Hey everyone,
It sure has been a while! Last Saturday I met up with a stranger from Craigslist, who turned out to be a pretty cool guy, just a few years younger than me. He too was a beginner rider, on a red Suzuki Bandit. The two of us met at Barnes & Noble bookstore out across the river. We chatted for a little bit as I downed a water bottle and kept dehydration at bay. Then off we went all over the area, on a bright, hot, day, and clear skies in every direction.
Throughout our ride, I was following him as I didn't know the roads, and though he had a larger displacement bike, it wasn't too difficult to keep up. On the straightaways it was a bit tough to stay with him, but we rarely had any long straights. Passing through tight winding back roads, through country farms, over bridges and rivers, and through a forest, I took in scene after scene of beautiful countryside. It was probably one of the most phenomenal trips ever. There was no destination, just empty roads. We took an awesome S bend where I felt just like a MotoGP racer. I was practicing hanging off my bike (just a little bit, not recklessly!) and through that twist of road, I felt like I was defying gravity as myself and the bike leaned from a hard left lean into a hard right lean. Spectacular could not even fully describe that feeling, it is such a rush. Sure, most of our riding was at slower speeds, 25-40mph, but it didn't matter at all to us. Cornering is much more satisfying than riding in a straight line! However, after nearly four hours on the bike, my shoulders were aching horribly, my back was stiff, and my hands were hurting from shifting so much. Sadly, I called it a quits, said bye to my new friend, and head back home. Though I was tired, I got home with a giant grin on my face, as that was my best day yet.
My little Ninja is now clocking just shy of 600 miles on the odometer, which means I must get its first service this weekend! I have been riding 40 miles a day to work and back, though the trip is not nearly as exciting as most of the riding is upright. There is one sweeping S bend that I have been taking at roughly 35mph, which I want to practice on every day. I go slow to be careful, but I know the bike will go faster. I tend to hang off a little bit to keep the bike more upright, and I feel very planted and confident, but still, who knows what can happen! So far everything is going right, no more spills, and a lot of knowledge gained.
Oh but a quick caution..if you are lazy with your shifting, it is very much possible to get a false neutral, and you find that instead of hitting the next gear, you are stuck between two! I did this on the way home Saturday and was thoroughly surprised when the green machine redlined and I was slowing down! Found out that the trick is to keep the shift lever pushed until you release the clutch to make sure it meshes properly. This will take some time to get used to, but there is no hurry...I have a whole lifetime of riding ahead of me!
Stay safe and have a great rest of the week my friends!
-Pandabear
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
First Adventure to the Island
Hey Friends!
Finally had my first adventure on the Ninja on Saturday. My final destination was to be Wegman's and/or this cool frozen yogurt place called Skinny Frog. However, I decided that on the way I would stop halfway across the river at this little island called City Island and go exploring. So I geared up, did the usual warm up check, and swung a leg over with a smile on my face.
It was windy that morning which made me a little nervous as the bike swayed a bit in the lane. Full tuck was the best answer to the issue, and made it a little easier to relax in the wind. The roads were empty so I went hard on the throttle. Cruising down the road along the river, I got to take in a wonderful view, and was excited to make it to the island. I crossed the first bridge and then had to slow down for a hairpin turn to enter the island parking lot. If I had more skill that would have been a very fun turn to take, however I decided not to risk it.
After parking near the river, I got off and started walking. I passed some batting cages and came up to the minor league baseball stadium. It was very nicely maintained, but very quiet as there was no game going on at the time.
Continuing down the path, I passed several booths and shacks. Most were closed but there was a food and toy stand open and they had a nice place to have a cookout.
I passed through that area and came to a nice large opening that overlooked the river. From there was a wonderful view of the city and the capitol building. I got a chance to take a few panoramic shots which turned out beautifully. There were also a lot of boats docked, including a beautiful riverboat, and further down the road were canoes and kayaks. I assumed they were for rent to go boating on the river, so perhaps later this summer I can go kayaking!
