Newbie prattle: I done rided!

So I took my new bike out for a 2nd ride, and ended up in Daly City. It was oddly satisfying, and now I'm gonna ramble about it cause I'm excited and my brain has a ton of new information to process.

I have a bad battery-- I thought maybe I'd been dumb and left the parking light on or something, cause it was dead when I got to the bike this morning. I had to move it though, as I don't have a city parking permit yet. I dragged it around the corner and after 2 or three tries down the steep streets of Telegraph hill, I successfully got the thing to push start. This seems to work much better in 1st with the choke than it did in 2nd, and wasn't frightening after all. It coughed but didn't lurch. I felt accomplished.

Now I needed to drive it around to get the battery back up, so I headed up Broadway past the killer robot to the Presidio, and I dinked around in there for a while. If you saw some wobbly jackass in a white helmet on a red bike in the big parking lot in there that was me. I tried to do some low speed maneuvers, and I can balance pretty well till I'm damn near motionless, but the trouble is when I get into the really tight U-turn stuff, all of a sudden making corrections takes strenuous manhandling. I don't have manhandles, and it was taking more strength than I can comfortably apply-- and far more effort than it took on the little bike in MSF. I am wondering if this is normal for this bike, or if it has something to do with the stumpy sports handlebars the previous owner had put on? My arms were wearing out so I gave up on the slow stuff after a while and started wandering.

I found a sign with a blue arrow on it that said "Scenic Drive" on it and followed it. Passed under the Golden Gate bridge, and ended up winding along comfortably at 25 with a fantastic view of the ocean. My new leather jacket is nicely comfy and the vents were working just right. It was overcast and the pavement was damp in a few places but not wet. Then came a hairy part with a 30 limit or so, downhill, with tight curves. I went through that with white knuckles, and pulled over at one point to let cars go past cause I was sorta slow. The steering and everything feels wacky wobbly nasty in the downhill turns.

I continued past the Legion of Honor and ended up on that straight road along Ocean Beach. Moderate traffic, cloudy, pavement bone dry. First time I've gone over 35. Habit from other vehicles and instinct has me wanting to shift at 2500rpm but that's not what the bike wants, it'll tolerate it but I keep having to remind myself the power is actually somewhere around 3k-5k+. The bike seemed to clear its throat then, and a new growl came out of it. It's a bizarre feeling, being at 40mph or so and cracking the throttle, and the bike pulls forward just as readily as it did at 10 or 20. I came to the realization then that this thing has way, way more in it than I have ever even remotely asked it for. In my poor old car, if I FLOORED the gas at 40 or 50 it took a while for anything to happen, it had to strain-- on the highway it could take 20 seconds or more to get to anything like a decent speed to pass. ...This little old Nighthawk has more horsepower than the car did, to say nothing of the weight difference.

I kept going until I started seeing signs that say Skyline... I seem to recall seeing that road mentioned often in conjunction with something about death, also the speed limit went up to 50 and this was way past my comfort zone, so I turned off first chance I got. The gas gauge was blinking bingo fuel, so I found my way to a gas station + Burger King at Lake Merced & John Daly and figured out how to get the gas tank open. Filling it was $3.75! Dude! I parked my ass and had lunch. ...Given that I have a bad battery (plus the chance of rain) I probably shouldn't have gone so far but I got lucky, when I was done with lunch it started back up no problem, and I went back the way I came.

I turned on Geary towards downtown, aiming for AAA to do some paperwork, but it was a lot of stop and go driving. The engine was starting to radiate a ton of heat, and aware that at low rpms it's probably draining the battery I switched it off at a long light.... yeah that was reeeeal smart. Kaput. Battery crapped out on me again, this time on level ground facing Market. Fuckturds. I wheeled it up a sidewalk to the parking lot on the next block and parked it, a nice guy on a black aprilia scooter threw some change in the meter for me for the hell of it. So... now I have to figure out how to drag my sorry honda booty from Market and 4th to O'Hanlon. It's maybe what, three, four blocks? Bah. Could be worse, I was in easy walking distance of AAA and home, I walk this area all the time.

So, now I'm completely pooped. My arms and legs are shaking a little from fatigue and my clutch hand is sore. During the ride I was doing my best to correct my posture and relax-- if I'm using the bars to support my weight, or getting dragged around by them I'm not properly using them to STEER-- and really the seat was quite comfy and my back is fine, but even so I was tense and anxious, plus all the push start crap, so it was all pretty draining. I still feel rather pathetic and awkward on the bike but I didn't stall it once and I no longer feel like I'm gonna flop over any second, and that's really something.

Welcome to the real world! It only gets better from here.

Leah. Dear.

No possible way a na na nah Nighthawk could inspire such verbosity. Are you sure it's a Honda, and not something from the continent?

The Freudian aspects of your post are enlightening. Give us more.

so awesome...I felt this way when I had my first bike..I still get that feeling once in awhile too

That was an awesome post.

That took me back to my FZ600. Also, to my '68 MGB, which I f&%king pushed further than I ever drove.

