My first bike is great, June isn't

[Phoenix Kat]

Hey there everyone. I just got my first bike last Friday and figured since she's a Katana, that I'd join this forum and learn how to blog. It seems to have been a good choice so far.

My first question is gonna have to be, how do you deal with riding in Phoenix, AZ and the like?

[SilentTJ]

never been to phoenix, been the tucson though. i would treat it like i do my riding down here in south florida. very very carefully. pay attention at all times, never let your mind wander. have you taken the MSF basic rider course(BRC) yet? if you haven't sign up for it now, or as soon as possible. take things slow and steady for awhile until you become truly acquainted with your bike. learn the ins and outs of it. go to parking lots and practice the low speed stuff a lot. u-turns and such. after the BRC, i rode very cautiously. i didn't even go near the highway for a good couple months until i felt absolutely comfortable riding in traffic. just remember, the street is not a track. don't push yourself beyond your limits. always look over your shoulders when changing lanes, don't just check the mirrors and assume it's clear. practice emergency braking until it's second nature. lots of clutch practice, get a good feel for the friction zone. probably the best piece of advice i have ever heard when it comes to riding. pretend you are invisible at all times. the fact of the matter is, many many people do not see motorcycles. they aren't used to seeing them on the road, and as a result, when they see one, their brain doesn't recognize it and they so don't really see it. congrats on your first bike, and ride safe. and most of all, ENJOY IT! there is no greater feeling then riding a bike as far as i'm concerned, enjoy every second of it.

[acraze]

welcome to KR! there is alot of good info in here.
If you are asking about the heat get a mesh or perforated leathers.

[Phoenix Kat]

Thanks for all the advice. I haven't taken a course yet, but plan on it soon. After the stress/fear I've been having riding these last few days, I think I'll make an appointment tomorrow. Aside from the dangers of riding, I'm already loving it. Driving a car doesn't come close.

[zuma]

Wear gear and a helmet too.

[JokerZwild]

Atgatt!

[acraze]

Atgatt!

yay google! didnt now what it ment

So, you're probably wondering why I would say ATGATT (all the gear all the time)

[alien]

Welcome to KR.

[CenCalKat]

Welcome to KR!

[diavolo]

Welcome!

[jedney]

Welcome to KR!

[Nero]

Welcome!

[jstanforth]

welcome to kr!

[Enjay386]

Welcome. June has been a horrible month here in NY so far too. Currently our 10 day forecast has only one day that will be without rain. Oh wait... I just refreshed the page, never mind, all 10 days will include rain.

[Psycho1]

Welcome to the forum. There's several other KR members living in the Phoenix and surounding area. Might not be a bad idea to post up in the regional thread and maybe get out on a group ride or two. Might help you to have someone more experienced sort of monitor your riding so they can give you pointers/tips. Kind of like a mentor lol. We do that with our riding group whenever we get new riders that ask for help/advice, and it works great. I got in some riding in Phoenix last Nov, and didn't think it was to terribly bad traffic wise, but you still need to treat every car as if the driver wants to kill you, same as you would anywhere else when on a bike.