Awwwww......... you all care about me????? :loveu:
I totally expected some comments/conversation about new rider / appropriate MC.
I'm not going into this blindly and not without some limited seat time on several different kinds of bikes (sport, cruiser, dual sport, dirt bike, 500cc to 1100 cc) I've ridden all of them in limited degrees so as far as what I like/prefer and feel safe and comfortable on, I really feel good on a big, low cruiser with 750cc+. Sport bikes leave me with crushed nuts, sore hands and wrists from all that forward weight resting on the handlebars, tired stiff neck from looking up from that crouched position, and lots of tummy/tank rub.....
My riding experience - not gonna lie - I have no highway experience, nothing over 55mph. All of my "illegal" riding has been in neighborhoods, trails, residential streets and city streets. I've never owned an MC, never ridden one for more than an hour at a time except for the dirt bikes.
For all of the above reasons........ I wanted to take a legit MSF rider course and I wanted a course that used "real" MC's, not some 250cc plasti-bike. The Harley Davidson school uses the Street 500cc. Yeah, I know, more like a "Charley-Davidson" with visible asian MC construction and appearance. But it has real weight to it, (489 lbs) a good sized wheel base and powerful enough to truly learn good friction point clutch work and throttle use/response. We had to learn how to pick these up off the ground too - yes, they had crash bars front and rear but they do lay flat on their side so it was about as real of a pick-up scenario as you could hope for in a class. The HD Street 500 with training bars:
As far as In4aride's "crap front end geometry between rake, bar sweep, and turn radius" concerns..... well those 3 things are what make bikes different. The Wide Glide is no Sport bike. Wasn't meant to be. Riders of a Wide Glide aren't looking for the same performance characteristics that a Sport has. The HD Street I trained on has a 32 degree rake, the Wide Glide has a 34 degree rake. Does 2 degrees make for crap front end geometry? Not in my book. The longer forks, taller tire/wheel and overall wheel base length certainly reduces the Wide Glide's ability to make tight turns...... But I'm not looking for a bike to make tight turns with. I want a low bike, with good rear suspension, forward controls and fun power. I'm not looking to add bigger brakes, larger sprocket, an extra brake lever and all that crap so I can do wheelies, stoppies, and fly like an a-hole down C470 when the cops turn their lights on....... I want a cool, comfy straight line cruiser without all the farings, bags, vents, heater, radio, etc.
Now, about gaining road experience. No, I'm nowhere near ready to jump on the bike and go ride all over god's green earth. IF....... I get serious about riding, it'll be using a graduated goal list of simple to complex riding scenarios over a period of time and with folks with riding experience.
No, I'm not plunking down $16K on a new Wide Glide...... the one in the pic just gives me a stiffy and IF...... I adopt the MC lifestyle..... it's the example of what I'd LOVE to own. How'd I get so stuck on this model?
My dad bought this Wide Glide at a Denver auction. This thing was gorgeous. We knew nothing about it as it was a US Customs seizure but I believe the engine had been cammed at a minimum as it had a wicked lope and vibration. Fast like a scalded dog too. He left it at my place for 3 days and I rode it each day. Would have loved to have bought it from him, but flips are his bread and butter so he needed to get as much as he could..... and I REALLY didn't need that nice of a bike.
As far as Hypoid's demographic comment. No doubt there's truth to that. There were 7 guys in my riding class. All over 40 except one 34 year old. 2 of those were pretty scary on the bikes. Forgetting what gear they were in, forgetting the instructions given them, stalling frequently, feet down frequently, scared of the bike in general but refusing to admit it. One failed the class as he should have. The other showed improvement by testing time. I felt I did pretty damn good even though I let the test get in my head a bit and made a few mistakes. I learned A LOT.
So, there ya have it. I feel my mind is in the right place and I have obtained "parking lot warrior" training to be legal. IF........ I get a bike, it's for those occasional quick runs on a nice day or evening to the parts store, grocery store, meet up with friends, charity rides that work sponsors 3-4x a year, that kind of thing. No intentions of a road trip longer than half a day or so. You may see me on a bike........ you may not. :dunno:
