[soulpower101]

I recently made a deal to trade my 1999 ford f!50 for a 2006 suzuki burgman 650. i will be meeting the other guy about the middle between his place and mine which is lets say about 170 miles all interstate 10. my question is this- what if any special preparations should i make personally for the ride back on the scoot. The scoot comes with 2 helmets and i wont bring anything with me that i cant fit in a backpack. Also as far as the scoot what should i be aware of as this will be my first ride not only on a maxiscooter but on a motor - cycle period. i do ride a mountain bike frequently, if that helps, im not worried about things like balance more like mechanicals check lists or what-have you, also keep in mind the other guy is driving the scoot half way as well so it will be hot. any information you guys provide is appreciated and i will be sure to post again when i get back with the scoot last week in june :cheers:

 

[rowdyc]

Have the owner ride all the way or have it towed. Take motorcycle safety class before riding. That is more motorcycle than scooter. An average scooter rider has a difficult time just turning around a 650 burgman.

 

[MacDoc]

Yup - the 650 is a powerful and heavy machine and NOT for inexperienced riders let alone one with no riding background at all.
You don't even know if the helmets fit.
Get it driven or towed.
Take a training course.

How tall are you??

 

[Kiwi Dave]

No motorcycle experience :!: The 650 is not really a scooter,the power of the 650 will surprise you and combined with the weight may kill you :roll: DON'T ride it, hire a motorcycle trailer and trailer it home :!: I agree with the others, get some professional guidance.

 

[billdd]

If you really insist on riding do it on local roads not on the interstate. Good luck & be safe on your trip.

 

[mikeyMarine]

i'd push it the first 50 miles and then when i got that done crank it up and push it some more before I took my maiden voyage on a bike on I 10
if you decide to do this my best advice to you is keep your insurance and will and death instructions in a blood proof canvas bag wrapped around your waist, your head tears off too easy and make sure you are an organ donor, lots of needy folks out there.

 

[Buffalo]

I tend to agree. Get some training before you attempt a ride like this. You might do it and get away with it. However you are just as likely to do something stupid that you don't even know is stupid and injure yourself or someone else.

You can enroll in a motorcycle safety course that will teach you the basics. The ones around here provide you with the motorcycle to train on. Some of them even provide scooters to train on for folks that don't plan to ever ride a motorcycle with a clutch. I don't know if that is true in your area but a little research and a phone call or two should answer the question for you.

 

[mikeyMarine]

also, don't know what state you are in but to ride, you must have a mc license in fla and to do that you must take the brc. and if you are on 10 anywhere near ttaallaahhaassee and acting like you aren't a native, po po will get you

 

[soulpower101]

okay. first im 6'4"225#. i hear the advice im getting from you guys and i will go ahead and see about getting another arrangement. I may have a friend who can help... truth be told i do not really have the cash or credit to fund any of the options mentioned, i will barely be scrounging up enough money to make the trip in the first place- this "poorness" is the reason im trading the truck for the scooter- i cant afford the gas this truck uses in the city. Anyway I will talk to one of my friends in a position to help and should that be unavailable i will have to go with Plan A which is ride this machine back home. I live in New Mexico and im not sure i will have the ability to get a safety course but i will look into it today. Finally if "push comes to shove", i will see if there are 'side roads' but for the most part this is all desert out here so its highly unlikely. When I go i will do it early in the Am and after all it should less than two hours on the interstate. Thanks for all the good words. feel free to add some pointers about the machine itself that i should be aware of, something the owner may forget to mention? [Like oh by the way dont push this button when going over 55] I hate to say this but we dont have a helmet law here so if the helmets dont fit... I will talk to the guy later and see what size they are. Again thanks to you all for the input. :thumbup:

 

[Ralph M]

Do you have any mates that have a auto scooter that you could have a ride round some open area on,
what you need to do is train your self to open the throttle slowly and shut it when you want to stop
it sounds very basic but you would be surprised how many panic and keep the throttle open, brake genitally
and don't brake when you have a lot of turn on if you really must do it do it very genitally, on the good side
you should have learnt to ride it at least to a basic level by the time you get home. Remember you have
to have the side stand up and at least one brake on to start it and don't go revving it like you see those
on bikes when at a stand, it will be off down the road. Let us know if you get back in one piece.

 

[Buffalo]

You can get information on the New Mexico motorcycle safety course here. http://www.nm-msp.org/

You are required to have a motorcycle license to operate a motorcycle there. As of right now you are not required to take the BRC to get one unless you are under 18. From the New Mexico DMV site. http://www.dmv.org/nm-new-mexico/motorcycle-license.php

 

[mikeyMarine]

Do you have any mates that have a auto scooter that you could have a ride round some open area on,
what you need to do is train your self to open the throttle slowly and shut it when you want to stop
it sounds very basic but you would be surprised how many panic and keep the throttle open, brake genitally
and don't brake when you have a lot of turn on if you really must do it do it very genitally, on the good side
you should have learnt to ride it at least to a basic level by the time you get home. Remember you have
to have the side stand up and at least one brake on to start it and don't go revving it like you see those
on bikes when at a stand, it will be off down the road. Let us know if you get back in one piece.

now that's funny, I don't care who you are or however he says it , a small misspelling brings such joy :lol: :lol:

 

[v8eyedoc]

Do you have any mates that have a auto scooter that you could have a ride round some open area on,
what you need to do is train your self to open the throttle slowly and shut it when you want to stop
it sounds very basic but you would be surprised how many panic and keep the throttle open, brake genitally
and don't brake when you have a lot of turn on if you really must do it do it very genitally, on the good side
you should have learnt to ride it at least to a basic level by the time you get home. Remember you have
to have the side stand up and at least one brake on to start it and don't go revving it like you see those
on bikes when at a stand, it will be off down the road. Let us know if you get back in one piece.

now that's funny, I don't care who you are or however he says it , a small misspelling brings such joy :lol: :lol:

OMG.........!!!!!!!! I will follow Ralph M's instructions - and always bake G E N I T A L L Y..............Hahahahahahahaha.... But - please tell me how that is done...???

