QuestionI purchased a Nighthawk 250 recently. 43 years old and grew up on a bicycle. Drove Honda down driveway a couple of times and knew better get lessons. Bought a helmet and I have completed the MSF beginner class but have no other cycle experience. I will get my certificate in the mail in two weeks and can ride alone then. I have my learners permit now but no one to follow legally. I am 5'11 and about 210lbs. I live on a working farm in Winnebago, Il on a two lane rural road. I want to commute to work daily in a town 25 miles west. There is no corn now so I am debating should I take the two lane winding farm road for my first trip?
Instead I can drive 4 miles south and take a four lane state highway with a grass strip in middle west. Deer are everywhere in summer and in fall, more on farm rd. Girlfriend hit one with her car first month living here last summer. Now with corn not planged you can see literally for miles so day deer risk nil.
I have only ridden 45-50 mph and it was really windy out that day. It was the day I graduated from MSF but because I had no one to follow per my learners permit, it was illegal. I was scared as hell. It felt incredibly windy, but I didn't have my windscreen mounted which I will do before next attempt. Both ways have large long rolling hills and a few long winding curves. Traffic in the mornings on state hwy and after work present but not heavy. Should have no problem having space around me on interstate. Usually little to no traffic on the farm roads but they add a few miles to my trip. Finally the farm road puts me in the downtown area of the city I work in so I would have to drive thru downtown area of town with 25,000 people. If I take the freeway it ends right at my job, no city driving.
Really wondering: 1.which way should I take until the corn grows and i get better. 2. Is my bike safe with a person my size for the 25 mile commute considering wind and speed limit of 65 on hwy 55 on rural rd. 3.Should I ride on the street if no one is present on the farm road like I did sunday so i don't loose the skills I just learned or should I wait the two weeks until I get my liscense. I would just practice on our private drive which is 3/4 mile but it is gravel. There is an intermediate MSF course but not for 6 weeks and I want to ride sooner but be safe. please advise. Thanks
Lee
AnswerHi Lee,
It is sometimes hard to answer these very personal questions.
1. Your best bet, until you get some experience, is to take the route that is most familiar to you, where you'll be best at predicting the hazards you encounter. It sounds like that's probably the state highway. But you should plan to get familiar with the rural road and in-town streets as you build skill and experience.
2. A 250 is plenty safe for a person your size, though it's more appropriate for the rural road than the highway. In fact, I'd say most bikes belong on rural roads, and not highways. The back roads are just so much more interesting, even if they take longer to get where you're going.
3. You should follow your permit restrictions until you get the endorsement on your license. If you're on a private drive, there should be no trouble practicing a bit there, to keep your hands and feet learning the controls.
Unless you want more practice with the basic skills, I wouldn't recommend another MSF course until you have some experience. There's not much more you can learn right now. Get some saddle time, learn the ropes, and start formulating new questions. Go back in a year or two for more training.
Pat
