I went down my first season, pretty dramatically. Kept me off bikes for a few years. I just put 8,000 miles on my bike this year and over 8,000 miles last year. I completely agree that riding really doesn't feel as scary or dangerous once you've been riding for a while. I even have a GSX-R1000 and that thing doesn't scare me unless I want it to :) The thing I would say is that until you go down, you feel pretty invincible. After you go down, you definitely appreciate and respect the danger a lot more.
@halcyon_studio 100% agree. The closest I ever came to going down was when my rear tire blew up on my dual sport, going about 60mph. It scared the life outta me and took a good couple of months to feel normal while riding again. I can only imagine how much worse it'd be to actually go down. I'm glad you're ok and riding again. Stay safe out there 👊
this is very encouraging to hear! I’ve been taking some lessons and while the speed doesn’t really scare me, the other cars on the road do. They look huge and painful on impact. I think I will keep going and hopefully the fear will subside a bit. I’m planning on mostly driving country roads after getting the license anyway.
@GixxerRider1991 Gauranteed people that think they are aware of the risks are not. I've been hit by a car riding my bike. It totalled the car and my bike and messed me up. But I was wearing all my safety gear and it saved my life. I broke the car's windshield with my head. Without a full-face helmet well let's just say I might not have one I'd want to show. It didn't stop me from riding. It just made me appreciate being prepared.
Thanks Matt, enjoyed your videos, you seem like a nice guy to ride with ! I'm thinking of getting the Eliminator, I just love how it looks. As It would be my sole bike, I have a couple of concerns, mainly if It could steadily and comfortably handle a 75-80 mph speed. Besides commuting, I would need to travel about 120 miles via highway x2 almost every weekend.
@AbdelhamidZekri91 Thank you! The eliminator can do highway 75-80. However, you will be pushing 6-7,000 rpms in 6th gear, which can be quite buzzy the longer you go. It doesn't redline till 11,000, so you've got room to play. I would give 30min to an hour on the highway before it starts to get rather uncomfortable. You could get a seat cover to take the vibrations down somewhat. In all honesty, I would probably recommend a bigger bike for longer highway rides. Like a Vulcan 650 or maybe a shadow Phantom. You'll be less vulnerable to the wind pushing u around at high speeds, and they'll be less buzzy. Best of luck finding your bike and be safe.
@@Matthewsmith-2024 Thanks for the recommendation man, Really appreciate the insightful comment. I wish they would release a 650 Eliminator haha, until then the Vulcan seems like the next best thing as you said. Are you planning on buying one yourself ?
@@Abdelhamidddd I've been thinking about it. Some of the longer trips I wanna do would be much more comfortable on a Vulcan. I would have to replace those mirrors & that headlight to make it look more my style.
@@Matthewsmith-2024 Sounds lovely, Bar End Mirrors would look cool, maybe a Stylish, Shallow Taillight would elevate the Sporty aesthetic as well. Looking forward to seeing your Vulcan videos Matt !
Riding is dangerous, but remember that we will all die one day. The way some of the more safety conscious riders talk about wearing gear and strictly following speed limits, wearing reflective vests, etc. you almost come away with the impression that they truly believe they can mitigate all risk out of the equation, which of course no one can. To me, this defeats the purpose of riding for pleasure entirely. There is no thrill without fear, there is no euphoria without risk. I'm not saying you should ride flat out all the time, or hop on a liter bike in a t shirt, shorts, and flip flops, then lane split at triple digit speeds, but there are people on the conservative side of the safety spectrum who take their points of view to equally ridiculous extremes. Great video. I enjoyed watching!
I went down my first season, pretty dramatically. Kept me off bikes for a few years. I just put 8,000 miles on my bike this year and over 8,000 miles last year. I completely agree that riding really doesn't feel as scary or dangerous once you've been riding for a while. I even have a GSX-R1000 and that thing doesn't scare me unless I want it to :)
The thing I would say is that until you go down, you feel pretty invincible. After you go down, you definitely appreciate and respect the danger a lot more.
