Happy Newb! - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

Spectre45 · 07-13-2007, 02:42 PM

Hello everyone! I havent been around this site much, but as soon as I saw this hideaway I knew I was in the right spot! Back in the last week of March I was home on spring break leave from the USAF Academy out in Colorado Springs, and went out to get some research on what kind of bike I wanted to get after graduation (since I have been wanting one for years but academy cadets are not allowed to own them). I went to one of the nearby shops, saw a 07 Suzuki Limited M50, and just had to buy it. So, the plan was to leave it in my parents basement back in NC for the last 2 months and then after graduation/commisioning I would start riding it! Sounds like a good plan right?

The first day after I was back at USAFA after spring break, i went in to the docs to get an MRI because of weird constant headache I had been having for the past month and a half, and found out that afternoon I had a brain tumor in my left temporal lobe. I always knew the first class day after spring break was bad, but never thought it could be THAT bad! Anyway, I managed to talk them into postponing my surgery until after graduation so i could still be with my class, so May 30th I graduated, and June 5th I got my tumor and brain all around it cut out. Two days after the surgery I was healed enough to leave the hospital and move into one of the TLF's on base at the Academy. A couple weeks later I was healed up enough to convince the docs to let me leave Colorado and come home to NC, and last friday finally convinced my mother that I was healed up enough to start driving the bike! Only ridden it on 5-6 days now, up to 670 miles so far, haha! The USAF told us that any cadets planning on buying a motorcycle after graduation had to take the MSF course since it is required to ever drive a motorcycle on an AF base, so at least I am not starting riding in the dark COMPLETELY not knowing what I am doing. Next tuesday one of my academy buddies and myself and planning on doing the Blue Ridge Parkway ride from one end to the other, I am really looking forward to it! I figure it will be a good way to get some experiance and will be a lot of good riding. Anyone on here ever done that before?

Also, I am looking at replacing the exhaust on it here pretty soon. As much as I like the tone on it now, I wanna get something with a little more umph to it, if you know what I mean! Another biker I know suggested the Cobra Classic Slashcut for it, and I was wondering if anyone on here was using it or knew someone who had and could give me the yes or no on whether or not I should pick it up.

Looking forward on getting to use this site more and more often the more experianced I get on that thing, all I know right now are the fresh new learnings of riding and that I love every minute of it!!