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Got my new 2023 Indian Scout ABS. Rode it for the first time today and managed to not drop the bike or scare myself!  I did find myself driving about 5 under the speed limit and I was waddling up to the traffic lights, but the locals in Hollister gave me a break. Very fun bike to ride. Now I need to overcome my fears of backing out of my sloped driveway. Absolutely terrified when backing out of the trailer I hauled it in on. Lost my footing but didn't drop the bike.
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Dec 17, 2023 04:58
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This your first bike...?
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Dec 18, 2023 05:30
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hey, i also have an indian bike
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Dec 23, 2023 20:52
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Slavvy posted:This your first bike...? yes I drove on the freeway and didn't panic. I did almost eat curb when I pulled a U-turn after getting off. More parking lot time for me.
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Dec 25, 2023 05:48
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That's a whole lot of bike for a newbie to handle. Due to local rules and me wanting a license without restrictions I did the majority of my pre-licence training on a bike that was too much for me at the time (four cylinder 600) and while this went OK I didn't really start gaining confidence or having real fun until I got a smaller, lighter bike of my own. Most people here seem pretty firm in their opinion that good learner bikes should ideally be around or below 300cc or so and I can see a lot of sense in this from personal experience. It's difficult to learn when you are afraid, at least it was for me.
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Dec 25, 2023 09:23
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BombermanX posted:Got my new 2023 Indian Scout ABS. Rode it for the first time today and managed to not drop the bike or scare myself! Congrats on new bike! As Invalido said, while looking sweet (post pics btw), it is not the best companion for building your skills and learning how not to die in traffic.But it’s not the end of the world, it will just require more vigilance from you. You’re already starting a bad habit so stay really close to home (just your neighborhood is perfectly fine) while you drill into your hands and feet the proper way to start and stop where you don’t have to worry about traffic. Think back to your MSF class. When you come to a stop, just put your left foot down, don’t waddle, stay clutched in, in 1st so you’re ready to go. If you can’t do this every time, practice in a safe area. While practicing this, also practice your emergency braking technique - can post more about it unless you know what to do here. For the sloped driveway, can you flip your bike around in whatever you’re storing it in and ride down the slope? That should make it easier for now. Gear up and have fun! Russian Bear fucked around with this message at 10:53 on Dec 25, 2023 |
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Dec 25, 2023 10:47
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Invalido posted:That's a whole lot of bike for a newbie to handle. Same, I had to do the license on a bigger bike plus had a poo poo instructor for all but the final lesson, where I asked for someone else. Switching to a smaller bike (it's a 500, but my weight eats the difference anyway  ) after getting licensed made a whole lot of difference and I'm still always the limiting factor, not the bike.
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Dec 25, 2023 11:20
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Honestly if I were to do it all over again I would probably do it the same way. Getting an A2 license first world have been better in some ways I guess but the whole deal was such a huge scheduling pain with work and covid and so on that it felt real good getting it all out of the way at once and be done. I had pretty good instructors on the whole, very professional especially when riding on the streets and roads 1-on-1. The closed course work was not too great on the instructions though, just getting flagged down for a few pointers here and there when they thought I needed it, otherwise it was mostly doing the exercises over and over again until they felt easy. Doing those on a relatively heavy and powerful bike was harder than it could have been, but it was a controlled and safe environment and since it was on dinged up riding school beater bikes I wasn't afraid to damage a prized possession which probably helped a bit. Anyways when I finally got my license and started riding the 300 everything felt like easy mode, such a light and corner happy little bike, a joy to ride. I still miss it sometimes. Low on power at 30 horses for sure but I couldn't care less the first two seasons, I was having too much fun and it kept up with traffic just fine which was all I felt I wanted at the time.
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Dec 25, 2023 12:15
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Small/medium sized bikes are fun, which is why after 12 years of riding a 650 I bought ... another 650. For 90% of my uses I could probably go even smaller. The Duke 390 has been fun on a bun the times I've test ridden it, but it would suck the three times a year I do rides longer than a few hours.
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Dec 25, 2023 12:49
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Yeah while I only have one season on my SV650 it's totally obvious that I won't outgrow this thing anytime soon, if ever. It's perhaps not the perfect machine for what I'm hoping will become the traditional annual week long motocamping trip, but it will do it just fine. Then again the 300 would probably have done that too, only with more flogging. If I had space for multiple bikes that would be awesome, but I don't so a 650 seems like a great compromise for the riding I do (commuting, twisty day trips and the occasional long journey). Still really glad I took the advice of the forum hivemind and started with a 300 though.
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Dec 25, 2023 13:06
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Quote is not edit
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Dec 25, 2023 13:09
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I also get in plenty of trouble on low power bikes. The SV will be my next bike. Saying this with love invest in some drop protection for the Indian. My first bike gained a lot of 'character' as I learned.
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Dec 27, 2023 22:53
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Also a gopro
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Dec 27, 2023 23:34
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I know it sounds like we are really piling on here. This is a small sub forum community and we really want to encourage long term, safe riding across many bikes.
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Dec 27, 2023 23:48
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This meme, but Tesla Guy has a Panigale or whatever and Corvette Man has a TW200.
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Dec 27, 2023 23:56
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As a goldwing owner, I feel very seen
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Dec 28, 2023 01:29
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Hey, you think your grocery hauling Goldwing is cool, well my box truck can haul everything in your living room. /spittle
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Dec 28, 2023 02:24
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My life goal is that my next bike will be one of those electric motorcycles and then I will be the Tesla.
