I live on the Burnsville/Lakeville border right next to Leos and Motoprimo. There's plenty of riding to get to and from here. Most is south and east. Heck in Lakeville we are close enough to run down to welch and ride through it and back and come home and it would only take a couple hours. I used to do that a lot when I first got my bike and wanted to ride twisties but not go too far. Cannon Falls area has some roads. You can be in HAstings within 20 min and go anywhere from there. Twisty 60 isn't too far either and you could go up and back that if you wanted. Of course if you head into WI there are many many more possibilities. Just depends how far you're willing to go from home and how long can you be gone. Hope that helps. Have you considered doing some track days? It's a GREAT way to have some fun and not worry about tickets and animals etc... Let us know what you decide to do and if you buy a bike, welcome!

Hope

btw Vince and I ride quite a bit and leave from Lakeville a lot so if you would be interested in joining us sometime just send either one of us a pm

Mister
I think I am one of the underskilled riders you speak of, but I do try to ride safe and within my comfort zone. 

I would fit this category as well and don't go very fast. If you'd like to ride together sometime I'm great for slower paced rides and I know lots of good roads. Just pm me if you're interested.

TK the group rides seem to be down this season even on the other forums. It was a late start season due to weather but seems like lately things are picking up a bit. More ride leaders would certainly help but so many are afraid to do it. I lead a couple rides last season and personally I don't mind leading rides but don't anymore simply because others bitch I go too slow. And when I've offered newbie/slow paced rides I just don't get any interest.

Leading rides isn't hard but takes some planning and commitment. So maybe trying to get some others to step out of their comfort zone and do it would help get more rides going. Perhaps get some of the current leaders to take another rider under their wing and help them lead their first ride? That's how I got comfortable being up front was riding alongside Vince like we were both leading. Additionally, the same person doesn't have to lead the entire ride. We went on that group ride Sat. and 4 of the 5 bikes took turns being the leader so no one person had the burden on them the entire time and that seemed to work very well. Just a couple thoughts.

What a beautiful little baby! Congrats Vander!

As for the minivan, when I had my 3rd child I too gave in and went searching for something to fit all the strollers and diaper bags. I swore up and down there's no way in hell I'm buying a minivan, maybe an SUV, but no minivan. That day we bought a 2001 Honda Oddysey and I loved that thing! SO MUCH more convenient with kids. Easy access to everything inside. The seats came out and folded down so I was even able to haul my 4 wheeler from Germany around in the back. I had no problems with it (it's a Honda  ) but unfortunately Jan 2012 my teenage daughter was in an accident and totaled it    Now that my youngest is 12 I will probably never buy one again but to have it while the kids were young was absolutely worth it. So let us know what you end up getting and I hope everything is going well with the baby!

Leading the cave ride and girls ride last year there was some pressure yes but it didn't keep me from having fun and enjoying the rides. The cave ride specifically we had a very tight time schedule. The caves were far away and only did tours at certain times and if I had lead a group of riders all the way down there and missed the tour I would've felt really bad. Once we made it to the second cave on time it was a huge relief and more relaxing. Having everyone follow behind me wasn't bad at all. Like PK said everyone who came stayed in formation and no one did anything stupid so I'm very happy with those who came for making it a success.

Leading the girls rides (and other rides) I do sometimes feel pressure but do my best to let it go and just enjoy the ride. At times I feel like who ever is behind me is watching how I ride and judging me and depending who that is, sometimes I care about what they think and sometimes I don't care. I get criticized all the time for being a slower rider and that my bike is "only a 250". As a mother of 3 and a critical care nurse who has had countless patients involved in motorcycle accidents I'm fine with being a "slow" rider. It seems as though everyone else has the problem with it. I started riding in my 30's and have nothing to prove to anyone, I'm just having fun. I'm not a 20 something guy who rides likes he's invicible. I'm a mother of 3 who rides like I have a family to go home to. This is why I don't like group rides anymore. I ride in the back and let everyone go ahead and ride how I feel comfortable without having someone riding on my ass trying to push me to go faster. Sure people have to wait a couple minutes but so what. No ride leader has ever complained to me, not even on ZG rides. I don't care to be in the middle of the pack either. Quite simply I don't trust those around me that I don't know well and if something happened with another rider close to me it can put me in a bad position so I'm content hanging out in the back and I have to say I've observed a LOT of stupid things in just the couple years I've been on my own bike.

