First time on a highway; Stages of learning
 

About 3 months ago, having NEVER rode a bike before, I completed my MSF safety course. Since then, I've put on 375 miles on my new 2012 Super Glide. Much of the riding has been done very close to my house, around neighborhood streets and progressing to rural back roads for longer faster rides.

Just yesterday, I got on the freeway here in Tucson and rode 50 miles in Saturday mid morning traffic. During the first few miles I thought I made a mistake. The speed limit was 75 however I only maintained 60 with the cars and SEMI TRUCKS screaming past me. For the first time, it was very intense and required my full attention. I did not quit and continued my 50 mile ride to the local Harley Dealership to have some fun.

btw, my bike has no wind shield.

you'll get used to it, make a couple of runs up to Phoenix each Month and you'll soon like Highway riding, at least I do-

I remember my first time on the interstate. Maybe about a month and a half after I got my bike. Luckily I was with a buddy of mine that had been riding for a long time. It gave me a little comfort with him behind me. Never got out of the right hand lane but I stayed at the speed limit of 70. I know what you were feeling for sure as I am sure most have. Keep it up and with experience you get more comfortable. Ride safe!!

Congratulations for surviving that ride. Around here, I really think I would be run over if I was doing 15 mph slower than the other traffic. My first interstate ride was at or above the speed limit on my way to work, believe it or not. I appreciate your caution, but I prefer to keep pace with the surrounding traffic.... It's safer.

Good Luck with your new bike!

Keeping with the pace of the traffic is the way you have to ride here in Illinois or you will get run over. One thing I always try to avoid being behind trucks and keeping an eye out for debri in the road. I was riding on the interstate on Friday and there was pieces of a semis tire all over the place.

After you get used to the speed, you might find that you feel relatively safe on the highway ... you are all going in the same direction at roughly the same speed, you can see cages coming from a mile away, no surprises of cars entering the roadway, no intersections ... there are a lot of good things about it.

My advice: relax; when you can, put yourself in a spot where there's a safety buffer of empty space around you, NEVER just cruise along in someone's blind spot and ALWAYS be prepared for that the car in front of you to change lanes out of the blue.

You'll be fine.

good for you for getting out there! I only have about 550 miles on my bike...have yet to venture out on the highway. as of now, I prefer to not go over 60. Im needing to go to the dealer soon so they can put the locks on my bags, so looking for a way without highway travel. Im not going to push it till I feel comfortable.

:icon_that:

I ride the Interstate daily both in the dark in the a.m. and daylight in the p.m. I constantly and stratigically place myself away from cagers and never, ever, ever hang out in a blind spot. Use the agility and acceleration of your bike to consistantly find the sweet spot. Additionally I guard my lane and my spot on the Interstate. I make sure that cagers are aware that I'm there and the this is my goddamn lane, stay out of it. Above all, enjoy the ride, it's why you bought the bike, right?

Sounds like u r doing REALLY WELL! Congratulations!!!

I too was scared. In fact only rode 1 exit and got off and then rode more and more. Now I live on the highway.

Several suggetions:
1) Go at ur own pace within the speed limit.
2) Try to stay in far left lane. Safest. And then the left tire track of the far left lane.
3) Regularly look around you and ALWAYS play the "What if?" game.

Sounds like ur 1st time out u did really well. Keep it up and never let ur guard down.

BuzzCap7

Riding behind big trucks
 

In severe wind conditions I have found it's nice to ride right behind big trucks. They can't stop quickly either (so I have little concern of rear ending them because of a sudden stop) and riding in their draft shields me from much of the wind.

Aside from not being able to see the road conditions ahead, why do you avoid them?

I prefer vans or trucks with large windows so I can still see the road/traffic ahead, and because I hate riding at 55 mpg (the speeds trucks with trailers must drive in California), but if the wind is really bad those big trucks come in really handy on a long ride.

Got a bike in 2 months ago. Put on 2000 miles and then headed to Sturgis. The one thing that really helped me deal with the freeway was ear plugs. You can still hear everything just to be safe and the biggest thing you can hear is yourself think which is sort of important.