Nice post to read and good for you to go out exploring. The more you do, the better you'll get and don't ever lose that "beginner" mind sense with regard to your surroundings.

You go, girl!

Unique writing style. At times I thought it might be a guy and just maybe we're being played with...?

And she joined in Oct 2007? I'm thinking something is fishy here....

looked out,Feanor,you are about to be replaced!!

OaklandLion said:

And she joined in Oct 2007? I'm thinking something is fishy here....

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I'm thinking Leah's legit.

Did I see you turning left from Great Highway onto that little road that takes you to the beginning of Clement? I saw lots of blond hair flapping around. ***Gear Nazi Alert***I thought the person I saw looked like they needed more gear and a real helmet***end alert.
Anyway, glad you had fun.

Wow heh I didn't think so many people would read all that.

What, do I sound blonde to you? And a transvestite spai, apparently. My secret is out!

Wasn't me. I was on the Great Highway that day, but I have a full-face helmet, a leather jacket with armor (including back protector) upgraded from the silly thin foam it came with, gloves, and draggin jeans with hip and knee armor. My boots could use more leather and maybe some steel toes but they're not exactly sandals. What kind of idjit leaves their hair flapping around anyway? It would take hours to comb out afterwards, one of the most irritating things is trying to figure out how to keep the stuff tucked in.

I moved to SF about a year and a half ago. I have no car and was getting hauled around as a passenger on a bike frequently so I figured I may as well learn to operate the thing, it seemed silly not to know how. I joined barf a few months before I took the MSF, last year. As I am a student with a limited budget and wasn't all too sure about this learning-to-ride-in-downtown-SF thing, I didn't run out to get a bike immediately. I borrowed one a few times for a wee bit of practice and after dumping it in some mulch (phew!) I quickly decided I'd need better safety gear if I was to do this sort of thing. Last week a friend rather suddenly decided to help me out with acquiring the Nighthawk, so there it is and here I am. Now you know my sordid tale.

A friend came and helped jumpstart the bike-- the side panels just pop right off, no screwdriver needed or anything!-- and I got it to O'Hanlon that night. Likely the battery needs replacing but something else may be wrong, alternator, who knows. Following my friend on his DR to the shop was funny, I'm wayyyy slower and was cussing every time he'd turn right on a red light ahead of me.

Another note: at night, car w/o headlights on is bad for things like changing lanes. What is it with that anyway? The 1st ride I took on the Nighthawk the other day, just past dusk, some jackass minivan pulled off to the side facing the wrong way in my lane in front of a house, people outside on the sidewalk talking, van seems parked, lights turn off. Just as I'm approaching, the damn thing leaps out in front of me, lights still off. I'd had that sneaking feeling they were gonna do something dumb, and I had slowed and moved over a lane (my friend has been making cracks about my nigh-glowing Rider Radar) so they weren't too horribly close when it happened, but I still braked pretty hard. I was pleased with myself, it was a very stable stop, just like I'd practiced, I didn't freak or tweak anything. I do wish I had enough brainpower left over in these situations to find the horn though, I guess that'll come later.

Today I am sooooore. Bike is heavy!

Something 'bout this reminds me of my first proper street ride. Just moved to the city, had me a shitty hare rental at 8th & Bal in the inner Richmond. But I had a knackered GS500 to my name, and on this night the stars aligned. Insurance was paid, Bike was regged, I was licensed and I had a new battery. Time to ride.

The intention was to fuck around the hood at stopsigns and stoplights just to drill down on the details from my MSF, but wanterlust and confidence got the better of me and I rolled down Park Presidio to Sloat, out to great highway and the long way back to my hood. Many mistakes have been made since then, but that trip taught me that if you see a point on the horizon, its only a throttle twist until you're there.

Congrats on your first ride. May there be countless others.

Gnarly Cranium said:

Wow heh I didn't think so many people would read all that. ...

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Of course! Give us the good stuff and we'll keep coming back: we're all addicts too, you know. Glimpses of 'the new' taste so sweet. )

It's interesting, isn't it?


Power. Just wait ... one day ... you will be using much, much more of it. Just don't reach for it too soon. (I don't think you will.)

Handle bars, do you have clip-ons? This web page says "At moderate speeds the Nighthawk's steering is nimble and light."

Wandering, I eventually went as far as San Rafael from SJ with no idea why or desire to know why. Or, the last time I did it, I started at Pescadero and wound up in Orinda; I *had* just been going home! I started out keeping track of my little jaunts but then realised I didn't really want to track 'em 'cause it was simply about doing it at the time.

Cars without headlights in the BA ... I think it's because a lot of cars have automatic lights so people simply forget to turn them on when they're in a different car. Then the major streets are well enough lit that they're not reminded. Either that or it's a early warning system for drunkenness. ;o)

For my first few thousand miles last summer I was getting physically fatigued before mentally. The stamina will come, but when you're near either limit stop. Watch the pigeons, have coffee, anything else so you can recuperate enough to get yourself home safely.

