Is there no end to your knowledge and support? Wow! Again, I am just so impressed by this forum.

I checked out the vtwinmama website that you recommended, mornhm, and there is a wealth of information there. I wish I had known about that a few months ago, when I was really struggling in my course because there were many, many postings on that website from women who were/are having the EXACT same challenges that I was and some excellent tips about how to overcome them.

When learning a new skill is so difficult, you ask yourself, "Why can't I get this when everybody else seems to be picking it up?" and you can feel really lonely as you try to overcome it. To see that so many others have faced those same issues was reassuring and has demonstarted for me how far I have come. It was good for me to read all the excellent tips on there and to see that I am already putting most of them into practice – that I have moved beyond the "complete beginner" stage and am now more in the "new rider" phase. Cool!

I'll definitely check out the website that you recommended, too, Radar.

How hard was THAT, waiting for your bike, BCMan? I drove my husband crazy for three months with my rants of "I want my bike! When am I getting my bike?!" (He's the one who found it on the web and contacted the owner, so I let him handle the whole transaction – particularly because I'm mechanically-challenged and didn't really know the right questions to ask.)

It's also difficult getting a late start in the season because all I want to do is ride so I can keep getting better (everytime I get out there, I learn something new or improve on a skill), but weather is going to start hampering those opportunities soon. It's already getting a tad on the cool side and it's going to be a loooonnnngggg winter waiting for the warmer, drier weather to return. It's too soon for summer to be over!!

Vikki

I hear ya; about the weather changing...

I actually like it better alittle cooler, more comfy to put all that gear on.

Im in lower upstate NY, the leaves are a ' changing.....

as long as its not raining (as it has been the last few days) i will be trying to get some rides in.

my season will be shorter than most as im having some work done on my shoulder on l0-12, will be out of work 6 weeks.

thank god for skiing!  my other sport I love! I should be back on the slope by late Jan hopefully...I need my sports diversions, had my shoulder worked on 2 yrs ago in nov and was back out on the hill by mid feb.

must be good skiing up by you!

oh and yeah i was forgetting about shutting down that turn signal a bit myself, and then occasionally it end up hitting the horn going to turn off the blinker, leaves my fellow rides wondering "what the heck?" but thats ok.

planning on adding anything to your new toy?

saddle bags are a great asset, i got the supports, willie and max bags (bigger than the suzi bags) the back rest and rack and engine bars.  saw a   great piece a friend has on his harley reminds me of a small leather treasure chest that sits on his back rack, holds some stuff and isnt go big that it would throw the bike into being overly top heavy.  

my saddle bags are getting full, ive got my and my husbands (he likes his harley stock and nothing else) rain gear (got it a target) water bottles, brush, advil ( a must if you are over 35) a net thingy in case i need to carry something bigger than my saddle bag will hold (has happened) and a ziplock with assorted medical supplies. (im a nurse, not an emt but figured that having some basic supplies, god forbid if i ever was in a group and something  happened would be better than having nothing) a baseball cap (helmet hair) and an extra long sleeve shirt.  

hey im a chick what can i tell you,i need STUFF!  

anyhow.......just ride and have fun! dont ride faster than you are comfortable or where you are not comfortable.  i was riding back roads for months before i would get on a three lane busy road, now i feel with alittle over 600 miles under my belt that my skills are improved and im safe in my control and confidence to be in lots of traffic, have done a few bridges too in rush hour.

and remember to think of yourself as invisable, give yourself enough space and try to anticipate the other drivers especially the idiots that might pull out in front of you cause they dont see ya.  

take care;

sue

HI Vicki!  Welcome here, and enjoy the savage!!!

I'm 43, and live in Ontario, Canada with my hubby and two beautiful daughters, aged 4, and 8.

Although I had ridden all kinds of off road vehicles as a kid, I only got my motorbike license last fall, and bought my 2000 savage in October 2005.  Yet, each time I ride I get more confidence on the bike.  It's also one thing that I do for my own personal challenge - since no one else in my family rides.  

In terms of shutting off the turn signal, I turn it off when I'm in about mid-turn - just works for me.

I also joined the Southern Cruisers riding club, which is a family friendly club.  I've only made it out for one group ride, but the members ride once or twice each week, for those who are available.  

Anyway, I hope you have many years of safe, enjoyable riding on your savage!!!!  (me too!)

DianeS

By the way, what books did you order on Amazon?

Vicki- as an aside, I leave my blinker on until I get up to flow of traffic speed when turning onto a road.. I think it gives a better visual clue to cars gaining on me from behind that otherwise might mistakenly judge my speed/presence.  It usually takes me that longto look down and check .

Sue, I do have some additions planned for my bike. I have a windshield that just needs to be attached, and I have saddlebags and a fork bag that have been ordered and should be on their way any day now. I'm like you - I have stuff that I need to carry with me, too. (Where else am I going to stash my heels when I start riding my bike to work and have to change my footwear for the office?)

Akkleinfl, we're practically twins, aren't we? The same age, husbands both ride Harleys and we both recently got '96 Savages. I, too, pretty much signed up for the course on an impulse, although I had been tinkering with the idea for awhile. I went to a motorcycle trade show where they were offering a good discount on lessons and my husband put me on the spot to sign up right then and there. I figured if I didn't go for it then, I might never do it. There were times, during the whole process, that I wondered what the hell I had gotten myself into, but now I'm SO glad I went ahead.

Isn't it great to finally get out on the road (although nerve-racking at the same time)? I thought I would never get out of a parking lot or above second gear. Now, I'm up to almost 600 miles on the road and have kicked it into fifth gear a number of times. (In my initial post, I wrote that I had logged 800 miles, but that should have been kilometres. That actually equates to about 500 miles.)

All that practice is SO paying off. I feel like all my skills are starting to come together so much more smoothly. I'm not stalling on my starts anymore and I hardly ever accidentally shift into neutral. AND I'm remembering to turn off my signals. (YAY!)

I said to my husband, after our most recent ride on the weekend, "I feel like I finally look like I know what I'm doing out there." He said, "You DO look like you know what you're doing." There were times when I ever wondered whether that day would come, so for anyone out there struggling like I did, it DOES come together – just a little slower for some of us than others. That's not to say that I don't still have a lot of practice/work ahead of me, but you know what I mean.

Vikki

akkleinfl wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:09:
Welcome Karen!  Some of the muscle soreness in your arms (at least your forearms) could be due to white-knuckling the grips.  If so, that should ease up as you become more accustomed to riding and begin to relax your grip.  The rest is probably just using the clutch, brake and throttle.  Either way, more riding is the overall cure!