Jayne down then straight back up again

[Jayneflakes]

:smt061

I finally got to ride Silvie, my gorgeous SV650S, after two and a half years of ownership and all I can say is what a machine she is. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

However, when we pulled up in the car park outside Carols Nan's house, the front wheel slid on gravel and I ended up on my back with the machine on its side. It was a really stupid mistake and thankfully I was not hurt and there was no visible damage to the bike. Carol nearly freaked and in no uncertain terms told me that I had to be more careful when on a loose surface. She then picked up the bike for me and checked it over, before making sure I was fine.

We parked the bikes up and although I was a bit shocked, I was OK and we spent a couple of hours with Nanny Noreen, who was lovely and kind in not teasing me about falling over on my first ride.

The ride back homeward was scary, the SV is so powerful and the engine braking is another thing I am going to have to get used to, after the CG's tiny amount. I had a couple of wobbles while I got accustomed to her and was starting to find my feet as we pulled up outside my dear friend Nikki's house. Nikki's girlfriend Angie came out to see me and was almost as excited to see me on my bike as I was. Nikki was full of her gentle humour and only laughed a little bit when I told her that I had fallen off already.

Sadly, some one took a dislike to the CG, which Carol chose to ride today, while it was parked outside Nikki's and drove their car into it, knocking it over, bending the side stand forwards and damaging the bike. They then drove off and left the bike sat on its exhaust pipe. We now need a new side stand and centre stand, but for now the bike is in the garage leaning against my recumbent pushbike. Carol was quite upset because she felt responsible for the bike being hit by a car driving idiot, but it was parked correctly and was not in anyones way. Some people are just nasty and driving off like that was rude, I hope that they feel guilty for what they did.

The final ride home was lovely, I was getting used to all of that power (33BHP!) and was starting to find the throttle was not as on/off as it originally felt, the clutch was so light, even compared to the CG and the gear box was satin smooth. It is such an awesome machine. It is going to take me a while to get used to the bike, it was after all only my first day out on the bike. It would be nice if I could grow as confident on the SV as I am on the CG, but that will only come with time and riding. Big bikes are amazing.

I can feel my enthusiasm gland just got big again! :smt041:smt041:smt041:smt041

[husky03]

well done mrs- gravel is a pain in the a$$ but no damage and a lesson learned

[barwel1992]

NICE ONE !!! :D

shame about the drop but ohh well its all a learning experience

and car drivers rely are c0ck's

[ArtyLady]

Glad you were okay - most of us have done it at some time or other! I avoid gravel still to this day! ;)

[Geodude]

Well done Jayne :D and i hope whichever nugget knocked Henry over has ended up with a dent or a big scratch.

[Bluefish]

first ride and a spill allready,bummer, well at least you have got that out of the way, now just get out there and get some miles in, you will soon get used to it. happy rideing. :p

[kellyjo]

I too dropped it on gravel, doing a u-turn, on my first ride out, and it was probably one of the best things that could have happened. It made me realise just what i was dealing with and how much i had to focus and think about what i was doing. A few scratches and no speed involved was the best way to learn a very valuable lesson.

Glad you got straight back on and glad you're lovin' it :p

[Cymraeg_Atodeg]

Almost did the same when I was pulling into a car park on the A470 up in the Breacons, but, as long as you are alright, that is that matters :thumbsup:

[garynortheast]

Glad you're ok. Hope there's no damage to the bike.

You don't have to be a beginner to fall off. A couple of years back I was out on the 400 gixer and I pulled into a layby to use the toilets there. As I stopped I flicked the sidestand down and started to step off the bike only to discover that the sidestand hadn't gone right down and the bike toppled over with me still on it! I squashed my foot between the fairing and the deck and it took me a minute to extricate myself. Meanwhile the berk in the car parked opposite me stayed sat where he was and made no attempt to offer help or check that I was ok despite seeing me fall over with the bike......

And I've only been riding 38 years! As I say, not just new riders.

