cbrgirl
10-29-2006, 10:05 PM
So i went on my first "ride". Since being unemployed, i have learned that there are many routes normally blocked on weekends free of conjestion and stupid cagers on the weekdays. :P Having said this, a fellow buddy of mine who just got his R1 up 'n running asked if i wanted to meet up at 9am thursday and go for a ride with another rider. Well "why the hell not" i thought. :) Not like i have anything else to do. ha ha. (:yell: unemployment) So i went and met him down at SB, and as were were suiting up to meet up with his buddy he says "why don't you ride it". Um, see this is my thing. Cars and bikes both. If i can't afford to replace it, my butt won't go on it. If i wreck my own so be it, there will be much cursing and a lot of other things, but it's my own gear/bike. But he was SO damn persisitant, "It's just to Fred Meyer" (he forgot his sunglasses so he was going to pick up a cheap pair for the trip) Fred Meyer is all of 4 exits north of where we are. And i swear unless i got on it voluntarily, i was sure i'd find myself being thrown on it bodily.
So ok fine. I did. So i get on it, and HOLY crap WAY different riding position than my ol' Honda F2. I like the gas tank, but do i have to make love to it!?! Ok, so check out the peg position. They are WAY tucked in and feel almost UNDER the body. Plus on the right side, the frame slider is really close to the brake peg. Damn my big boots!! :rolleyes: Check the the clutch and brake levers to know how far out they are, what the resistance is etc.
So...without further ado, lets roll out of this parking lot and get this beast on the highway. :naughty: First thing i notice is how INCREDIBLY nimble it is! I mean i look and it goes. No thinking, it just drops and hits the turn with no effort or thought it seems. This particular R1 with full tank of gas sits at 380lbs. Stock I'm roll'n at 407lbs. It's balanced UNbelievably well. Could spin it on kickstand almost effortlessly. I think he damn near dropped mine trying to show me how to do it though. The F2 seems to be WAY front heavy. Just still amazes me what 7 years of technology can accomplish!! :eek: So wheel 'er on out of the parking lot, on down to the main street. Needless to say brakes work REALLY well. lol Get up on the freeway, and Jason just punches it on my bike to get on. Me?! I'm not quite sure what a litre bike can do just yet, so i ease my way on up there.. get on the freeway and pop it up into 4th. So about two exits later i start to think, "well hell lets see what all the hype is". So i stay back a bit behind my bike, letting Jason and traffic in general have a bigger gap.. look around *SO don't need PoPo love this day* and roll up on the throttle!
HOLY BAT BALLS! - is what i heard myself almost yelling in my helmet. :P Yes.. this lil' R1 DEFINITELY knows how to get up 'n go! WOOO WEE to the litre bikes. :thumbup: :yes:
Meet up with his buddy, and his friend has another rider meeting up with us. Well i like the idea of riding in groups. It's just a great feeling seeing bikes in front you of you hittin that turn and leaning in making the right apex to get you all giggly, looking behind and seeing those lights trail behind you following your line is pretty sweet too! Out of the groups i could have picked, this one was it. Have Victor who has over 50 yrs riding experience and a former MSF instructor, and his friend Ken who is currently an MSF instructor. GO ME!!!! :clapping:
So gas up down the hill, head out Skyline up to Cornelius Pass, and drop on down to Hwy 30. Um, can we say, CRAP!! As SOON as we hit Hwy 30 it's foggy. Like we're talking mmm, 5 car lengths of visibilty foggy. I'm thinking, well this is pointless to ride in. Now mind you UP until this pt, it's been sunny. Cold as a witches titty, but at LEAST sunny. :) So we push on. Ride to the end of Scappoose, and cut left. Head back up the hills (I think this is Aviary Road, but not sure) and pop on out at Hwy 47. Head right to Mist, and stop in a lil diner off the road in the next town (started with a B.) Well turns out that Victor had to be back by 3, and it was getting close to 2. So he and Ken booked it back. Now looking back, leaving the newbies to their own devices may "not" have been the best practice, but eh, we made it home in one piece. However there is one stretch of road on Aviary (?) that um, yeah can throw ya for a loop, or at least when pushing it, and hitting a HUGE flipp'n dip at your apex will and or possibly cause "pucker factor". :eek:
And thus was my first "ride", and first ride on a litre bike. Eh being unemployed has it's perks. :naughty:
So ok fine. I did. So i get on it, and HOLY crap WAY different riding position than my ol' Honda F2. I like the gas tank, but do i have to make love to it!?! Ok, so check out the peg position. They are WAY tucked in and feel almost UNDER the body. Plus on the right side, the frame slider is really close to the brake peg. Damn my big boots!! :rolleyes: Check the the clutch and brake levers to know how far out they are, what the resistance is etc.
So...without further ado, lets roll out of this parking lot and get this beast on the highway. :naughty: First thing i notice is how INCREDIBLY nimble it is! I mean i look and it goes. No thinking, it just drops and hits the turn with no effort or thought it seems. This particular R1 with full tank of gas sits at 380lbs. Stock I'm roll'n at 407lbs. It's balanced UNbelievably well. Could spin it on kickstand almost effortlessly. I think he damn near dropped mine trying to show me how to do it though. The F2 seems to be WAY front heavy. Just still amazes me what 7 years of technology can accomplish!! :eek: So wheel 'er on out of the parking lot, on down to the main street. Needless to say brakes work REALLY well. lol Get up on the freeway, and Jason just punches it on my bike to get on. Me?! I'm not quite sure what a litre bike can do just yet, so i ease my way on up there.. get on the freeway and pop it up into 4th. So about two exits later i start to think, "well hell lets see what all the hype is". So i stay back a bit behind my bike, letting Jason and traffic in general have a bigger gap.. look around *SO don't need PoPo love this day* and roll up on the throttle!
HOLY BAT BALLS! - is what i heard myself almost yelling in my helmet. :P Yes.. this lil' R1 DEFINITELY knows how to get up 'n go! WOOO WEE to the litre bikes. :thumbup: :yes:
Meet up with his buddy, and his friend has another rider meeting up with us. Well i like the idea of riding in groups. It's just a great feeling seeing bikes in front you of you hittin that turn and leaning in making the right apex to get you all giggly, looking behind and seeing those lights trail behind you following your line is pretty sweet too! Out of the groups i could have picked, this one was it. Have Victor who has over 50 yrs riding experience and a former MSF instructor, and his friend Ken who is currently an MSF instructor. GO ME!!!! :clapping:
So gas up down the hill, head out Skyline up to Cornelius Pass, and drop on down to Hwy 30. Um, can we say, CRAP!! As SOON as we hit Hwy 30 it's foggy. Like we're talking mmm, 5 car lengths of visibilty foggy. I'm thinking, well this is pointless to ride in. Now mind you UP until this pt, it's been sunny. Cold as a witches titty, but at LEAST sunny. :) So we push on. Ride to the end of Scappoose, and cut left. Head back up the hills (I think this is Aviary Road, but not sure) and pop on out at Hwy 47. Head right to Mist, and stop in a lil diner off the road in the next town (started with a B.) Well turns out that Victor had to be back by 3, and it was getting close to 2. So he and Ken booked it back. Now looking back, leaving the newbies to their own devices may "not" have been the best practice, but eh, we made it home in one piece. However there is one stretch of road on Aviary (?) that um, yeah can throw ya for a loop, or at least when pushing it, and hitting a HUGE flipp'n dip at your apex will and or possibly cause "pucker factor". :eek:
And thus was my first "ride", and first ride on a litre bike. Eh being unemployed has it's perks. :naughty: