I'm a 'git'n some lern'in !!!!!! :-D

[Louis Angel]

Well. I decided to TRY to advance my riding skills further.
Beyond what I can teach myself, , , to myself. If that makes any since.
.
So, I signed up for the skilled rider course on May 14th.
http://www.abernathyonline.com/check...-learn-to-ride
.
AND, I also ordered a DVD to watch while waiting for May 14th to roll around.
https://www.ridelikeapro.com/store/d...ike-a-pro-dvd/
.
Now, there is a backstory to all this. Those who know me here, remember
I had issues manhandling a V-Star 650. ( a not too heavy bike )
and is what ultimately lead to me riding a little Vulcan 500 ( most often referred to as a GIRLS bike, with ZERO street cred! hahahaha! )
AND THEN, about a week ago, I made a run to Wal Mart and swooping in
through the way overpacked parking lot, zipping in and out and all around like a Dove in the wind, was this bright yellow Honda GL1800 Goldwing I have learned to call " Big Bird ". The operator was maneuvering the big bike like I would a 50cc scooter. So fluid. So easy.
Now, I decided to go meet the owner of big bird finally. So I looped back around and parked 2 spots down from HER. Yes, , , , HER!!!
Now boys, let me tell ya something here, this little woman, MAYBE all of 5' 4" and 120 lbs soaking wet, was BUILT RIGHT!!!! Oh my oh my oh my! I am a Christian man, and TRY not to allow my eyes to "look upon with a lustful heart", , , but, , , , DANG this ol gal was HOT!!!!
The kind of woman that would get a preacher in trouble kind of hot.
OK, * slaps myself * back to the point of all this.
Anywhoooooo, she was putting her helmet in the rear locking case as I passed by her, said hello and that I had seen her around some, and had to walk away. ( for above mentioned reasons )
But I was floored by how well she handled that 1800cc , 933 lb. motorcycle.
And here I am, 5' 10" 160 lbs. and was fighting with a little 525 lb. Vstar 650!!! SOMETHING AINT RIGHT!!!!
.
I grew up riding scooters, dirt bikes, dual sports, and a Rebel 250.
I never had a REASON to learn how to ride a larger bike.
And I can not teach myself, , , what I do not know.
.
So, , I am going to learn from the Pro's HOW to ride a large bike.
And after talking to the man at Abernathy's Harley Davidson, he assured me
in no time flat I will learn the skills and develop the ability to handle a Road King bagger as good as anyone. I sure hope he is right!!!!!!!
.
.
thanks for letting me yammer on about my stupidity. LOL
.
.

[culcune]

Without actually having ridden a huge bike, my guess is maneuverability involves throttle play.

[BlackBike]

louis a...i grew up in mississippi, so i know what my tenn. cousin is talkin about (haha). You will laugh at me since i am total greenhorn with the 2 wheel crowd but in tx we have mandatory rider class, to the tune of $235 for first time m class on driver licence (since 2009 i believe). just sighed up today for first weekend in may. (dont tell anyone i dont have licence) .

"but, , , , DANG this ol gal was HOT!!!! "

"Well, it must be the same old thing. That makes a preacher man lay his Bible down."

[Azhule]

Might I also suggest watching, "The Cornering Bible" aka "Twist of the Wrist".

Used to be an "Abridged" version without all the horrible acting and extra cut scenes, just all the good learning tips and info... but I can't seem to find it anymore

[BlackBike]

azh, since we are on the "religious" twist, i see what ya just did there. Cornering "Bible".

[SpudRider]

You are wise to take the advanced, rider safety course.

I used to teach motorcycle rider safety for the state of Idaho. We taught beginner, and advanced courses. These classes are some of the best money you will ever spend.

[Azhule]

Originally Posted by BlackBike

azh, since we are on the "religious" twist, i see what ya just did there. Cornering "Bible".

No 'religious twist' from me, that name is all from the maker/director of the video, it has decent info in the video despite the horrible acting/cut scenes

[cheesy]

You won't regret it. I'm taking the course again.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Azhule

Might I also suggest watching, "The Cornering Bible" aka "Twist of the Wrist".

Used to be an "Abridged" version without all the horrible acting and extra cut scenes, just all the good learning tips and info... but I can't seem to find it anymore

Thanks for posting the link to the excellent video. After 37 years of riding, lots of reading, and eventually teaching motorcycle rider safety myself, I know most of the information presented in that video. However, I have never before seen this information presented so well in a movie format.

[Louis Angel]

Thanks Az! And thanks guys!
Went on my FIRST official real group ride today. It was awesome.
I got to talk with many old biker veterans and learned a little here
& there. By NO means a replacement for the classes, , , but I did pick up
a few pointers.
.
It will be posted in the ride reports section with a few pictures
.

[BARLOW]

i guess because i went from a kaw 90 to an 1100 goldwing in my first week riding, big bikes are not much different to me ... maybe next week or so i can go pick up my 1980 suzuki gs850g and get it up and running again

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Azhule

No 'religious twist' from me, that name is all from the maker/director of the video, it has decent info in the video despite the horrible acting/cut scenes

'religious twist'... figuratively speaking of course. It just seemed to fit the posts direction, haha

[MICRider]

Wing's are balanced incredibly well, that helps a lot too!
I find the most awkward bikes to get used to are the cruisers, especially with forward mounted controls if your not used to them. The longer rake on the front end also makes them more prone to feeling like they want to "flop" into a corner...

Oh, I also learned the hard way to never put your foot down on a Wing... Lol, you aint pushing 1000 pounds back up straight if she gets tippy! A little squirt of throttle usually pulls it back up. Loved my Wing and like most bikes I sell, miss it now.

[Louis Angel]

I love how different bikes can feel so different, even within their own
category.
MCI said " you aint pushing 1000 pounds back up straight if she gets tippy! "
and that is the very reason why I don't ride a Goldwing. Yet.
But even with cruisers, I noticed when I took my new friends Sportster 1200 for a quick spin yesterday, in spite of it's 550 lbs, it FELT light / nimble to me.
Yet, my V-Star 650 Silverado that was lower & wider, FELT like a much heavier unresponsive Yacht compared to the Sporty. However, the Vstar rides like a Cadillac, where as the Sportster rides like it was engineered by chiropractors as a medieval device to INCREASE their business.
( of course, with new rear shocks, front springs & oil, and aftermarket seat, that can be changed. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ )
.
The point being that both are in the same category ( beginner cruiser ) weigh about the same, but feel so very different. I have heard the Kawasaki Concours feels much lighter than its competitor the Goldwing. And the BMW R1150T even lighter (by a good bit ) still. But I have not sit on any of those 3, much les gotten the nerve up to ride them, to say if that is accurate or not.