After snapping a few more photos, I proceeded around the path. I was passed by a little red toy train which was very neat. The guy who drives it didn't look too enthused, but the children riding were having a blast anyways. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the train unfortunately as it caught me off guard, but eventually I got a photo of the station!
I also passed a very old building. It turned out to be a bathhouse, I'm assuming for baseball players of the past as there was quite a bit of baseball history there. A sign indicated it was from around 1921!! Next to the bathhouse was a beautiful little mini golf course too. Funny enough, while I didn't get to play right then, a short time after I left the island, my good friend called and asked if I've heard of City Island and if I wanted to go mini golfing! What are the odds?! I quickly found out that I was really rusty and terrible at putting, but that's a whole different story.
Wrapping it up, before heading to Wegman's to get some delicious sushi, I took a picture of my bike with the city and river in the background, for the memories. I remounted the bike, took one last look, and then headed out. It was a long ride after leaving the island, and with much more traffic. I managed to make it over some extremely poor road conditions, and at one point felt like I was close to wiping out when my tires hit a cut edge on the street. I did not fight the bike, and stayed light on the bars, and the bike kept itself upright thankfully.
Finally had my first adventure on the Ninja on Saturday. My final destination was to be Wegman's and/or this cool frozen yogurt place called Skinny Frog. However, I decided that on the way I would stop halfway across the river at this little island called City Island and go exploring. So I geared up, did the usual warm up check, and swung a leg over with a smile on my face.
It was windy that morning which made me a little nervous as the bike swayed a bit in the lane. Full tuck was the best answer to the issue, and made it a little easier to relax in the wind. The roads were empty so I went hard on the throttle. Cruising down the road along the river, I got to take in a wonderful view, and was excited to make it to the island. I crossed the first bridge and then had to slow down for a hairpin turn to enter the island parking lot. If I had more skill that would have been a very fun turn to take, however I decided not to risk it.
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| The Stadium |
Continuing down the path, I passed several booths and shacks. Most were closed but there was a food and toy stand open and they had a nice place to have a cookout.
I passed through that area and came to a nice large opening that overlooked the river. From there was a wonderful view of the city and the capitol building. I got a chance to take a few panoramic shots which turned out beautifully. There were also a lot of boats docked, including a beautiful riverboat, and further down the road were canoes and kayaks. I assumed they were for rent to go boating on the river, so perhaps later this summer I can go kayaking!
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| Louisiana Style Riverboat |
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| RR Crossing |
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| Walnut Street Station |
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| Bathhouse |
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| Mini Golf |
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| Ninja in Action!
After eating sushi, I headed back home for the 45 minute return journey. I raced back over the bridge, easily pulling away from cars and hit 60mph for the first time, which was the fastest I've gone yet. It was exciting yet scary too! Finally reaching home, taking off my gear, I can definitely say the trip was taxing. About an hour and a half of riding, even with a few breaks, my back was aching after making it back to my apartment. It might have been the poor road conditions too, but whatever it was, I was not used to it! All said and done however, it was completely worth it, and I had a blast. It was a great day with perfect weather as well... not too hot, a nice breeze, and plenty of sun. What an excellent first adventure!
I took quite a few more pictures, so if you guys want to see them, click the link on the right side of the page to visit my photo site!
Though it will be raining here all week, I'm sure it will go by quickly. Enjoy your week friends!
- Pandabear
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Friday, June 1, 2012
Mission Accomplished
Hey friends,
I'm happy to say that I made it home in one piece yesterday. I left early in the morning to avoid some traffic so once I passed through the city/town parts of my area and onto the rural roads, it was empty! The road conditions were very nice on the way to work, and I waved to about 15-20 other riders. I did hit some bumps in the road which the bike took gracefully. However as I was sitting directly on the seat, and not using my legs, the sharp upward movements transferred directly into a body region that I don't enjoy being jostled!!! Ouch!!
