Got my first motorcycle today(added a picture)

[John Sanford]

Last, but not least. Make sure you "courtesy wave" the bikes you pass. It doesn't matter if they are HD's, cruisers or street bikes.

Or scooters. If they're on two wheels, with no pedals, then give 'em a wave.

Get more protective gear ASAP. That means gloves, boots, and riding pants, in that order of priority. Boots are really the only one of the three where non-mc specific gear can be a decent substitute. Jeans provide slightly more protection than a t-shirt. Slightly.

Ear plugs. Use 'em. Your motorcycle may not be very loud, but the wind roaring by at 65mph will be.

Insure that the following are done, either by the shop or yourself:

1. Linkage adjustment on the shifter.
2. Change the oil. If the oil does *NOT* say "energy conserving" on the 'shield' then it can be used in wet-clutch bikes. Motorcycles with wet clutches (the vast majority) are picky about oil. Do NOT use a "high mileage" or "extended life" oil, they have additives which will disagree with your clutch. O'Reilly's Auto Parts currently has a sale on Mobil 1 synthetics, the one by me applied the sale price to the motorcycle Mobil 1 as well.
3. Change the coolant (if it is liquid cooled).
4. Change the brake fluid.

Strongly suggested.

1. Add a headlight modulator.
2. Add a brakelight modulator.
3. Replace the pathetic stock horn with a Fiamm Freeway Blaster or equivalent.

Welcome to the road, enjoy, and beware. Motorcycling can be addicting...

[John Sanford]

Loud muzzles may piss some people off BUT a loud muzzle will help the hard of hearing driver to noticed you and do not forget about the driver with a Loud radio

A pipe loud enough to help the hard of hearing driver in a modern non-econo sedan hear you is going to be loud enough to attract every cop in 5 miles. The idea that "loud pipes save lives" had far more validity in the day of open cab Model T's without radios than it does in our modern age of Blaupunkt sound systems in a Mercedes S Class luxury car. In short, the cost of using loud pipes (p'o'd public, cardiac'd geezers, your own hearing loss, entertaining encounters with The Law, etc) have gone up significantly while the potential benefits have, simply due to changes in cars, have gone down. One cannot say categorically that loud pipes WILL NEVER SAVE ANOTHER LIFE, but the odds of doing so are much lower than they once were, while the cost continues to escalate.

There is no "will" save or "will" piss off, merely "may".

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Or scooters. If they're on two wheels, with no pedals, then give 'em a wave.

Doh! How could I forget to add them? Yes. We must wave to the scooters too!! We don't see them on the road very often, although I'm sure they are around more populated towns and cities.

[ray hampton]

A pipe loud enough to help the hard of hearing driver in a modern non-econo sedan hear you is going to be loud enough to attract every cop in 5 miles. The idea that "loud pipes save lives" had far more validity in the day of open cab Model T's without radios than it does in our modern age of Blaupunkt sound systems in a Mercedes S Class luxury car. In short, the cost of using loud pipes (p'o'd public, cardiac'd geezers, your own hearing loss, entertaining encounters with The Law, etc) have gone up significantly while the potential benefits have, simply due to changes in cars, have gone down. One cannot say categorically that loud pipes WILL NEVER SAVE ANOTHER LIFE, but the odds of doing so are much lower than they once were, while the cost continues to escalate.

There is no "will" save or "will" piss off, merely "may".

You are right in some towns because the driver keep the A C or heater going and every window close

[Christopher Clark]

Don't worry about neutral. You're stopped when you need it and if you're riding the last thing you want is an accidental shift to neutral.
...Loud pipes may work if they pointed forward, but they don't.
Bright clothing and helmets help you get noticed by texting, inattentive drivers. I wear a fluorescent yellow helmet and bright yellow striped jackets when I ride on the street. Stay alert, a car always wins in an accident.
Have fun on your new bike!

[Rick Potter]

Very nice,

Sure beats my first bike, a 1947 Cushman single speed motor scooter. It took a documented 30 seconds to go from a start and cross a 4 lane street.

Have fun, stay safe.

Rick Potter

[Jason Roehl]

If it won't click into neutral, try manually rolling the bike forward or backward a few inches.

Loud pipes are just annoying. Period. I've had plenty of mid-life-crisis-Harleys-with-crazy-loud-pipes come up behind me, and I didn't hear them until they were next to me--because the pipes are pointed rearward. Modern car cabins are very well insulated from exterior noise, and are getting better and far more prevalent. And the people who will hate your loud pipes the most are your neighbors because they will hear them the most, especially as you're warming up the bike in a high idle. They're also not good for your own hearing.

Assume NO ONE sees you. Don't hang out behind/next to semis--they kick up LOTS of crap off the road, and if they lose a tread (happens often)...

Also, remember that you can stop very quickly. This has great advantages, but not if someone is following you too closely (let them pass, don't speed up, or they'll just be tailgating you at a higher speed, which is worse).

[ray hampton]

If it won't click into neutral, try manually rolling the bike forward or backward a few inches.

Loud pipes are just annoying. Period. I've had plenty of mid-life-crisis-Harleys-with-crazy-loud-pipes come up behind me, and I didn't hear them until they were next to me--because the pipes are pointed rearward. Modern car cabins are very well insulated from exterior noise, and are getting better and far more prevalent. And the people who will hate your loud pipes the most are your neighbors because they will hear them the most, especially as you're warming up the bike in a high idle. They're also not good for your own hearing.

Assume NO ONE sees you. Don't hang out behind/next to semis--they kick up LOTS of crap off the road, and if they lose a tread (happens often)...

Also, remember that you can stop very quickly. This has great advantages, but not if someone is following you too closely (let them pass, don't speed up, or they'll just be tailgating you at a higher speed, which is worse).

