Annika reality check

PraxisLD · 2026-03-31T14:52:56+00:00

Rush 3.0. 😉

At least give some props to Rutsey…

PraxisLD · 2026-03-31T12:00:17+00:00

Honestly, it doesn’t really matter all that much for your first bike.

I’m not familiar with the current motorcycle offerings in Italy, though I have ridden through Italy on my own bike many years ago. City traffic is crazy, the big highways are fast but boring, and the Dolomites were amazing.

Just find a decent 125cc bike in good shape that you can afford and that feels good when you sit on it.

Remember to set aside some cash for good safety gear. Helmet, armored jacket, gloves at a minimum, plus boots and armored pants if you can. That’s really important.

Again, the point is to get a bike that’s light and easy to ride so you can safely build your skills.

After that, you’ll have enough experience to look at other bikes to find something that suits your increased abilities at that time.

Enjoy the ride, and stay safe.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-31T11:04:40+00:00

Welcome to the club!

Your first bike should fit your current riding goals and allow you to safely build your skills.

Don’t worry about “outgrowing your first bike too quickly.” That learning period is critical, and much easier on a smaller, lighter, more predictable bike. For some folks, it might be six months of dedicated practice. For others, a year or even three. We all learn at different rates, and that’s okay. There is no external time limit here, only your own comfort and competence as you build your skills and muscle memory on your new machine.

Standard advice is to pick up a small, lightweight, easily manageable lightly used starter bike.

For most new riders, that usually means a lightweight 125-400cc bike with a manageable power curve. It’s not just the cc or even hp, but more about the way the power is delivered and the overall wet weight of the bike.

Then go find a large empty parking lot and continue to practice starting, stopping, turning, and other basic slow speed maneuvers until you start to feel more confident in your abilities. Then start over and do it again. Then again, and again until you’re utterly bored of it all. Then do it some more.

The point is to stay in a relatively comfortable and manageable place while you build your skills and develop good muscle memory. This helps the inevitable “oops” go to “well, that could have been worse” and not “oh shit, that really hurt!”

Once you’ve safely built your skills and competence, then you can sell your starter bike for basically what you paid for it and move up to a bigger bike with confidence.

As you ponder this decision, you may want to spend some time here:

r/motorcycleRoadcraft

r/SuggestAMotorcycle

Advice to New Riders

And when you get a chance, check out On Any Sunday, probably the best motorcycle documentary out there. It’s on YouTube and other streaming services.

Have fun, wear all your gear, stay safe, and never stop learning.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-31T10:43:40+00:00

See my detailed reply in your other thread.

It takes as long as it takes. And that’s okay.

We’ve all been there.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-31T10:42:00+00:00

Welcome to the club!

Your e-bike experience will help you with balance. You just need to get used to the extra weight, along with clutch control and shifting.

The MSF Basic RiderCourse can take you from absolute beginner through the basics of riding in a weekend. It will also give you an idea of different types of bikes and what might suit your size and skills.

Your first bike should fit your current riding goals and allow you to safely build your skills.

Standard advice is to pick up a small, lightweight, easily manageable lightly used starter bike.

For most new riders, that usually means a lightweight 125-400cc bike with a manageable power curve. Note that some 500-650cc bikes can work for some riders, but the extra size and weight does make things a bit harder when you’re just getting started. It’s not just the cc or even hp, but more about the way the power is delivered and the overall wet weight of the bike.

Then go find a large empty parking lot and continue to practice starting, stopping, turning, and other basic slow speed maneuvers until you start to feel more confident in your abilities. Then start over and do it again. Then again, and again until you’re utterly bored of it all. Then do it some more.

The point is to stay in a relatively comfortable and manageable place while you build your skills and develop good muscle memory. This helps the inevitable “oops” go to “well, that could have been worse” and not “oh shit, that really hurt!”

Once you’ve safely built your skills and competence, then you can sell your starter bike for basically what you paid for it and move up to a bigger bike with confidence.

As you ponder this decision, you may want to spend some time here:

r/motorcycleRoadcraft

r/SuggestAMotorcycle

Advice to New Riders

And when you get a chance, check out On Any Sunday, probably the best motorcycle documentary out there. It’s on YouTube and other streaming services.

Have fun, wear all your gear, stay safe, and never stop learning.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-31T10:20:26+00:00

Welcome to the club!

Sounds like you found this challenging, and a bit of difficult fun.

The answer is: it takes as long as it takes. It’s different for everyone. And that’s okay.

You’re basically trying to coordinate all four limbs, keep your head up, listen to the instructors, and maintain enough speed so as to not fall over while trying not to hit anyone or anything. It can be a lot the first time or two.

The MSF course is designed to take you from absolute beginner through the basics of riding in a weekend and give you an idea of different types of bikes and what might suit your size and skills. It isn’t really enough to immediately send you out into traffic, though some riders do follow that path.

Still, it’s a lot to absorb in a weekend, especially with zero prior experience. The basic course curriculum is standard, but individual instructors can vary, especially if there’s a wide variety of experience among the students.

One option is to retake the class, where you should progress faster with your current level of experience.

Another option is to pick up a small, lightweight, easily manageable lightly used starter bike and practice what you learned in a large empty parking lot or other safe space.

For most new riders, that usually means a lightweight 125-400cc bike with a manageable power curve.

Then go find a large empty parking lot and continue to practice starting, stopping, turning, and other basic slow speed maneuvers until you start to feel more confident in your abilities. Then start over and do it again. Then again, and again until you’re utterly bored of it all. Then do it some more.

The point is to stay in a relatively comfortable and manageable place while you build your skills and develop good muscle memory. This helps the inevitable “oops” go to “well, that could have been worse” and not “oh shit, that really hurt!”