Just remember the biggest cause of accidents on the freeway are sudden changes in speed and sudden changes in direction. Run smooth and in control and it's easier to look for other not being careful.

One thing I really hate is wind in my ears... So I always wear a stocking cap unless it's just too hot to wear it. Really helps keep the wind out of my ears.

I would wear ear plugs, but I hate having anything in my ears and only wear them on the range or while operating loud machinery.

Best thing I ever bought were the Alpine Motosafe earplugs...they made all the difference in the world. I hate the foam type ear plugs because they clog you up and feel awkward. These do not feel that way and I can't even tell I have them in....other than the fact it cuts out the wind noise and you can still hear ambient noises.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=160860869023

Î thought all SG's had a fairing (windshield)?

OP has a SuperGlide.,... not a Street Glide ;)

I hate this trend of people buying Harleys for their first bike. I think it's dangerous and believe they will never reach the level of riding skill they would have attained if they had started on a small bike, graduated to a mid-size bike and then to a big bike.
That's the way we did it in the old days and I believe it made us better riders.

I live and work in the metro DC area and have spent many years on the I-95/295/395 corridors. It's like playing g "Frogger" - for those who remember that game. Ditto the comments on keeping pace - and make sure you keep some distance between you and the vehicles in front of you. For semis, make sure you can see their mirrors so you know they can see you, and spend most of your time in the far left or right lanes next to the shoulder so you have a place to bail out in case of a sudden stop.

Keep getting out there.

Good for you....go at your pace and progress at your comfort...don't over do it...get use to what your bike can and can't do...Enjoy...

I tend to disagree but not totally (depends on the rider), i think if you learn on the right size bike right off the bat you devellop better habits to start with...A super glige handles way better than some lighter metric bikes i have riden...Specially on the interstate.
I bought a small Shadow 600 for my wife when she strted to ride and too soon after she had outgrown it and got her a 800 Volusia and way too soon after that she outgrew it ...i wish i had got her a nice big bike to start with...

I'm glad this subject was brought up. I've been riding a bit over year and am just now starting to venture on the Interstate. White knucking in the right lane...lol. I'm just gonna keep hitting it and hope to get more comfotable every trip.

To each there own for which bike to buy first. I'm sure it works both ways depending on the person. I was tired of a really small bike as soon as I finished the motorcycle safety course. Superglide is a great handling bike and doesn't necessarily make a bad bike for a beginner.

It's extremely dangerous not being able to see what's going on in front of you. And to do it on purpose just isn't smart. You MUST be able to see road hazards to be able to avoid them. Also, I guess you've never been behind a semi as it blows a tire. Trust me, you don't ever want to be in that situation. I pass trucks as fast as possible to lessen any chance of getting caught up in a truck blow-out.

The best advice I can think to give a new rider is ALWAYS (or whenever possible) leave yourself enough room 360 around you. This means always have time in front to get stopped or maneuver to avoid. Always look for and be aware of possible escape routes to each side. Watch your mirrors in case the guy behind isn't paying attention.

In other words...ride like everyone is out to get you...because THEY ARE!

Have fun, and ride safe!!!

Getting a windshield will make all the difference in the world when riding on the interstate. You will be able to relax more which will actually make you more alert to what is going on around you. It will also make it easier to keep pace with traffic.

When I went from my Nightster to the Streetglide I couldn't believe the difference.
Now I actually enjoy interstate riding.

Ditto on this. . .

But I was going 70 down the highway the first day I got my Softail.

My feeling is, after about 35 to 40, if you dump the bike you're gonna die, and we all have to die sometime. No sense is being afraid and not enjoying it. :icon_beerchug:

+1 on ear plugs. They will remove the damaging and distracting wind noise.

You will still achieve the same level of skill. But it'll be a sharper learning curve and the results of getting it wrong will be more expensive.

This is very sage advice. Always have an escape route.

I dont really ride the highways myself back roads are more enjoyable anyway. But I guess it's something you need to learn, you will get used to it as time goes by

avetter11: I have been behind a truck during a blow out, scariest shit I've ever experienced, to be honest.

