Hi everyone, this is my first post on this site, I hope it will be useful to someone.



About a year ago I first started gaining an interest in motorcycles. I commuted long distances to work and school, I wanted to save money on gas. And I wanted to look cool, so in my mind I needed a sportbike. Unfortunately I knew nothing of sportbikes, how they were classified, etc. so I figure I need to start doing some homework. First I talk to my friends and classmates who ride about what kind of bike I need to get. At this point I do not know what a squid is. Turns out most of my friends and classmates are squids. They do a good job of breaking down what a CBR is vs. a YZF and what the R or the RR is there for and that 6 means 600cc and 1 or 10 means 1000cc and that their next bike will definitely be a 1000cc bike but that I should probably start more in the 600cc range etc. etc. etc....



Then I move onto the internet. After I corrupt my mind on stunting websites, waste countless hours on youtube, and tell all of my EMT buddies about this awesome site called ridetodie.com, I finally start gaining useful knowledge from people at sites such as this one and many others. These, what seem to be intelligent and knowledgeable people, are suggesting that I DON"T get that brand new beautiful Honda racebike at my local dealership (well not me, but others that seem to be following the same train of thought and asking the same questions that I would, hmmmm) These seemingly wise, intelligent, caring people suggest that I start on a goofy 250/500cc ugly bike. OK good enough for me, off to the dealership!



I walk in and ask the sales person who greets me to see the 250cc ninjas. He informs me that I am standing next to one. Humbled and believing that honesty is the best policy I explain why I am there. He smiles and says 'no problem, lets see what we can do.' Turns out this was a genuine nice guy who wanted to help me get started riding not just earn a sale.He lets me sit on some bikes and we crunch some numbers. Come to find out owning/operating a bike really would save me lots of money on my commute. And come to find out, all bikes are built differently, big sportbikes are heavy, and heavy bikes are scary....really scary.



Well I didn't buy anything but I did decide that now I need to learn how to drive one of these wobbly two wheeled contraptions. My squiddy friends advise against immediately signing up for the MSF course, it cost about $200, there was a list (no waiting);you couldn't just show up, and it would only benefit me with lower insurance rates-and insurance was another thing they advised against (not necessary in Florida). You see at the time in the state of Florida all you needed to get your motorcycle license was 21 years of walking experience and a valid Florida drivers liscense, oh and be able to pass the motorcycle driving test. (since I bought my bike, there are no more licenses tests at the DMV, no 90 day permits given out either, the only way to get a motorcycle license is to take the MSF course and present your certificate to the DMV, so guess what, there is now a list for MSF classes and my 90 day permit expires shortly)



Still needing to learn how to drive a bike I contact one of my nonsquid friends and have a couple crash courses on his dirt bikes. Mastering the basics I venture into another dealership and look at some bikes. I would like to buy used but I only have a couple hundred bucks to my name, so payments on a new machine it will have to be. i have convinced mysely that because I can now ride a 250cc dirtbike that a 250cc streetbike will bore me quickly. So I look at the 500's. The sales people see no problem there. They actually have several brands to choose from. I sit on several whilst talking to the sales persons and, dummy me, I mention the Interstate. Normally I have about a 10 mile jaunt down the interstate, one exit to the next, no big deal in my SUV. Now I don't have to take the interstate, there are other roads, they add about four minutes to my commute, same distance just different speeds. But now that I have brought up the interstate, I automatically 'need' at least a 600. They tell me, "A 500 will do it, but a liquid cooled inline four 600 will do it soooo much better." In their defense, that is a true logical statement.



So now i'm sitting on a 600cc machine, right back to where I was a year ago, so much for my newly acquired knowledge. Not the CBXZ-DEATH 600RR's in the row behind me, but the Katanas, SV650's, and this Yamaha thing; they called it a sport tourer. It had handle bars, not clip ons, cool underseat exhaust, no lower fairings to mess up if I dropped it, it looked pretty cool. Even though, yes I could barley reach the ground, and yes it cost $7000, and yes it was heavy, and yes it has an R6 engine, and yes whatever by this point all of my levelheaded rational went out the window. So I got a co-signer, got a loan and borrowed a helmet.



