[Whiteblackmatt]

Just wanted to share my recent experience.

So I guess I got a midlife crisis going on or something. I decided to buy my first motorcycle, a Yamaha XVS650 (not operational) to learn how to fix and ride a motorcycle. Call it a bucket list item. Anyway, I fixed the bike and got it running and took it out for its first maiden voyage, down the street and back. I have never been on a bike before so was a little terrified, didnt want the wife to see but she specifically came out in the cold to see me break my neck the first time. I got down the road and around a bend out of view, roughly 400m, and a car was coming from behind and in front of me. I got cautious, not scared but i was aware of my inexperience, how crazy the other drivers in my area are, and how far away from the house I was. I decided to slow down pull off into a dirt path and turn around. Just as I pulled off to the side going about 5mph i hit a patch of wet dirt and without any chance to correct the wheels slid sideways and the bike tipped and fell into the grass. I was able to dismount on my feet and lifted the bike right away but how embarrasing!! When the drivers didnt even flintch at my dumbass and drove away i jumped back on and drove home. The wife was there waiting for me, I didnt have the pride left to tell her i dumped it, or the guts to tell her how dangerous this could be. She didnt notice, but I spent 10 minutes with the shop vacumm in the garage sucking all the dirt and grass out of the right side of the bike.

 

[Offcenter]

Boy! You must have big ones to start our with your very first ride on a 650 with no instruction.
Something tells me that you'll do alright though.
Just be careful out there, and welcome to the forum!
Please fill out your profile with your name and location.
It's a big world out there so it's nice to know where you
hail from!!

P.S. That's a good story. Funny!
...a first ride to remember.

 

[Whiteblackmatt]

Haha, before i bought it I looked up a little info on it. Some posts said it was a good first bike to start with. Lifting it from the ground isnt the problem so dumping it isnt an issue, i bought it really cheap because it wasnt running so i dont even mind the scratches and scrapes it will get as a beginner bike. And i feel like Im mature enough and aware of my mortality enough to not get crazy on it. I just want to use it to drive up and down the street and for my motorcycle class. I dont need speed, just looking for a fun cruiser and to learn a little about motorcycle maintenance. My name is Matt, im active duty stationed overseas and hail from Illinois.

 

[bpe]

 

[Critter]

Welcome and thank you for your service Matt. A 650 is a big bike overseas.

 

[Whiteblackmatt]

Thanks man, truth is, i pcs soon and will be back stateside by the end of the year. The bike still needs a lot of maintenance so my expectation is that it will be my first bike to ride around when i get back stateside. As for now, i just want to get the mantenance done on it. Your bikes look awesome, cant see well from the picture but that black one is the ideal bike I want to get to. Ive slways liked that style.

 

[Critter]

Thanks, I had wanted a Springer since the 60's

 

[Critter]

Not sure why it posted twice

 

[hogcowboy]

Not sure why it posted twice

What twice??? 🙄🙄🙄😀😀😀

 

[hogcowboy]

WELCOME ABOARD, and...

We are friendly site here. Well, most of us😁
I’ll refrain from saying we try to warn newbie’s. Glad you are not injured anymore than your pride. You are very fortunate. Some never get the chance to make a post.

 

[Critter]

What twice??? 🙄🙄🙄😀😀😀

HAHA - I got an alert saying you fixed it. What had I done wrong?

 

[Whiteblackmatt]

WELCOME ABOARD, and...

We are friendly site here. Well, most of us😁
I’ll refrain from saying we try to warn newbie’s. Glad you are not injured anymore than your pride. You are very fortunate. Some never get the chance to make a post.

Yes, its appreciated. But gotta start somewhere and hope that begginer classes and up and down my street for the time being will get me comfortable enough to say i can ride a motorcycle. I'm not quite there yet but appreciate any advice.

 

[hogcowboy]

HAHA - I got an alert saying you fixed it. What had I done wrong?

Can't really say. There were clearly 2 images with 2 FULL and THUMBNAIL selections at the bottom. I just deleted one.

 

[RogerC60]

Welcome, and thanks for your service!

I don't know what your beginner motorcycle class will cover. Probably the basics of cornering, braking, swerving. In the class I took they said we need to practice situational awareness but didn't go into much detail about how to actually do that. Look on Youtube for videos from Dan Dan the Fireman. He analyzes motorcycle crashes and near misses to discover what the rider could have done differently to avoid the crash. He also has at least one ride along video where he points out the potential hazards he sees and teaches you how to spot them as well.

 

[Doc Samson]

Welcome and +1 to Roger's advice. Re: situational awareness - You want to literally keep your head on a swivel because zeroing in on any one spot on the road or getting lost in thought is a good way to end up in an "Oh, sh!t!!!" moment!