Avoiding road hazards hasn't been a problem for me. Not being able to see down the road forces me to be ultra focused on what's coming from the back of that truck and I've been able to avoid them so far. Feels much safer to me than getting your ass kicked by a windstorm for 300 miles, because then you are so fatigued that you are unlikely to see a road hazard, or be able to react to one if you do see it, even if you are the only vehicle on the road.

I do understand the hazards involved, and I do my best to mitigate them....

I find that 60/70+ on the highway without a windshield is just too punishing to be enjoyable for a long ride. Sure, I could report a bigger set of balls for doing it, but I prefer to enjoy the ride.

Thing about a windshield is you don't really concern yourself with speed because you're not getting beat to death trying to maintain the speed limit while you hang on for dear life. You go as fast as you want, nice and smooth.

Off the highway, though, the windshield stays in the garage.

Almost got my head taken off by sheet of plywood flying off a truck once. But lets see Shredded tires, debri tossed getting tossed up as a truck runs them over or the just the wake of air of a truck kicking stuff up. My eglide cuts through the wind pretty good so I don't need to follow a truck. I like to see whats ahead of me so I have more time to react.

oh, duh. lol

Yeah I guess sometimes it doesn't occur to me how it is to ride with a windshield because I don't have one...

I was in a motorcycle shop once standing in line behind a guy who I couldn't help but over hear asking the guy who owned the place if he could modify or fabricate a set of handle bars to operate more like a steering wheel. The owner asked him why in the hell he would want to do that?

The guy said he has this really awesome three wheeled motorcycle that has really comfortable auto seats on it, with large comfortable floor boards. He said he equipped it with a large windshield that blocked all the wind going down the road. He said he loved riding this thing, but it was just missing one improvement and if he could modify a set of bars the thing would be perfect.

I asked the guy why he doesn't just drive a car. The owner cracked up.

I REALLY enjoy riding my motorcycle... and prefer to do it without the windshield and the pillow cushioned-after market seat... lol.

If I were younger and able to take more punishment while riding, I'd probably ride a hard tail....

Evidently you have never seen what happens when a 18 wheeler trailer tire blows or a cap comes off at 70 MPH. I've seen tire parts go thru car windshields, grills and radiators. Imagine what they will do to you on a bike!

I stay the hell out from around trucks, either WAY behind them or in front of them. NEVER right behind or to the side.

A few tips I've found on Interstate riding. First and foremost, running at a substantially slower speed than the rest of traffic is dangerous. This is true whether your in a truck, car, or motorcycle. It causes a lot of movement around you when people switch lanes to get around you which increases the potential for driver error. Next, while I have seen it suggested above to get in the left side of the left lane I do not believe this is good advise. If you move with or faster than traffic then get in the "RIGHT" side of the left lane. Cagers will tend to give you extra room and will be less likely to cut back in on you early. The same is true for the right lane. I.E. If your moving a little slower then get in the left side of the right lane. This really took some practice as my instinct was to stay as far away from the cagers as possible however I found that once I got use to doing this I am more comfortable because the cagers pay more respect to my space. Next one is to position yourself where the drivers can see you in their rear view mirrors. Watch down the road and give yourself plenty of stopping and manuevering distance between you and the car in front of you. I've seen a number of things come flying out of vehicles and doing this gives time to avoid them. I also always try to travel at a slightly faster or slower speed than traffic. It decreases the chances that a cager will forget you are in the lane.

With the above things in mind I actually feel safer running down the Interstate than I do running around town or even on the highway.

Great advice PosterPerfectPhoto!

I believe the so-called "trend" of which you speak stopped being a trend about 20 yars ago, and is a big reason H-D didn't go T-U a long time ago. It's been beneficial to any of us who like the depth and breadth of MoCo and aftermarket parts available to us these days, to say nothing of the technical and reliability improvements it has supported.

+2 on earplugs. Been wearing them since day one, and know it has helped me keep CHL (cumulative hearing loss) minimized. I prefer going w/o a windshield, but they do help reduce long-distance wind-induced fatigue.

OP: Suggest you keep off the interstates until you feel comfortable with prevailing rates of travel - for your safety and those around you. Keep keeping right, until you're ready. There's plenty of fun to be had on the back roads in the interim. Ride safe!