First ride on Saturday - 170km!

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gtamike

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Got my 2009 Vulcan 900 on Monday night, and went for my first ride on Saturday. I'm still waiting out the 60 days on my M1, so no riding after dark, and I work all day, so really no riding all week. Saturday was pretty much the first time I rode the bike.

Woke up early on Saturday morning, did some warm up laps around downtown streets to get acquainted with the bike. It felt good, and right at home.

It was pretty cold on Saturday, but I was set on riding, so my housemate (more experience, rides a Ninja 250) and I headed out to the Forks of the Credit. Great ride - some stop & go heavy traffic practice, some 90km/h stretches on Hwy7 and Airport Rd., about 170km/6hr there and back (ran into the Zombie Walk on the way back, took forever to get starting around the Junction area).

Talking to some more experienced riders later, their comment was, "that's the longest first ride I've ever heard of." My housemate agreed - a fact he conveniently left out while we were out riding. Oh well.

All in all, it was a great experience - some practice in all sorts of traffic, some cold/windy riding exposure, some time to chill at the Forks, and a good shot of confidence that I can start riding to work.
 
Wow, impressive! Glad you're enjoying it so much.

My first real ride was just shy of 100km, and I was so proud at the end of it. I was also sore as hell haha
 
Congrats! I can't remember what my first ride was. I think around 200 kms. My longest was just over 300. I'm directionally challenged but if you ever wanna go for a ride, let me know. If tricky is free, he's great at finding good roads or maybe I could see if my friend is free who takes me on the long rides and we could all go. :)
 
Kind of a large bike for a beginner, whats your insurance like? i didn't know you could even insure and plate a bike until you had your m2.
 
Yeah, I'm a big guy, I looked at a Vulcan 500 and a Shadow 600 and my knees were hitting the handlebars on both. I thought about the Shadow 750 but that's about the same size as the Vulcan 900 anyway. Haven't had any trouble handling it at all though - the power through the throttle very smooth, no problem giving it as little go as I want.

Insurance isn't too bad - about $1950/yr. I'm also over 30 and have held a full G license for a while, which I think helps. My provider actually fixes the term dates to Feb of each year, so my pro-rated premium from Oct 2011-Feb 2012 is only $50 total for the entire 4 months. Can't argue with that.
 
My first ride (not including the M1 exit course) was less than 1 km around my block.
 
Glad you loved it, welcome to riding, rack up the mileage and good luck with your bike.
 
Congrats gtamike! I just got my iron 883 2 weeks ago and I've got close to 500 clicks on 'er already. Can't get enough of it. When I'm not riding, I'm thinking about riding. Although I have to admit that I was proud of just riding the 50 kms it took me to get her home ... Never mind 170 kms. Kudos!
 
lol no...not 170km/h. I'm pretty speed-conscious out there - would rather not hurt the insurance premiums by getting dinged with tickets. Besides, I rely on AutoShare too when I need a cage, and you can be disqualified if you have enough infractions.

I grabbed the Vulcan Classic. I like the blacked out look of the Custom but not the thin front tire. Either way, since I bought used I didn't get too much choice in the matter - although this Classic is exactly what I was looking for. I like the '09 better than the current '11.

@sykobish - looks like it'll have to wait till next season, but I'll definitely look you guys up!
 
bside said:
Congrats gtamike! I just got my iron 883 2 weeks ago and I've got close to 500 clicks on 'er already. Can't get enough of it. When I'm not riding, I'm thinking about riding. Although I have to admit that I was proud of just riding the 50 kms it took me to get her home ... Never mind 170 kms. Kudos!
Click to expand...

I had a buddy to ride with, which helps. I love the Iron 883 - it's such a sick looking ride. Congrats!
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