First Ride On My Vfr...and A Scary One

[Guest hyphen]

So I hopped on my bike for the first time. I've never been on the street but I got my permit and passed my basic riding course with msf. My friend asked if I wanted to go "putt" around last night. I agreed since I've been really anxious to ride. Wow was I in for a surprise.

His idea of "putting" around involved going onto a freeway then straight onto a canyon to the beach, make a round-about back to another canyon that lead back to his garage...at 9:30pm. May I remind you that this is my first time on the road, let alone on this 500lb bike. I probably did everything that a first time rider SHOULDN'T do. Granted, I took it slow in the canyons and I had 2 very experienced riders to my front and back, still. Not to mention there were strong gusts of wind that were pushing me around and almost made me cut a corner short.

Though, I have to say that I didn't regret it one bit. I know now what the addiction is. Feeling the cool canyon air, the beach smell...amazing. In case anyone is wondering, we went through Topanga Canyon to Malibu and then cut back through Las Virgenes.

I did surprisingly well for a first timer, I think. But it's definitely not something I would recommend.

[johnmark101]

Welcome to the addiction..... :blink:

[soichiro]

Take it easy grasshopper. Night riding is fun but at least twice as dangerous.

[VFRiderGal]

Congrats on the addiction! It's the healthiest of them all, or so I'm told. :salesman:

I think we've all felt like we've 'bitten' off a little more than we can chew when we starting riding at one point or another. As long as you focus on riding within your own comfort level and do not try to keep up with the other riders, you'll do just fine. Keep focusing on all that the class drilled into your head and it will all become second nature before you know it. Just use your head and ride smart/safe!

(BTW, I really like your friends idea of putting around! Maybe not for including a newbie on a ride like that for your very first time on the street though...)

[Guest]

Don't get crazy, there, junior. Lots of heart pumpin thrill ridin to be done in the future. Just make sure you live long enough to enjoy them all.

One more thing...you'll spent the rest of your life jonesing for more :D

[skuuter]

Get you some daytime stuff under your belt for a while. A lot easier to see everything going on around you...and there is a lot......... :thumbsup: If you have some experienced friends that are patient and will give you good tips and pointers (sounded like you do), then that will be great to ride with them some. Get out on your own a lot also and just "cruise around" enjoying the sights, sounds, and feel of your new bike. Practice "SMOOTH" stops, take-offs, lane changes, etc.

Don't rush anything, just enjoy the freedom of the motorcycle ride......GOOD LUCK, ENJOY, and WELCOME to the WONDERFUL WORLD of MOTORCYCLE RIDING..................... :thumbsup: :blink:

[SpamIAm]

First street ride ever? In the Santa Monicas? At night? Not something I would recommend, either! :o

Lots of fun riding up there, but you'll definitely want more experience before you get too carried away on those roads. I've had a few friends - all very experienced and safe riders - get bitten up there.

[NYMBYSS]

you are lucky to have survived that ,before you do that again i would get some serious seat time i the daytime to solidify the skills before trying that ,my opinion.

[jeremy556]

Wow, you are lucky you and your bike are still in one piece. Your friend does not have your best interests in mind.

I would recommend you avoid riding with groups at all until you have 4-5+ thousand miles of experience on your own.

[Auspanglish]

Wow, you are lucky you and your bike are still in one piece. Your friend does not have your best interests in mind.

I would recommend you avoid riding with groups at all until you have 4-5+ thousand miles of experience on your own.

There are several opinios similar to jeremy's and they're all good solid advice. The important thing is to take it easy. RIDE AT YOUR OWN PACE. I disagree that goup riding is advisable, on the contrary it can be a safer environment: provides better visibility, by which I mean YOU are easier to see for cagers, and they can provide a buffer zone around you, and IF they have a level head, they won't push you, or inspire you to ride beyond your abilities. They have to know you and your level of experience and be OK wit dropping their pace for your benefit. Furthermore, having an experienced rider in front can help you see how a bike is ridden... so long as they're not showing off...

Getting out on your own is still highly recomendable and I'm not telling you anything you dont already know as you are obviously aware of the dangers, or you are now!! Just don't try and be Nicky Hayden overnight and you'll be fine!!!

