The perils of becoming a motorcyclist

Well i went out today to see what kind of full face helmets were available in my price range (cheap). I tried on the HJC helmets for about a half an hour pretty much deciding to get the one with the grey/white/red graphics on them. Then i strolled down the aisle a bit to the more expensive ones. I tried on a $350 helmet, boy that was nice. Way out of my price range. I saw they had some black HJC helmets for $119 and figured black is good cuz my next bike might not be red then i have a helmet that is the wrong color. Then i noticed this one vertical row of helmets that i swore were $400 helmets till i flipped the price tag on one… $139! I was already impressed. So i tried a few of these on and they had the feel of a Shoei .. nice. They are manufactured by Scorpion EXO http://www.scorpionusa.com

I must say, these helmets are the shit. If you clicked that link and visited the site you can see for yourself. I bought the flat black EXO 400 for a measly $129. I still would have liked to get one with graphics (very cool looking btw), but again im going to be changing bikes soon and i dont want a red hilite helmet and i end up finding a blue bike. So flat black it is. That and i can put some FU decal on it … or a nice 24 decal

I took the bike out for a joy ride to test the helmet out. Very good ventilation on it. Kept the top of my head nice and cool. The visor is quiet as you set it to different positions and all around its a very comfortable helmet. I guess cause its new it needs to form fit to my head … after being out for an hour and taking it off my ears hurt a little and i got a very slight headache. Not that its tight, its just very form fitting. Lots of padding in there for sure. The sales guy said they ran small and this one is an XL compared to the medium 3/4 helmet i had. I thought the XXL was a better fit, but the sales guy said it didnt look like it was and said i should probably get the XL instead. Lets hope he was right and this form fits after a few wears.

All in all, a great deal for the quality of the helmet i got. Very pleased with my purchase. I was against full face in the beginning… the ‘living in a box’ feeling. But after going from a shorty to a 3/4 … the full face just kinda came natural and i have no problems seeing or anything with it. No more wind in my face .. and it looks alot cooler on me

Well i took the ride down to my fathers tonight. Longest ride so far. I am in Allentown Pa and he’s in Souderton Pa. Im not even sure how far it is but in a car its about a 45 minute drive. I cheated a bit and stopped at my moms on the way to show off the bike. Everyone was amazed at how new it looked for being 5 years old.

I took the back road that goes from my moms to my dads. Its actually an old old 2 lane hiway that farmers used to use to get from Coopersburg  to points south. I beleive at one time it went to Allentown being its called Allentown road but im unsure of the complete history. Anyway its a great backroad to take so i took it. Very nice ride through the rual areas. Only thing i need to do is learn to slow down a bit more in back road curves. Not that i had any mishaps, i just need to slow a bit more than i did tonight. I was worried i was gonna piss off someone behind me but ya know what, phuck them. I’d rather be safe than worry what they think

It started to cloud up on the way down, not that there was forecast for rain or anything. But it did start getting chilly. Mental note #34 …. dress warmer. I was fine getting down there but when it came time to leave around dusk .. dam i froze my ass off on the way home. I had on 2 shirts (1 long sleeve) and my leather jacket, jeans, hiking shoes, mechanix gloves and my open face helmet/goggles. It was still friggin cold. Amazing how much air gets into your shoes, pants, gloves when you are crusing at 35-55 mph. So it looks like im going to be looking for some warmer gear for cool nights like this. Did i mention i was cold? I’m actually still warming up right now. I feel like i was out playing in the snow and come into a warm house.

The ride home i ventured out on the highway about 1/2 way and stayed there. Its the fastest ive had the bike yet – 60mph. Wind was kicking up and blowing me around like a windchime on gramdma’s back porch. It made me swerve a few times. Thats enough to make you want to brown your pants. Im definetly going to need a windshield heh. Although, that just might slow me down even more lol. I’ve seen alot of these bikes with shields on them, so it cant be that bad. Did i mention i froze my ass off tonight?

Because of the wind, i dropped off the highway near my moms house and took another back road that ends on the outskirts of town to get me over the hill and into crappy Allentown. Was nice to not be whipped around anymore by wind. I got home and it was dark (missed my permit rule again heh). I was cold and my ass hurt. I must say, my ass is getting used to the seat, but the long ride home proved to be telling me that its not THAT used to it.

