Not new rider per se, but haven't ridden in years....

Hello all!

I rode years ago when I was a kid (mostly dirt bikes) & I'm 52 now, so while I'm not "new", I'm certainly not an old hand. I've certainly never ridden anything before with this kind of weight or power~

I bought a '98 VFR800Fi on June 30th, but due to registration issues then inclement weather, I didn't ride it until the 3rd. Put 28 miles on her in the afternoon then another 14 miles going to/from work tonight. I have to say I' was a little nervous taking off today....

Got my "sea legs" back pretty quickly, plus I had watched "Twist of the Wrist II" beforehand, which I might add is an EXCELLENT resource every rider should see. There's a book of it as well, which I plan to get.

I started off with dread at the WEIGHT of the bike; it felt like molasses at walking speed. Once I got up to speed, things started to come back to me. It helps that I've been an avid bicycle rider for 30+ years.

The only embarrassing moment I had was trying to take off at an intersection in town with DOZENS of drivers in attendance, of course. I was apparently in 2nd gear & stalled the bike about 8 times through the intersection before figuring that out. I hightailed it outta there as soon as I got into 1st gear~

Otherwise, the day went surprisingly well. I SWEAT my @$$ off in a black leather jacket (it was in the upper 80s). At speed, I was quite comfortable, but whenever I stopped, it felt like a freakin' sauna inside my helmet/jacket. I need to invest in some better riding gear....

 

Not wanting to deprive Scub of his newly acquired official welcome role - but folks this side of the pond are up a bit earlier - so let me extend a warm welcome :welcome: to the MadHouse from the French Alps.

Got questions, or looking for folks to ride with just post away...

It sounds like you are starting to enjoy your VFR - and yes it is easy to try to take off in 2nd - that's one benefit of fitting an add-on volts/gear indicator!

You may not have spotted that some folks on here won't believe you own a :vtr2: at least until you post up some pictures of the bike. So if you don't want folks ragging on you, get the camera out asap and then click the icon 2 to the right of the envelope icon and follow the prompts.



SkiMad

Cool avatar

 

No problem Skimad,
TNRabbit has been greet in the past from another thread.
TNRabbit practice is the key, it is better if you can find a parking lot and practice on slow speed. The key is to have a bit on the throttle on the 1st and 2nd gear to get the bike up to speed. There are also gear indicator that you can install to help. Ride safe and enjoy your ride. As for gears try mess jacket and kevlar jean for the summer.

 

Thanks for the welcome, SkiMad!

Yes, I've previously posted pics in the INTRODUCTION section here: http://vfrworld.com/forums/introduc...-new-member-fredericksburg-va.html#post405697

 

Yes, the first thing I did was head for a parking lot & do a lot of low speed turns, stops, & takeoffs. The day went well with only a couple of stalls UNTIL that intersection in 2nd gear~

I'm looking for an XL mesh jacket now...

Thanks~

 

Welcome, good luck, and be careful.

I am a returning rider - who took 10+ years off. I bought and SV650 last fall, and just traded that for the VFR800 a couple weeks ago. Despite having many miles on bikes, I was surprised at the rust. Earlier this season, I took the Advanced Rider Saftety class, which is free in PA, and that was great. I highly recommend it.

Moving to the VFR has been great - but the weight is a bit intimidating at first. So, I know how you feel.

Be careful - and have fun.

 

I'm scheduled for a refesher riding class later this month.

I rode about 150 miles today all around Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania county today. It was a gorgeous day!! (Finally...it's been raining for 2 weeks!)

Had a blast today, then in the last 10 miles my muffler almost fell off! The bolt that holds it at the passenger foot peg came loose & when I stopped, it was hanging by the pipe. Is a D&D pipe supposed to have a clamp?

 

TNrabbit, I am glad you able to take the ole girl out for a spin :thumbsup:
They should have a band that wrap around the can and boted into the passenger peg

 

The nut was the only thing missing on the can. The biggest disappointment was the entire band & gasket at the header end wasn't even there! I thought it had an exhaust leak & now I know why~

Going to the local dealer to see about the parts now.

 

$62 lighter in the wallet & I've ordered all the parts needed to repair the exhaust THE CORRECT WAY. Grrrr....

 

You should be glad only $62 the whole can cost more
Oh and at BMW would be $120 ound:
You will have many more years of hapiness with the VFR for sure. Ride on Bro. and be safe.

 

I put about 500 miles on the bike this past week. Becoming MUCH more comfortable with the bike. The only thing that gives me pause is doing a U-turn at a intersection. Parking lots, no problem, but I guess it's the added pressure of a tight turn with traffic approaching or waiting/watching~

Having a BLAST!!

 

Loving this bike! I've put almost 1,000 miles on the bike now.

Got 52 mpg on my last tank. Runs like a scalded dog~

What's the top speed on the '98? I've seen 140 in 5th gear, and that came up in A HURRY. I'll have to verify the the speedo w/GPS...

 

Great to hear you are back on a bike and doing do diligence of refreshing your riding by signing up for a course and reading Twist of the Wrist. It's important to keep up with your training. May I suggest picking one thing to work on each time you head out and building up your skills and confidence. Things like Throttle control (from Twist) and visual skills are great things to start with! What are you noticing that is the most difficult or the most unnatural for you in regards to your riding?

 

I took the MSF course last year on a TW200, the ultimate in light and overly-twitchy bikes. I bought my first bike this year a 1999 VFR800. I thought the weight was going to be intimidating. After a couple rides out it seems to me this bike is so perfectly balanced and well-behaved, I do not really notice the weight! Kudos to my friend who said the Honda's are perfectly balanced machines over the Yamahas, which I was considering previously! (No pics but I can see from comments I better post something soon or no one will believe that I own a bike!) [pic now added to my profile.]

 

get some sliders or be a real man and use your boot Like I did, it will hurt and you might not want to ride for a while. Don't get the no cut-whats the big deal to putting a few holes in the fairing or having no fairing at all after a fallirate:

 

You guys realize this thread is a year old, right?

 

Sounds like time for an update then....

I see you've become a senior member in the meantime

 

Update: I've planned & pulled off several group rides all over VA.

It's my daily commuter as it's my only transportation right now///really racking up the miles. It was at 31k when I bought it last year & have put over 7000 miles on it since late April this year.

I've replaced the rear brake pads, replaced the head stem bearings with tapered roller bearings, installed a VFRness, fuse block, & new MOSFET R/R from wiremybike.com. Changed the oil twice this riding season & already wore out a Michelin PR4 rear tire at 5,000 miles. Front tire is still going with over 7k miles on it....

I'm loving this bike....wish I could afford to have 4 or 5 fifth gen bikes...one for each day of the week!

 

Ahummm
:welcome: to the madness :wave: Westie
Might want to drop by Intruduction section and introduce yourself