From another perspective, when I read the title of these threads about peer pressure one thing to came to mind right away is these young immature guys always having to be faster than any girls. I'm not talking about when riding in formation like the cave ride. A good example is a ride I was on last year. There was a newbie, a younger guy, on a 600. I started out in back like usual and was riding my usual pace. So we get to the twisties and I find myself right behind this guy and wanting to go just a little faster then he is. I followed him for a while but it was clear he was new and not going to speed up and I didn't want him to feel like I was pressuring him at all. So I go ahead and pass him. The first straight away we get to he cracks open the throttle and pulls away ahead of me. Well like I said he wasn't that fast so again in the corners I catch up and again pass him when it's safe. What does he do? You guessed it! First straight road he's gone again. His ego just couldn't allow him to be behind a girl and the last rider in the group so he started riding (surely above his abilities) to avoid that. I wasn't interested in playing games with that idiot so I just stayed back and kept my distance waiting for him to crash. Playing his back and forth game was quite frankly ruining the fun of the ride. I think that's around the time I started doing less group rides and just going solo or with only 1-2 others. He was clearly feeling some pressure and I didn't want to be a part of his douchebag riding style.

I think it's a normal human reaction to feel some pressure when leading others and just being part of a ride. Like Lloyd mentioned no one wants to be the one holding people up or get lost, etc... Of course riding the only 250 and being a slower rider in a group I feel pressure. I don't feel pressure to keep up but I don't want others waiting 10 min at every turn either. But I do try to alleviate some of this. I try to know where I'm going so if you want to leave I can. I keep maps of MN and WI under my seat and have gone riding solo enough now that I feel pretty comfortable I could find my way home if I had to. Also knowing who I'm riding with and how they ride if helps so there are no surprises. And I stopped caring so much about what others think and ride my own ride. It's simple but not always easy. I admit I'm only human and sometimes it bothers me when people who I think are friends complain but I've learned to accept it for what it is and as long as I'm having a good time that's all that matters    I think if people believe they are sooooo much better and such superior riders than me then instead of bitching about me behind my back they should offer advice or constructive criticism. Thus far Lloyd and Vince are the only two who have ever done this and I appreciate the feedback and have learned from them both.

Hello!
I just upgraded my old Honda Sabre to a BMW K1200rs, and I'm really looking forward to doing some longer trips this summer in the Northern MN area and Wisconsin. Any advice on what to bring / how to prepare / riding gear / etc. is certainly welcome as I'm new to touring. Can't wait for some slightly warmer weather... snow today is not a welcome sight!

Welcome! There are a few riders here that go out of state for longer trips and lead some long rides every year so plenty of advice to be had. You can search for old threads or even start a new one with that specific question and I'm sure you'll get some good answers and tips. Good luck and happy riding!

Welcome! I'm in Burnsville and there's plenty of riders south of the river. Be safe out there and maybe I'll see you around this summer, you have a bike that will be easy to recognize

I recognize a few names but this place seems to be way more level headed than any other forum I've been on thus far. No drama,  , I'm there!

You've only been here a few days, give it some time

I can't answer your specific bike questions but I can say last winter I went to prokart a few times to ride around the track on the Honda CRF 50 and my 11yr old daughter came with and she rode with the big guys too and we both had a great time there and I would say it's definetely a fun way to pass some time over the winter months and it doesn't cost much either so go with what fits you best and have a good time.