And... thank you. )

O'Hanlon rock. They intuited that my Golden Showers, ahem Gate, Cycles license plate holder needed to be replaced with theirs when I took the Ninjette there. Their number is 777-EVIL, how fucking cool is that?

Gnarly Cranium said:

Wow heh I didn't think so many people would read all that.

What, do I sound blonde to you? And a transvestite spai, apparently. My secret is out!

Wasn't me. I was on the Great Highway that day, but I have a full-face helmet, a leather jacket with armor (including back protector) upgraded from the silly thin foam it came with, gloves, and draggin jeans with hip and knee armor. My boots could use more leather and maybe some steel toes but they're not exactly sandals. What kind of idjit leaves their hair flapping around anyway? It would take hours to comb out afterwards, one of the most irritating things is trying to figure out how to keep the stuff tucked in.

I moved to SF about a year and a half ago. I have no car and was getting hauled around as a passenger on a bike frequently so I figured I may as well learn to operate the thing, it seemed silly not to know how. I joined barf a few months before I took the MSF, last year. As I am a student with a limited budget and wasn't all too sure about this learning-to-ride-in-downtown-SF thing, I didn't run out to get a bike immediately. I borrowed one a few times for a wee bit of practice and after dumping it in some mulch (phew!) I quickly decided I'd need better safety gear if I was to do this sort of thing. Last week a friend rather suddenly decided to help me out with acquiring the Nighthawk, so there it is and here I am. Now you know my sordid tale.

A friend came and helped jumpstart the bike-- the side panels just pop right off, no screwdriver needed or anything!-- and I got it to O'Hanlon that night. Likely the battery needs replacing but something else may be wrong, alternator, who knows. Following my friend on his DR to the shop was funny, I'm wayyyy slower and was cussing every time he'd turn right on a red light ahead of me.

Another note: at night, car w/o headlights on is bad for things like changing lanes. What is it with that anyway? The 1st ride I took on the Nighthawk the other day, just past dusk, some jackass minivan pulled off to the side facing the wrong way in my lane in front of a house, people outside on the sidewalk talking, van seems parked, lights turn off. Just as I'm approaching, the damn thing leaps out in front of me, lights still off. I'd had that sneaking feeling they were gonna do something dumb, and I had slowed and moved over a lane (my friend has been making cracks about my nigh-glowing Rider Radar) so they weren't too horribly close when it happened, but I still braked pretty hard. I was pleased with myself, it was a very stable stop, just like I'd practiced, I didn't freak or tweak anything. I do wish I had enough brainpower left over in these situations to find the horn though, I guess that'll come later.

Today I am sooooore. Bike is heavy!

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My first bike was an '82 Nighthawk 650. Good starter bike......

Those Hondas are notorious for bad voltage regulators. It may not be your battery, it might be the voltage regulator.

Great write up!!

Gnarly Cranium said:

Another note: at night, car w/o headlights on is bad for things like changing lanes. What is it with that anyway? The 1st ride I took on the Nighthawk the other day, just past dusk, some jackass minivan pulled off to the side facing the wrong way in my lane in front of a house, people outside on the sidewalk talking, van seems parked, lights turn off. Just as I'm approaching, the damn thing leaps out in front of me, lights still off. I'd had that sneaking feeling they were gonna do something dumb, and I had slowed and moved over a lane (my friend has been making cracks about my nigh-glowing Rider Radar) so they weren't too horribly close when it happened, but I still braked pretty hard. I was pleased with myself, it was a very stable stop, just like I'd practiced, I didn't freak or tweak anything. I do wish I had enough brainpower left over in these situations to find the horn though, I guess that'll come later.

Today I am sooooore. Bike is heavy!

Click to expand...

trust your spidey sense, after a while you'll be able to spot fucktard cages before they even make a move.

when you finally get a newer bike it'll be that much easier to manuever.

keep up the good work

shoulda bought even older bike....

congrats on surviving and ENJOYING the ride. when I got my first bike here in the City i practiced in the Presidio all the time.

cydobomb said:

Leah. Dear.

No possible way a na na nah Nighthawk could inspire such verbosity. Are you sure it's a Honda, and not something from the continent?

The Freudian aspects of your post are enlightening. Give us more.

Click to expand...

LOL, my Suzuki GN250, back in '87, inspired me to such heights that my friends all started telling me to "shut up about it"

I was then blown away by the power of the Yamaha Maxim 650. Yeah, I know it's nothing now, but to someone who has never experienced it... She's starting out with something similar to the Maxim. That would have been considered borderline suicidal back then.

Yes, compared to a 250, the bigger bike will feel a lot heavier in all ways, except when you twist the throttle... If you have clip-ons, the turning forces will be heavier still. Keep in mind that shifting your weight around can ease those forces quite a bit.

I still miss the 250 for just tooling around. I came awful close to buying one a while back, just for fun.

Leah, sounds like your eyes are open and that you are a very defensive rider. Keep it up.