A moment for gloating...

Yesterday was the last day for my motorcycle safety course.  After the way the previous classes were going, I wasn't very sure that I'd pass.  I was OK doing pretty much anything at speed, but this revolutionary new "clutch" thing was making it a bitch to do anything that required tight maneuvers at low speed.

Once I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Clutch, I was able to get through the low speed stuff with little issue.  I got the second best score on the range test, and a perfect score on the written test.

Now the problem is that I have to wait 2 weeks to get a certificate in the mail before I can get my license.  I'll just have to wait patiently in my dad's garage, staring at my KZ440 until it comes.

Congrats! Welcome to the world of biking.

"revolutionary new "clutch" thing" You must be a noob But then I grew up riding dirt bikes and have been street riding for...um...many years before I bought my RZ350 in '86.

Enjoy and be safe.

that sucks.

congrats on passing the course. When i got my license in alabama the first they asked me if i wanted motorcycle also. no extra written or riding test. The army made me take a safety riding course and i am glad i did. there is a lot more than jump on and ride.

mike

Quoted: I was terrible at picking up the basics, I just could not get the hang of countersteering and getting hard on the front brake. Took me about an entire summer to get good at it.

these things have breaks?!

Quoted: Quoted: I was terrible at picking up the basics, I just could not get the hang of countersteering and getting hard on the front brake. Took me about an entire summer to get good at it. these things have breaks?!

Yeah they do... you learn where they are pretty quickly when you just FUBARd a clutch release.

And Aimless, I know that people really enjoy their bikes, but "getting hard on the front brake" sounds a little suspect!  

Just remember, there's two kinds of riders. Ones who have dropped their bike, and ones who are going to drop their bike.

It's inevitable, so just try to get lucky and drop it at 5 mph in the alley or something like that.

I always tell new riders that for their first season, they should buy a piece of shit bike for $1000 and get all the stupid stuff out of the way before they invest in a brand new one.

I had a friend who was gung-ho about getting his motorcycle endorsement and went and bought a brand new race bike. I kept telling him that he should wait and just do a few months of riding on an old Shadow or something. He wouldn't listen to me.

Exactly 4 days after he got his bike, he dropped it in traffic at about45 MPH. Skinned the shit out of himself and bruised up pretty bad. The bike was trashed. He kept the bike and repaired it himself, but he finally agreed with me that new riders are unprepared to handle traffic situations and react for several months. He was sick.

Now he races semi-pro and is a great rider, but that first drop is always around the corner.

Be safe.

Glad you're a (fellow) MSF grad.

That course saved my life (probably more than once). Worth every penny, and moment of time.

A couple of days ago my friend let me ride his CBR600.  It was the first time that I have ever riden a sport bike.  It was a lot of fun but tight cornering is a pain.  I grew up riding dirt bikes though and I am going to be buying a motocross bike this week  It is a KX250r if you are wondering.

Notes on brakes---



Go to Google Images and enter "stoppie".


WooHoo...!