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Posted by draconarmy
 - July 14, 2013, 18:40:33 PM

thank you to everyone for offering tips and not making me feel stupid. I go for the brc portion of msf in the morning, so gonna ride a toy bike then still gotta wait a week or so for the in-laws to get here with my girl.  just got yelled at by the wifey for sitting here on the computer with my helmet on... I swear I'm just trying to break it in

Posted by DC
 - July 14, 2013, 00:04:09 AM

They say it's sometimes easier to maintain control at slow speed by feathering the clutch in 2nd, rather than first, as you are not prone to lurch as easily.

Posted by Troll
 - July 13, 2013, 17:39:33 PM

Clutch control...remember ex 4 and 9? Clutch control with eye control...practice the pause and go...there WAS a reason these were put into the curriculum

Posted by John Hopkins
 - July 13, 2013, 16:54:08 PM

I was at a bikers funeral a few months ago..it was at walking speed and in first gear walking the bike..that is sitting astride with one foot on each side and actually walking..It's quite a strain on the bike's cooling system and quite a few bikes had to stop and cool down particularly on steep hills..The 1500 drifter seemed to have a pretty good cooling system.

Slow riding is much more difficult than fast riding and you have to keep alert..You will find people on smaller bikes running rings around you..just let them..it is not a competition..

John.

Posted by 49Reo
 - July 13, 2013, 16:07:54 PM

Good points all; also, don't be afraid to ride at those super-slow speeds(like in Sturgis) with your feet down; if you have to slam on your brakes, your feet are already down. A buddy of mine, on take off in heavy traffic, trying to look cool, I guess, put his feet up on the highway pegs as soon as it was rolling; guy in front of him stopped, down went Bill; oh where is a cam-corder when you need one... :D

Posted by badboy194
 - July 13, 2013, 10:57:16 AM

Practice slow speed balance as much as possible.  With the huge crowds of bikes you are in almost a parade configuration around the Sturgis area.  If you ride 2up in these traffic jams balance is very important.

Trailering your bike is fine. Don't listen to or let anyone tell you different. It is your life. As John Hopkins said "you may think you are under pressure from other riders to do something they do...you are not..."  Do only what you are comfortable with, No more, and you will be fine.

Posted by Troll
 - July 12, 2013, 19:54:01 PM

  Actually, John, more people trailer to Sturgis than you would believe. This phenomenon caused the T-Shirt saying " I Rode My Bike to Trailer Week" to come into existence. I can totally relate to banning cars at bike rallys...they won't do it here. As an extension of that idea, I'd like to see all "show" bikes be road worthy...but that won't happen, either.

Posted by CDNRatMan
 - July 12, 2013, 19:49:44 PM

 here depending on were you live people do trailer to events because it might be snowing in your area , like me trying to go to Bike week in Daytona. In this case with a spouse who cannot ride far on a bike trailering is an option, I have friends who did a cross country trip on their bike while another couple drove their car along with them. Each to their own...

Posted by John Hopkins
 - July 12, 2013, 19:27:04 PM

I can understand going in a car to enjoy Sturgis with your wife..but I can't understand why you want to trailer the bike..It will cost you more in fuel, it will be more difficult to drive the car and trailer, it will leave you open to theft of the bike, the trailer, and the car..

Leave the bike and trailer at home this year and enjoy Sturgis without any worries..

Over here bikers ride to rallies, in fact some rallies are closed to people who arrive with their bikes on trailers..I realise none of our rallies compare to Sturges but I am pretty sure that most of the bikers at Sturgis will have made the trip on their bikes..

John.

Posted by draconarmy
 - July 12, 2013, 17:27:07 PM

lol yeah but with the wifey going and her having back problems she cant handle long bike rides.  not to mention I think it would be irresponsible of me to start riding double so soon

Posted by John Hopkins
 - July 12, 2013, 15:17:43 PM

Wow you certainly got me there..It never occurred to me that someone would trailer a working bike anywhere unless they weren't bringing it home ..

John

Posted by CDNRatMan
 - July 11, 2013, 14:45:55 PM

 AH ok ..then start to practice slow riding and balance.......

Posted by draconarmy
 - July 11, 2013, 12:54:28 PM

thanks everyone but I think many of you misunderstood.  im not riding to Sturgis, she is being trailered there.  I was more worried about laying it down at the slow speeds of Sturgis

Posted by chief
 - July 11, 2013, 12:15:43 PM

Yeah, don't go too quick... you really need to ride the bike around in parking lots, around the block, etc. until you are comfortable with it. It is a heavy bike... you need to be able to handle it on hills, corners etc.

My personal opinion is two weeks worth of riding isn't going to get you prepared to ride from Kansas to Sturgis.

First... the winds on the Great Plains is really a problem... the big fenders make it worse. Been there... it will wear you out. Secondly, as you get tired the bike feels like it weighs more.

My recommendation: Put off riding to Sturgis until next year... go in a cage.  In the meantime, ride the bike in safe areas until you get used to it. Learn how to pick it up when you drop it... you will drop it... and you really need to learn how to pick it up properly.

Posted by DC
 - July 11, 2013, 08:26:19 AM

I'm not sure about the buyer's remorse part.  The 1500 is a great bike.

I think what you're saying is that you'd rather have more seat time before going on a long ride.  If you've taken the MSF course already, then transfer all those exercises to your Drifter in a parking lot at first.  Practice stops at different speeds.  That's where I had to gain the skill on my Drifter. . . . predicting how the weight will react in different stopping scenarios.

After practicing in the parking lot, then gradually hit some local roads.  As my MSF instructor said "Practice Makes Permanent".

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