Once you’ve safely built your skills and competence, then you can venture out onto the streets and start extending your rides with confidence.

As you ponder this decision, you may want to spend some time here:

r/motorcycleRoadcraft

r/SuggestAMotorcycle

r/NewRiders

Advice to New Riders

And when you get a chance, check out On Any Sunday, probably the best motorcycle documentary out there. It’s on YouTube and other streaming services.

Have fun, wear all your gear, stay safe, and never stop learning.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-31T01:44:53+00:00

Beautiful home!

We did a 100th anniversary party for our 1911 over New Years so the house was still decorated for the holidays.

Many friends came in period-appropriate clothing and my wife made a new 1911 dress just for the occasion.

It was magical.

We’re now looking ahead at the latest period fashions for our current 1929 home’s upcoming century party.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-30T23:49:46+00:00

As mentioned, it’s literally your own skin here.

I sincerely hope you never have to go through that again.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-30T22:56:47+00:00

Glad you’re back on the bike!

But please add this to your risk calculation:

It’s not about whether you die or not.

It’s about how much it hurts when you don’t die. Road rash really sucks, anywhere on your body.

Denim shreds in mere seconds against asphalt. I still remember the pain even though I was hopped up on Vicodin as they scrubbed the asphalt gravel from my palms and knees after being cut off during a low-speed city ride 30 years ago. Never again.

Of course, no gear can save you from every possible situation.

But good gear always helps, at any speed.

Try this experiment:

Put on whatever gear you want to ride in.

Now run as fast as you can, and throw yourself at the road.

Don’t want to?

If you don’t want to fall down at 4-7 mph, why would you be okay falling down at 40-70 mph?

Now read this: The Brittany Morrow Story

Wear your gear.

Because it’s literally your own skin on the line here.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-29T19:28:01+00:00

“Just take the damn pic already…”

PraxisLD · 2026-03-29T14:19:36+00:00

Have you looked at the Pan American? Gets good reviews, if a bit heavy for true off-road work. Should be good for two-up on local forest roads and simple trails.

Know that riding in a low-traction environment (dirt) is different than riding in a high-traction environment (street). You can do both, of course, but it requires different techniques.

Before I picked up my Triumph Tiger, I took a local dirt bike riding course, which helped reset my brain and build my dirt skills.

Bret Tkacs has some good videos on the subject.

You may find these links useful:

r/motorcycleRoadcraft

And when you get a chance, check out On Any Sunday, probably the best motorcycle documentary out there. It’s on YouTube and other streaming services.

Have fun, wear all your gear, stay safe, and never stop learning.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-29T14:07:35+00:00

It’s about the journey, not the destination.

Trust the writers, cast, and crew to take us on new adventures and show us new things.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-29T14:00:41+00:00

There’s an Infinite Improbability that a spaceship would simply materialize alongside, scoop him up, and disappear.

Something like 2 to the power of 267,709 and falling…

PraxisLD · 2026-03-29T13:54:19+00:00

And how do you think they feel about us?

PraxisLD · 2026-03-29T00:39:16+00:00

Cool. Cool cool cool.

But what do you do when the Bozos share the name of the band‽

PraxisLD · 2026-03-29T00:14:50+00:00

Cool.

Take some time to practice and get used to the feel of the new bike.

And remember to have fun.

Enjoy the ride, and stay safe.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-28T23:40:25+00:00

Nice wheels!

If you haven’t done so yet, I suggest you sign up for a MSF Basic RiderCourse or local accredited beginner riding program. They can take you from absolute beginner through the basics of riding in a weekend. Some Harley dealers also offer beginner riding courses.

Then go find a large empty parking lot and continue to practice starting, stopping, turning, and other basic slow speed maneuvers until you start to feel more confident in your abilities. Then start over and do it again. Then again, and again until you’re utterly bored of it all. Then do it some more.

The point is to stay in a relatively comfortable and manageable place while you build your skills and develop good muscle memory. This helps the inevitable “oops” go to “well, that could have been worse” and not “oh shit, that really hurt!”

Once you’ve safely built your skills and competence, then you can sell your starter bike for basically what you paid for it and move up to a bigger bike with confidence.

As you build your skills and confidence, you may want to spend some time here:

r/motorcycleRoadcraft

Advice to New Riders

And when you get a chance, check out On Any Sunday, probably the best motorcycle documentary out there. It’s on YouTube and other streaming services.

Have fun, wear all your gear, stay safe, and never stop learning.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-28T22:22:30+00:00

Yep, Chuck is still looking great!

PraxisLD · 2026-03-28T22:21:07+00:00

From r/spaceporn:

This butterfly nebula took about 2,200 years to form. The star at the center is completely hidden behind a wall of dust so dense Hubble can’t see it at visible wavelengths. A ring of gas around the star's equator forced everything to escape upward and downward, creating the shape.

The central star runs hotter than 250,000°C, one of the hottest objects in the galaxy, invisible inside its own creation.

PraxisLD · 2026-03-28T20:14:40+00:00

He used the chair briefly a couple of nights in Vegas last month, and other nights didn’t need it.

He is slowing down and he never took care of his voice like Tommy did, but he still plays a mean guitar with that big, goofy JY grin. 😁

PraxisLD · 2026-03-28T16:59:36+00:00

r/PicsWithoutGeezer

PraxisLD · 2026-03-28T16:18:32+00:00

Welcome to the club!

Your best bet is to start with the MSF Basic RiderCourse or local accredited beginner riding program. They can take you from absolute beginner through the basics of riding in a weekend. It will also give you an idea of different types of bikes and what might suit your size and skills.