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Introduction & Short Bio - New to Dual Sport

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Location
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First Name
Brad
Howdy all! My name is Brad. I am 41 and have been riding street for about 22 years or so.

I bought my first motorcycle at Kawasaki of Stafford in 1990. It was a 1989 Kawasaki EX500 with full after market fairing. Since I had not actually ridden before I had it delivered to my home. From there I hoped on and never stalled it once. I had dreams before buying this bike about how to properly shift gears. My dreams paid off. :) I will be the first to admit that I was very “squidish” back then. I was that guy in tennis shoes and shorts with no jacket. Fortunately, the helmet was something I was always adamant about wearing but mostly because I thought I looked cool.

I had that bike for about 8 years. For most of that time it was my only form of transportation. My first wreck was on this bike. I was just leaving my girlfriends office and pulling on to a three lane street. It just started to rain. About 100 yards down the road a large METRO bus made a U-turn right in front of me without yielding. It took up all three lanes. I grabbed my clutch and brakes and my rear started to slide. I got it back under control but by the time I did I was so close to the bus I just locked the brakes and went down. Cagers everywhere jumped out of their cars and started banging on the door of the bus as it attempted to take off. Big scratches all the way across my visor convinced me that day, that the helmet did much more than make me look cool.

After selling the EX500 in 1998 I went about 5 years without. I never stopped renewing my motorcycle magazines and knew I would eventually get another. My wife and I were just starting our lives together and financially another bike was not in the picture.

In 2003 I finally felt like I could afford another bike. This time it was a 2003 Honda CBR 600 F41. I loved everything about that bike and never made any performance mods to it. Never laid it down or dropped it. I sold it in 2006 with only 6K miles on it. This time it was because I had hardly anyone to ride with and I had an itch for a Ski Boat. I scratched that itch. I had thought the boat would give my wife and I something we could do together. Seeing it sit in the stall all but 2 weekends a year made me decide I get much more use out of motorcycles.

So in the market again I was looking this time for a sport tourer. I was considering a Honda Interceptor or ST1300. A friend suggested I look at the FZ1 as they claimed it was one of the best all around bikes out there. I never liked naked bikes up to that point. There was, however, something about the FZ1 that I was very attracted to. The more I looked at it the more I loved its muscular appearance. It looks like it is ready to attack. I liked more and more that I could see the machine and still it looked sporty. Then I compared the price to that of the VFR or the ST1300 and the decision was made for me.

Most of my miles have been commuting over the years. I still enjoy frequent fast weekend jaunts through the country side. That is where the FZ1 truly shines.

I still have the FZ1 but just bought a 2012 DRZ400S and I am eager to get on some trails. I have a lot to learn as I am new to off-road riding. If anyone can point me in a good direction for entry level dirt riders training or some newb friendly groups it would be very much appreciated.
 

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:welcome:

for trail riding there is Crooked Creek near Waco

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72770

Id be happy to show you around, great place to learn, might be a bit far for you

plenty of DS rides get posted on TWT a lot of county and gravel roads

Thanks for the welcome. Waco could be done as a day trip. :) I am keeping my eyes on the ride section daily.
 
Welcome to the dirt side :wave: There is no going back! :trust:

Check out Dualsportriding.com for good vids on riding technique:

http://dualsportriding.com/

That is a good place to start. Then just find a place where you can practice. Also, go ahead and be at peace with the idea that you will hit the ground eventually when you ride dual sport. So good gear is worth the price! ;-)
 
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