^^ Thank God for contacts!
With my new Scorpion, I don't have to deal with sunglasses, with the flip down visor/shade.

I love the predator helmet. You can ride with me anytime.

All good advice given here.
Take a saftey course!

Helmets go by head shape so you'll need to try them on. Revzilla's great with returns but if you happen to have a skull cap to put on first the next buyer will appreciate it. I wear sunglasses with my Shoei RF1200 with no problem. A lot of newer helmets have channels for glasses too.

Sorry if this comes across as peeing in your Cheerios but sell it.

I have been riding for 40 years. I have had dirt bikes, sport bikes, cruisers and touring bikes. I now have a 675 cc Triumph Street Triple. I never owned a V Rod but I did ride one once. A V Rod is a great bike for what it is and is really beautiful. I can easily see why it would be enticing. But it is not a starter bike. Because of power, length and weight it is difficult to maneuver, easy to let it get away from you. Even just turning a corner the geometry of the V Rod requires that the turn not be too sharp and there is less room to lean the bike in if you take one too fast, which happens to the best of us sometimes. Whatever experience you had 40 years ago is not going to take you very far today.

Personally if I had not ridden for 40 years or ever I would not be taking it up at all in my mid 60's but that's me.

If you really have your heart set on returning to riding then sell it or park it, buy a used 250 (unless you are a really big guy in which case get something slightly bigger) which I believe is used in many MSF beginner corses, get the gear, take the course and ride that for a while, 6 months or more, until you get back the experience and jusgment. You can then sell the smaller bike for pretty much what you paid for it.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
Looking at the Arai helmet options and it occurs to me how does one deal with helmets and glasses?

Many/most modern full face helmets have channels between the cushions to route your eyeglass temples.

Here's a trick I wish I'd learned decades ago:



Put on the helmet.

Put on your eyeglasses through the helmet's view port, and sit on the bike in riding position.



If they are positioned perfectly, you're good to go.

If the glasses need to move up or down to rest on your nose and allow you to see straight out the centers, grip the helmet with both hands and slightly
rotate the helmet up or down, left or right.

This is much less frustrating than trying to reposition the glasses themselves inside the helmet.

I am a 120 pound, 5'2" girl. In 1995 I took the motorcycle safety course, bought a Kawasaki Vulcan 500, that was used. My friend's husband that rode, test drove it for me & said it'd be a good bike to learn on. That thing was top heavy & I did not feel comfortable on it. Didn't drive it much. Sold it.

Moved across country, then saw my "dream bike" online. Found & bought one, online, sight unseen, my brother went to look at it & said it's in great shape. It was located on the other side of the country. Got it shipped to me. It was too tall for me. We had the forks compressed, foam in the seat shaved, & a couple of other things to make it as short as possible without compromising handling. I think that was in the early 2000's. 1996 Triumph Adventurer 900. I absolutely LOVE that bike & will never sell it. For about 5 years it was my only transportation. I had no car at all. It has a great center of gravity & handles so well & is very zippy. I've even had men with much larger bikes that have hopped on it & mention how much more power it had than they expected & how agile it is.

In November we bought a 2018 Indian Scout (NOT the 60). Has all the hard Bags and windshield, etc. Much different bike, but both my feet are firmly planted on the ground. I am on my tippy toes with the Triumph. Although this bike is "bigger" I can actually maneuver it better when starting & stopping. Turning is not an issue, just different.

Both bikes will get up & go, but the Triumph feels like I am getting an arm workout just twisting the throttle, the Indian, barely touch it & you might fall off the back. Go slow, get use to the feel of the individual bike. When I got my Triumph, I then lived in a major city & was years since I had my starter bike. I did not get or have anyplace without traffic to start out. What I did was map out a plan to do all right hand turns for my 1st few outings so I didn't have to put myself in danger of stalling it while pulling left to cross a high traffic area. Just did the same route day after day til I got more comfortable with it.

I actually do not recommend riding with someone at first cos you tend to try to keep up with them. One of the 1st times I rode with someone, we were going someplace unfamiliar to me, my friend forgot where to turn & made a last minute decision to turn. I should have just calmly went straight, did a U-turn when I could while he pulled over to wait for me, then meet up with him but instead, you just react. I also made a last minute decision to make the turn, I slid, kept it upright, fish tailed a bit, scared the crap out of me. It could have been really bad.

