Been a long time

So in the last month or so I've been pretty busy with next to nothing to blog about. The biggest change that I've made is that I bought a motorcycle. It's one of those things that is nowhere near as dangerous as the stats make it out to be due to the activity attracting maniac retards who end up killing themselves. The biggest things to worry about are intersections and traffic moving in other directions.

Anyhow, it's fun as all hell. I got an Aprilia SL 750 Shiver, mainly because it was one of 3 bikes that felt right when I sat on them. The other 2 options had a lot more power, and a 750 seemed "weak" enough to both learn on and to be powerful enough even in the future after I feel more comfortable with my riding. The other 2 options were also 4 and 9 thousand dollars more, which was also part of the decision making process.

The computer controls the throttle, and there are 3 modes. Rain, Touring, and Sport. I spent several days in Rain mode getting comfortable since the throttle is nerfed. I've now upgraded myself to Touring mode, and I doubt I'll ever use Sport mode except on track days. I tried it for about 30 seconds and went back to Touring mode. It turns the bike into a rocket.

It's pretty damn relaxing to be out there riding on empty roads. I always hated automatic cars since I feel like I have absolutely no control over what the engine and transmission are doing. A motorcycle is always a manual, plus the way you handle it is far more immersive. Plus you're right there in the wind, zipping along and loving every minute of it.

My goal now is to become a decent rider, and after that I'll try to get good, and then better than that. At the same time I'm hoping to demonstrate that it's really not that hard to be safe on a bike and avoid death - just don't be a retard, and actually work at getting good with handling it.