Rode into work today!!

C

chrisf

Over 1,000 Posts
My previous riding experience was a few 10 miles round trip runs. Today, I braved the open highway and rode 30 miles into work. It's quite the beating with clip-on--christ I'm getting old. Mind you, I'm very new to riding, so I was very anxious. I stalled twice in traffic, which on my bike is a pain because I have to find neutral (no light) and kick her over.

I'm honestly a bit scared to ride home. I may see if I can wheel the bike into the warehouse and bum a ride home...or cut out of work early.

the little batteries did fine. Wish me luck!

--Chris
 
Thats the best way to learn man - just do it !
As far as a Neutral light, You can do something to what I did and get a super small green LED and mount it
in your headlite bucket (so u can see it). It serves a purpose, plus it doesnt take away from the bike in any way..

Good to hear you are riding that beast.
Just take your time, dont care about people passing you, etc..
The term "ride your own ride" comes to mind...
 
practice makes perfect.i remember my first ride on the highway.it was on a yamaha seca 750.i was so excited and nervous.i was living at woodbine and queen st and had to ride to oakville to a buddies place so he could check it out.once on the gardner the exhaust was so loud i thought the engine was going to blow.the wind was blowing me around a bit.i was thinking this is not the fun i thought it was going to be.but here i am 13 years later and hating every time i have to drive my cage.take it easy out there and you will be fine.remember why you bought your bike.it was the fun and excitement you are going to have.well here it is so enjoy it ;D good luck out there and have a fun drive home.
 
Take it easy, but sometimes you just have to get up and do it. You could maybe wait, hang around a bit til traffic dies down, that way you're not overloaded with so much stuff.

Good luck and don't grip the bars too hard! Keep reminding yourself to relax!
 
COOL...I"ll never forget my first ride on my own bike, on the street...It was on my second ride the next day that I took off the training wheels!!..

Dont laugh.. ButterflyMETH still has them on her cb750....no.. Seriously..Im not kidding..
 
chrisf said:
My previous riding experience was a few 10 miles round trip runs. Today, I braved the open highway and rode 30 miles into work. It's quite the beating with clip-on--christ I'm getting old. Mind you, I'm very new to riding, so I was very anxious. I stalled twice in traffic, which on my bike is a pain because I have to find neutral (no light) and kick her over.

I'm honestly a bit scared to ride home. I may see if I can wheel the bike into the warehouse and bum a ride home...or cut out of work early.

the little batteries did fine. Wish me luck!

--Chris
Click to expand...
Allways nerve racking, my first ride on the road was on my Yamaha FSiE sports moped when i was sixteen! falt out it did 50mph with the wind behind me, my older brother escorted me on his bike then left me at the petrol station to find my own way home! Great feeling of satisfaction but scary being the slowest thing on the road. Even though i had been trials riding on a BSA bantam for a couple of years under My fathers tuition. Probably best to get confidence up when the roads are not to busy and learn how the bike behaves. I hope all went well on the way home.
 
Hi all:

Sorry for the late post...

Yeah, I rode her home, but it was a disaster. I ducked out of work early and missed most of the traffic. About a mile from the office, I feel something strike my right ankle--really hard. I look down and everything seemed fine. I just figured that happens when riding a bike: unseen road debris hits the legs. I pulled over a couple miles later and realized what hit me. My license plate and taillight vibrated off, hit the tire and whipped into my ankle. OK, fine. If the man want's to pull me over, so be it. But now I'm nervous because traffic is getting heavier AND I HAVE NO TAILIGHT.

Onto the highway, and I damn near maxed out the little CL350. Traffic was still passing me, so I think I was going between 65-70mph. So midway through the tip, she starts acting funny. During part throttle, she kida chugs and bucks a bit. Full boil is fine, as is idle.

Then 5 miles from home, I get a huge 'BANG!!'. I look down, and my rightside exhaust has feed itself from the port. It's still hanging on, but 1/2 the spent exhaust is going into the pipe, the other half is hitting the wind. So I slowly ride home.

Today, I found my plate, and there is some minor damage to the light (pics to follow). The exhaust wrap is toast because it abraded on itself. It will need some minor wiring. I also need to either heavily pad my seat or buy a new one. I also need to add a new sprocket to the mix. These CLs are geared seriously low.

The good news: I'm alive. The bad news is that I won't be able to touch the bike for a while because I have to get my se7en ready for a track event, and I'm in the midst of a kitchen remodel. Such is life.

--Chris
 
All in all, I'd say your maiden voyage was a success. Only having a couple of bits vibrate loose isn't bad.

Sounds like your carbs need some fine tuning for the mid-range. I'm no expert, but I think needle position is the area to focus on (at idle it's your slow jets, at full throttle it's your mains, and mid-range the needle has a lot to do with it).
 
Tintin said:
All in all, I'd say your maiden voyage was a success. Only having a couple of bits vibrate loose isn't bad.
Click to expand...

I agree. Glad to hear you made it back home safe. The first big ride/drive is always the most nerve racking.

Steve
 
ya a 350 on the highway here can be a little freaky.
i can cruise at 80 mph on my 77 cb 550 and it feels like im standing still.people drive fas t in the big smoke there is no doubt about it.i have never had anything fall off my bike though ;D
sounds like an interesting first ride.should make for a good conversation starter.
check ALL nuts and bolts and torque to specs and you are good to go.
 
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