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If she is heading west of DC that gets into the hills andthen into the blue ridge. She may find the roads out there challenging as a beginner. Lots of twisties in them hills and if she attempts to keep up with the sport bikes . . .
Hi dawg - I hail from Essex Center, VT - outside of Burlington. Moved from there with my folks back in the mid 80s to VA. I always swore I would move back one day and my husband and I plan to in 2010 to the Glover in the NE Kingdom.
Vermonter,
You are doing it right. As for a long starter trip. No way. Think about the stress that comes from riding when you are new to it. Traffic, terrain, turns, noises and just plain concentrationall add up to stress. People do not function well under stress. If she does do the ride she needs to stop every 25 miles or so to decompress.
Let me use learning to fly as an analogy, When you first go up the other guy does the flying and then give you some time to fly straight and level before you learn to take turns. Takeoffs and landings take a number of lessons. In other words, they don't just say here are the keys now go out there and solo.
She will learn QUICK how to manage the bike or she will get hurt. I rode a 200 mile trip after having around 4 or 5 hundred miles and that trip help me 1000 fold compared to around the house driving. I could have gotten hurt badly just as easily as I learn leasons to keep me a live from it. I did it solo with out anyone with me. I wanted to either keep the bike and learn it or sell it. I kept the bike and I am glad I did keep it.
Ha - we were just talking about Hardwick and the flooding they've been having. Just looking at the temp of 66 degrees....it's 95 here! White River Junction - we won't be too far from one another. My husband is going up for a couple of weeks to camp on our property and have our driveway put in...I'm jealous.
I dont know, riding with crotch rockets is always interesting, they have a different mentality about riding, atleast what I get from my friends with sport bikes. Start slow, I say get atleast 500 miles of "home" riding. My first ride from the dealership to my apt was on 81, hitting speeds of a whopping 65 (hehe), rode it for 400 miles aroundBlacksburg when everyone was goign home for the summer, then I had to ride it home from Techto DC, mind you in the cold rain and in the middle of the night, while it was great experience in retrospect, there were times it got real scary. Twist and turns and not being familiar with the road are things not to be taken lightly. If she does decide to take trip make sure you tell her to NOT try to keep up with the group and take her own pace.
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When I passed my MSF course, our instructors told us all that we were now qualified to get in a parking lot and practice. Thats exactly what I did. According to hubby, I practiced too much in a parking lot , but you have to learn how your bike feels, before you can begin to even consider getting out on a road with it. I am afraid if she goes with a bunch of seasoned riders, the end story will not be a good one. Tell hershe has all the time in the world....not to rush it..... keep us posted.....
Best time for a nube to hit the streets is daybreak to 10 am Sunday morning.Second best time is daybreak to 8 am Saturday morning. Usually the roads are almost deserted.
Worse time is after work when everybody wants to get home and Saturday/Sunday afternoons. Folks drive crazy at these times.
An understanding mentor can be of enormous helpin getting the novice through those first few months.
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