I only had one trouble, and that was after passing over a bridge and navigating through an S bend. I took the first bend easily and was traveling rather quickly for the second, tighter, bend. I remembered not to touch the brakes or let off the throttle, and just leaned further and rolled on the gas very slightly. I was scared yes, but looked and made it through the turn quite well. I had no concerns about the bike going down, it felt as planted as a tree in the dirt, but the physics on my body were unfamiliar, thus scary!
The return trip was better, though I rode straight through a gigantic patch of gravel. Worried of course, but was going in a straight line so nothing happened. More bikers passed, too many to count...90% of them waived. Mostly they were cruisers, a good bit were wearing full face helmets which I was happy to see. I am a firm believer in full face helmets, even after only having my bike for about two months. I cringe when I see people without helmets, but it is their choice, and I respect their freedom to do so.
Close to home, I pulled up next to a couple on a cruiser. After quickly battling with an inner debate, about whether it's rude to keep my shield closed while talking (it has a very dark tint), I started chatting with the rider, who complimented my choice of colors. He had a bright turquoise colored bike. Now I'm not a fan of cruisers personally, but it was definitely a nice motorcycle!
And finally, I stopped at Target to pick up some groceries and Meguire's scratch remover. Something about Target makes me honk my horn. The first time I did it, a few weeks ago, I was trying to turn my turn signal off and I honked at a lady. Yesterday, I was parking my bike, right past two ladies getting into their car, and once again, I honked instead of turning off turn signals. Only at Target does this ever happen!! Anyways, I finally returned home, and used the scratch remover on my bike. I managed to remove all the small scuffs, dirt, and scratches and besides the major scrapes, cracks, and holes, it looks brand new again! We will see how the scratch remover holds up to the rain today. Hopefully it REMOVED the scratches, instead of just filling them. I will post pictures this weekend if I can!
Have a great day friends!
- Pandabear
I'm happy to say that I made it home in one piece yesterday. I left early in the morning to avoid some traffic so once I passed through the city/town parts of my area and onto the rural roads, it was empty! The road conditions were very nice on the way to work, and I waved to about 15-20 other riders. I did hit some bumps in the road which the bike took gracefully. However as I was sitting directly on the seat, and not using my legs, the sharp upward movements transferred directly into a body region that I don't enjoy being jostled!!! Ouch!!
I only had one trouble, and that was after passing over a bridge and navigating through an S bend. I took the first bend easily and was traveling rather quickly for the second, tighter, bend. I remembered not to touch the brakes or let off the throttle, and just leaned further and rolled on the gas very slightly. I was scared yes, but looked and made it through the turn quite well. I had no concerns about the bike going down, it felt as planted as a tree in the dirt, but the physics on my body were unfamiliar, thus scary!
The return trip was better, though I rode straight through a gigantic patch of gravel. Worried of course, but was going in a straight line so nothing happened. More bikers passed, too many to count...90% of them waived. Mostly they were cruisers, a good bit were wearing full face helmets which I was happy to see. I am a firm believer in full face helmets, even after only having my bike for about two months. I cringe when I see people without helmets, but it is their choice, and I respect their freedom to do so.
Close to home, I pulled up next to a couple on a cruiser. After quickly battling with an inner debate, about whether it's rude to keep my shield closed while talking (it has a very dark tint), I started chatting with the rider, who complimented my choice of colors. He had a bright turquoise colored bike. Now I'm not a fan of cruisers personally, but it was definitely a nice motorcycle!
And finally, I stopped at Target to pick up some groceries and Meguire's scratch remover. Something about Target makes me honk my horn. The first time I did it, a few weeks ago, I was trying to turn my turn signal off and I honked at a lady. Yesterday, I was parking my bike, right past two ladies getting into their car, and once again, I honked instead of turning off turn signals. Only at Target does this ever happen!! Anyways, I finally returned home, and used the scratch remover on my bike. I managed to remove all the small scuffs, dirt, and scratches and besides the major scrapes, cracks, and holes, it looks brand new again! We will see how the scratch remover holds up to the rain today. Hopefully it REMOVED the scratches, instead of just filling them. I will post pictures this weekend if I can!
Have a great day friends!
- Pandabear
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