| Sunfighter | 11-02-2013 11:04 AM |
Well, what an amazing season.
Prior to May I had never touched a motorbike before.
I took the class at PRS and while it was a terrific experience and I can't recommend them enough I still didn't find bikes that exciting. However, the more I read about them, the more videos I watched, etc., the more I wanted one.
Initially I wanted a Triumph Daytona 675. I like British stuff and I love the sound of the triple. It also would have matched my SUV in the garage. ;) However, I struggled to find a really good example (I wasn't worried about mileage but the bike had to be mint) and when I found one the seller decided to keep it and another model was a little out of my price range.
In the end I went with a 2007 Honda CBR600RR. It was literally like new. Had never been parked in the sun, had never been driven in the rain and the plastics, paint and mechanicals look like they came straight from the factory.
For a couple of reasons I am happy I made this my first bike. First, the ergonomics were perfect for me (6'2, 200lbs...) and the Daytona was a little tighter... plus, mechanically this bike seems exceptionally easy to perform work on.
NOW, I will say this... If I had started on a CBR250 or a Ninja 300 I am confident that I would have developed my riding skills (corners especially) faster because when you jump on a 100hp super-sport as your first bike you are far more cautious with straight-line acceleration, cornering, etc., then I would have been with the CBR250 or the Ninja 300... I was very cautious for several months and was more specifically just trying to stay alive then "ride..." it all started to come together in August but I know I would have been a better rider faster if I had started on a smaller bike.
As for gear, the light weight mesh Rev' It jacket I bought was good in the summer.... it had lots of armour and airflow and kept me from sweating to death... but once September hit (and especially October) I was literally on the verge of frost bite most days... lol... good learning experience.
For next year, I plan to buy a warmer, leather jacket for the early-season and late-season as well as PROPER riding boots... not the half-height Alpine Stars I used this year. I also want to get proper Kevlar jeans...
I love my Shoei X12 Reverb helmet too! EXTREMELY light, extremely cool (wicked ventilation) but very loud.... after a few weeks of riding I realized I would end every ride tired and annoyed... I started wearing earplugs and then after every ride I was fresh as a daisy!!!
Overall, I had a blast this year and I get excited everytime I get to ride my bike. :)
Finally, thanks to everybody in this forum as well... I don't really have a "home" on the web for bike stuff... (didn't get a good vibe from BC Sport Bikes)... so I was very happy RS had a dedicated forum. | 