It was... awkward.
The Roar Report - My First Time
My First Time...
This edition of The Roar Report is about my first time riding a sportbike, come along for the ride.
My first time riding ever was back when I was about 12 on a friend's Yamaha YSR. I rode around the block never leaving first gear nor using the rear brake. It was the most fun I had had in my life by that time that didn't involve me telling my friends to smell my finger afterwards. It made me want one. Now the first time I rode my first new sportbike was a little different. This one is gonna be a long one because I'm having a flash back as I type...
I'd have to look on my calendar to get the exact date but I'll never forget that morning in March of 2006. I had trouble sleeping the night before because I was so excited. I was like a little kid the night before a trip to Disney World or something. I had my clothes for the next day's first ride laid out on the bed in the other room. I had the directions to the dealership printed and ready to go. My helmet and jacket were hanging up near the door and my gloves inside the pockets awaiting their first grip full of new bike. Up until this point I had been riding my first bike for the past two years or so (a 1980 Suzuki GN400e that I got at a police auction and wrenched on myself to get running right). I was used to a 400 cc cruiser with only 4 gears, a kick start and a redline top speed of about 85 to 90 mph. I would be "screaming" on the highway "getting it" in 4th gear wide open before I knew what "getting it" really was. So anyway back to the first ride on the new bike. The morning of, the dealership opened at 9am but I was up at about 6am. The dealership was about an hour away and my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) was driving me. She was cranky because for one I had her up "dumb early" for a bike and two of course because I was getting a motorcycle. Now if you've ever met me you know how much I love motorcycles and if you've ever seen my home you know a biker lives there. How in the world I married a woman with so much disdain for motorcycles is still beyond me but low and behold she drove me nonetheless. We get to the dealership after a ride that felt like it took 2 hours and they aren't even open yet. She's pissed and tired, I'm anxious and chomping at the bit to see my new bike. So after about an hour of waiting in the car the dealership opens and we go inside to sign the paper work and see the bike. I had frame and swingarm sliders installed before I picked it up and they were still doing that when we arrived. Now we are being told that it's gonna be a while before the bike is ready and that they weren't expecting me so early. I get "the look" from my lady and I tell her that she can leave if she wants to. She reluctantly says "no, I'll wait with you." Happy that I had someone to share my excitement with I thanked her for sacrificing her morning to help me to go pickup what would basically be her replacement, ha ha ha.
Now it's about 12:00 pm and the bike is still not done. We've gone and eaten lunch, we've gone and looked at local stores and made a bunch of phone calls and even played games to keep ourselves occupied. At this point she can no longer stand to wait (mind you she's never seen the bike except in pictures on the Internet and of course who didn't have a big azz picture of the bike they wanted set as their desktop background or screensaver) and I tell her to go home. Before she leaves I ask her to take the OEM parts that the dealership took off the bike with her because I had no way of carrying them and didn't want to have to come back for them. Had I known then what I know now I would have told them to just throw them away but back then I was so ignorant and excited to be getting that bad mamma jamma that I'm surprised that I didn't ask to keep the nails from the crate the damn thing was shipped in. So now I'm all alone and roaming around the dealership. I've sat on every bike in the showroom a dozen times and tried on damn near every piece of gear they sold. I watched bikes of every shape and size pull up and pull off all day. I saw club riders enter the dealership and try on stuff or pick up their bikes and thought to myself "they are cool as hell." At the time I was with my first club but we were not as organized as many of the clubs I deal with these days. Finally the salesman (Todd) came out and said "Lion` you wanna see your new bike?" I swear that has to be the same feeling that rushes over a new father for the first time because as cool as I tried to play it, I had the biggest ear to ear Kool-Aide smile on my face that I can ever remember having. So I follow the salesman outside to where my brand spankin' new 2006 Honda CBR600RR (limited edition Pearl Orange/Black Tribal) is parked looking as good as the sexiest video vixen ever could. I mean when I saw her in the sun light for the first time I swear "it" moved. She was gorgeous and she was all mine. All the people there were complimenting me on it as if I had sculpted her from clay myself. People were oohing and ahhing and just as impressed as I was. I felt like I had walked into the dance with the Prom queen on my arm y'all. People were asking me all sorts of questions about it and saying how nice it was. Apparently she (her name was Brook by the way) was only one of two that the dealership had gotten and the first sold right away. That one had only sat in the dealership for about three weeks before I came along and she was taken off the floor after I came in and did a bunch of paperwork to make her mine about three days prior. So the salesman went over the bike with me and of all the things he "explained" to me the one that stood out the most was this. I asked him what the break in is like on the bike for the engine and the tires and all that. He said to me in a smug "Honda is the best in the world" air of confidence "it's a brand new Honda, there is no break in." "No redline starts or burnouts for the first 500 miles and that's about it." As I said earlier I was ignorant then and thought how could what he said be anything but a good thing. I didn't know how to do a burnout and I wasn't about to push the bike too hard for a while anyway so neither of those were concerns of mine. That part of the story is only important if you read/hear the story of my first crash but I'll save that for another post for the sake of your Visine bottle getting empty from reading this novel.
