First ride after purchasing?

My first "real" ride was about 2 weeks after I got mine..bought it before I had gotten my license while I was at the dealer looking around and testing seats out...discovered a crotch rocket wasn't gonna do it for me. Got my license a few weeks after they delivered it, but I tooled around my neighborhood once or twice beforehand to get the feel of it. First time I rode it after delivery I stalled the hell out of it..it had been a few years since I'd been on a bike. Now, the only time i've stalled it is when i thought it clicked into neutral and didn't (did that one Sunday..thought I'd felt it catch in neutral and had seen the light come on..didn't see it go off and stalled it when i let the clutch out..go me!)
 
My bike came home in the back of my friends pickup almost 3 weeks ago now. The downside of getting "a really good deal" in January in NY is that I can't ride it until it warms up - so I still haven't had my first ride and probably won't until April at the earliest. I plan on sticking to the back roads for a bit until I'm comfortable with the new ride since I've only ridden cruisers before this. I can't wait - COME ON SPRING! :(
 
i had one of the guys who worked at the dealer ride it home for me. i led the way in my truck. he was a really good rider and i trusted him. put it in a spot in my condo complex where i live, then gave him a ride back to the dealership and slipped him a $20. said he was very impressed with the improvements from the earlier FZ6's :thumbup:. i lived a good 10 miles away on a very nasty stretch of heavy traffic highway, so i thought it was worth it. i was a new rider too, and traffic was very scary. i don't think it would be out of line to ask the place if someone can ride it back to your home if you aren't comfortable taking it out on the road. i spent a week in my parking lot riding around before i hit the streets.
 
When I bought my FZ6, I had no experience other than the 10 or so hours of MSF. I bought my 06 used from the dealer and rode for 30 minutes in the quiet neighborhood surrounding the dealership before i actually started towards home. I didn't take the freeway, just local streets, even though it caused the trip home to be 3x as long, time-wise. I lost count of how many times i stalled on that ride home, but other cagers were nice enough to not honk or give me crap for it. My wife followed me home in the car to make sure nothing happened. Nerves can be a good thing as they will help keep you vigilant and paying attention. Just take it easy and you should be fine.
 
I rode mine 50 or so miles home from the dealer. Had 3 years/12k miles on my old bike that I sold 2 weeks prior so I wasn't too rusty. Definitely mess around in the parking lot a bit before heading out into traffic - the clutch is kind of grabby and the brakes are amazing. I didn't have any issues with the clutch but man I did not expect the braking power! Previous bike was a BMW thumper and the front system was only a single rotor with a 2 piston caliper lol
 
Fred said:
I trucked mine home, not because I was nervous about it, but because I wanted to break the engine in properly. Firing it up and then doing 50 miles on the interstate was not the way to do this.

Frederic
Click to expand...

Same here. Tossed it in the back of the truck and drove it home. Once i got home though the real fun began:D
 
no worries.. the fz is tame.. take your time and all is well..

my first road bike was a new 0 mile 2003 honda 919.. and i rode it the 20 miles home.. that was a bit of a trip.. the first couple weeks were fun.. (learning how to take off with the front tire staying on the ground.)
 
When I pick mine up from the seller I'm taking it on a quick spin around the block just to be positive, and then it's going into the truck.
the first real ride will be from my shacks (in the barracks on base) to work, wich is about 3 km and then for about a 40 km ride that night just to make sure its running right.
 
I rode my second hand '05 bike 170 miles for about 3hours from Shropshire to Ealing, London on the motorways.
My experience then of a big bike was the Direct Access scheme to ride bikes bigger than 500cc. I bought it a week after getting my full bike license and had ridden a honda 125cc for about 4 months.

In hind sight I was stupid but I thoroughly enjoyed myself in my blissful ignorance. LOL
 
shamrocker said:
Just curious if your first serious ride on an FZ6 was on the way home from the purchase. I'm going to buying one in the next couple months and am nervous...about riding it home, especially if I have to travel a ways to find the perfect bike or perfect deal. I have a year's worth of riding experience and am a confident rider, but it unnerves me a little to think about jumping on a new bike and then squeezing into traffic for the ride home. Should I be nervous or am I just overthinking? :confused:
Click to expand...