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Dec 28, 2023 05:29
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yeah people learn on big fat cruisers all the time. you could do a lot worse. ill bet it makes grasping countersteering a little more intuitive, given that you aren't doing much turning without it
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Dec 28, 2023 09:45
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Hitting the ground is a form of learning definitely
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Dec 28, 2023 10:20
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Having learned on a bigger bike than I should have (though I wasn’t starting from complete scratch with thousands of miles on 50 and then 150cc scooters - very different but also kind of not), it’s like playing on a higher difficulty mode than I needed to. I picked the skills up, but through more difficult practice with less room for error. And now I’m really looking forward to getting as small a dual sport as I can manage (probably in 2025 unless some $$ falls from the sky) to really expand my skill set on. I have zero doubt that once I’ve got a 300 or 400 or so to fling around gravel roads my skills are going to hit the next plateau an order of magnitude faster than they will if I just keep doing what I’m doing.
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Dec 28, 2023 11:42
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Slavvy posted:Hitting the ground is a form of learning definitely Yeah it worked for me.
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Dec 28, 2023 11:45
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Remember the Scout is really low and you will scrape the footpegs as soon as you learn to lean properly. It will be scary the first time it happens, but it's to be expected on that bike.
Collateral Damage fucked around with this message at 23:29 on Dec 28, 2023 |
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Dec 28, 2023 12:42
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Hard parts touching the ground is a sign you’re doing it wrong IMO. It interferes with the bike’s suspension and therefore the tires’ grip. The Indian Scout is powerful and heavy, but it also is long, low COG, poor ground clearance, and slow steering, all of which are great for running wide in a corner and having a crash.
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Dec 28, 2023 17:09
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Nvm
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Dec 28, 2023 22:18
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Toe Rag posted:Hard parts touching the ground is a sign you’re doing it wrong IMO. It interferes with the bike’s suspension and therefore the tires’ grip. The Indian Scout is powerful and heavy, but it also is long, low COG, poor ground clearance, and slow steering, all of which are great for running wide in a corner and having a crash.
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Dec 28, 2023 23:16
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Probably a good case to be made for not starting on a 250kg cruiser maybe, idk
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Dec 28, 2023 23:22
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It's getting close to warm enough to begin my fourth riding season soon.
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Mar 11, 2024 03:33
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This is one thing I love about California. I took two weeks off for the major storms but other than that I've been riding the whole year round.
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Mar 11, 2024 03:57
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unimportantguy posted:This is one thing I love about California. I took two weeks off for the major storms but other than that I've been riding the whole year round. Same here near Portland
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Mar 11, 2024 04:32
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Weather is not a problem here either, mostly just life gets in the way.
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Mar 11, 2024 04:39
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The weather this year was wild. In Wisconsin of all places the only truly unrideable portion of this winter was the back half of January and the front half of February, maybe one month total. Outside of that I’ve seen scooters and motorcycles on the road every day. Usually we have months of weather that’s unrideable. Thanks El Niño/Global Warming
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Mar 11, 2024 12:47
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TotalLossBrain posted:Same here near Portland Same. I have individual days where I decide I don’t feel like being cold, but I think the longest I’ve gone between rides is maybe 2 weeks. Meanwhile, my partner’s Himalayan hasn’t been touched since November because she fully admits she is and always will be a fair weather rider. She hardcore bicycle commuted for years, no matter what the weather was like and feels like she’s done her time. We’re getting a new cargo bike to minimize the use of our car and van as much as possible and I wonder as she uses that more and gains more confidence on her motorcycle if she’ll change her mind but I kind of doubt it. I’m obsessed with motorbikes and she just thinks they’re fun for a few hours when the weather is perfect.
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Mar 11, 2024 17:50
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I ride about twice a week in the Portland off season, but definitely looking forward to 70 degrees this weekend.
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Mar 11, 2024 18:14
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The forecast here says there's be a significant upward shift in temperature later this week. The nice sunny days so far this year have all been on work days with cold mornings well below freezing so the moto has stayed parked. I'm so ready to ride again. I've been riding all winter but on e-bikes and while they're perfectly sensible vehicles and totally awesome in their own right it stands to reason that 50x the power and 6x the top speed means more thrills. Way colder to ride in frigid weather though, more wind and less body heat generated.
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Mar 11, 2024 18:36
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Geekboy posted:Meanwhile, my partner’s Himalayan hasn’t been touched since November because she fully admits she is and always will be a fair weather rider. That's not very Himalayan
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Mar 11, 2024 18:53
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went to start my bike for the first time after sitting in the winter monsoon weather, and not only is the battery stone-dead, the starter switch stuck in and i can't get it out! i guess time to take it apart and clean it? dielectric grease maybe?
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Mar 11, 2024 22:30
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Silicone dry lube if the plastic bits are binding. There's usually one maybe two screws that hold the microswitch itself in. They're pretty straightforward to take apart and service. Be aware of a few springs ready to sproing into the upside-down.
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Mar 12, 2024 01:41
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You'll find either a bunch of corrosion seizing everything up or a bunch of severely solidified grease clogging everything up
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Mar 12, 2024 01:51
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Geekboy posted:Same. I have individual days where I decide I don’t feel like being cold, but I think the longest I’ve gone between rides is maybe 2 weeks. I've been dealing with a family health situation for the last month and with all the family and friends offering support the only delegable I found was having my bf go ride my motorcycles, lest they sit for more than a week and get creaky bones.
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Mar 12, 2024 07:57
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