Yet another new learner rider

Thanks! It was one of your comments that helped me bite the bullet!!!!
Another good friend of mine chuckled at me an hour ago.. telling me he knew all along I'd follow my heart! DOH! And he is a rider as well!!!! He could have helped me out a few weeks ago and told me that!

I have had an offer of an escort home if I do decide to ride... I will see how much courage I develop over the next 24hrs!

 

I'm sure you'll be fine, esp if its the weekend (although fyshwicks a little hectic on a Sat, so take care) duh, obviously, like you're gonna hoon all the way home doing wheelies and stoppies .... I rode to Junee on the second day on my bike.... If I can do that you can ride home.....(although I did drop my bike about ten minutes after I first got it ....but thats cause I have a stupid driveway and short legs)

 

OUCH! Not the part of of your post I want to remember of think about!


Slow and steady... and will track a route with the fewest turns or busy intersections I think... and minimise lots of stopping and starting?!?!!
maybe along Monaro Hwy (although I was thinking of avoiding that initially), then track over Fairbairn / Limestone...
but up through Ainslie (maybe) and home.

I would love to be able to get it before Saturday - so that leaves more time on the weekend to ride it / play with it / look at it / tinker with it / and yeah yeah I know I should shut up before I get annoying and truly pathetic!

This is a great forum. Already had another offer to help 'escort me' home. Appreciate it everyone - and can't wait to meet many of you at coffee's / Learner Sessions and to show off my new toy!

 

Congratulations! That's a very awesome looking bike! And I definitely relate to the bike buying indecision; the sensible choice (I was umming and ahhing about the CB400 too) and the bike that you fall in love with (in my case a Royal Enfield )

I was kind of lucky in that I had to wait two months for mine to arrive and rode around on a 2nd-hand cruiser (2001 Hyosong Aquila 250) during my long wait, which greatly improved my riding confidence by the time my baby arrived. And where the Hyo was OK (except for the crappy battery and almost weekly push starts), and I liked riding it, it wasn't until my Enfield arrived that I realised I now LOVED riding, and any day I didn't ride it was a STUPID day.

So yes, buying a CB400 while your heart was thinking of another, you're only hurting everyone involved

Congratulations, and I can't wait to see it!

 

Thanks mate... and ditto! I did ummm and ahhhh and drewl over the Royal Enfields website more than a few times too! They look like an amazing bike! Look forward to checking yours out!

 

David if you are going to ride it home to Watson, the way you mentioned is pretty easy. I followed a very similar path from Fyshwick to EPIC when I first started commuting on Wanda and needed to go to the Wednesday practice sessions.

There are the lights along Limestone to go through but at least there are two lanes so traffic can get around you if required. Another thing I learnt when riding is that when you are going slowly (like 40k and under) it feels a lot slower then doing it in a car. I was convinced I cornered like a grandma until I took the time to compare actual corner speeds between my bike and car and discovered that they were pretty similar.

What I am trying to say is don't worry if you feel that your takeoffs from a stop or cornering feels slow!

PS More then happy to come out and provide escort services on a bike or car if you need it

 

Thanks Julian / Madmonk!
At this rate I don't like my chances in being able to wait till Sat to pick up my new bike! I want it NOW (and I'm not even a Gen Y)?!?!?!

Sigh. Have a very busy week at work though, and someone flying in from Perth I am hosting from tomorrow night till Fri night as well. I wish I could get it tomorrow... But the helmet I ordered hasn't arrived yet.

The more supportive emails I read the more I think I want to ride it home not have it delivered. Even if I do a couple of laps around the Carpark next door to make sure the skills I learnt last week were retained... before I venture out onto the road the first time.

Mmm note to self...see what can be rescheduled, see when they are getting it registered, try and sort the bank stuff out, find out if helmet has arrived yet.

(yes I'm a hopeless patheic excited new learner with a new bike! Feel like I'm a school boy again not on the 'right' side of 40!)

 

Pfssh! ride it home. I did, at night, with rain. As long as you are gentle and really cautious, it is all good. I actually rode my bike home from CMC through ainslie, and it isn't too bad at all! although I went along Duffy st, as it has no roundabouts, and I wasn't ready for lots of them in the wet.
Probably the worst bit from Fyshwick to Watson on my new bike were the war memorial roundabouts (in the wet).

Also, getting excited about going for a ride isn't EVER pathetic!

 

Cheers mate
I think I might deliberately move my ride to Sat.
Means I can take my time... re check my gear, maybe even tweak what I have bought...
take my time at the dealer asking lots of questions about the bike, the "how to's", and the "what if's" until they get sick of me.

