3rd Ride Out

Last night, Charles and I joined Dave for another ride.

It was a cloudy evening so I actually wore a jacket for the first time. Of course, I don't have a real motorcycle jacket but I do have a real cycling jacket and so I wore my red reflective MEC jacket for the ride.

Dave decided to take us around town and this time, for the first time, I was the leader. I was on the Honda 600 again which I really liked. It is a very stable bike which is comfortable to ride...

Now, you have to understand, that as a teacher, I can be a distracted student in the classroom. All that stuff about lane placement really didn't stick all that well. Last night, I got an earful about where I should be on the road. I must admit, though, I improved rapidly as the ride progressed!

After practicing in town, we rode up to Alouette Lake. During my first ride, I found 60 kmh a tad fast and frightening. This time, I was itching to go faster! I am definitely getting more comfortable on the bike!

Things to work on - right check, left check, intersection scan, and turning from a standstill.

I am trying to be more careful to practice these safety routines on my Vespa. We'll see if they take.

Got rides scheduled for Monday and Tuesday evening. Can't wait!!

First Training RIde

After I finished my skills session on Sunday, my knee really hurt from when I dropped the bike doing the U-turn. I didn't sleep very well Sunday night because it ached so badly, even after some pain medicine and a rum and coke. Monday, luckily, was a holiday, and I nursed the knee, icing it and stretching it all day.

This morning, first day of school, it was much better - thank goodness because I had a training ride tonight!

First I went the the DMV to exchange my basic Learner's for a less restrictive Learner's (no supervisor needed). I felt like a somebody!

I showed up for the ride at 6 tonight, expecting to put the 250 through its paces. Dave, the instructor, has a bunch of bikes and he decided that the 250 was too small for me! He rolled out a 600 and said, "Try that on for size."

I was not expecting to ride such a big bike (for me, at least) but after a few stalls, I got the hang of it. There were two instructors and 3 students and we rode up and down hills, through lights, stopping a starting at intersections, on hills, and then cruised along a windy road up to Golden Ears Park where we went to Alouette Lake. 

We had a break (both instructor chain smoked a couple cigarettes - do I have to learn to smoke and ride?) and then we went back down into town, practicing more intersections and lights. 

It was a great training ride for me - I'm getting to use the clutch and gears more efficiently and am improving my starts from standing. I also am doing pretty well with my lane placement. I still have some work to do for proper down shift and for starting uphill but it is coming. Eventually I'll remember to shoulder check more often!

I will try to practice the lane positioning and shoulder checks with my Vespa this week. Next lesson is Sunday morning. Can't wait. Maybe I need to re-assess the kind of bike or scoot I'm going to get - - "Big Guy, Humongous Motorcycle"? 

Nah....