less likely he is to break loose a cause trouble with the neighbors.

 

More Traffic equals more resistance Less traffic less resistance , simply put it's a naturally occurring phenomenon.