Then at least if it is raining I can hang around the dealer and leave in between showers.
That way I can stop if I need... or find a nice coffee along the way!

Thanks for the tip about the roundabouts at the AWM!
and as for Duffy St isn't it really uneven and bumpy? Might stick to either Limestone or Officer Cres.

If all goes well - and I'm hopeful it will... I will come home hydrate... and want to head off again and show off my new bike I'm hoping!!!!!

 

Limestone has lights, which are ok if you have a chaperone to give you a buffer space behind you. Close following traffic isn't fun if you aren't used to it.
Officer cres has 3 roundabouts on it. Up and down movement is easier to control than side to side when you are starting.
I'd offer to chaperone, but I'm actually going to be down at the coast!

 

Hey Davo,
I know how you feel riding your new baby out into the world for the first time, with no net. Been there, did that on my brand new CB400 in Sept 10 the very next week after the Stay Upright course to Jerrabomberra. As far as riding the CMCC car park first, in my novice opinion its a bit steep. Maybe better for you to go for a run up & down the old Dairy Flat Rd just down from the dealer. Thats where I test rode the bike I have now, & I felt very safe as there's almost zero traffic there being a no through road. Just a thought if its not too late.

PS - I've always said if I ever get a bike, it will be a Harley Fatboy or alike. After getting out on the road however over the last 4 months on my CB400, I can honestly say I'm now firmly in the Sport Touring or Sports camp for my next ride purchase. Just goes to show what others said here about how your mind can change with even a little time in the saddle - enjoy!

 

I completely agree Ramjet, I was completely sold on cruisers and bought a new Suzuki Boulevard C50, after some longer trips and time spent on a LAMS sporty naked, I'm after a bike on the sports side of touring or the touring side of sports for my next bike.

 

Thanks guys....

got my paperwork done
got my gear purchased
am home moving some things around the garage so my new pride and joy fits
then heading back (big gulp) to try and get it home!

I am sooo excited and nervous at the same time!!!!!!
Can't wait to be able to have the confidence to be a rider!!!

 

How excitement....

 

Soon you shall have the biggest grin evar!!!

 

Thanks Diana and Paul!
Diana just chatted to our new member that you put onto the site - he seems like a great guy...
and also one of the CMC guys was speaking about you in the highest regard!

Appreciate everyone's thoughts and best wishes!!!

 

Pictures or it didn't happen!

 

Tried adding it to the garage... but the W800 isn't on the list of model available! Needs a mod to add... and can't seem to save it without all the required fields. grin

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31983431@N00/sets/72157625978894334/

not sure how to embed photos yet - but just put some on Facebook and MobileMe Gallery and Flickr!!!

Did ride home! WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!! I have the bug!
I slightly [cheated] I didn't ride it out of the dealer... rather one of the guys rode it down to Dairy Flat Road for me... so I had the chance to get familiar with it. Haven't been on a bike since my Stay Upright. The team at CMC were great. All the guys from the gear, to the sales, and the Manager. Gave me lots of options - I could have a 250 for an hour to get familiar before the 800, they would get it next door to the carpark, or even deliver it.

I got them to dump it and me down on Dairy Flat Rd... then he left. The moment had arrived!
Spent half an hour down there... friction point, starts and stops, gear changes, turns, even did a few U turns until I left comfortable.

Headed home - and it all became VERY REAL!!!!
Monaro Highway, Fairbairn Ave, Limestone Ave, Majura Ave, Phillip St, Antill St - then Aspinall and home.

WOOHOO!!!
Even managed to remember indicators (and cancel)!!!!!
Roundabouts all good... although turning right on a right one might need some practise. A couple of sharp left hand turns (ok only one I went a bit wide - but no cars around).

And I'm HOME!!!!!!

Mirrors despite me tweaking them didn't seem to give me good visibility behind me... so I will play some more today with them.

BIG GRIN!

 

Super duper congratulations, good call on getting them to drop it off on Dairy Flat Rd for you and good on you for riding it home. Get a nice wide area like your driveway (hopefully 2 cars wide) and sit the bike as if it was in the right hand wheel track of the left lane, put some objects in the centre of each lane behind you and adjust your mirrors, move the objects around a bit and sit back on the bike. Keep adjusting until you can see everything you think you should be able to see. On my bike I can manage to have a car overtaking me on the right stay in my right mirror until it enters my peripheral vision and still see the right half of the lane behind me, this will vary depending on the shape and size of your mirrors.

This advice is just what I did, no idea if it's the best way or not.

 

Nicly done Smart idea to take it to Dairy Flat to get accustomed to it. Just take it easy to start with, you have a lifetime of riding ahead so you dont need to rush anything at this point