[soundbreeze]

Hey ya'll!

Where I work, we get updates on folks riding in, and either being foolhardy, or just outright getting smacked down by uncaring or careless drivers. These days, w. the gas having gone up recently, thoughts turn to riding a motorcycle for, ahh, "work purposes".

Anyway, any riders on this board, and if so, do you have any tips? My co-workers who ride pretty much say, go early to avoid the rush hour traffic (which around here, if you are not out on the hwy by 5:45-6AM, you are in bumper to bumper, so riding is no fun).. and, come home before the majority of the world goes home (which quittin time for me is 4PM, and I have a 30 min ride home, so I should be ok).

Thanks in advance for any and all advise. Peace!

[carolac]

Well, to me, even a time of great traffic on a scoot is better than zero traffic in a car. I'm not sure where you are, but we're in Orlando. Yes, some of the riders are foolhardy--too many young men losing their lives. And yes, because there is a lot of traffic, particularly in Orlando, and people drive while talking on those darn cell phones and/or not paying attention, riders have to REALLY watch for them. When I first started to ride and took my riding class, my instructor said even he doesn't ride on I-4 unless he absolutely has to.

I-4 starts to get jammed up by 3 or 4, depending upon the direction you're going, but otherwise, around the time you'd be going home, it's not bumper to bumper.

Rain is one factor as to whether or not people drive to work. People tend to drive less to work during the rainy season because around 4-5 PM thunderstorms roll in, and who wants to ride in traffic AND rain That will probably be your biggest factor during the summer, unless riding in the rain is no issue to you. The good news is that if you wait just a little while, it clears up.

You will see more bikes in the parking garages on Fridays on casual days than any other day. My best friend rides her bike to work every Friday, rain or shine, unless it's raining when she goes out the door.

Having said that, Florida is the best for riding. There are many, many motorcycles in Florida on the roads being driven by wonderful people from 18 to 80, men and women alike. You can pretty much ride year round. Some days are too cold or rainy, and then there's always hurricane season. . . . The fall and spring are awesome. There's literally hundreds of places to go in Florida. I just can't say enough about that, except for every reason that you choose to ride a bike, Florida is a great place to be.

Some of the bigger churches have motorcycle ministries where they all go together somewhere, and that's nice because you don't deal with riding with drunks.

You don't have to wear a helmet in Florida. Bike Week and Biketober Fest are an hour away from us in Daytona, and then there's always something going on around those weeks on the west coast and in the Lake County area.

Have fun and keep it on 2 wheels.

Originally Posted by soundbreeze

Hey ya'll!

Where I work, we get updates on folks riding in, and either being foolhardy, or just outright getting smacked down by uncaring or careless drivers. These days, w. the gas having gone up recently, thoughts turn to riding a motorcycle for, ahh, "work purposes".

Anyway, any riders on this board, and if so, do you have any tips? My co-workers who ride pretty much say, go early to avoid the rush hour traffic (which around here, if you are not out on the hwy by 5:45-6AM, you are in bumper to bumper, so riding is no fun).. and, come home before the majority of the world goes home (which quittin time for me is 4PM, and I have a 30 min ride home, so I should be ok).

Thanks in advance for any and all advise. Peace!

[Old Man Winter]

I have been riding my entire life. Started at the age of 3 with my first honda mini bike and never stopped. Riding in Florida has its negative aspects like any other state does. No helmet law here, I never wore a helmet here until maybe 2 months ago. Now I wear a full face helmet everywhere I go. Over the last 5 years I have lost 7 riding buddies to accidents, 6 of the riders were not at fault. Many people just don't realize that bikes are a part of every day commuting. Do you currently ride ? Or have you in the past ? Either way I recommend taking a rider safety class and then the advanced defensive riding class. Both of these will give you a discount on insurance and the confidence you need to be an alert, assertive, and safe rider. I prefer to ride alone, this way I am in control of the ride (not having to travel with bar hoppers is a really good thing). Many people that are on the roads today really do not know how to ride, so I tend to stay away from large rides for charity and things like that ( many of those events have multiple accidents on every run). Being aware of your surroundings is probably the most important aspect, knowing where other vehicles are and anticipating what other drivers will do may save your life one day. Rain is never an issue with me, nor is the cold. I have seen many beautiful places in Florida over the years, all of them from 2 wheels, with the wind blowing and my freedom on the roadways intact . As far as Bike Week and Biketoberfest in Daytona, I have been many times over and it is very over rated. Nothing like it used to be. If you have never gone on your own bike, it is something to do at least one time. It is a giant freak show, and as a people watcher I do enjoy the show but it does get old after years of going there. If you get a bike , wear safety gear, use common sense and be alert. If you are affraid of it, don't ride !! Fear is your enemy on a bike and will make things really unsafe for everyone on the road. Best of luck to you, ride free and safely !!