@halcyon_studio 100% agree. The closest I ever came to going down was when my rear tire blew up on my dual sport, going about 60mph. It scared the life outta me and took a good couple of months to feel normal while riding again. I can only imagine how much worse it'd be to actually go down. I'm glad you're ok and riding again. Stay safe out there 👊
this is very encouraging to hear! I’ve been taking some lessons and while the speed doesn’t really scare me, the other cars on the road do. They look huge and painful on impact. I think I will keep going and hopefully the fear will subside a bit. I’m planning on mostly driving country roads after getting the license anyway.
That's right, always wear your gear! People that dont are usually convinced they will never lay it down.
Some are convinced of that, true, but others are aware of the risk and deem the tradeoff worthwhile for a much more visceral riding experience.
@GixxerRider1991 Gauranteed people that think they are aware of the risks are not. I've been hit by a car riding my bike. It totalled the car and my bike and messed me up. But I was wearing all my safety gear and it saved my life. I broke the car's windshield with my head. Without a full-face helmet well let's just say I might not have one I'd want to show.
It didn't stop me from riding. It just made me appreciate being prepared.
Just more reasons to yearn for the chance to get a bike.
Same bro, same - we’ll get there one day 💪 when you do, ride safe!
Nice commentary, thanks for posting.
If I can find a windscreen that fits my Eliminator I intend on getting it at least for the winter
Well done and I agree take it slow .and things go good on a bike for the most part ..that's so true ..😊
Thanks Matt, enjoyed your videos, you seem like a nice guy to ride with !
I'm thinking of getting the Eliminator, I just love how it looks. As It would be my sole bike, I have a couple of concerns, mainly if It could steadily and comfortably handle a 75-80 mph speed.
Besides commuting, I would need to travel about 120 miles via highway x2 almost every weekend.
@AbdelhamidZekri91 Thank you! The eliminator can do highway 75-80. However, you will be pushing 6-7,000 rpms in 6th gear, which can be quite buzzy the longer you go. It doesn't redline till 11,000, so you've got room to play. I would give 30min to an hour on the highway before it starts to get rather uncomfortable. You could get a seat cover to take the vibrations down somewhat. In all honesty, I would probably recommend a bigger bike for longer highway rides. Like a Vulcan 650 or maybe a shadow Phantom. You'll be less vulnerable to the wind pushing u around at high speeds, and they'll be less buzzy. Best of luck finding your bike and be safe.
@@Matthewsmith-2024 Thanks for the recommendation man, Really appreciate the insightful comment. I wish they would release a 650 Eliminator haha, until then the Vulcan seems like the next best thing as you said.
Are you planning on buying one yourself ?
@@Abdelhamidddd I've been thinking about it. Some of the longer trips I wanna do would be much more comfortable on a Vulcan. I would have to replace those mirrors & that headlight to make it look more my style.
@@Matthewsmith-2024 Sounds lovely, Bar End Mirrors would look cool, maybe a Stylish, Shallow Taillight would elevate the Sporty aesthetic as well.
Looking forward to seeing your Vulcan videos Matt !
Thanks Matt
Took my msf course this past weekend on an eliminator. It was great 🙌 little on the heavy side though for my first time riding.
Riding is dangerous, but remember that we will all die one day. The way some of the more safety conscious riders talk about wearing gear and strictly following speed limits, wearing reflective vests, etc. you almost come away with the impression that they truly believe they can mitigate all risk out of the equation, which of course no one can. To me, this defeats the purpose of riding for pleasure entirely. There is no thrill without fear, there is no euphoria without risk. I'm not saying you should ride flat out all the time, or hop on a liter bike in a t shirt, shorts, and flip flops, then lane split at triple digit speeds, but there are people on the conservative side of the safety spectrum who take their points of view to equally ridiculous extremes. Great video. I enjoyed watching!