[dizzyblonde]

sounds like my first voyage on the SV after a hefty 'back on the road' mechanics bill.
Went to show off to me mate who lives on an unadopted road, saw big lake in pothole, decided to go for the gravel next to it instead, lost tracking and fell foot first in the pothole I was avoiding!! Very deep and caused Suzy scars, as a nice man helped her up for me but she slid on the gravel :-(
Does make you a bit wobbly after doesn't it?
But you got back on and enjoyed it,,, good for you :-)

Whats reallllly bad luck is the CG, thats just a really sh11ty thing to do and drive off.

[ChrisSV]

Nice to hear your enjoying your bike.
youll soon get used to it :) i put both feet down at juntions and lights for my first 2 days of ownership, and i fell over in a supermarket carpark on me first ride out, infront of me mum and friends, so dont worry about it.
hope you and bikey have lotsa good times together :)

Hope the Kn*b in the car who knocked you CG got his car damage. Wa**er!

[Holdup]

:(

but yaaaaaaaaaaaay, enjoy the new found power Jayne :D

[tanis34]

well done and welcome to th big toys gravel is a bitch its caught me out before as well

[Jayneflakes]

Thank you everyone for your kind words of encouragement. It was a wonderful experience for me to be riding such a big bike and I shall indeed be clocking up a few miles in the next few weeks as I learn how to handle that huge amount of power! Seriously, I think 33BHP is loads at the moment and is more than enough to scare me silly.

Carol has mentioned to me that I should go for a ride on Monday and see our friend Wayne. He is a great chap and another biker, he lives in Bristol and that is a scary ride for me just now. However, I am a big girl (in more than one way sadly :( ) so hopefully it will be nice weather. :p
:smt061

[Cymraeg_Atodeg]

Big!? Yours is only a 650, lol

[Jayneflakes]

Big!? Yours is only a 650, lol

and restricted too... I know, I am a sad little girly! :smt061

[Cymraeg_Atodeg]

As long as you are little, then, it is all good. Thou's are hard work, trust me, I know... lol

[fenjer]

I've dropped mine on gravel too - blooming frustrating! lol

Good luck with future ride outs, shiny side up and all that! :)

[Bri w]

You will be amazed at how you will get used to the new power, and how easy it comes to you.

Clutch control and good brakes can catch you out. Spend some time on a local industrial estate or Tesco carpark getting used to both.#

Its easy peasy, relax and enjoy

[widepants]

Give me a pm hun and we can go for a bimble.
weston lad u know

[Jayneflakes]

Give me a pm hun and we can go for a bimble.
weston lad u know

Awww, thank you. It will be a while before I am ready for a proper ride, so far I am finding it hard to keep up with the wife when she is on my 125 or her skateboard! :smt082

You coming over for Weston Bike Night on the 6th of May? If you do, let us know and we can come and say hello. :smt061

[Jayneflakes]

Carol took this photo just before I put my gloves and jacket on this morning. She also bought me some new bike trousers only yesterday, just so I would look like a real sports bike hooligan today.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs445.snc3/25552_431135730827_684250827_5508342_6343590_n.jpg

My lass is wicked.
:smt061

[carternd]

Arr, CG's are hard as a bag o'nails! they can take nearly any ill treatment! Congrats on first ride, don't worry about that, it's not a proper crash if you're parking, you just dropped it prior to stopping, that's all!

A recumbent bicycle - how cool!

[missyburd]

Well done Jayne on the recovery, bet that really shook you up at first! At least now you've done it you know you will be twice as careful on loose ground next time :-)

And so sorry to hear about the CG, gees if someone did that to mine I'd, I'd, I'd, damn I don't know but they'd regret it!!! #shakes fist# Tis a good thing parts are relatively cheap and fairly easy to find. We're just on the lookout for a new kickstart lever for mine, seem cheap enough at 15 quid so not sniffing at that! :D

[Essex of Essex]

At very low speed (walking pace) and on loose surfaces use the rear brake only, a locked up rear wheel is much less of a problem than the front.

