Hey everyone. So I have put 400 miles on my brand new Sportster 48 so far. I've been riding mostly the back country roads around here and some main highways with little traffic.

I'm meeting a buddy at the beach this weekend to attend the air show to watch the Blue Angels fly. It's about 55 miles to the coast from my house. Although I'll be taking mostly back roads to the coast, there will still be a lot of traffic on these roads. I'm pretty comfortable with the bike but I haven't been around this much traffic. I would feel more comfortable if I had my other friend riding with me but he can't go.

I feel as if I have to ask, maybe I'm not confident enough to make the trip but then again, how else am I going to learn?

Should I make the trip on my bike or be a pansy and drive the truck? Remember, I only have 400 miles under my belt on 2 wheels.

 

The best advice I ever got was "Ride your own ride". If you have to ask, you're probably not ready.

Do it right, and you can ride for a lifetime. Getting in over your head, to prove your manhood, can result in death or permanent injury, to paraphrase the manual.

Maybe you could get there early, before the heavy traffic, if you do decide to ride. Good luck.

 

As Ron said! You'll know when the time is right.

 

Good advice here.

Get some seat time and it wont seem like anything to worry about. Heavy traffic isn't a place to learn and without your buddy it may be a wash.

Maybe there are some alternatives like meeting your buddy who is already at the beach at an alternative location and riding in together following his lead.

Maybe enter/exit the beach when the traffic is lighter.

 

Listen to what is being said here.

 

I'm going to take the advice and not do it.

 

Let me give you some long term perspective. Consider the next six months to be your learning period for basic skills. IF you ride regularly, you'll have a good sense as a rider by the end of the riding season in the fall. However, it is going to take you another riding season to become an experienced rider. By then you'll have gone through a lot of riding situations at least once and have some knowledge of what to do is such a situation. The longer you ride, the better you get.

 

All good advice here. There is no shame in being a newbee. It's too easy to get nervous and tense being a new rider and/or on a new bike so no sense in adding the stress of traffic until your more comfortable and confident.

 

Staying alive is not being a pansy. That's what ride to live/live to ride really means!

 

Seeing that you're willing to listen to everyone's advice makes me think you'll be fine. I'm not saying take the ride through traffic to the beach. I mean that you'll take those rides when you feel comfortable doing them. There's no need to push yourself into making poor decisions but you already know that or you wouldn't have made this post.