 

[Ralph M]

Spell checkers and not paying attention can bring such joy to others,
I try to please.
:thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[mikeyMarine]

OMG.........!!!!!!!! I will follow Ralph M's instructions - and always bake G E N I T A L L Y..............Hahahahahahahaha.... But - please tell me how that is done...???[/quote]

:lol: now Doc don't go BAKING your genitallys without lots of practice first


I think we might be off thread :shock: :lol:

 

[soulpower101]

well for those keeping in touch on this topic i will just add here that it seems i will be making the Plan A trip to pick up the burgman and ride it back home. No options available to tow it back or anything of the sort. I will get the details ironed out later in the week. i would like to say thanks to those who offered words of caution but i would like to give more thanks to those who gave me real world input that i can use when riding this machine back. While i may not have the proper training, I am a grown man, fairly intelligent lol and i do have to get the scoot back to town so as the saying goes i gotta do what i gotta do...

I will ride safe and smart and take heed to the advice given here. I will post some pictures and update this thread when i return. Thanks again for the input as well. some more useful pointers ive gotten so far are accelerate slow and dont brake and turn at the same time... I was wondering what should i expect when passing or being passed by a big rig tractor trailer... are there any special precautions i should take? i just watched this video this morning so its got me very attentive to other drivers which i hope is normal driving in any vehicle. Let me know what you think please, and thanks. heres the video that got me thinking: http://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=477567805651594 probably not the best thing to add to a post that discusses riding with no experience but hey this is real life.

 

[Buffalo]

When you pass or are passed by larger vehicles the turbulence they kick up will tend to push you around. The best advice I can give you on how to deal with that is to not fight it. Keep you body relaxed and don't take a death grip on the handlebars. If you tense up to much then when your body moves those movements will be transmitted to the handlebars through your stiff arms. If you understand the concept of countersteering then you will know that when you turn the bars in one direction, the bike will try to go the other direction. When moving at highway speeds it doesn't take much input to initiate a move. The involuntary movement you can transmit to the bars if you stiffen up can have you darting back and forth across the lane.

As for what happened in that video, in a situation like that you don't have a lot of time to react to avoid the situation, especially if you have not have any training or experience with avoidance maneuvers. I'm still trying to figure out what the van hit to make it do what it did. I can only assume it was a car that drifted into his lane from the right side. Edited to add: Best thing is to try to avoid situations like this by staying very aware of what all the vehicles on the road in front of you are doing not just the ones closest to you. Look for ones that might interact with those directly around you and cause them to do unexpected things. If you see that happening back off and give yourself time to react.

One thing I will mention, watch the pickup that is passing the van at the start. See how it slides over toward the van as it get's in front of it. Your bike will do that. As you pass beside a truck you will be countering the bow wave of wind coming off it. As you pass you will suddenly run out of that bow wave and if you are not ready for it you will tend to head toward the truck. Same thing will happen but in reverse as you pull up beside the truck from the rear. If it's the truck that is passing you then you will be pushed away as he comes up beside you and drift back in as he goes buy.

 

[Buffalo]

Something else you should be aware of. Don't assume that drivers will see you. Most drivers are watching out for vehicles the size of cars or trucks. They can look directly at a motorcycle and it won't register on their minds that the motorcycle is there. Always assume that they do not see you and be ready to react if they don't give you the right of way you are entitled to.

 

[mikeyMarine]

stay hydrated, take breaks, do not let your brain get tired 150 miles is a looong first ride, New Mexico is a good place to do it, flat open roads but you can get inattentive just by sitting there holding the throttle, stop and walk around in circles if nothing else
sweat in the jeans is bad juju maybe some one can give you a good seat alternative like beads or no undies etc

 

[soulpower101]

okay so first off thanks for this information it is valuable to me, Buffalo. As for that video , from what i understand from the original comments there was a wrong way driver on the ramp to the right, and that vehicle careened unto the freeway. I wont be passing any interchanges so im thankful i wont have to be looking around as much as if i was, its really a straight run from point a to b in the truck and back in the burgman, just over 150 miles each way. I plan to fly a 3x5 new mexico state flag behind the scoot maybe attach the pole to the burgmans trunk or something like that, i dont know how the flag will do at highway speed for that duration but i know it will add a decent amount of visibility from the rear. The effect you mention about the bow wave i have experienced in several different vehicles. in my truck i feel how it pushes me out at the front and sucks me in at the rear... i can imagine the effect will be somewhat magnified with the scoot, so i will surely stay aware of that. there is a slight say 10% chance for rain but thats not saying much in this desert. i wont ride if its raining anyway. So ive got my little checklist ready and im preparing myself mentally by reading much info. this event will be happening soon i look forward to posting my experience when i return - i may even update from the road via the internet just to stay focused and as mikeyMarine said not get inattentive. ok thanks again for the wisdom and advice :thumbup: also i was wondering does the burgman have a 12v power outlet of any kind? and if so will the burgman power a 12v/150w inverter? ty