$10,000 later (yeah those dealer add-on packages add up quick) i have a brand new, shiny Black Yamaha FZ-6 sitting in my yard with one mile on the odo. I do what i believe is a proper engine break in and then baby it around for a few days. I buy a helmet and gloves that fit, and get a mesh/textile jacket with armor. Life is good.



A few weeks pass and I have mailed in my first of many $200 payments on my new ride. I'm also paying over a hundred bucks a month for insurance on this thing. I'm logging some pretty good miles and building my confidence. I can control it in an empty parking lot and i've hit triple digits on some straits. I understand countersteer and use it, and I can bring the bike to a controlled stop almost faster than my body can keep up. Sportbikes are amazing machines that are capable of doing things nonriders can't even fathom.



All was going well, I mean sure there were a few squirrly incidents, like when I accidently hit a bump while creeping down a grass deiveway, causing me to pin the throttle, fishtail the bike and almost eat a fence before I got it stopped. Ant the time i stalled in the middle of two lanes of oncoming traffic while making a left turn, and pinning the throttle again when it finally started an eternity later causing me to do a cool little sideways drift into a parking lot. Or when I gunned it across a wet parking lot to impress my friends only to find that my stopping distance had magically been extended by thirty feet. Did I mention it has an R6 engine? Well anyways I never dropped it right, I mean the bikes still in perfect condition right, maybe thats my learning curve right, I mean the bike does have almost 1000 miles on it right....right.



Wrong. OK folks here is my disclaimer, I AM AN IDIOT, don't do what I do. read it again if you want, it still says the same thing. I go for a little trip to visit a friend of mine in a neighboring town, about 50 miles one way. I visit all day and start to head home across town through traffic. Im looking at the scenery and all the other bikes on the road, and the... hey wait I think that gixxer wants to race, stupid squid, he's only wearing a helmet, lets see what he's got. Note to self: a 750 gixxer is faster than an FZ-6. Now i'm feeling bold, driving fast, passing cars, hey there's my turn, I got this. Signal, downshift, brake, lean, countersteer, um break some more, no too hard!!!, Release The Clutch!, TOO MUCH THROTTLE!!!, AHHHHH.............



After a bit I pick myself up out of the ditch and thank the Lord that I am wearing all of my gear. A passerby helps me with my bike. Its not shiny anymore, well one side at least. I am able to ride it home. The next day I take it to the dealership to have my forks realigned for free (those dealer add on packages weren't such a bad deal after all). The day after that I take it out for more parking lot practice and promptly drop it on the other side. At least both sides match now right?



If you stayed with me this long pat yourself on the back. If you were waiting on the moral of the story you should probably know that there isn't one. Just know that if you want to START on a 600cc or 1000cc bike, thats totally an option... but so is eating paint. I'm not saying that I wish I had another bike. I like my bike. I like being able to cruise around in third with the tach on 8000rpm, twist my writs and be rocketed into triple digit speeds with three more gears left (see disclaimer). I do however wish I learned on a tamer bike. You only learn how to ride a motorcycle once, and for me on my bike it was a terrifying experience, I wish it could have been fun. Everyone says it and it is true, your first bike wont be your last bike. Its not like a car that you love and do not ever want to give up. Bikes are different, you actually want to try different ones, to get the feel of different ones, to find better ones. But I guess (hopefully) i'll live and learn, any you will to. My last little bit of advice is this: payments suck. Its almost time for me to make my second payment on that scratched, dented, and depreciated thing sitting in my garage and payments suck.



Well cheers to all that read this, I hope it has helped someone.



Jessie B



P.S. I have yet to take my bike on the interstate, and have NO plans to in the near future.