So now I've started the bike and taken it for a slow lap around the parking lot to familiarize myself with where all the controls are. Again this is my first sportbike, my first new bike and my first time riding something this powerful all by myself with no one riding next to me. Okay so now its time for me to ride off into the sunset on my new beautiful bike with all the other riders at the dealership looking on green with envy and make my way home. I tell you the bike felt, looked and sounded so good all I could think about was "don't drop it, don't drop it don't mutha phukin drop it!" I was so nervous and excited that while pulling out of the dealership's lot I went the wrong way up a one way road. People were looking on at me like either this guy is insane (in a good way) and meant to do that or he's about to die! Nothing happened thankfully. So I'm riding on and trying to concentrate on getting home (because I wasn't 100% sure about how to even get to where I was familiar) and block out the excitement and nervousness. People all around me in cages were looking and I let it go to my head because I started lifting my face shield and winking at women, waving to little kids and folding my arms and sitting up on the bike at red lights as if I had been doing it for years. The ride was one of the most exhilarating, nerve racking and fun rides of my life. I was exhausted by the time I got to where I was going from constantly adjusting my position, turning my head and generally worrying about the bike and myself. I ended up not going home right away and instead went to the barber shop to get a fresh cut and show off my new baby to the fellas at the shop. Then I linked up with my best friend who had already gotten his new sportbike back in December. Then he and I (some of you may know him as Knowledge and his Kawasaki ZX-636 Charlotte aka: Spank That Azz) rode around the city until about 1 in the morning. It was great. I didn't want to stop riding. I don't know how many time we filled up and I know we ended up on South St. (hot spot in Philadelphia) parking lot pimpin' a few times while catching a grub. I remember when I finally went home and crawled my tired azz into bed smelling like I was out riding all night long, my girl asked me if I had fun and as tired as I was I tried to tell her about every minute of it. She wasn't having it. I had gotten her up early the morning before to go get the damn bike and I guess she was not about to be kept up the next morning by me regaling her with the day's ride. I let her sleep and the rest of that night/morning, while trying to sleep quick so I could get up and do it all over again, I got up at least 5 times throughout the morning to check on my bike. I was still living in an apartment at the time and hadn't gotten a cover for it or anything yet. I had both bikes parked in one spot chained together and secured to a light pole. I tell you, if I could have brought her into the bedroom with me I would have. That was my first ride and what a ride it was. I never went any faster that maybe 70 mph and never saw higher than 4th gear but I was on top of the world. The next morning I wiped her down as if I was out riding thru puddles and what not and she was still as clean as a shiny new penny.
My my, how far I've come. My bike now wears dirt and dead bugs on the wind screen like a badge of honor. Too busy riding to spend time washing her. Boy do I miss riding and right now its nice enough out to log some saddle time but alas my baby BIKE is sitting in her room at home (aka: the garage aka: Man Land) and I am caging it up today because of errands I need to run after work. Anyway, thanks for reading/listening and I hope I didn't bore any of you…at least those of you who weren't scared away when you saw how long this post was. I'd post a shorter Reader's Digest version of the above story but I don't think I could properly take you back to that faithful day with me in just a few paragraphs. Flag me all you want to, I'm not about to go back and spell check or grammar check all that. I'll even give myself a flag just so you won't have to.
By the way, what was your first time like?
Disclaimer: This edition of The Roar Report was written on 06/22/09.
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Why? Because of the 8 seconds of sex or the 40 minutes of crying? :biggrinjester: :laugh:It was... awkward.
Well written. Now get out there and buy a triumph lol
My first ride ever (aside from my dirtbike) was on a friends Kaxi ZX-6R. Man that's something I'll never forget! The ride wasn't long cause I scared the shit out of myself and knew my boundaries.
I hope to have my first ride (in a long time on anything) on my brand new STR in a week or so! I'll be sure to write up a nice first ride report!
Thanks for sharing.
My first ride ever (aside from my dirtbike) was on a friends Kaxi ZX-6R. Man that's something I'll never forget! The ride wasn't long cause I scared the shit out of myself and knew my boundaries.
