:newbie and SOON to the BA, to CA and to this great & weird family called :barf and welcome to the madness & the addiction
Lagwagonlead ! Howdy & good to have you active & posting among us on BARF : da BEST & super active forum ! Been riding ~10 yrs, eh ?? The fun and passion must have set in ... AND it got you hooked HARD, no ?? Make sure you'll be riding ATGATT (all the gear all the time) !!!
:thumbup Most excellent that your girl friend also rides ! There ARE some BARFers in Merced and the Central Valley. >> Post up in MGR and someone will entertain your request, I am sure !!
Glad that the Hun and Nate already gave you a warm welcome !
There are SO MUCH stuffs on the forum to learn from !!! Read & refer to this very post of mine for your reference !! Explore BARF and all its sub-forums !! Use the
SEARCH to find stuffs that have been asked, posted on BARF by others !
Make 2015 a GREAT year riding & hanging out with BARFers !!!
Speaking of which... check out :
Group Rides >>> MGR (mellow group ride) <<< no :bs :ride's, some are actually more or lots more advanced and
Social Gatherings to meet lotsa CHILL peeps on BARF. :cool We've got movie nights down ... not in the City but... in the South Bay at either the C12 (Camera 12) downtown SJ or the C7 (Camera 7) at the Pruneyard in Campbell !! -- Fri or Sun nights, sometimes on Sat nights too. Ride down to meet folks, have dinner, watch a flix !! I am a regular to these.
There are a LOTs of BARFers in Merced, the Central Valley & all over CA.... so you can join a BARFer or 2 in a low key no pressure ride..., OR... an MGR mentioned above ! Hit me up if you'll be in South SJ and wanna go on an easy going ride sometimes, I am near Metcalf Santa Clara County Motorcycle Park (MX).
You missed it but check out one of BARF BIGGEST "thang" :
2014 BARF RydTher Rally!!! We're had lotsa FUN and the bonding experience was awesome !! Pics & vids of Hawthorne are posted here :
2014 Ryther Hawthorne Rally Pics & Vids. >>>
BUT no worries, we'll have our Spring Rally the weekend of May 15-17 to Kernville, CA.... Here's the link to the PitHo Rally thread in Group Rides
2015 BARF PitHo Rally - Kernville, Ca. <<< Check & follow this thread for the latest info on registration and ..... :ride <<< This might be a bit last minute notice for you but .... it's LOTSA fun !!
Twisties / cool roads around the SF B.A. ? There's Alice (84 & 35), one big bikers' landmark and Hwy 9 & 1, 84, 35, 152, 25 ! Lots more other twisties : Uvas Rd, Mt Ham(ilton) Rd, Mt. Tam(alpais) Rd, Beryessa, RWR (Red Wood Road), and "The Wall" << another Riders' landmark above Berkeley & Oakland Hills with great view of the Bay, looking West? ... and the list goes on....
Good on ya to post up a pic of your CBR in wet WA cuz you KNOW that peeps -- I would -- woulda asked, right? :teeth I have a post on top of this thread about posting pics & vids on BARF :
How to post up pictures and videos on BARF
Don't know how familiar you already are with the forum layout, various sub-forums but... here's a "road map" for yer tank bag that ( the same welcoming spiel I give to ALL ) :
Check out the
Vintage Cafe sub forum ! I betcha you'll love it ! If you wrench or wanna learn how to wrench,
Moto Shop, at Potrero Hill in the City ( I talked to Wilder and met Aleks ), is a great place for you to hang out. They are a BARF sponsor. You can bring your bike there to work on with their tools, etc. Also, there is
Garage !
Also check out :
1Rider,
Training,
Sport Touring / Cruising,
Adventure Riding,
Trackdays,
Trackdays for sale,
Parts for Sale,
Parts Wanted, ...
and the stickies on top of this sub-thread 'Newbies' as well >> will save ya lots of time and energy and make sure you start / continue riding ATGATT ! At times,
free gear could be had under
Riding Gear , else they are very reasonably priced!!!
>>> jacket, riding pants, gloves, boots, lids, 1pc, 2pc .... <<< You can start collecting or continue to amass more .... gear !!!! :laughing
As to gear, take advantage of all the moto gear shops in SF and all over the BA to go in to try on for size and comfort (jackets, riding pants & lids). To name a few : the D-store (Dainese store) & Scuderia West in the city; CG (Cycle Gear) all over the BA; Road Rider in SJ and Santa Clara Cycle in Sunnyvale. Nobody minds if you walk around the store with a lid on to get a feel for comfort and fit. Ask lots of questions to the staff about gear. :afm199
I like
General (Anything and everything to do with motorcycles.) >>> good stuffs and
Kitchen Sink (If you're not sure where to post, post here) >>> entertaining stuffs :teeth
Read up some posts, be active, join a ride, even create your own ride (with time and route) and post it up in Group Rides. :afm199
If and when you are in the market to get a ride, you might benefit from a fellow BARFer's bike :
Moto for Sale. CL (Craig List) has lots of bikes for sale, just be careful of scams on there : NEVER pay with a money order and it would be good to check out your bike with someone in the know, a BARFer or a friend ! I would also check out all local motorcycle dealers, sit on and feel how comfortable I'd be on various different bikes! Lots of bike dealers in the City, the Peninsula, the East & South Bay !!!
IMPORTANT: In the event you crash or break down out on a ride, if you don't have tow coverage, and your friends aren't able to help you out, BARF has a dedicated group of volunteers, the
BARF Roadside Angels, administered by
Gixxergirl1000. Take a moment to read the details in the thread she started :
If You Crash or Break Down, so that in event you need help, you'll know what to do! As an FYI, joining the AMA will get you tow coverage and roadside assistance, for motorcycles and cars :
AMA. <<<
as per Connie's own words !!
Please ALSO refer to
BARF Terms Of Service (the blue hot spot at the top right of this BARF screen -- next to "
Donate" and also at the bottom right of this very post in my sig or click here :
T.O.S.. -- or any mod's sig) to be familiar with forum rules. One such rule: newbies are NOT able to post in the Classifieds during the first 30 days of joining.
Oh... the
SEARCH" key can be useful to look for information in this forum ! It's the last hotspot top right of the screen or click here >>>
Search
Don't hesitate to ask questions in the forum or via PM ( private message ).
Cheers, see ya out there :ride SAFE with a :teeth and :wave
Gerard / CG :cool
Your friendly Newbie Forum MOD