Ride on!!!

[Baileyrock]

Congrats on surviving your first ride! :huh:

But that was exactly the type of ride a new rider should NEVER take as I imagine it would account for a crash in 7 of 10 new riders or more!

Avoid riding with experienced riders usless YOUR safety is their Only concern if you did ride with them!

Be very carefull out there and take pleanty of time to build your skills so that you can have a life long riding experience instead of a short life! :rolleyes:

[michaelf3]

Glad you made it back fine. Just to let you know, in California you are not allow to ride at night, carry a passenger or ride on the freeway with just a permit. Since you passed the MSF course go to the DMV and exchange your permit for a permanent license.

[Guest]

Yeah my safety was definitely their primary concern and I'm to blame for that trip. At every stop they were asking if I was okay and I said I was fine, which I was. On the freeway the lead was my friend on a truck and he kept his hazards on and slowed the pace the whole way. I could have very easily asked them to turn around or take an easier route on the canyons. Additionally, I was going maybe 45mph on the mountain, tops. Most turns I took at around 20mph with no real problems at all. Visibility was my main issue but my friend behind me had HIDs which really lit up the road.

I think I made a wrong choice in taking the canyon, no doubt about that. But I also think that while I was there I made good decisions on setting my own pace and riding at my comfort level. They all rode along with me and were practically holding my hands.

This Sunday's trip will be a bit safer since I'm heading out in the morning and will probably stick to local streets.

[Auspanglish]

Sounds like you've got your head screwed on right!!

I did fail to mention that night riding is a whole different level. Your headlights only light up what's in front, not how the corner you're taking pans out... a corner can close off on you real fast and you're in the ditch or in someone's windscreen. Friend of mine came off, not on his first ride on the bike, and has ridden all his life on scooters at night. But he came off. Very little damage, but the reason was, he couldn't judge the corner's trajctory and ran wide, held her upright through the gravel and just as he was getting her back on the bitumen, the shoulder turned his front wheel and threw him down. He wasn't going fast and stuffed his fairings, bent the brake lever and broke the mirror, and those little things are ridiculously expensive. He learnt the fast way, don't follow suit. Although from what I can can gather you won't.

Sounds like your friends also have their heads screwed on straight.

[Baileyrock]

Yeah my safety was definitely their primary concern and I'm to blame for that trip. At every stop they were asking if I was okay and I said I was fine, which I was. On the freeway the lead was my friend on a truck and he kept his hazards on and slowed the pace the whole way. I could have very easily asked them to turn around or take an easier route on the canyons. Additionally, I was going maybe 45mph on the mountain, tops. Most turns I took at around 20mph with no real problems at all. Visibility was my main issue but my friend behind me had HIDs which really lit up the road.

I think I made a wrong choice in taking the canyon, no doubt about that. But I also think that while I was there I made good decisions on setting my own pace and riding at my comfort level. They all rode along with me and were practically holding my hands.

This Sunday's trip will be a bit safer since I'm heading out in the morning and will probably stick to local streets.

Sounds like you might be hooked up with a good group then, but you have to suck it up and tell them when your over your head. That's all they have to go by and if your not straight up with them they can't help or know. :rolleyes:

If your like most of us you Don't want to say "to fast or can we slow down" because you feel like you don't want to screw up their ride, but you have to for everyones benifit. No one will be happy if you crash!!!

Enjoy! :thumbsup:

[gll429]

welcome to the nut house..

i am tempted to say.. 'just go drop the bike in gravel at 5mph..and get it out of the way"

but i wont..

now remember, the addiction BUILDS.. i tell my cop friends i am addicted to SPEED.. and they look at me funny until i show they copies of my speeding tickets.. :P

[Guest]

Sounds like you've got your head screwed on right!!

