ANYTHING!!!!! Lesson learned to me. LOL. I got the bike bug some time about a year ago. It started with a trip to a Harley Dealership "just to look". I sat on a few bikes just to get an idea of what a bike was going for new. Driving home that day the bug was biting big time, told the wife that I had checked out a bike and was met with "Uhh I dont think so" over the next month or two I kept bringing it up to finally she was sick of hearing me mention it and said "why dont you find a used one" So the search was on in earnest. I found my bike on Craigslist at a price I could afford. I knew nothing about bikes other than Id always liked em and wanted one but it really wasnt in the cards until the beggining of last summer. I brought a buddy with me who used to ride a metric bike but hadnt ridden in years. So we went and looked at the bike, to me it was awesome. Kind of customized High Apes on it etc. My bud was gonna ride it to check it out but was scared of the bars on it. We cranked it the owner blazed upa nd down the block a few times bike sounded good, no smoke no leaks. We agree on a price and I go pick it up the next morning. As I stated earlier I have zero bike experience, but in typical fashion for me I jumped in with both feet, LOL. It was hot that day in fact I was wearing shorts the day I picked it up. So we get the bike secured in my pickup and I head out for home. Man I was pumped, I got home got the bike unloaded, cranked her up and hopped on without even really getting used to the feel of the bike. Road up to my barn made a wobbly turn and hit the highway in front of my house as I made the left onto the next street I took it smooth rode down to the end of the block turned around----this was harder than the turn in my drive and I guess I got flustered when I got back to the highway I went to brake but twisted the throttle as I squeezed the engine raced, I kind of forgot the function of the clutch, pannicked and bailed dropping the bike Oh burning the crap out of my leg as it contacted the hot pipes. I scrambled to pick the bike up and looked back towards my house where my wife had just puled home. Oh crap I thought, started it back up, very flustered I headed back for my driveway, wife was shaking her head went to make the turn into the driveway hit the front brake(dumbass move) and dumped it again oh and reburning my leg. It was a very ruff first 25 minutes of having the bike. Picked it up and headed back for the barn. Yep got there and dropped it again, but this time I bent those apes. Defeated I picked up the bike rolling it into the barn-----I was hot, tired from picking the bike up 4 times in 20 minutes and did I mention a huge ripe burn on my right calf that had been reburned everytime I dumped it. At this point its about a third degree burn no skin left on it. I got the bike stored in the barn and disgustedly retired for the day. I felt like I had just destroyed my new toy in about 20 minutes or so I was defeated to say the least thinking I just wasted $4,000 on this bike and I ruined it. The Ole Lady was encouraging she said "You just need to learn how to ride it Youve never ridden before"

For the next few days Id go out to the barn look at it, sit on it practice braking pulling the clutch etc, in hindsight a day of doing this before jumping on it would have been a good idea just to familiarize myself with the controls. I did so but my bars were really bent, that day I became a memeber here my first post was asking "Whats the best way to rebend my bars" or something like that. Contrary to what I was hoping several people said rebending was a bad idea. So now Im stuck or so I thought at the time. My next day off I went to a Harley Dealership to see what they could do to get me back on the rode. I took pictures of the mess of a bike that my haste created. Showing them to the guy at the parts counter he shook his head, called 3 employees over to see my mess. He explained that what i had was probably the most jacked up riser/ bar set up he had ever seen in 30 years of experience. I asked what a ball park estimate to get me riding again would be and also inquired about the "riders edge class" which he assured me could get me riding safely, after my first day I was skeptical but what the heck I had the bike now and after my "Day 1 mods" I d lose my *** if i went to sell it now. He asked a few questions and scribbled down some part #s and prices and said "this will get you started" I asked when I could get my bike in, bad news shop is backlogged about 6 weeks but you can do most this yourself with a manual. Now my mechanic experience is not much I had an old 77 nova in high school and I changed a batterry, alternator and oil on it but thats about it. So I took my list and started saving a few $$$s here and there as I blew my wad getting the bike and had no money for repairs. So my bike sat for the next couple months. Also I decided before I was gonna fix it the class was a necessity so last August I got signed up for the class------it made learning easy. So with new confidence I set out to try and fix my bike myself. I ordered a manual, new risers new bars and a few other items. So my stuff came in and finally it was fix it day. Let me rephrase that fix it days, LOL. I removed the controls the bars 16" apes and the risers which were 10" or so. Down to the triple trees. I had ordered a set of buckhorns on ebay thought about putting those on but decided against it ended up with some 14' apes and 2" risers. Bolted it all up, rewired because the old ones were chewed up etc, learned to sauder at the age of 40(I relise thats kind of pathetic but as I stated Im no mechanic) got it all back together and amazingly the bike started. I was in a state of shock------I did it I took it all loose and put it back together, HOLY CRAP!!!!!!! Now I was still rockin the cables and lines that were originally on it but I could finally ride. It wasnt the prettiest set up but it worked.

 

LOL Sounds like my first bike. Except I think you got further than I did and the bike I had was already beat up so I didn't get that upset over dropping it a couple more times. LOL

Good on you for doing the work yourself and taking the course. That's going to be a big help.

 

Just think you are now ready to tackle other jobs and mods to it now.

 

Couldn't read through the wall of text very well

 

Sorry, gave up after getting half way through the first paragraph.

 

Kind of reminds me of that van commercial where the mom and kids go to pick up daddys motorcycle and dad. Her words are " daddy just had to buy a motorcycle, didn't he" My wife uses that phrase every once in a while. She loves calling my saddle bags baskets, and she doesn't like "monkey bars". LOL. But she does put up with my foolishness, and loves me anyway.

 

So now that the work is complete and it's in riding condition again, leave it in the barn!

Sign up for a local MSF course. You'll get instruction and some practice on all the basics that you failed to complete during your first ride. You wouldn't wanna have to fix all that stuff again, or worse, seriously injure yourself or someone else

 

Theres more I posted but had an upload problem-pics comming too but probably tomorrow am-----class done finished changing cables etc--------Im about 3,000 miles on it now Im pretty comfy riding now and ready to do some more things to it. Been thinking about making a sissy bar for it----got a few ideas any of yall do your own?

 

Good story. Goes to show how the learning curve is steeper for some people than others.
All joking aside, hope you now understand the responsibility to yourself and others when riding a two wheeled vehicle.
Ride safe.

 

Holy crap Ron! Kudos on your focus writing. I don't know what you said other than "ANYTHING!!!, It wasn't pretty..." My attention span is as about as long as some of my body parts. I hope it was raining in LA today and you get out there and enjoy your ride soon.