I hope to have my first ride (in a long time on anything) on my brand new STR in a week or so! I'll be sure to write up a nice first ride report!
Thanks for sharing.
Maybe they were cousins?Why? Because of the 8 seconds of sex or the 40 minutes of crying? :biggrinjester: :laugh:
That was years ago, i have since seen the light and crossed the pond. That bike tried to kill me a few short months later and after trying the cbr out once more (only to have it turn out to be a lemon) I purchased the bike I wanted at the time I was shopping for my first sportbike, the Daytona 675. When I bought the 2nd CBR600rr there still wasn't anything written up or talked about regarding the Daytona so I didn't want to be the first guy to try it out. When it was time to get yet another bike the Daytona had won all sorts of shootouts and Masterbike and the motorcycle world was in an uproar about this amazing new model. So you rspond you what you said above, I do now own a Daytona 675.Well written. Now get out there and buy a triumph lol
Great story
1980 Suzuki GN400e was my first street bike too, same year and everything.
1980 Suzuki GN400e was my first street bike too, same year and everything.
I'm going to restore it soon and either use it as a daily commuter to and from work or maybe sell it but I haven't been able to part with it thus far. Its got sentimental value...no performance but plenty of sentimental value. I got her from a police auction back in 2003 for $318.00 and rode it for a year without a license. I later took the MSF course and have moved on to bigger and better bikes. That ole gal served me very well from 2003 thru 2006. Looking back i must have looked absurd riding that bike wearing a full face red helmet (limited edition devil helmet by KBC I think) and a Black & brown leather jacket. I thought I was the tits and cool as a fan but in retrospect I'd probably laugh at at a guy doing that now.
Anyone got any good "first ride" stories?
Technically, I first rode a Buell blast at an MSF course. I then waited 8 months to buy a bike and the first time I rode it, I guess was like the crying for 40 minutes after sex part lol. It seriously took me like 40 minutes to ride 6 miles home. I think I stalled at every intersection. It's a lot more real when you are trying to relearn to ride on something you just dropped $8000 on a few minutes earlier.
PS-Kinda got a chuckle out your title.
PS-Kinda got a chuckle out your title.
Thanks for sharing, Lion! Great hearing about your experience, you are a talented writer.
Your wife sounds like my significant other, could not care less about my bike but still puts up with it eating away at my wallet. How did we get so lucky?
Your wife sounds like my significant other, could not care less about my bike but still puts up with it eating away at my wallet. How did we get so lucky?
She's funny because while she hates bikes, she appreciates my passion for them and still supports me when I ride. I have been trying to get her on the back of my bike again for years. She went once but we never made it out of the parking lot or into 2nd gear.Thanks for sharing, Lion! Great hearing about your experience, you are a talented writer.
Your wife sounds like my significant other, could not care less about my bike but still puts up with it eating away at my wallet. How did we get so lucky?
First bike - the Yamaha GT80 I learned to ride on when I was 8 years old.
That bike also taught me how to jump, slide...and weld. Rode and raced dirt bikes for many years after.
Road bike? Borrowed GSXR750F. First road bike light and fast enough to get me interested. Growing up on light, 2-stroke dirt bikes makes you allergic to heavy bikes of any type.
Significant other? Wife can ride very well and fully supports my biking, has not been terribly keen on racing since she saw me scrolling through my log of top speeds for the main straight at my home track. Doesn't mind me racing dirt.
Used to come out on the back all the time, but I accidentally scared her while we were riding my ZX/9RC2 years ago and she's been a bit put off since then. Wasn't being an idiot, wasn't trying to scare her, apparently things just got a bit too fast.
Many, many good years and memories on bikes thus far.
O.B
That bike also taught me how to jump, slide...and weld. Rode and raced dirt bikes for many years after.
Road bike? Borrowed GSXR750F. First road bike light and fast enough to get me interested. Growing up on light, 2-stroke dirt bikes makes you allergic to heavy bikes of any type.
Significant other? Wife can ride very well and fully supports my biking, has not been terribly keen on racing since she saw me scrolling through my log of top speeds for the main straight at my home track. Doesn't mind me racing dirt.
Used to come out on the back all the time, but I accidentally scared her while we were riding my ZX/9RC2 years ago and she's been a bit put off since then. Wasn't being an idiot, wasn't trying to scare her, apparently things just got a bit too fast.
Many, many good years and memories on bikes thus far.