[soundbreeze]

WONDERFUL responses, and excellent advice you two!
YES, I do personally know the difference between the oneness you feel w. the world on a bike... the freedom, sights, sounds, smells.. all MUCH more visceral.. Your senses are more alive when on a bike, vs. the top down, or the sunroof open. You can smell the differences in the trees around you on a bike. You can feel the change in temperatures on a bike. I miss it, I really do. Now that I have the financial ability to get a motorcycle vs. borrowing my friends bikes, I thought, since I'd be using it for commuting, the constant repetition every day would make me a better rider.

The exploring would be the icing on the cake.

Sorry to hear about your riding buddies OMW. This is why I asked for advice, to get the "real world" view of what's going on out there on FL highways 'n byways when it comes to riding.

Everyone's advise is most appreciated. Honda, here I come!

Peace.

[Old Man Winter]

Soundbreeze, what Honda are you looking at ? I currently have a 2002 Harley (FXD Superglide) with many customized features. I looked at the CBR last year, model I looked at was the 1000, but the CBR 600 for 2008 is super nice and very affordable. Honda incorporated many race features in the 600 that were not available last year (many only on the CBR 1000). If it's a sport bike you are looking at the CBR won't disappoint you. I may be buying a 2008 very soon .

[macguy]

Originally Posted by soundbreeze

Hey ya'll!

Where I work, we get updates on folks riding in, and either being foolhardy, or just outright getting smacked down by uncaring or careless drivers. These days, w. the gas having gone up recently, thoughts turn to riding a motorcycle for, ahh, "work purposes".

Anyway, any riders on this board, and if so, do you have any tips? My co-workers who ride pretty much say, go early to avoid the rush hour traffic (which around here, if you are not out on the hwy by 5:45-6AM, you are in bumper to bumper, so riding is no fun).. and, come home before the majority of the world goes home (which quittin time for me is 4PM, and I have a 30 min ride home, so I should be ok).

Thanks in advance for any and all advise. Peace!

Last bike I had was an old Harley Sportster, but haven't ridden in years. I have a plan to get a bike when we get moved up to north Florida, (haven't told the wife). I would never ride a bike down here again, your taking your life in your hands. The open road is one thing, but city traffic forget it. You spend every ride sucking up someone's tailpipe fumes. All you do is try to get where you are going without getting killed. Bike riding should be fun.

[gypsychic]

There is a HUGE motorcycle culture here in Lakeland and Polk County - even our realtor laughed and said "they take their Harleys seriously around here!" when we kept seeing them ride by. Probably because this is almost the center of the state, and there are many beautiful rides between small towns here with not too much traffic. I think I recently read that one of the biggest Harley dealers is about to open in Lake Wales.

Macguy - so you haven't told the wife yet, eh? My hubby is currently designing and building his own hot rod, but I have a feeling he may be planning on getting another Harley down the road when this is done - I told him this car is enough!

But I agree that it is taking one's life in one's hands to ride in any big city traffic - I too, know too many who have lost their lives or become disabled due to bike accidents. Our vacation home is in Asheville, NC, and I am also CONSTANTLY reading about riders having fatal accidents around there, and the Blue Ridge Parkway - fog, steep and curvy roads, etc. Everyone has to be as careful as possible, most of the accidents were not the rider's fault!

[soundbreeze]

Originally Posted by Old Man Winter

Soundbreeze, what Honda are you looking at ? I currently have a 2002 Harley (FXD Superglide) with many customized features. I looked at the CBR last year, model I looked at was the 1000, but the CBR 600 for 2008 is super nice and very affordable. Honda incorporated many race features in the 600 that were not available last year (many only on the CBR 1000). If it's a sport bike you are looking at the CBR won't disappoint you. I may be buying a 2008 very soon .

Hmmm, you don't sound very "old man winter" OMW. LOL! Methinks you need to change the name.

And you are right on the money (sigh). It's sad, to be so easily pegged.

[Old Man Winter]

LOL soundbreeze, I am not very old at the ripe age of 37 soon to be 38 . I am from New Hampshire originally and I truely miss the sometimes frigid winters from back home. Hence my name old man winter, just a reminder of what I miss about the changing seasons and home from time to time