Last Sunday finally pulled the trigger on my dream bike – a beastly 1200cc cruiser. Felt like mounting a rocket on wheels. Stupid rookie mistake right off the bat: didn’t adjust the clutch reach. Nearly dropped it backing out of the dealer lot cause my fingers couldn’t fully squeeze that lever. Embarrassing AF.
Pre-Ride Reality Check
Before hitting actual roads, I forced myself to do parking lot drills for 3 hours straight. Muscle memory ain’t optional on this machine. Practiced emergency stops until my forearms screamed – learned real quick that stabbing brakes at 40mph equals instant front wheel slide. Scraped my boot hard enough to melt rubber.
Gear That Actually Saved My Skin
- Full-face helmet – took a wasp hit at 60mph during practice run. Would’ve been hospital time without it
- Armored gloves – vibes from those handlebars made my hands numb in 20 minutes without padding
- Stiff ankle boots – stopped my foot from folding under the bike during that near-drop incident
First Highway Experience
Thought I’d mastered throttle control till merging onto I-5. Twisted too hard entering the fast lane – rear tire spun like a top under acceleration. Panic-slammed the clutch… bad move. The engine screamed like a demon while bike wobbled violently. Truth bomb learned: smooth inputs or eat pavement. Spent next exit lurching off to puke behind a billboard.
Crawled back home doing 45mph in slow lane feeling properly humbled. That 1200 taught me more in one afternoon than my old 250 ever did. Still jittery but hooked forever.
