The Long Way Home, Tips for your first ride home

I have been storing my bike at my Dad's house until I got all the paperwork squared away to ride it on the street. Now that task is done and paid for I had the pleasure of driving it home last night. This would be similar to your ride home with the bike after you buy it for the first time. I'd been looking for some time and other circumstances had kept me off a bike since I took the basic MSF class about 8 months ago.

There's three main points to consider before you go pick that bike up and hit the road whether this is your first bike or whether you're a seasoned rider. You must consider your equipment/clothing, your

"break in" time, and your route home. Now the first and third points you know what I'm going to talk about. But the "break in" time I'm more referring to the meld that happens between your body and that machine. It doesn't just happen by sitting on the bike. It happens when you take some quality time to really get to know that bike and how to saddle it. Much of how you get home depends upon your skill and confidence level. Remember that confidence does not equal skill and even if you know a skill you must have confidence in your ability to perform that skill in order for it to serve you.

Equipment on you and on your bike are things to consider when picking it up. Does the bike have big panniers on the side of it that you're not used to riding with? Maybe take those things off and let your buddy who drove you up there take em back for you. Is there anything tricky about the controls that the previous owner can get you familiar with? Check out the bike's state. TCLOCS is what the MSF course teaches. Tires, Controls, Lights, Oil, Chasis, and Stands. Don't want to be moving down the road when you find out the stand doesn't stay up or your brake light doesn't work. Equipment on yourself is up to you. Obviously the best thing to have is all the protective gear you can when you ride. However if you're just starting out like I am then you're going to be short some stuff.
You MUST have a helmet. Some full fingered gloves, a heavy jacket and layer up those pants. More layers of thicker clothing could help if you fall and need to use the road as a slip and slide. We can't all afford full leather suits right off the bat here. Have some type of reflective gear too. Don't ever think it's too little to make a difference. Anything might help.

I had the ability to ride the bike a bit through some residential streets for a few days before I drove home but it's not a bad idea to do that for some time before you hit the road. Even 20 minutes could help that meld to form. Get to know that bike on some slower speed residential streets before you get into situations at 60mph on the interstate. Even if you're a seasoned rider and you aren't out of practice like I was, it's still a good idea to take some time to get used to the bike. Even if the ride back home is short, you need to know the bike and your abilities before someone turns left in front of you and you have minimal time to analyze the situation and react. Get your starts down, feel that clutch out. Do plenty of quick stops and get those brakes worked out.

When you plan your route home you have to assess what type of riding you're more comfortable with. If you're a experienced rider then go hit that highway and get home. If you're like me and this is pretty much your first time out you may not want to be on the highways. I was not comfortable getting straight onto the highway and making decisions a those speeds. I picked a route that took me around the towns and not through them. Nice single lane roads that start out about 35 - 40 mph, then build up to two lane roads with 40 - 50 mph. Eventually I went straight through Tacoma which wasn't bad. Of course this was on a Sunday which was a good day to do this. Know your route too so you don't take a wrong turn at Albuquerque and end up at Point Defiance. A beautiful place but it's a few miles off course and a good 30 extra minutes on my ride. Which leads me to, leave with enough time to do your trip in the daytime! A little more to deal with at night with other drivers than during the day. Not a good idea for your first time.

These are most of the things I thought about before I took the ride home. From Auburn to almost Lacey in about 40 miles and a couple hours after the scenic detour. Only spent about 5 minutes on the interstate at the end. The scenic detour though, was awesome. I felt like I was able to enjoy what was around me so much easier on the bike than I do in a car. Even though it delayed me and meant I was going the wrong way I was still able to enjoy the scene with the ferries (not fairies) on the water and the sun going down. Very nice jewel in the rough of getting lost. Hope your travels are as safe as mine was last night. All considered I think I did real well on the bike and much better than I expected. Keep the tips above in consideration as you prepare for your next ride. Whether it's your first one or your umpteenth one, riding is a skill that must be honed to allow many more years of enjoying it.

Don't forget to hang up your distractions and drive yo!