The bike is holding up great on gas mileage. I noticed a squeaking in the front brakes so im going to have to check that out. Although i just passed inspection… hmm. I also adjusted the preload on the springs this afternoon and noticed i got a better ride out of it tonight. I might take it one notch up again tomorrow and see how it is. Gotta love a bike that you can adjust the preload by hand ( didnt have the tool to do it so i just lifted and twisted it ).

Other than that, not a bad ride today. Got a few things to purchase to keep my ass warmer .. and brakes to check. Not a bad day.

Well it was a beautiful day today. Guess what that meant? Yea, i went out for cigs on the bike and came back 2 hours later. The wife was a little pissed but i think she kinda understands that i just cant go out on the bike and be back in 5 minutes. I thought i could do it but as soon as i went to leave the store i accidentally turned left instead of right. Then i accidentally rode 10 miles in the wrong direction. Its not my fault. The bike made me do it.

Im starting to get the hang of the bike now that i’ve got 75 miles on it since my first ride ( i know, not all that much in reality ). I am finding the gears i need at the right speeds for getting out of corners or going into a turn at a light without jumping the bike because i downshifted too much. The ride is getting alot smoother now for me because of this. My ass doesnt hurt as much either. I guess my cheeks are conforming to the seat

I also accidentally took too long at the store and had to ride home in the dark .. only for a mile … but still i bent the rules on driving at night with a permit. I’m so rebellious. I say accidentally … i meant on purpose .. who am i kidding lol. I just wanted to get a feel for night time driving. It was everything i expected > dark.

I am picking up a windshield for it tonight on ebay. I’ll post some pics of that tomorrow. I’m still kinda undecided which style to go for .. but i’m leaning towards a police style more than the sporty style. I’ll let you know what i decide when i decide. I ate a few bugs today while i was out. They definetly dont taste like chicken.
Thats all for today. Tomorrow i might be taking my farthest ride to date .. down to my fathers.

My sisters boyfriend Eric gave me a set of goggles today that he didnt like/want. Brand new still in plastic. He didnt like them because they didnt block all the air (they arent designed to block ALL the air, just most). Work friggin awesome. I love free shit.

The freebie:

ACTION EYEWEAR ™ SPORT AND STREET 2 GOGGLES / SUNGLASSES

• Stylish eyewear that you’ll actually enjoy wearing
• Close fitting to keep out the dust, dirt and wind as you zoom down the highway
• Built tough to withstand the rough-and-tumble of day-in day-out fun and adventure

This upgraded version of the Sport and Street Goggles/Sunglasses features anatomically-molded foam that contours to your face for better protection against dust and dirt. These goggles change into sunglasses and back in a flash! The flexible frame fits close to your head to provide the protection you want. Molded of special black Gridamid thermoplastic—strong, shock resistant, nonallergenic and extremely lightweight. The polycarbonate lenses are shatter resistant and specially coated to protect you from the sun’s damaging UVA/UVB rays. Includes 3 pairs of lenses (clear, amber and anti-fog smoke tinted) plus soft fabric belt carry pouch.

Each – $36.99

Inspection day! I admit i was nervous taking the bike out in traffic today. But once i got on the road, it all came together. A few shift slips but nothing major. Got myself over to the bike shop. Pulled in and there sits a trike, 2 harleys outside and 4 harleys inside. And here i come put putting in on my 250. I felt like “hi, can you inspect my moped?” lol. But the guys were cool… even commented on the bike on how clean it was and how neat they are being only 250’s. Inspection went very well, had my sticker on in about 10 minutes.

So i go to leave the bike shop and go home, but i wanted to try out more in town driving. So i headed west and ended up about outside of town at the kmart. All went well so i headed back. Only i never made it back heh. I ended up heading south out of town toward my buddies house. Bike held up well except for the hill getting out of town. Right there is where the bike shows its pussyness. Had to downshift going up that hill. Still, not too bad considering. Hung out at my buddies house for a few then decided to keep on going. Went to my mothers house (all back roads so far). Hung out there for a bit then decided im not ready to take it home yet. So i continued on to the farmers market to see what kind of stuff they had at the bike shop. They ofcourse had nothing good heh … So i headed home. After a stop at BK and Kmart.. i was home again. 7 hours and 52 miles later Whats cool is, i probably havent even used a tank of gas yet.

