Thanks for the explanation about the "home delivery" and you MSF course.
I hope that you aren't too put off by the "rain on your parade" - it is sound advise offered by people who care about you having a good time - and staying safe. Many of us have seen 'new' riders - of all ages - get into trouble.
Your MSF course should have given you an introduction to some of the basics: acceleration, braking, counter-steering, apexs, target fixation, blind spots, etc. - all vital skills to be aware of and to practice, practice, practice.
The reasons for the "old, small, cheap beater bike" are really for your benefit. The price might seem like an unnecessary expense, but here are some huge advantages that make it well worth the investment:
* MONEY! In the course of developing your skills, you WILL DROP IT. Denial won't help. It will happen. (If it doesn't, sue me.) If you're lucky, your first couple drops will be 'driveway drops' or slow speed spills. But WHEN it happens, the damage to your new FJR will be ugly and expensive. The same drop with a 'beater' will be barely noticeable and cheaply repaired.
*WEIGHT There's this thing that I call the "tipping point". You're going slow or even duck-walking the bike and lose balance; you put your foot down to avoid a drop; the bike tips farther and you try to hold it up.
With a 350 lb. beater, you might be able to save it, but the same tip-angle with a 650+ lb. machine... You'll strain a few muscles AND still not be able to hold it up. [see MONEY, above]
* POWER First, you don't need 145 up for rides around your neighborhood, or even for rides around town & shopping centers. Think of a kid learning to play guitar: an amplifier only makes his mistakes LOUDER, it doesn't improve his ability. On a motorcycle the mistakes in the early stages are easier to learn from if they are no "amplified". Smooth acceleration, up-shifting, down-shifting, cornering, and emergency maneuvers are actually easier to learn and practice without 'complicating' everything with a throttle that can suddenly make you forget everything except trying to hold on!
Buy a beater. Park the new FJR until, say, June - or until you've put AT LEAST 1000 miles on the beater in all conditions. First 100 miles, just riding & shifting. Then each time you take it out, spend at least 15 minutes on one skill, such as counter steering, swerving, circles, panic stops, etc. then ride in light traffic, cruise through Wally World parking lot on Saturday afternoon, ride into the glare of sunrise or sunset, practice pulling into a shopping center or gas station without getting rear-ended, etc.
When you've got 500 miles on the beater, take it out of town and learn how counter steering works on a two lane sweeper at 45 mph, at 55 mph.
By the time you've put 1000 highly-motivated training miles on your beater (and dropped it!), start all over again... On your FJR. all of your skills will need to be adjusted for a heavier, more responsive motorcycle... So take your time! After a few hundred miles, you'll be ready to go back to square one and learn it all over with a passenger!
Then wash the beater, sell it to someone else who is as smart at you, and BEGIN enjoying your new FJR!
Trust me. You'll be glad you did!
