Hey everyone!
My name is Jason and I am pretty much brand spanking new to the motorcycle community. It's kinda funny how I got into the sport. Last summer I became eligible to get my driving/bike permits. Now, I am by NO means the motorcycle 'type' if there is one. I would consider myself kinda geeky at school and well anyway for about a week I had just been thinking how cool would it be to ride a sportsbike. Soon that question became an obsession. I just wanted to feel what it was like to be on a bike sooo badly. I had never ridden or even used a clutch before. I will admit to having some trail bike experience when i was younger, but other than that I was completely new to the idea of riding. I went down to my local bike store, mostly a Kawi and Ducati dealer with my dad having no idea where to start. I knew that there were sizes, but I didn't know much big a difference there was between them or the different bike models etc.
Then we looked at prices... 7-8k for a new bike! That was a set back for me. At the time I didn't have that kinda cash as I was already paying off my first car. So we kinda quit on the idea of doing it. Well on the way home from the dealer, we remebered a new bike store had opened that sold gear and accessories in my local city. So we stopped in and he had a couple of used bikes for sale. Then we saw the Kawasaki Ninja 250. It wasn't too big for me, had the power that my dad thought was good for me, the weight I could manage and much more forgiving price tag. However, the one I was looking at got sold half an hour ago, said the owner. But that meant there was hope and my dreams of motorcycle ownership were not crushed! So that afternoon we headed down to another dealer that carried Ninja 250's. I fell in love with the bike and although I couldn't test drive it, being able to rev the bike and just sit on it was giving me the chills. What a thrill it was just to get on a bike like that and imagine what it was like! I was soo excited! We decided to think about it. But we had a great sales guy who was a real enthusiast that explained a lot to me.
The next day we decided to make the purchase. I got an 04' Blue Ninja 250. But I had to wait from monday until friday to get the bike. I also had to pass my permit test! I coulnd't wait. I was freaking out and the excitement was building. I passed the permit test with a perfect score and picked up my helmet. That was the afternoon where I was going to pickup the bike. Howeever, THEY DIDNT FINISH PREPPING IT!!! I was soo dissapointed. We did get a small credit which I used to purchase some of my gear.
The next day was saturday. It was a really nice summer morning and the bike was delivered to my house. I watched the guys unload it from the truck. I was in disbelief that I was actually going to get to ride my very own MOTORCYCLE!! But once again they screwed up and forgot to get me the plate. Which wasn't a big deal, because I didn't plan on taking it out on the streets until i got a handle of things. So I hopped on and started to feel things out. At first I coulnd't figure out the clutch. The first couple times I got it into first were hilarious, I was just hoping that I wouldn't have to come to a stop! I rode all afternoon just learning the basics. Somethign else that was funny was that I didn't realize that it was easier to release the clutch in first than in say, 3rd of 4th lol!!!
The next day I got on my gear bright and early and got a chance to take it on the roads. It was incredible. I couldn't believe the freedom I had. I could go anywhere I wanted to and didn't have to answer to anyone. I no longer had to ask parents for rides. My motorcycle taught me independence. I rode myself to work, home, wherever I could go! It was awesome.
Then my friends caught on, and so my best friend who I have known since wer were 8 months old, picked up a used 250, and we had the best time. Adding a rider to the mix made riding 10000X better! We both worked at the same supermarket and getting to work was just an awesome experience.
Then my other friend got a silver 250 ninja from the same place I got mine. So we started the 2fiddy crew. It was great when we'd pull up next to the bigger bikes and rev our engines like crazy at them! They'd laugh and we'd give em thumbs up. We developed a great relationship with our local bike store, they hook us up with gear and great deals all the time cuz we keep brining in more and more customers. The owner of the store is also in a local stunt crew, and he lets us come on rides sometimes which are always soooo much fun. To ride with a large group while poeple are doing wheelies past you is INCREDIBLE!
Soon we got cocky and started riding wihtout or gear cuz it was too hot or some other lame excuse. The freedom got to our head and so one day we decided we would travel up to Hampton Beach. We live in Boston, MA and so that was a 1.5 hour ride and we did'nt even call our parents. This was a bad idea and I learned a lot that day. On the ride up we were acting like idiots. Doing speeds of 100 mph without the proper gear and going to another state. Well anyway we got up there alright, but we then take a turn down a wrong road and turns out were starting to head towards a nuclear power plant. My friend in the sivler ninja slows down fast to turn around. My friend in the yellow ninja wasn't paying great attention to his brake light and slams into the back of him at about 30 mph. Yellow Ninja guy goes down, then silver ninja guy starts wobbling with me behind him. He goes down and I come about a foot from running over his head. No one was seriously injured but we learned a LOT that day. The nuclear powerplant security guards come otu with rifles drawn and call the cops on us lol. The cops show up and start yelling, well my friends decided not to file anything with the cops so they let us go thank god. We all rode home really slowly and from then on I never go out without my full gear on. I am sooo tahnkful that I am not the one that went down. But I realized that it can happen to anyone and that it might not even be your fault.
The summer continued and we have had nothing but awesome times. I love riding and it is an absolutley incredible experience. Its taught me a lot about personal responsibilty, independence, and about driving skills in general. At the end of the summer I racked up a couple thousand miles and decided to move onto the next step. A 600cc bike. And thankfully I chose the best bike on the entire planet! Woohoo, 04' Gixxer 600. It has been nothing but absolutely amazing.
I road it away from the dealership and stalled it at a light. Haha it was embarassing but I learned quickly. Now the bike is like an extension of my hands. I still haven't gone down and plan on improving my gear collection for this upcoming season.
Now my younger cousin is into the biking scene and he has started where I started last summer, with a blue ninja 250. He's gunna start riding with me when he gets his permit in June. The kid with the yellow 250 upgraded to a 620 monster duke, and the kid with the silver 250 still has it and all of our bikes have treated us great. I can't wait for the summer to come!!!
Thanks everyone!