After i ate at BK .. i was tired. I wasnt keen on using all the backroads to get home. Took too long. So i ventured out on the hiway for the first time. Through Coopersburg is slow 35, 40, 45 till you are out of town. Boy when i hit the 55mph zone … i felt like a kite about to take off. Had the wind against me and it took a bit in 5th gear to get that bike moving up to speed. Once there i was good, but if i had to pass someone… i’d be shit out of luck. I think 55 is going to be my limit for now till i see about getting it up faster and constant. Only time will tell.

Summary: Not bad of a day in traffic. No problems or asshole drivers to deal with so thats a good thing. Was alot of fun zipping around on the back roads. I may need a bigger bike sooner than i thought too heh. We’ll see though.

Oh yea, and i need to remember to turn my signals off. God that makes a person feel stupid. 1/2 mile and blink blink blink. D’oh!

FINALLY! I got to ride it today!!! I woke up today to another weather report of rain (fuck!). It wasnt raining just yet so i uncovered the bike and got the tree sap dots off it. Then gave it one hell of a wax job. Its very shiny. So about 11:15 I took shawn to school and it looked gloomy so already i was getting agitated. I get back and it started clearing up.

I backed the bike down the yard and onto the alley. Everytime i’ve done this black clouds roll in and it starts raining. So i looked up.. still nothing. Fired it up, let it warm up some and kicked it into 1st gear. NO, i didnt stall it hehe. The parking lot was still full of cars and the latest installment of rent-a-parkinglot-cop (they get a new one every month, boring job – sitting in a lot in their car for 9 hours a day. where do i sign up and wheres the razors to slit my wrists after 2 days). So anways, i couldnt ride in the parking lot so i ran up and down the alley. I feel like an uncoordinated idiot. Not that i couldnt shift, i kept double shifting for some reason. Like i knew what to do but my foot got a double message. Stupid foot. After about 2 miles worth of driving 2 blocks up and back, i still suck. Getting better, but still room for improvement.

Oh yea, lets not forget the retard on my 2nd lap in the alley who, obviously is stop sign impared … blew right through the goddam stop sign at the parking lot entrance (heading towards the entrance of the lot from the street). Fucking tart didnt even look to see if anyone was coming and knows dam well there is no stop going the other way. Dick lives a few houses from me. He saw me AFTER he swerved to the left side of the alley to pull into his parking space. I slowed behind him, gave him a nasty ass look … that bitch. I see him outside next time im on the bike, i WILL remind him that there is no stop going my way and the next time he blows a stop like that .. i will exit my bike and beat him sensless.

Ok, so i get the kids from school … and continue my practice. This time in the parking lot. I also changed helmets to the 3/4 open face helmet this time. Was alot of wind noise when i hit 30 with my half helmet. Wow, what a difference. i ABSOLUETELY bought the wrong helmet from Blackmans Cycle. Fucking retarded lazy salespeople. As i said before if they had helped me…i would have the right one in the first place. The 3/4 helmet reduced all the wind noise so that i could hear the rpm’s of the bike again. Also it has air vents which cooled me off when i got moving in the lot. I hope someone from blocker reads this someday and someone gets fired. Tarts.

So I spanned the lot, getting up to 4th at times @ 40 mph max (its long, but not that long). I was still double shifting but not as bad. Now i noticed that i wasnt using the back brake as much as i should be. Some odd reason i kept forgetting about it and just downshifting to slow and using the front brake. Im sure this is incorrect and i need to correct it. After 30 minutes of doing laps .. i started to correct it but again, i still need some practice. I was also braking with the front brake lever and forgetting to pull in the clutch. I swear to god i am losing IQ points or something. I know exactly what to do, yet forget. Ugh. I hate failure. I will overcome this.

