Sfn00b

[ariacode]

Hi all,

I've been wanting to ride for ages, and I finally pulled the trigger not too long ago. I've been riding aimlessly daily for about two weeks and absolutely loving it.

How did I live in SF for this long (~12 years?) and _not_ have a motorcycle or scooter??!!!?? It's opened up the city to me. And Pacifica. Can't wait for my MSF paperwork to come in the mail so I can get the full license and ride north of the bridge.

With all that said, an unfortunate situation has made me reconsider the entire affair. One of my best friends, who has been encouraging me to ride for a long time and was an enthusiastic supporter as I was gearing up, crashed into a truck a week or so ago while riding HWY 9. He'll recover, thankfully, but it begs the question - are nasty accidents something that riders "just live with"? What scares me is that I suspect there is some amount of selection bias - current, happy riders haven't been killed or seriously injured or spooked out of riding (yet?)

Anyhow, thanks for hosting and participating in what looks like a great forum. I can't get enough moto info at the moment and this has been feeding my addiction!

Cheers

 

[Butch]

Welcome.
There is alot of advice here, mostly good, about how to survive. You will hear... Gear, pay attention, be careful about where you are in relation to other vehicles.

After a while it becomes instinctive. Heck, i feel wierd when i am riding not dressed in my Power Ranger outfit...

Join us for Hawthorne next month!

 

[danate]

Welcome!

There is no denying that riding a motorcycle carries an increased risk of injury if you are in a crash. That is something we all live with a deal with in our own ways.

Regardless of the statistics and numbers you may read or be told, there is only one thing important for staying safe on a bike, and that's what YOU do to lower your risks.

Getting good training and practice, wearing good gear, and riding sober and in good mental shape will lower your chances immensely of becoming a statistic.

I hate when people say "it's not if you crash, it's when you crash," because I simply don't believe in it. I've met old riders who have never been down and have been riding 40+ years. I myself have never been in a car or motorcycle accident in my life on the street (at least not while I was driving).

Then again, it's still a win if you decide it's not the thing for you because of the risk. We all have to manage our risks in life and nobody really knows what's best for you.

 

[ariacode]

Thanks danate, Butch. Great pointers and points to mull over.

Just getting comfortable with my bike and being in traffic by wandering around town has been extremely enjoyable so far. I'm looking forward to the challenge of keeping things fun whilst trying to be as safe as I can be.

Cheers!

 

[Butch]

the most awesome thing you can do is a trackway at Laguna Seca. Thunder hill is a close second. Lots of the trackday promoters do schools for the newbs. This is can a huge jump in the learning curve.

 

[ariacode]

the most awesome thing you can do is a trackway at Laguna Seca. Thunder hill is a close second. Lots of the trackday promoters do schools for the newbs. This is can a huge jump in the learning curve.

My dad took me to a racing school at Laguna Seca shortly after I got my driving license. It saved my life a number of times and has, I think, made driving a car a lot more enjoyable than it would have been without the training.

The lessons from car racing school are actually holding up my motorcycle skills progression - the notion of needing to finish braking and begin accelerating before or just as you're turning the bike has been very difficult for me to put to use or even understand. This isn't helped by the fact that while researching the issue, I find a lot of conflicting techniques (invariably alongside the tired counter-steering lecture. I mean, really - yep, it works. can we move on now?)

I'd love to get a track day training or five in. Are there any schools or promoters that are recommended here? I was considering trying an upcoming supermoto school, and am going to try to make it to a "Doc Wong Clinic", but I don't really know where else to look. Also, according to Keigwin, their least-advanced class is still too advanced for me:

Novice schools are for experienced street riders

 

[pt65]

yes there is always risk. wether youre riding a moto, bicycle, skateboard, car, scooter, surfboard... you get the idea.

You seem to love riding. May I suggest that you learn to love learning about and how to ride. The track will NOT teach you to ride in a city, town or the countryside. Is it fun though? Yes. Is dirt riding fun? Oh yes. Does dirt make you a better street, track, city rider? I think so.

Not to make a huge point of all the things one might say... you love riding, so go to some Doc Wong riding clinics. Go do some dirt days at the dirt riding schools where you can rent the dirtbike. Join some group rides.

Be super careful around the city, and stay aware! Thats the best thing you can do.

If youre worried about getting in an accident like your friend, maybe its better to just find out why and how the accident happened. Also there is a section here on Barf called crash analysis, that tries to figure out why people crashed. There might be some insight there for you.

But again, if you love it, spend the time to learn about it.

And welcome!