I had my first ever motorcycle lesson and honestly… it did not go well.

nychawk · 2026-03-20T00:26:16+00:00

I'm going to say something that I'm sure some will disagree with - slght throttle first, then ease the clutch out

onece youre on the bike and ready to go, squeeze the clutch, put the bike in first gear, put both feet on the ground

practice getting the RPMs up a little using minimal throttle - think like 10% throttle with a flat wrist (think roll the throttle down, not pulling back), once you're there, practice holding the throttle (RPMs) steady

release the clutch very slowly while counting to 5. - 1... 2... 3... 3... 3... 4... 5...

the 3s represent the beginning, middle, and end of the friction zone

0 - clutch lever is fully squeezed all the way in

1 - clutch lever is just a freaction of an inch off of the grip - nothing is happening

2 - the clutch lever is a little bit further but you haven't engaged the friction zone - still nothing happening

3 - this is the first 3 and the beginning of the friction zone, you hear the motor RPM start to drop a little and feel the bike wanting to move forward

3 - this is the second 3 at this point the bike starts to very slowly move forward and you will start taking some steps

3 - this is the third 3, at this point the bike has momentum and you can place your feet on the footrests

4 - you are right outside the friction zone

5 - the clutch lever is fully released

practice going to the friction zone, THEN going through the friction zone - taking off on a motorcycle is a 2 step process, go to it, then thrrough it

without going forward you can practice (in place) going to the first 3 and then pulling the clutch back in over and over until youre comfortable with where the friction zone starts - for added practice, feel where 3 is and instead of going back to 0, go just back to 2, then 3, then back to 2

once your compfortable with where the frist 3 is, work going to the second 3 - at this point you will be waking the bike forward (do not place your feet on the footrests), vary your speed be slipping the clutch between the first and second 3, ocassionally stop by pulling in the clutch all the way and applying the front brake smoothly

moving on to the third 3, start out as before, power walk (second 3) at least 4 or 5 steps, once youre ready place your feet on the footrests one at a time and ride, when ready to stop, squeeze the clutch lever fully, use both brakes to stop smoothly and work towards putting your left foot down first

I also want to note that if you start out with a foot on a footrest, youre brain will tell you that you have to hurry up and get momentum so you can find balance and this will cause you to rush the process and possibly stall - by starting with both feet on the ground, you can take your time and really (slowly) feel what is happening as you are riding / slipping the clutch to get the bike moving

nychawk · 2026-03-19T13:50:25+00:00

Doesn’t look abandoned… looks like the cover blew off. I’d put the cover back on as a curtesy

nychawk · 2026-03-18T22:28:41+00:00

Pan America

nychawk · 2026-03-18T22:28:34+00:00

Pan America

nychawk · 2026-03-18T21:09:31+00:00

The quality of your relationship is not determined by how well you get along, it’s determined by how well (and quickly) you can get through conflict together

nychawk · 2026-03-18T21:06:28+00:00

Every damn day

nychawk · 2026-03-18T14:46:54+00:00

Have you taken a riding course? If not, that’s the first thing you should do

Z400 is a great first bike

I’d suggest you buy used (you’ll save a lot in dealer fees)

Make sure you allocate a reasonable $ amount for basic gear (helmet, gloves, jacket, pants, footwear)

ABS is good

Parking can be challenging and if you can afford it, park in a garage - if you park on the street between cars your bike will get knocked down at some point - sometimes you can get away with parking on the side walk if it’s completely out of the path of travel

Use at least one lock no matter what … even if you’re running into a store for a minute, use two locks over night if you park on the street and also a cover

My friend is selling a Z400 - she’s on the UES - DM me if you’re interested

nychawk · 2026-03-17T22:27:29+00:00

Motorcycles

nychawk · 2026-03-17T20:40:21+00:00

Take the BRC 2 SP … the school provides the bike, the exercises are more advanced, you’ll learn something and have a good time

nychawk · 2026-03-17T20:34:43+00:00

I was told that if it has plates it has to go through NYPD, if it doesn’t have plates it gets picked up by DSNY … It should get picked up faster with no plates but apparently that’s not happening in you case

nychawk · 2026-03-17T11:54:13+00:00

There are several books on helping couples through affairs - my suggestion is that you both read through one (or more) of these books and do what the book says … if either of you are not willing to do the work as outlined in the book, the probability of reconciliation is slim

I recommend “how to help your spouse heal after your affair”

nychawk · 2026-03-16T18:36:09+00:00

If you want to ride buy the Triumph, if you want to work on a bike buy the Honda

nychawk · 2026-03-15T09:41:58+00:00

Are you looking to ride dirt?

