Just wanted to say Hi to all the SBN folks! Great community! Lots of good info here, and certainly some entertaining reading too.
Man, it's such a nice day, I should be out riding. Soon enough.
So I'm new here (as you can see by my post count, lol), but not entirely new to bikes. I've ridden my friend's dirt bike many times on sandy beaches and trails, etc. and have ridden mountain and road bicycles for years, then last summer decided to take the plunge and go motorized street.
Took the MSF, loved every second of it, passed with flying colors, but realized that I still had a LOT of practice needed.
I bought my first bike: a 1988 FZR400. Man, that was a cool bike. Rode it for a while, then crashed. I don't remember the details of the crash beyond what "they" tell me happened. All I know is that somehow I collided with a Suburban, mid-corner, doing about 25, going airborne and landing on a guardrail. I don't know if I was swerving to avoid an obstacle, if I came into the corner too hot and/or leaned wrong, or if it was just a simple case of "target fixation." Lessons learned!
My helmet saved my life that day. I got to ride in a helicopter, spent some time in the ICU, flirting with the hot nurses (
), then hobbled around on crutches for a while. Full recovery--lucky me!--with a few scars to prove that the past is real. I knew right from the moment I was aware of still being alive that I would get back on a bike.
That brings me to now. I've bought a new bike, and have been riding it for a little while now. My friends think I'm crazy, but I don't think so.
Mistake #1: I bought it brand-new (got a hell of a deal, but still!). 2007 Yamaha FZ6. Probably too much bike for me, but I realize that, and have some room to grow in. It handles similarly to the FZR, but has more power, so fortunately I'm already used to the "touchiness" of the brakes, clutch and throttle. Still not butter-smooth, though. Working on that.
It's already been down, 2nd day of ownership, ACK!. I don't like 1st gear + sharp left turns from a stop anyway; mix in a patch of gravel... BAM! just like that, down we went. Lessons learned: get out of 1st as soon as it's safe to shift! Don't shift mid-corner! And... look all the way through the corner before engaging (maybe I'd have seen the patch of gravel before it was too late!) Stupid mistake, but a smart lesson.
I thought I was going to cry when I saw the cracked fairing and scratched tank on my FZ. FUCK! But then I realized that I WAS OK (that's the important part) and the bike was still mechanically sound. So after picking the bike up and riding it home, it now has a battle scar to remind me to be careful every time I get on the bike. I'll fix it, eventually. Frame sliders will definitely be my first mod!
I learn lessons every time I go out and ride. This bike scares the crap out of me! I haven't even gone full-throttle yet--no need! But if I wasn't scared of it, then I'd have no business riding it, either. All the same, I still enjoy the ride.
I feel that, while my skills will perpetually need improvement, my judgment, analysis and
situational awareness is what will save my ass. I view it less as "riding" as I do "piloting." Bogies on my one-through-twelve, riding invisible.
Anyway... thanks for reading my novel and ride safe...!
JC
Not quite a total noob :D
Some people just don't get it... whatever. 
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