I have to … because i need to ride it on the road tomorrow (in town, 7 blocks west and 5 blocks north). Im sure it wont be bad but i need to be careful and pay attention to what im doing moreso than i did in the parking lot. I dont wanna look like a n00b heh. Why must i do this? The bike needs inspection. Last insp. was done for 2002/2003 which means this bike sat for the past 2 years. I didnt know this. God knows how old that gas is in the tank lol.

So i guess tomorrow .. we will see how it goes on my first road ride. And if the bike passed. It should, no reason why not.

Oh yea, its raining again lol. Hopefully it lets up by noon so i can get it inspected. Sunday dont look all that great either (more rain). Said it before, say it again. FU rain. I hate you.

Well, went to walmart tonight to pick up something to get the tree sap off the gastank that i found. Grabbed some expensive hi-gloss turtle wax to shine the bike up real nice. Also got some microfiber cloths and applicators to shine the shit out of the bike. If it ever stops raining … Maybe i can get to doing this. Hell maybe i’ll finally get to ride it!!

Fucking rain. I hate you. Plz die.

Well today i got up, beautiful day out. Decided to go to Blackmans Cycle shop to pick up a cover and helmet. Spent quite a bit of time with the helmets. Tried on a full face .. i felt like i was living in a box. Felt very constricted. 3/4 helmet wasnt bad except it muffled the sounds out which also bothered me. I ended up getting a shorty helmet (half helmet). Fit nice, ears are open so i can hear and it was flat black … i love shit thats flat black… no clue why either.

I also picked up a cheap ass cover for the bike since rain been in the forecast. Also, because a bird shit on my new bike this morning. Right on the rear seat and fender. I think its time to invest in a pellet gun and stand guard. Naa… easier to get a cover heh. So yea, its cheap and will melt if it hits hot engine or pipes .. but im cheap .. so its a good match. Saw a nifty tool bag for the front forks and picked that up too. Its that nylon crap with a leather flap. Looks good .. fits very snug on the forks directly under the headlight. Wasnt sure it was going to fit, but since its nylon .. i can get into it pretty easy. Bike looks a tad bit meaner now with it on. (can a 250 ever look mean? lol).

I also saw they sell custom valve caps too. So i picked up a set shaped like an iron cross (rock on).

The guys at blackmans are kinda dicks. 5 guys at the counter in a dead showroom, not one came over to see if i needed help with the helmets. Jackasses. They probably would have talked me out of getting the shorty helmet for something a little more safe. I’m a noob and probably shouldnt have gotten a shorty… but im stupid and got it anyway. If their sales staff wasnt so lazy, i would have gotten something that probably fit me good and had more protection. So now im stuck with a helmet that probably wasnt the best first choice being that im new to riding.

So anyway, this afternoon i get back, dark clouds loom over me. No riding. So i go inside and fuck off on my computer for a bit. Sun comes out, dries everything off. COOL!! I step outside and dammit if its not showing dark clouds again. Rain rain rain. Total washout for today. 2 days now and i still havent even ridden it.

Yesterday, i have become the proud owner of a 2001 Suzuki GZ 250. My third bike since i was 17 and the only one to ever actually start and run. So yea, that would make this my ‘first’ bike. I’m a NOOB. Yep its a small engine, but even the greatest had to start somewhere.

She’s nice isnt she? Got it off ebay for $2050.00. Not a bad price … only 1300 miles on it. Showroom condition. Of course, the next day a bird shit on the back seat and fender . Picked it up yesterday and hauled it home on my fathers pick up. Made him miss his anniversary dinner (he forgot it was the same day lol). Hope he didnt get into too much trouble. The bike is very clean, starts right up. But im WAY too tired today to mess with it. Very long day ….

Got up at 8 am to re-read my motorcycle manual. Read it 2x. Left at 10pm to go take the permit test. 9 people took the test, only 3 passed. Guess the others should have read their manuals heh. The test was easy actually (if you read the book). I was out of there by 1am and off to the insurance company. Once done there i headed home for a 5 minute stop then off to my fathers to go pick up the bike. After driving an hour and a half from my home, we were there to get the bike. Brought it home and by this time it was 7:30pm and i was bushed. No time or energy to try out my new baby.

More to come!