O.B
My fiancee is chomping at the bit to get her own bike. Problem is, we got a honeymoon we gotta save up for in the spring so we can't get her anything till after that. I'm pretty lucky in that regard. She was the one who pushed me over the edge to buy my first bike (ninja 250) since it was my money even though my parents are VERY against me riding.She's funny because while she hates bikes, she appreciates my passion for them and still supports me when I ride. I have been trying to get her on the back of my bike again for years. She went once but we never made it out of the parking lot or into 2nd gear.
I dropped mine in the 1st 5 feet I rode it.
Wouldn't be the last time either, but me and her had some really good times. I wish she wasn't stolen
Wouldn't be the last time either, but me and her had some really good times. I wish she wasn't stolen
First ride - my brothers old enduro or something... His bike was junk, but that's where I learned to ride and where I feel in love with riding.
My first bke - Honda Shadow VT500... Had that thing for 6 or 7 years and rode it everywhere (only mode of transportation...). It saw sun, rain, snow, fog, hail... I wasn't very nice to it and it ran like a champ!
First Sport Bike ride - demo ride at the local Triumph dealership. 2010 D675 SE. Just like Lion, all I could think was "don't drop it, don't drop it!". I managed to not drop it, but I did stall a couple times (big change from a VT500). The salesman with me was riding the STR... And I had a hell of time keeping up with him... Not because it is faster or anything but because I was so scared! Half way through the ride we switched bike (I now had the STR and he had the D675). That is where I fell in love with the bike... I found it much easier to ride and I was much happier. A couple days later I put some money down on it... And then a few days after that, I was the proud owner of a brand new 2009 STR.
I have been smiling (and bragging) ever since!
I may not be as good of a story teller as Lion... But regardless, that's my story.
Scott
My first bke - Honda Shadow VT500... Had that thing for 6 or 7 years and rode it everywhere (only mode of transportation...). It saw sun, rain, snow, fog, hail... I wasn't very nice to it and it ran like a champ!
First Sport Bike ride - demo ride at the local Triumph dealership. 2010 D675 SE. Just like Lion, all I could think was "don't drop it, don't drop it!". I managed to not drop it, but I did stall a couple times (big change from a VT500). The salesman with me was riding the STR... And I had a hell of time keeping up with him... Not because it is faster or anything but because I was so scared! Half way through the ride we switched bike (I now had the STR and he had the D675). That is where I fell in love with the bike... I found it much easier to ride and I was much happier. A couple days later I put some money down on it... And then a few days after that, I was the proud owner of a brand new 2009 STR.
I have been smiling (and bragging) ever since!
I may not be as good of a story teller as Lion... But regardless, that's my story.
Scott
Great story Scottie, I would love to demo ride the STR. In fact I'm dying to demo any new Triumph including the cruisers but my dealership doesn't have demor rides like that. They give you a loaner bike if yours is in the shop long term but nothing where I could pick whichever bike I want to ride and they take me out on it.
Lion - Yeah it is nice to demo the bikes... But the local dealership only wants to take people who are serious about buying a bike... So pretty much they don't want to just take you on a joy ride... Plus they make you sign a bunch of waivers saying that pretty much if you break it, you bought it...
Have you tried to see if you can catch up with the Truimph Demo Truck? I haven't (since it doesn't come up here... or if it does then it is hardly ever), but I hear that it is a great time and you can ride as many different bikes as you want!
I would love to try out Speed Master, Speed Triple, Rocket III, Tiger, Thruxton... okay pretty much every bike that Triumph makes!
Scott
Have you tried to see if you can catch up with the Truimph Demo Truck? I haven't (since it doesn't come up here... or if it does then it is hardly ever), but I hear that it is a great time and you can ride as many different bikes as you want!
I would love to try out Speed Master, Speed Triple, Rocket III, Tiger, Thruxton... okay pretty much every bike that Triumph makes!
Scott
This is the first I'm hearing of a demo truck. Please share the details and how do I catch up to it? The Carlisle Bike Fest is this weekend but my Born Day is Monday so the wife and I are celebrating on Sat then I'm going to wtch the races at NJMP on Sunday. I hear that there are tons of demo rides up there during the early part of the day on both Sat. & Sun. My friend has an 848 and a Speed Master that I could probably "demo" if I wanted to but I'm really interested in riding the Thruxton, the Street Triple and Speed Triple. I've ridden the Bonneville and liked it for daily commuting but hated it on the turnpike at 100+ mph.
Here is the website http://www.triumph.co.uk/usa/11193.aspx
Check it out and hopefully you can get out to one of the demo days...
Happy (early) Bday! Have a good one! (If I don't say it now... then I probably won't remember to on Monday)
Check it out and hopefully you can get out to one of the demo days...
Happy (early) Bday! Have a good one! (If I don't say it now... then I probably won't remember to on Monday)
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