Shake down run

[f6john]

Finally got in about 20 miles today. Insured but no tags or registration but since I have to take it to the Sheriffs office to be inspected, I decided to go get some gas this afternoon. Brakes really grab on this thing compared to my memory of my Valkyrie. The 1800 still moves on out like I remember though. I’m not very smooth yet which I hope will come back to me with more miles. I’m thinking I might look for a motorcycle safety course, can’t hurt. I have a new set of tires to go on and I’m anxious to see what difference I will feel. I haven’t checked the date codes on the tires but with 20k on the clock  I don’t think they are original but they look like they might be only the second set. I see some cracking on the front in the tread groves. I found a nail in the rear tire but it seems to be holding air. At 70 mph very little buffeting with the stock shield all the way down but even though I can see over it, the top seems to be right in line with my eyes.

Very satisfying experience thus far!

[..]

I’m thinking I might look for a motorcycle safety course, can’t hurt.

If you're thinking it do it.

[Tazman11]

I’ve been a rider for 45 years. My 26 year old son wants to take up riding so we took a 2 day course at the local Harley dealer. Great class for bonding with my son and I still learned a ton. I rode one of their Harley 500s(I believe) instead of my Valk. Good decision.

I highly recommend the class. It was fun, learned a lot, met some nice folks, and spent time with my son.

[f6john]

I’ve been a rider for 45 years. My 26 year old son wants to take up riding so we took a 2 day course at the local Harley dealer. Great class for bonding with my son and I still learned a ton. I rode one of their Harley 500s(I believe) instead of my Valk. Good decision.

I highly recommend the class. It was fun, learned a lot, met some nice folks, and spent time with my son.

I have a good friend who is a certified motorcycle instructor and travels all over the country conducting those classes. Trouble is he is now 200 miles from me since I moved. I’ve been a rider for about the same span but with some long gaps in riding interspersed in their. As I have noted in other threads, my Valkyrie was last registered in 2014 and the Wing is a slightly different animal, and I’ve never taken a course in all that time either.

I’m thinking I might look for a motorcycle safety course, can’t hurt.

If you're thinking it do it.

Duly noted!

[..]

I’ve been a rider for 45 years. My 26 year old son wants to take up riding so we took a 2 day course at the local Harley dealer. Great class for bonding with my son and I still learned a ton. I rode one of their Harley 500s(I believe) instead of my Valk. Good decision.

I highly recommend the class. It was fun, learned a lot, met some nice folks, and spent time with my son.

I have a good friend who is a certified motorcycle instructor and travels all over the country conducting those classes. Trouble is he is now 200 miles from me since I moved. I’ve been a rider for about the same span but with some long gaps in riding interspersed in their. As I have noted in other threads, my Valkyrie was last registered in 2014 and the Wing is a slightly different animal, and I’ve never taken a course in all that time either.

I’m thinking I might look for a motorcycle safety course, can’t hurt.

If you're thinking it do it.

Duly noted!

I came back to riding after a gap of about  15 years prior to which I had ridden a wide variety of bikes and a few 100,000 miles.

I wanted to know if I had lost any skill.

Doing the 2 day course on a 250cc bike was a blast.  It was good to have reinforced that skills were still there and just needed some polishing.

[0leman]

I went out on Saturday for a short 90 mile ride.  At one point, I did a U-turn on the secondary road I was on.  Had to put my foot down.   Yeah, need to go do some turns in a parking lot.  Some rust, even though I have ridden couple three times a month since winter hit us.  Of course having heavy gloves and having lots of clothes on didn't help.

[Jess from VA]

Of course you probably know this, but:

When setting up for a tight Uturn on a rural 2-lane, you get over right to the edge (or even a little past the edge if it's a safe surface), then flop the bars hard and lean, and get as much of the turn done as soon as possible.  Uturns are often fubared because of a reluctance to turn the bars hard right away and lean the bike over, hoping there's enough road to complete the turn, and there isn't.

I was up on the Skyline Drive years ago, passed a turn out, decided at the last minute I wanted to stop there, and fumbled my turn and dropped the bike right in the road  (not dropped, but set it down easy on the guards once over too far to recover).

Complicating that turn was a very high road crown, which make a Uturn harder yet because it's not only a sharp, slow turn, but a slow uphill and downhill added into the equation (with gravity working against you).  And crowns on rural 2-lanes are often high.

And rural 2-lanes are harder to do tight turns on than flat parking lots.  The parking lot gives you room to err, the 2-lane doesn't.

No car came, and I got off and did the 850lb dead lift, and rode into the turnout feeling stupid.  It happens.

We've had this discussion before, but I am way better at slow hard left turns than right ones.  And in parking lots and other places with a choice, I will maneuver to make a hard left over a hard right every time.  I can do the rights if I need to, but am always smoother left.

Of course this is my only left preference.  

[Rams]

Of course you probably know this, but:

When setting up for a tight Uturn on a rural 2-lane, you get over right to the edge (or even a little past the edge if it's a safe surface), then flop the bars hard and lean, and get as much of the turn done as soon as possible.  Uturns are often fubared because of a reluctance to turn the bars hard right away and lean the bike over, hoping there's enough road to complete the turn, and there isn't.

I was up on the Skyline Drive years ago, passed a turn out, decided at the last minute I wanted to stop there, and fumbled my turn and dropped the bike right in the road  (not dropped, but set it down easy once over too far to recover).

Complicating that turn was a very high road crown, which make a Uturn harder yet because it's not only a sharp, slow turn, but a slow uphill and downhill added into the equation (with gravity working against you).  And crowns on rural 2-lanes are often high.

And rural 2-lanes are harder to do tight turns on than flat parking lots.  The parking lot gives you room to err, the 2-lane doesn't.

No car came, and I got off and did the 850lb dead lift, and rode into the turnout feeling stupid.  It happens.

We've had this discussion before, but I am way better at slow hard left turns than right ones.  And in parking lots and other places with a choice, I will maneuver to make a hard left over a hard right every time.  I can do the rights if I need to, but am always smoother left.

Of course this is my only left preference.  

I find going left or right is always much easier with a spinning rear tire, the ass end swings around very well.   The trick is to know when to let off and straighten up.     It does work well but when it doesn't then I didn't recommend it to anyone.  

Rams

[Jess from VA]

Dirt bike on dirt yes.  Humongous road bikes no.

The only times I've had my Valk rear end break loose was on a hot rear bike tire on HOT pavement.  Sideways is not my preferred method of street riding. 

Never happens on a car tire.   

[f6john]

I ride like me the guy on his Valkyrie in the commercial out in the desert!


Not!

[Rams]

Dirt bike on dirt yes.  Humongous road bikes no.

The only times I've had my Valk rear end break loose was on a hot rear bike tire on HOT pavement.  Sideways is not my preferred method of street riding.  

Never happens on a car tire.    

Sir,
I hate to tell you this but, it is possible while darkside and not something I will try to repeat.  
Don't under estimate the power of the Dragon. 

Rams

[0leman]

I have made these U-turns on two lanes roads more than once, but also either run off the road onto the gravel or had to nearly stop and put foot down for balance.  Just need to get confidence back to do t.  Parking lot turns do help with knowing one can slow down with proper brake and throttle control.  Thankfully I ride in areas where there is little traffic to cause me problem and embarrassment.

Wintertime causes one's skills to get rusty.

[Jess from VA]

Most all skills are perishable without practice.

I can still ride a bicycle, but I suck at it compared to my teens.  Both skill and endurance. 

Some years ago, I gave them away to neighborhood kids.   

Not only do I not enjoy bicycling, all bicycles fall into your cars and bikes no matter how careful you are.