I wonder about how many of you drivers that charge lanes when a motor cycle are beside your car and you can not see them and can not here them because someone told them that loud pipes are out, I have cars also pull up beside the vehicle that I were driving and the cars were hard to see so my post are against any vehicle driver whom try to dance with the bigger vehicle

[Pat Barry]

Riding a bike can be a great experience or a complete disaster and the experience can change from great to disaster in an instant, literally. As a motorcycle rider you HAVE TO ASSUME that you are not seen by other drivers. Therefore you need to be hyper-aware of your surroundings. Lots of good advice posted but its up to you to stay out of potentially nasty situations and never to trust the other drivers, regardless of who has the right of way, for example. You have to make yourself seen and you have to avoid being in the blind spots of other drivers. Being visible though loud pipes can help in some situations I suppose but, I think driving very defensively makes a lot more sense. Just think that every situation can quickly lead to you being in grave danger. Strange things happen - I've had bee's fly into my helmet and sting me while driving in heavy traffic on the freeway. I've been hit in the forehead by a small rock that came off the dump truck 4 cars ahead of me. I've had cars make left turns (and stop in the intersection) right in front of me. I've had buses and trucks cut me off while waiting for a stop light at an intersection. Any of these could have ended up with me in an ambulance or hearse.

[Rod Sheridan]

How true, loud pipes do not help with safety, loud clothing does.

My BMW has a decal on the back that says "loud shirts save lives", I wear a hi viz Darien jacket, orange helmet and the bike has hi viz tank panniers and tank bag.

Enjoy your new bike, take a rider training course if you haven't, I taught for years and I gurantee that you'll never learn through trial and error what the course will teach you.............Oh, and always use ATGATT....................All The Gear, All The Time................Rod

[Jeremy Hamaker]

Curtis, that's a really cool looking bike! I like the color and the styling. They give it a vintage look I really enjoy. Congratulations!

My two (or more) cents on the above:
Yes, ATGATT. The pavement doesn't care that you were only 1/2 a mile from your house on a quick dash for a cheeseburger, vs. a cross-state ride. If you're on the bike ever, you could be off it. So you need all of your gear, all of the time.
Yes, wear a helmet, always, regardless of the laws of your state. (anti-helmet law myself, rabidly PRO helmet).
Always make it FULL-FACE. The majority of head-involved motorcycle crashes include a hit to the jaw (according to a study I read...). Personally, I'm sitting at my desk right now with my 'reminder' of a year-ago sitting next to me. The -divots- in the helmet's chin-bar and the completely scraped up plastic shield are testament to where my jaw and face would have been permanently destroyed...
Yes, get thee to a motorcycle course first thing!!
A personal recommendation is to read and re-read the following books, yearly: Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough, and More Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough.
Don't let all this danger talk -scare- you, but do let it motivate you to be educated and do what's necessary to reduce unnecessary risk, and still maximize Joy!!
(and do be patient with all us advice-givers...)

[ray hampton]

How true, loud pipes do not help with safety, loud clothing does.

My BMW has a decal on the back that says "loud shirts save lives", I wear a hi viz Darien jacket, orange helmet and the bike has hi viz tank panniers and tank bag.

Enjoy your new bike, take a rider training course if you haven't, I taught for years and I gurantee that you'll never learn through trial and error what the course will teach you.............Oh, and always use ATGATT....................All The Gear, All The Time................Rod

you know about the blind spot , so what good are loud clothes when the driver are in front of your cycle ? DO WE had a blind spot where we can not heard any sound

[Jason Roehl]

you know about the blind spot , so what good are loud clothes when the driver are in front of your cycle ? DO WE had a blind spot where we can not heard any sound

I was taught to turn my head to check my blind spot, in addition to using my mirrors. Bright clothing will help the speck of a motorcycle stand out in a mirror or peripheral vision.

The point is to make yourself visible at a greater distance. I was also taught to be looking 12 seconds ahead at all times whatever I'm driving. If your clothing on a motorcycle causes you to blend in until you're within 3 seconds of a driver, you're more likely to cause a driver to make a mistake when they have to suddenly adapt to your presence. But, if you quickly stand out when you're 12 seconds away, you'll be a part of the other driver's Situational Awareness much longer, allowing them more time to take you into consideration in their driving plan.

[Art Mann]

The David Hough books are excellent. It may sound dopey to sit down and read a book when you are trying to learn to ride a motorcycle but his books gave me a better understanding than I ever got from a basic rider course. I learned a lot from them and I had already been riding off and on for 30 years.

[Steve Meliza]

Loud pipes do save lives, obnoxious pipes are just going to make you a jerk.

In July 2000 I bought a new H-D Softail and in the first month there were two instances where a car tried changed lanes onto me, forcing me to take evasive action. The first instance I was driving through town on my way to work when a lady came out of a bank parking lot and I was forced to dive into a gap in the row of parked cars or be crushed. I was wearing a reflective orange vest at the time so clearly that was not enough. A few weeks later I was on I-5 doing 65-70MPH in the left lane when a van that I was starting to pass decided to move left on top of me to pass the car in front of him. I wasn't wearing the orange vest at the time, but I doubt it would have helped since there wasn't a lot of traffic or other distractions on the road that would have made me difficult to see.

Fearing for my life I purchased aftermarket mufflers that were just loud enough to give a sweet rumble when idling and a solid roar at wide open throttle, but sedate enough that I could sneak off to work at 5am without waking the neighborhood or drive past a cop car and not worry if he'd pull me over. Here we are 13 years later and I've not once had someone try to pull into my lane on top of me since I got rid of the OEM mufflers. I have had some people turn out in front of me, but that's not something loud pipes can help with.

That's how Steve sees it.