I did fail to mention that night riding is a whole different level. Your headlights only light up what's in front, not how the corner you're taking pans out... a corner can close off on you real fast and you're in the ditch or in someone's windscreen. Friend of mine came off, not on his first ride on the bike, and has ridden all his life on scooters at night. But he came off. Very little damage, but the reason was, he couldn't judge the corner's trajctory and ran wide, held her upright through the gravel and just as he was getting her back on the bitumen, the shoulder turned his front wheel and threw him down. He wasn't going fast and stuffed his fairings, bent the brake lever and broke the mirror, and those little things are ridiculously expensive. He learnt the fast way, don't follow suit. Although from what I can can gather you won't.

Sounds like your friends also have their heads screwed on straight.

That was the main issue, not being able to see the turns. I had to go based on the guy in front of me. With that said, 20mph or less gave me ample time to adjust. The canyon isn't anything super crazy, most of it was pretty much big, sweeping turns.

In case I didn't convey my emotions to you guys already, it was a pretty scary ride for most of the way up. Going back was not too bad because there were sporadically laid out street lights. Needless to say, I won't be doing night canyon riding again for a while.

The funny thing is, when I got home I specifically told my girlfriend, "Babe, I think I just did the top two things that a beginning rider shouldn't do..."

[AvalonRacing]

It's cool to see that you are being pretty humble about your new rider status and reading what a lot of experienced riders are telling you.

Take it easy and you'll have many years of riding ahead of you. Who knows... at some point you'll be able to say "Hey newbie, take it easy and put some time under your belt before..."

This comes from a guy who used think nothing of riding his '86 VFR on Interstate-95 in a T-shirt and without a helmet. I was VERY lucky and VERY naive. Now I wouldn't think of doing it without full gear and even then I will only do it when the conditions and traffic are good.

[vfrcapn]

Yeah my safety was definitely their primary concern and I'm to blame for that trip. At every stop they were asking if I was okay and I said I was fine, which I was. On the freeway the lead was my friend on a truck and he kept his hazards on and slowed the pace the whole way. I could have very easily asked them to turn around or take an easier route on the canyons. Additionally, I was going maybe 45mph on the mountain, tops. Most turns I took at around 20mph with no real problems at all. Visibility was my main issue but my friend behind me had HIDs which really lit up the road.

I think I made a wrong choice in taking the canyon, no doubt about that. But I also think that while I was there I made good decisions on setting my own pace and riding at my comfort level. They all rode along with me and were practically holding my hands.

This Sunday's trip will be a bit safer since I'm heading out in the morning and will probably stick to local streets.

Congrats on the first ride, sounds like you've got your wits about you. Most important note, don't ever forget that first ride feeling. :thumbsup:

[Rivcyko]

HA! Go easy. LOL. You'll get to ride more.

[Guest]

Here is the little drill I give to all new riders I know.

Every day after work, go out and ride around in your neighborhood. Just practice starts and stops and turns at the nice 25mph speeds you are limited to. There is litlle traffic and you don't have things coming at you at a high rate of speed. Then as you get comfortable with the bike, start going out during low traffic and put some small distances in (10-20 mile rides) Won't be long till you are ready to go out in the "real" world and start commuting and fun riding.

[squirrelman]

Your friend led you into a dangerous situation.

Lots of newby crashes happen by trying to keep up with an experienced rider, so don't!!

[VFR4Lee]

I could have very easily asked them to turn around or take an easier route on the canyons.

Topanga and Malibu Cyn / Las Virgenes are easy compared to the other canyon roads out there. Kanan Rd excepted.

At least you made it OK. Still I'd suggest riding in the day. Especially out there in the Boo.

[Motor_Ref]

You are lucky that that you came through that experience alive, uninjured and that you didn't wreck your bike.

Your friends are not your friends.

I could go on, but hopefully I have made my point.

[Guest]

You are lucky that that you came through that experience alive, uninjured and that you didn't wreck your bike.

Your friends are not your friends.

I could go on, but hopefully I have made my point.

yes, the guy that i've known for 8 years, gotten me out of tight spots, repaired my bike for free (and made sure it was in ridable condition), gave me a free bike battery, recommended the msf course and been there when i needed him is not my friend.

i've been understanding and receptive to the other criticisms here, but when you insult my friend like that is where i draw the line. you can kindly fuck off. and personally, your point means shit to me. please try reading all of my posts before you respond, sort of like what the other members did.