[Cymraeg_Atodeg]

How about when your not breaking at all?

Then it is if you can catch it with your legs, lol

[carternd]

Well done Jayne on the recovery, bet that really shook you up at first! At least now you've done it you know you will be twice as careful on loose ground next time :-)

And so sorry to hear about the CG, gees if someone did that to mine I'd, I'd, I'd, damn I don't know but they'd regret it!!! #shakes fist# Tis a good thing parts are relatively cheap and fairly easy to find. We're just on the lookout for a new kickstart lever for mine, seem cheap enough at 15 quid so not sniffing at that! :D

They bump-start easily enough in 3rd, don't let that put you off...

...gets a bit sweaty in a helmet though!

[missyburd]

They bump-start easily enough in 3rd, don't let that put you off...

...gets a bit sweaty in a helmet though!

I can believe that actually, YC bumps mine in first on an incline so I'll have to learn the knack! :-)

[Bibio]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ-fDxfUD58

[Jayneflakes]

Had a proper ride today, went to meet the wife for lunch and took the bike out for a quick spin. I must admit that I did kind of take the long way to meet her, but the bike handles beautifully, although the suspension was a little firm compared to the ropey old CG125.

After lunch I took the A370 back home and dropped onto the Motorway and followed it down to the next exit at Highbridge. I don't know what I was so scared of, the bike has such manners and will sit at motorway speed easily. Having cars tearing past though was slightly disconcerting, they probably thought I was a bit slow because I was not going over 70mph, however this was my first time at speed and I did kind of love it.

I stopped to say hi to a friend at his work on the way home and he asked me why I had such a huge grin, I just pointed at my bike and he gave me such a hug. He has his car test in two weeks and he is as excited about that as I was for my bike tests.

I made a discovery today though, I don't have to sit behind Mr Slow, when the road hits national speed limit, anymore, it just takes a blip and my Sylvie roars from 40 up to 60 with such grace and ease. It is a revelation. Why did I wait until I was nearly forty before doing this? :D

Today was one of the best of my life so far, the world just got a little smaller. :D

[missyburd]

Aww lovely to read you're getting so much pleasure from Sylvie Jayne, chuffed for you. Wishing you many weeks of happy riding on her :)

[ChrisSV]

Nice to hear your enjoying your bike :) keep it up

[yorkie_chris]

Wait till you try it full power :-D

[Triv650]

I'm so jealous right now Jayne. Infact, I Need Your Clothes Your Boots and Your Motorcycle.

[BanannaMan]

Today was one of the best of my life so far, the world just got a little smaller. :D




Well done. Off and riding on your own.
Glad you are enjoying it. :thumbsup:

[Jayneflakes]

Wait till you try it full power :-D

Funny, I used to think that my little 125 was pretty mean until I moved up to 33BHP. Just thinking about riding makes me feel all excited. I still have a lot to learn before I am ready for full power though. Is it wrong to be thinking about what I want next? I got passed by a deep red VFR the other day and it was beautiful... :-$


I'm so jealous right now Jayne. Infact, I Need Your Clothes Your Boots and Your Motorcycle.

Funny, a lot of people don't like my girly pink jacket. :smt061

The bike though is amazing and so responsive, even with 33BHP. :D

Thank you every one for your kind words, encouragement and advice, getting on my SV has been a long time in coming and I really love my bike. I have learned a lot from you folks about how to look after my bike and what to check etc. So thank you, from a really happy brand new SV rider. Right, I am going out to play with my CG now, he needs some work doing to him. :smt040

[carternd]

I can believe that actually, YC bumps mine in first on an incline so I'll have to learn the knack! :-)
Not very hard, click the gear-lever up from neutral to go straight into 2nd, up again (you may have to clonk the bike back ad forth), hold in the clutch, run with the bike as fast as you can, let go of the clutch (quickly, don't slip it), when it fires pull in the clutch again.

[yorkie_chris]

I use second, easy enough if you drop your **** on it.