In the last few years I have started wearing bright colors (I have a bright orange jacket & a bright yellow vest with reflective strips on it. It really is amazing how many fewer close calls I have had just because people see me better. I can literally see people's heads pop a fast glance that they realize I am there.

Keep us posted on what you end up doing.

Oh, forgot... I have major sensitivities to light & wear sun glasses even while riding at night. Only problem I ever have with glasses & helmets is the side brackets of the glasses are too long so when my helmet is on, it pushes the glasses forward & they fall down on my nose so I take a cup of boiling water, dip the end of the glasses in the water then bend them so they wrap around my ear so they don't hit the back of the helmet & they stay put on my face. Sometimes, if you ride in cold weather, they fog up on you too. I prefer to put my glasses on 1st, then my helmet. Try both ways to see what works for you.

^^ Some good points there.

The only 'group' riding I've done has been with my father-in-law.
Since I'm much more familiar with the area, I usually lead & he typically keeps about 2 bike lengths behind me.

I'd think for a newer rider, if you're both familiar with the area, have the more experienced rider follow (and communicate before setting off, the route intended), so you aren't having to deal with 'keeping up'. And, if needed, they can maybe give some pointers from watching your form/technique.

1st get 100% legal as per you state laws and your insurance company. in some states without proper documentation you will be left out in the cold if involved in a accident even if is not your fault. take a safety riders course for yourself . some insurance actually offer lower rates after course completion. Proper safety gear is a must. Do not even think about a "novelity" helmet. Take it slow and enjoy. The suggestion of getting a smaller starter bike could be a good idea . If you deciede to keep the bike just take it slow and enjoy the "ride". ....................................... drill sgt.

All of this is gold advice. Thank you so much! I enjoyed reading MagicHorse's account. I almost had myself talked out of keeping it and then the weather was so perfect out today all the bikers were sporting their rides. I think I'll buy a helmet and take the class at Harley. From there I'll know whether I need a trainer bike and what that should be. Even with the limitations/liabilities natural to the V-rod, I just think it is beautiful. The only thing is I haven't told Mrs DF what's in my mind on this. She still thinks I'm selling it.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I love the predator helmet. You can ride with me anytime.

That would be way fun. Too bad we are on opposite sides of the country.

I’ve never been in a motorcycle accident, riding for 35+ years. I guess it could happen tomorrow. I ride like I’m INVISIBLE.

Just saying, it takes more effort than the average car trip.

Bikes are the best man. Don’t listen to the nay sayers. Get legal and ride it! Have some fun.

This just happened. You meet the most interesting people while out on a ride.



Super cool owner! He is even showing me and some random dude the cargo space this Italian thing has.

Tennis shoes? Vest no jacket? 1/2 squid buddy.

I got back into riding last year after having spent hardly any time on the seat of my 1980 GS1100L for the last 35 years...bought new in 1980 and 3,700 miles on it until last year.

I definitely respect the power more than I did 40 years ago and it took me a couple of hundred miles to feel mostly comfortable again.I rode mainly blacktop back roads at about 45-55 mph for that time...picked up full face helmet, gloves, boots, and a full set of leathers...don't always wear the chaps.

I've put 1500 miles on my bike since last year and have enjoyed every mile.I'm 66 now and had almost a 40 year stretch of no riding and it came back quickly and I hope it would happen to you if you decide to ride again. I suggest getting to know the mechanicals of your bike so you know and respect what you are siitting on at 60+mph.
My suggestion....go for it and if you don't feel comfortable then sell it and 60's is a great age to get back into riding.

IMG_4123

Had my 2003 VRod since new - Paid the most you could Pay - If I sell it now I'd have to finally take the loss. Every spring when I start it - It's not for Sale. Super low center of gravity and even nicer for short legs - I'm tall and no issues either.

Enjoy the VRod.

Thank you for responding with your experiences and perspectives. Turns out I don’t have to tell Mrs DF. She knew I couldn’t sell it. lol. When we were expecting our first Jr DF I gave up all of my dangerous and risky behavior. She asked me to postpone killing myself until after the kids were grown. Over the years I lost the drive for that kind of excitement. I’m mature enough now to understand the risks. She knows me and when I agreed to buy the V-rod she knew I wouldn’t be able to sell it. So when I approached her last night she cut me off and gave me her blessing with the condition that I do as you all have advised.

DF, you have a keeper there for sure!

The bike is a keeper, too. Ride it and have fun!

https://www.aerostich.com/sale

Gear. You needs some.

Bruce