First "Solo" Ride on a TU250...

[WowWhoaWeeWa]

Hey Everyone,

I saw a post by Geezer the other day about the TU250x. I thought I would share my experience being on the road today for the first time since passing my MSF riding course 3 weeks ago. I have to say, it was intimidating at first. I rode around a parking lot for some time getting used to the bike and doing basic maneuvers. I did ok with shifting gears but I still need practice. I thought there was too much "clunking" when I changed gears.

Like a bird leaving it's nest for the first time, I decided it was time to mingle with traffic on a "high speed" road. By "high speed," I mean 35MPH. I looked at the speedometer, I was only doing 25! Holy cow, I had to speed up. I kicked it up a few notches. The perspective of speed on a bike feels so different than in my truck.

I ultimately got the courage to hit 50 MPH on another road (a little over the speed limit of 45) and what a thrill! The scene was picturesque; grassy country fields passing by with the setting sun glowing a bright but gentile orange in the horizon. I see why we ride. I could have kept going but I had to get home and wrap up my day.

All in all, a great ride. Fuel injection allowed the engine to start up with a simple tap of the starter button. Although I don't have experience with other bikes, the TU250x felt great. The ride was smooth and despite its small size, it handled average road imperfections like a champ. By the of the 16 miles I rode, I found myself shifting better. I learned I don't have to squeeze the clutch all the way to shift smoothly. There is no tachometer so I can't be certain what the RPMs where when I approached 50 MPH. I hope it was less than 5k as I still have to break in the motor. Fortunately, I wasn't at that speed for very long. Does any one know the approximate engine RPM in 5th gear at 50 MPH?

Thanks for letting me share.

Howard