beginner rider, Vulcan 500

[Bazan]

Hello everyone. really excited about learning how to ride a motorcycle and that there is a special forum strictly just for Vulcans. I'm a 23 yr old female, just bought a used 2008 Vulcan 500 as a birthday gift for myself (in exactly 7 days). Hope to do a lot of learning and riding. Any tips and advice about anything would be amazing. Thank you much, hope to hear from someone soon.

[Sniperjhs1500e]

Welcome! Enjoy your new to you 500! I encourage you to take a Motorcycle Safety Class. It is the best way to prepare yourself for the confidence and safety of riding.


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[Ron M]

Bzan,

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your new ride. I agree with taking the MSF course first then some parking lot time to help build confidence as you get on the road.

Ron M

[Bazan]

Thanks for the replies. I have taken the course but it was on a sports bike. the cruiser feels different but i chose it because its more comfortable to ride.

[Comanche]

Howdy Bazan! Happy Birthday, welcome and hope you have a long and fun relationship with your new scoot.

[Pappyman]

Welcome to the forums!
Parking lots and back roads! Build your confidence on these and never ride past your internal limits. There are several threads here written by folks who have a knack for writing about safety, what to look for and what to look out for. Read up! and have fun! Ride safe................

[Romans5.8]

Another vote for taking the MSF. I also recommending picking up a copy of 'Proficient Motorcycling'. You can get a cheap digital copy if you have an eReader. Definitely worth the read whether your a veteran or a brand new rider.

[Bear2123]

Hello & Welcome! Enjoy the scoot and Ride Safe!

[MN-Rider]

Welcome to the forums Bazan!

[Phil in Maine]

Originally Posted by Bazan

Thanks for the replies. I have taken the course but it was on a sports bike. the cruiser feels different but i chose it because its more comfortable to ride.

Welcome aboard! I took the course this past Spring. Since it was the Harley Rider Edge version I learned on the Buell Blast, so going home and sitting on my 30 year old GS450 was certainly different, especially how it handled.

What I did was ride around my neighborhood in ever widening circles. I planned routes that wouldn't have much traffic. After a week or so I tried the highway, but only from one entrance to the next exit, a couple miles.

Once I got a little more comfortable I created little destination goals, like riding to a park or to visit my parents a couple towns over. After setting the goal I would then think about what skills I would need to be able to complete it, and worked on those.

The ride to my parents was a good one because it made me work on riding in traffic with lots of lights, because I needed to cross downtown Portland to get there. It also meant that I needed to think about taking off on inclines. Though there was no way to prepare for driving across a large bridge with open grates, thats an eerie feeling you feel entirely disconnected from the road surface.

Anyhow, like was mentioned, do what you feel comfortable with.

Also, where are you from?