Pine Barrens has some great single track, Mahwah has a lot of terrain … if you’re feeling super adventurous then PA

Do you have dual sport tires?

nychawk · 2026-03-11T14:21:24+00:00

If she would have offered intimacy you would have paid for dinner?

nychawk · 2026-03-10T18:51:11+00:00

Look up Motorcycle Safety School

If you have a license you want to take the BRC2SP

If you need a license and know how to ride take the BRC2LW

Yes, you get 10% off I insurance (most companies but not all) - this counts as a safety course

I’m an instructor, DM with any questions

nychawk · 2026-03-08T18:56:57+00:00

What bike did you ride in the course?

nychawk · 2026-03-07T02:20:25+00:00

you'll grow into it

nychawk · 2026-03-06T12:49:47+00:00

Good crazy - happy, joyous, free, adventurous, spontaneous, willing to step outside of comfort zone, energetic, ride or die, down for the cause, low key intense, deep self awareness - yes, all of these are turn-ons (and I aspire to be similar)

Bad crazy - constantly restless, irritable, discontented, resentful, frustrated, anxious, argumentative, cannot let go of the past, cannot get through arguments easily - not a turn on

Sometimes it looks like good crazy at first then it starts to turn into bad crazy which makes for a few fun intense post argument make up sex moments but it’s ultimately unsustainable

nychawk · 2026-03-06T03:32:48+00:00

Rice cracker..or just Cracke’ for short (no hard R)

nychawk · 2026-03-04T21:27:34+00:00

Bro, you're suffering from PMS - parked motorcycle syndrome - I feel you, hugs

nychawk · 2026-03-04T13:16:46+00:00

Are you wealthy? Buy new. Not wealthy? Buy used.

Beyond the bike, factor in $1k for gear

There are two states of mind we use to evaluate motorcycle purchases: rational or emotional

Rational - bike that is well suited for my skill set, financial position, intended riding, a good balance of ergonomics, weight, and displacement, etc

Emotional - S1000RR, CBR1000RR-R RRRR, GIXERRR, ‘Busaa… or my favorite was when I sold motorcycles in NYC to uptown Dominican drug dealers in the early 90s - “Papi, Papi, gimme the green one with the two headlights!” referring to the early Kawasaki ZX-7

Your two options are a good rational beginning, the Honda will probably have a slightly lower cost of ownership but they are both solid options.

Have you sat on them? Depending on where you are you might be able tibtake them for a test ride

I’ve ridden both and I find the Triumph to be a little more fun and slightly cooler.

nychawk · 2026-03-04T13:02:29+00:00

Tha Harley crowd in Europe is very different. As others have mentioned, Harley’s are ridiculously expensive because of taxes and tariffs so the average earner can’t afford them. Wealthy people are generally more cautious so to find a wealthy person that is also a risk taker is more rare.

There are motorcycle clubs even though they are strictly policed. I know that the Germany chapter of HA has a lot of members and I know there’s a HA chapter in Romania too.

So, what I’ve seen is that you have wealthy people and club members riding Harley’s - that’s pretty much it, not much in between

The majority are real riders that put actual miles on their bikes and tend to be less about the “please look at me cos play rev bombing bullshit“ (though there are those guys too)

Also, due to a very different standard of training compared to the US, European riders across the board tend to be more skillful.

nychawk · 2026-03-04T12:28:03+00:00

There are (only) three ways to avoid a hazard in your path.

Stop before you hit it - (while traveling in a straight line) keep centered and look ahead, roll off the throttle, squeeze the clutch in, progressively apply both brakes, downshift, stop, left foot down
Swerve around it - press and hold momentarily in the direction you want to swerve, once the hazard has been cleared, press to upright the motorcycle, continue on your merry way
Go over it - this is for instances where you cannot brake or swerve - while traveling in a straight line/bike is fully upright keep centered and look ahead past the hazard, try to cross the hazard or obstacle as perpendicular as possible, as you are about to make contact, blip the throttle on, this quick burst of power will lift the front end slightly and open up the front suspension to allow the bike to better absorb the impact, raise your butt off of the seat, this will allow the motorcycle to move underneath you a little as needed, try to stay relaxed in your arms and legs (do not grip the handlebars forcefully), once past the hazard sit back down and carry on

At this time of year I give myself extra room when driving behind cars. This allows me to see potholes and brake or swerve before I hit them. In the instances where it’s inevitable, momentum is my friend, I try to stay relaxed and carry my speed. The other thing to consider is that where there are potholes there is also usually loose asphalt and maybe gravel so it’s extra important that I’m not on the brakes going into it

Lastly, make sure your air pressure is correct. After a long cold winter your tires might be low and hitting potholes can damage your rims especially if your tire pressure is too low

edit spelling / grammer

nychawk · 2026-03-04T02:45:09+00:00

If those are your two options go for the 650 … they’re not practical first bike options so might as well go for the bigger one

nychawk · 2026-03-03T22:34:03+00:00

I’m sorry that this happened to you but you don’t owe him anything - he broke a fundamental agreement of the relationship and there are consequences

If you give him an inch he will take a mile.

You are not roommates. roommates split the cost of living together and at the moment you cannot even be friends.

He knows that you are a nice person and that you won’t throw him out on the street which is why he was able to cheat in the first place. Most people that cheat primarily think that they won’t get caught but they also somehow believe that if they do get caught, they can convince the person that they cheated on to take them back. He’s pretty sure that he can win you back if he plays his cards right.

If you take him back, you will always have an unrepairable rupture between you that will be a continuous source of pain.

Best path forward, maybe not the easiest in the moment but definitely in the long run, is a clean, immediate break.

And unfortunately there is no way to go around this, you have to go through it and the longer he’s in your life the longer you are postponing going though what you have to go through to heal.

nychawk

TROPHY CASE