there are some people whom just have a natural ability on two wheels. but ability can be mistaken for experience, and that leads to bad things occasionally.

Hell, I have 10k on my bike and I still feel like a noob sometimes. Like yesterday when the freaking rabbit came blasting onto the road right in front of my wheel. Point is, you can ride 100,000 miles and 30 years and not experience everything. Those miles and years do affect your decision making process though. A new rider (lets say <5k miles) simply doesn't have enough experience to properly evaluate their own skills or situations and react correctly in a very wide range of situations.

1HBC if you're not comfortable on the 500, that's one reason to move to a different bike. A perfectly acceptable one. Find a bike you are comfortable on and ride the hell out of it. If you're "upgrading" because someone told you to, or your current ride doesn't have enough power for your amazing skills, you have a lot more to learn.

:werd: I still consider myself a newb, with .. .hmm.... I guess 13K miles (I haven't ridden in two months, so I can't remember! :lol: ) and 2 years of solid, consistent riding.

The day you stop learning is the day you become complacent. The day you become complacent is the day you need to put the kickstand down and take a breather from riding, because you'll become a danger to yourself, as well as to others.

i started riding street at age 18 on my first street bike (having extensive dirt background). it was a yamaha YSR50, would now be considered a pocket bike. i was probably the laughing stock of my town, rolling a max 55 mph downhill. but back then i was scared that i wouldn't be able to handle a 250! i rode that thing for a year before upgrading to a 250, which i managed to drop the very first day i owned it in front of all my friends in the taco bell parking lot (they had to pick it up for me, mortifying). after a year of riding, i sold that one to go to school. a few years passed and i decided to get back into riding. what did i buy? another 250. i was scared i couldn't handle a 600, even though my friends said i could. i rode that for another year before trading it up for the 636 i have today. i was still scared the day i picked up the 636 that i couldn't handle it. i finally took the MSF course with this bike and realized i shoulda done that way sooner.

moral of the story: i am still alive today, and i contribute that to starting small (very small) and not listening to what others think.

1HBC, do whatcha gotta do. just keep your head in check. make sure it's what is right for you. good luck finding what you are looking for. and go green, kawis are superior bikes in any year. :)

Damn! Get that bike back and running!

I agree 110%

*sigh* You're tellin me.....

Long story short, Jimmy has been trouble shooting EVERYTHING carb/fuel related, and after speaking with a few other experts who know a thing or two about that bike, they thing it's something electrical now... *sigh*

I can't complain TOO much, cus he's not charging me for labor, and we're still under $200 in parts, but it's 9 weeks now... :panic:

Time for a new bike.

I'm ALMOST at that level of frustration, but not yet... I told myself (since Chris got HIS new bike this year) I'd wait at least another year...

F that. DO IT!

:lol: was thinking more or less the same thing...get the other one running and either track it or sell it and put the cash towards a new bike (that you buy in the meantime!)

:lol: I know, but see there's that whole wedding (and more importantly HONEYMOON) thing we've got coming up in 4 months... all extra $$$ is going to that right now!

And is IS RUNNING actually... the leaks, etc... are all fixed, she's fine in that sense. He asked if we wanted him to just button it up and give it back to me, or try to fix this ONE last thing. Since he thinks it's only about a $40 part, we decided this is the last thing... if this doesn't fix it, then we'll just get it back and deal with the hiccup for the time being.

Yeah but I think the track will speed up your skills. You're more in-tune with what's going on and don't have the distractions of traffic and cars. So that is still something that will be a challenge to a track person and can ultimately mean their demise.

Yeah, track miles are great for learning how to handle your ride in near perfect conditions. Having a 3000+ lb monster hurtling the opposite direction at 100+ mph 3 ft from your face is a little distracting.:panic:

absolutely, to enhance your riding ability, but i was speaking more like mistaking your riding ability for your riding experience.

like they say a pound of knowledge is worth an ounce of experience.

Sounds like you haven't seen the pavement at NHMS :lol: