Buying that first bike -- and getting it home

[alanmcorcoran]

It's almost worth having a forum for "The First Ride Home." I had my GZ delivered in a pickup and the guy almost lost it when he tried to roll it down the ramp unassisted. I was riding it around the neighborhood a short while later after I got it insured. All I can remember about the second one was a near-permanent shit-eating grin that lasted about six months. Still get that grin, but now it's only when I'm actually riding it. The third one was "It was a Dark and Stormy night..." ...and Alan is inadvertently riding a dual sport at 70 mph in a rainstorm -with 5 psi in the front tire. I've read a number of stories on-line about guys who just sucked it up, and rode their first bike home without ANY prior experience (I ain't recommending it, but it does make for some interesting stories!)

[mrlmd1]

AC - Slime has a real nice compact 12V air pump (Walmart $9.99) you should get to reinflate your tires for the street ride home. Not a good idea to be riding along at highway speeds with 5 psi in the tires - besides extra wear and heat buildup in the tire, I would be afraid it would come off the rim at 70mph with pressure that low.

[alanmcorcoran]

I didn't realize they were flat until I got home. Bought the bike from a dealer who has a very nice fancy air compressor - they just never bothered to put any air in. In California all stations are required to offer air. I think.

[dhgeyer]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

I've read a number of stories on-line about guys who just sucked it up, and rode their first bike home without ANY prior experience (I ain't recommending it, but it does make for some interesting stories!)

That would be me. 1963, 16, and stupid. First bike was a 1954 Harley Davidson Hummer 165cc two stroke thumper. No such thing as MSF, or any source of formal training. No requirement for a special license, either. What's a motorcycle helmet? Never heard of those. About 10 minutes in the Harley parking lot in Buffalo, NY, with the salesman showing me where the clutch, shifter, throttle and brakes were, and offering such pearls of wisdom as "Don't ever use the front brake - you'll go right over the handlebars.". Thank God I'd learned to drive on a standard transmission at least. Another 5 minutes of practice, and I figured I had it down, and launched myself into rush hour traffic in Buffalo.

I really don't remember the 20 odd mile ride home to East Aurora, but since still I'm here I must have made it.

[ND_Exclaim]

I was in the same spot you are just a few weeks ago. Fortunately the dealership where i purchased my bike had a quiet neighborhood behind it. I rode the bike around there for about an hour before taking it out on city streets. I'm sure some of the people in that neighborhood must have gotten tired of seeing me ride back and forth. If you passed the MSF course you'll do fine. Just take it easy and remember to breath.

[megocode3]

Since I just got my first bike today, I'll share my adventure of getting it home. I bought the bike from a guy about 20 miles away. After buying it I rode it around the neighborhood for maybe half an hour or so. The only previous riding experience I had was during the MSF class. My wife finally got tired of following me around the neighborhood and said it's time to go home.

I was a bit nervous taking it out on the real streets. Once I made it on to the city streets the cars seemed bigger and 35 mph might as well have been 200 mph. But the fun was just beginning! My wife some how talked me into taking the freeway home instead of the back roads since it was faster (or maybe she just wanted my life insurance money!).

The freeway was terrifying, especially since it's LA and they can be quite crowded. Driving it was easy, it's just flat straight road. It was the 30+ mph winds blowing me around, the giant semi's next to me and the feeling that I would fly off the bike if I loosened my grip that scared the you-know-what outa me.

Anyway, I made it home safe and spent the rest of the day riding around in empty parking lots. What a day though! I wish I would have just paid someone to tow it home for me.

[mrlmd1]

You could always ask the dealer to have someone who works there ride it to your house and you can drive them back in your car. I'm sure they must have someone who works there who knows how to ride a motorcycle (sic).

[alanmcorcoran]

I think he said he bought it "from a guy", although I supposed "the guy" could have rode it to his house for him.

I think the reality is - most of us have to go through the highway/scared shitless rite of passage at some point, whether it's sooner or later, where you get on the freeway and Darwin takes over. Even if you practice a lot before you go on the highway, at some point, you have to take the plunge and no amount of parking lot/MSF really gets you prepared/relaxed for that first freeway trip. As I recall, it wasn't until I was forced one day to do about 40 miles on US15 that I finally got over my freeway anxiety - and that was about six months in.

Glad you survived mego. She may seem cold, but I think your wife's attitude is gonna be a lot better for you over the long haul. I think a lot of guys on here would be happier if their wives didn't worry so much.

[mrlmd1]

I was answering the original post from voxclone who said "The main problem I'm seeing is how to get it home from the dealer." Either way, the dealer or the seller could ride it over to their house if it's not too far away if the buyer doesn't think he is ready for that yet.

[dentheman]

I talked to a couple dealers in my town, they will deliver at no charge. One of them said he enjoys delivering motorcycles, I suspect that means he will ride it not trailer it.