Sally's Rider, (newbie)

[Rides Sally]

Hello Everyone - New here. Just got my first cycle (Sally) at this stage of my life, (40+). Really excited and loving it. Wish I had make the leap sooner. Have hit a few snags, but doing my best to get past them. Looking forward to getting acquainted with all.

[geezer]

nice to meet you what kinda snags?

[Rides Sally]

Well First day I rode (legally) it rained. A week or so later, I discovered that no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that your coin purse/id holder will not blow out of your breast pocket IT WILL!, and then we have been having alot of wind in this part of the country this spring, and I found out that you DO NOT ride a 320 lb bike in winds that are gusting up to 50mph. Got blown off the road, down an enbankment, and landed luckily in the grass and out of the thistles and fire ants... Interesting perspective watching the ground come at your face at about 45 mph (luckily, I had begun slowing down). Now terrified of the least little gust of wind, but trying to get past that.

[blaine]

Hello Everyone - New here. Just got my first cycle (Sally) at this stage of my life, (40+). Really excited and loving it. Wish I had make the leap sooner. Have hit a few snags, but doing my best to get past them. Looking forward to getting acquainted with all.
Welcome to the family.Ride safe,enjoy. :) :cool:

[Rides Sally]

Thank You! Doin' my best !!

[Water Warrior 2]

Welcome Sally's rider. Glad to have you join us to add a little spice to the mix. Certainly must have been a rude awakening getting tossed off the road but you did survive and that is a bonus. Wind is the only thing that really scares me because you can't see it coming. You will learn to ride in wind as you gain more skill and experience. Here's hoping you have taken a riding course as they are a wealth of knowledge and you have an observant instructor right there to correct any bad habits.
Also pick up a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. It is the bible of motorcycling and worth it's weight in gold.

[Rides Sally]

Thank you Water Warrior. Yes, have taken the MSC and yes, it was a tremendous source of information, and now with a few more weeks of riding under my belt, I feel much more confident than when I finished the course. Just wish the wind would go on and lie down now. Never have liked the wind!!!

[geezer]

hey you can always gain weight, i weigh 230 and the wind dont bother me none haha. well yeah that all sucks. was the bike damaged?

[mole2]

Welcome to the forum from South Carolina. When I first started out on my GZ the wind would blow me around and it was quite scarey. Like WW said, as time progresses you will learn to live with it. If you're having such high winds right now it might be time to sit back and read the book WW recommended rather than ride. When the gusts get up that high I take the cage. O_o Ride safe my friend.


:)

[bonehead]

Welcome to another Texas rider. Yep, the wind had been really brutal the past couple of months. You will get used to it.

[Rides Sally]

Thanks everyone for the welcome :cool:

No, gaining more weight is not an option. Wish I could lose some though. Yes there have been a couple of days that I had to just give it up and drive the gas-gobbler. Like today, I have to pick up lumber...not very practical on Sally :retard:

Not alot of damage to the bike becasue I landed in grass :cry: Just some scuff to the fender that I took out with rubbing compound, and a bent shifter bracket that Husband was able to take off and straighten without taking Sally to the shop so that was all good. (He is good for a couple of things) :2tup:

As for me, A couple of bruises here and there , but the left leg was the worst. bruised from mid thigh down, and the jury is still out on the knee. Retaing fluid and lots of pressure...X-rays OK...MRI yesterday...we'll see what doc thinks. :roll:

[Rides Sally]

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot...My windshield also bit the dust in the spill. It's in 3 pieces now :poke2:

[alantf]

but the left leg was the worst. bruised from mid thigh down, and the jury is still out on the knee.

Hi there,

I take it you haven't got an engine guard fitted? Dunno why they're called that, because their primary function is to guard YOU. If the bike goes down on any hard surface, that's the only thing that's gonna stop your leg from getting squashed & burned. I wouldn't ever ride without one. It certainly saved my leg when I got sideswiped by a car, & the bike went down. The guard got bent, but my leg was unhurt. If I were you, I'd think about getting one as soon as you can. Mine's a Spanish brand, but the guys on here will be able to let you know what's available in your part of the world. The general opinion is that the Suzuki brand bars are useless. :2tup:

[alanmcorcoran]

Once you get up to speed, a heavier bike will handle better in the wind, but, even my 850 pound beast doesn't make it fun.