Reg71's son, and a brand new rider

I just wanted to introduce myself to the VFR community. I'm Jake, the offspring of Reg71, and I'm happy to be a new rider. I went out for my first ride today with my father and younger brother who was in charge of all the picture taking.

Our first picture is of a nice cheap fill up.


Heres a picture of me coming around a corner on my stepmothers little Ninja250


A nice picture of my father and I cruising


A little picture of me standing next to an old '89 Ninja 250 in pretty good condition.


Here's me, sitting underneath a pretty busted '89 Ninja 250. My first wreck. I wasn't doing anything crazy, stupid, or irresponsible. I slipped on a tar snake and set it down. The MSF course didn't cover gravel, or tar strips, so I learned something new. My third time riding the street, and I wrecked.

 

One of my favorite sayings comes to mind at a time like this......

Luck & Experience
"You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck."

It looks like you got an experience to look back on, but it looks like your luck might already be running low!

It appears as if you came through without hitting anything bigger than you, so if you got away with little more than some scratched plastic and a bruised ego it'll make a good story someday......Like some day in the future when your son wrecks your wife's bike......

Stay safe, keep the rubber on the road, and don't let those evil tar snakes jump out in front of you anymore.

 

Great to see, Man Dad, did you have to take a photo? Mercy. I'm with One Sided on this one. just take it easy get back on, things will turn around for the better, just don't let it get you down.. thanks for sharing

 

No biggie Jake, summer is still young, I'm guessing you still have a month and a half to ride, lots of miles to go, I think Dad is pretty smart to start off two new riders on a 89 Ninja because there is no substitute for experience.

So what's your first impressions riding on two wheels both on the dirt and the road...






P.S. I think you and Dad will have a good laugh at the last photo for the rest of your riding days, I have a sneaking suspicion that your son might see that photo one day :biggrin:

 

I had a great time. I love the feeling I get, but in all honesty, I didn't like the MSF course. It was filled wit the creepiest selection of people I've ever met.It was like hanging out in a Denny's for 18 hours. I also can't believe they didn't warn the class about tar strips, or turning onto/taking off of gravel. (I also learned about gravel today too. I nearly lost it, but I saved myself from further embarrassment.)
I went straight into riding very nervous and afraid, but as soon as I rode on the street, it just felt right. I'm not a cocky person, so I know I've made several mistakes, but I usually know when I do, and I know not to do the same thing again. I also learned to watch out for tar snakes, which I should have already learned from Dad's accident. I wasn't afraid when I was wrecking. I just knew I was going to wreck, and I was prepared for the consequences.
I'm not afraid to get back on the road because I know mistakes are part of developing experience. I just have to turn them into lessons. I really appreciate everyone's support, and hope I get to go on a group ride with some of you before I go back to Missouri.

 

Hey Jake,
I am a pretty new rider too (about 1 year) and the MSF course for me was ok but did seem to have some holes. For instance, they dont mention anything about night riding, or riding two up, or just like you said, tar snakes, grooved pavement, or riding in gravel. Either way, wiping out happens, and it is a good deal that you're in one piece to ride again. In fact, there was one lady in the course who dropped her bike 3 times, could barely negotiate turns, stalled constantly, and never left 1st and 2nd gear, and passed. (yikes)
Oh and I ride with my dad too (he taught me how in his work parking lot years ago) and yes, I am pretty sure if I ever lay it down, after making sure I was ok, he would take pictures of me to chuckle at too. We are lucky guys to have fathers to teach us cool stuff like this.
Keep the rubber side down and an eye out for everything.

 

Glad your ok. How did the bike make out? I haven't been down yet but close a couple times. Just don't let it bother you and before you know it you will be riding with confidence. It's hard to get a calm and confident rider down.

 

Hey Reg71 & Son, man it is great to see generations of riders in the same family. Priceless!!!

 

Other stuff you may not have heard a the MSF course...
* Ice has a very low friction coefficient - it can be slicker than tar snakes, gravel, and fresh dog terds put together (no one had a camera...so it didn't happen)

* Man-hole covers and painted road lines are much slicker when wet.

* Photos taken by friends when you've done something wrong will ensure you work hard to never do that thing wrong again.

I hope that everyone is feeling better today....

Get back on Ninja Jenki-san. Make fuel system klean. Replace weak plastic bits. Wax on, Wax off... Banzai!

 

I busted up the fairings and lights pretty badly. I really want to ride my '89 ex500, but it isn't insured like the 250, so it will be a while.

 

Here is your silver lining to the story...

1) *your* bike is still pristine
2) the bike with the broken bits *is* insured
3) the bike with the broken bits is *not* your bike :-|
4) the white paint will hide the damage better than a darker color.. like on the 500?

 

That's great, LOL! :biggrin: You inherited your Dad's great sense of humor!


I look forward to the day I can ride with my son. That is too cool.

 

I got a pretty good chuckle on that line myself!

 

Hey Jake,
WELCOME I definitely understand how embarassing a first crash can be .... my first crash on the street was in 1979 i bought my first new bike and i pulled up to my fathers driveway with my family watching and the bike was on a down hill slope i put it on the kick stand and stepped back to show my family and it rolled of the stand and fell over and i picked it up and started it up to move it into the street and cought the front tire in the wet gutter and laid it down again , needless to say my family wasnt inpressed in one word (embarassing) so I definitely understand. Goodluck (speed)

 

Hey Jake, glad your okay. Not that crashing is a good thing,.. but its like flying, any landing you walk away from is a good one. Your always learning.

Good on'ya for riding so much so early. I know what its like to try to keep up with your dad. :wink: I remember when i first started riding. Had never ridden a motorcycle before, started out on a 1982 Yamaha Seca 400 (2cyl.) Taught myself how to ride, id hop on it, ride around the block, get myself all nervous and scared, and come back home. 30 minutes later, dying to ride the thing i'd get back on and do it all over again. It all comes with experience. Keep riding, even if its just little jaunts around the neighborhood.

Maybe we should all do a small ride this saturday ?

 

I don't like getting on freeways as busy as 101. I wouldn't know how to respond if te lane is open for me, and I don't want to put myself in that position because it's likely I would make a mistake. It makes me very nervous.I hae no problems with the speeds or getting off though.