I assume you took the MSF class. :)

If not, take the class first and then go street riding.

thumbup.gif
 
Hey guys, new guy here. Great thread, as this is the dilemma I'm currently facing (If I win an ebay auction, that is). The bike is miles away, and it's winter in Michigan. Its located somewhere warm, and I'll want to ride it before paying since it's used, but I'm pretty nervous about the first ride as well. I've taken a MSF course, but it was in the summer, and other than that I've just got experience on a moped. But I'll be trucking it home for sure.
 
detpilot said:
Hey guys, new guy here. Great thread, as this is the dilemma I'm currently facing (If I win an ebay auction, that is). The bike is miles away, and it's winter in Michigan. Its located somewhere warm, and I'll want to ride it before paying since it's used, but I'm pretty nervous about the first ride as well. I've taken a MSF course, but it was in the summer, and other than that I've just got experience on a moped. But I'll be trucking it home for sure.
Click to expand...


:welcome::welcome::welcome::welcome:
 
detpilot said:
Hey guys, new guy here. Great thread, as this is the dilemma I'm currently facing (If I win an ebay auction, that is). The bike is miles away, and it's winter in Michigan. Its located somewhere warm, and I'll want to ride it before paying since it's used, but I'm pretty nervous about the first ride as well. I've taken a MSF course, but it was in the summer, and other than that I've just got experience on a moped. But I'll be trucking it home for sure.
Click to expand...

I would ride it for 30-50 minutes at the seller's location first. I would also request the service record history (if performed by a dealer) and or a list of service etc. performed by the seller. Paying a local dealer a few bucks to scope out the bike might be good. Remember Lemon Busters for cars?

I would drive from the point of purchase as far as the weather and temp. permits. Then I would compare the price of a one-way U-Haul or a large shipping company used by e-Bay. If you go the shipping route, it will take several weeks sometimes to take delivery since you bike will be loaded with other cargo and will have multiple drop-points.

You could have the bike stored at the sellers location and ride it out when the warm weather arrives :)
 
Just take your time and you will be fine. I bought mine and did not know how to ride it. Got it delivered to my house, and just did baby steps on my block. Up and down, for couple hrs to get used to clutch and throtle contol and the next day took it thru the town, and by my 4th day I was already on a high way. FZ6 is a fantastic bike. But be carefull past 7000K...it takes off and it does not let off.
 
My first ride on the new FZ6 was late evening on August 5 (the day I bought it)

I bought the bike from a dealer about 200 miles from my home. I trailered my old 2003 Yamaha XT225 to the dealer as a trade. I then trailered my new FZ6 home.

I took a short ride to my small town and then rode maybe 15 miles that evening before it got dark. I wanted to ride it home from the dealer, but it was impossible since I still had to get my Tahoe and trailer home.

I couldn't wipe the stupid grin from my face that night:rockon:
 
I rode my fz6 home the day I bought it. I had to go about an hour and it was great. My wife followed in case something was wrong with the bike as I bought it used. It is a very easy bike to ride minus the touchy clutch. It still gets me sometimes. Just take your time and all is well. Happy riding.
 
When I first brought mine home I decided to just load it in the truck having been 3 or 4 years since I did any real riding I thought it best to get my legs back around the house not through the middle of a college town(Clemson, SC). About a 50 mile ride from my house.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Can’t find first? Am I in neutral ?
Replies
6
Views
395
Spencahprewitt
S
T
06 yamaha fz6 err..1 /speedo/temp flashing problem
Replies
3
Views
270
Terrypw
T
Mutineer
Information Back on an FZ6, but there's a catch...
2
Replies
21
Views
1K
Mutineer
Mutineer
stevesnj
Looking for rolling chassis/frame for EV conversion
Replies
2
Views
352
stevesnj
stevesnj
R
Need Help What is there to know when buying a new Ecu and ignition for 20006 fz6?
Replies
2
Views
157
ResD
R
Back
Top