My first ride ever...

[Magnar Infectus]

... is probably not that exciting to veteran riders, but it was for me.

My first ride was for my safety class I took this weekend.
It was loads of fun, and I learned a bunch (at least I think I did).
There were 2 GZs, a bunch of Nighthawks and a bunch of Rebels. I ended up getting to ride a... GZ250!
I passed the written test 100%. It was super easy.
I passed the riding test with only one minor mess up. I down shifted when I wasn't supposed to. They didn't take away full points for it though cause in the same part of the test the shifter got stuck in neutral (it took me three tries to get it out of N and into second), but I recovered porperly and finished the test. The hardest part was the figure 8. Everyone had problems with it. The first time I got it right was during the test.

Did I mention the class was fun?

You guys were right about a few things regarding the bike.
First gear is pretty much useless. I'd get about 5 feet before wanting to shift to second.
After a couple hours on the bike my butt was pretty sore, and I kept sliding up against the tank.

Now I have to go down to the DMV and get my license. (For those who don't know, you can't get a bike license in Florida unless you've taken the safety class.)

The people in the class were pretty diverse.
A couple 17-20 year old kids, a few 25-35 year olds like me, a bunch were 45+.
One guy had to be at least 65 and had a leg so jacked up he could barely walk.
Some people were sport bikers, some were cruisers. one guy had a decked out GoldWing .
Some were first time riders like me, others had 30+ years of experience, but never had a license.

I reccomend the class to anyone who is new to riding.

[alanmcorcoran]

I too only got it right for the test.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Magnar Infectus

1)... is probably not that exciting to veteran riders, but it was for me.

2)First gear is pretty much useless. I'd get about 5 feet before wanting to shift to second.
3)After a couple hours on the bike my butt was pretty sore, and I kept sliding up against the tank.

1) Every ride is exciting. That's why we do it !!

2) There is a fix for that; the 16 tooth front sprocket.

3) Seems like Bob is the only one who really has that one figured out but there are a few of us determined to join that family.

[Magnar Infectus]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

1) Every ride is exciting. That's why we do it !!

2) There is a fix for that; the 16 tooth front sprocket.

3) Seems like Bob is the only one who really has that one figured out but there are a few of us determined to join that family.

1. I agree.

2. It's on my list.

3. I'll figure something out eventually. I probably buy a second seat to experiment with, that way I'll still have a stock one to use in the mean time.