Full Throttle Beaver

Hola people! I told you I would let you know how the motorcycle training went. It started last night, Friday, August 6. It was 3 hours of classroom time. That's a lot when you've been at work all day. We went over the basics of a motorcycle and some safety stuff. I had to pay attention because this is the stuff that shows up on the written test. Considering I knew nothing about motorcycles I was a little worried about being able to retain all that info in just a few days. I will say that I think the handbook, provided by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, is well done and easy to understand.

Before I go any further I think I'll tell you about the gear required for the course. It's all about safety! Obviously I needed a helmet. Thankfully, I already had one. I also needed boots, gloves and a long sleeve shirt. Depending on where you go gloves can cost a small fortune. I was lucky and got a decent pair at Hudson Cycle for only $25. That's not too bad considering they were basically $40 and up at the Harley Davidson place. I got my boots at the shoe store for $85. These were Harley Davidson brand boots so I figured they'd be okay for riding. I had no long sleeve shirts that were appropriate for this sort of thing so I also had to buy 2 of those. I think that was another $50. I'm not joking when I tell you that all of those things are worth every penny and they are SO important. You'll see why later.

Today, Saturday, was day 2 of training. We immediately started out on the bikes. I was on a Suzuki, GZ 250. Maybe a small bike to an experienced rider but to me it was a monster and it was heavy. I was scared. I've never driven a car with a manual transmission so I was at a bit of a disadvantage. I had some trouble with the clutch. The clutch is used with the left hand. This was a bit of an issue for me because it was my left arm that I broke last year. That arm doesn't have as much strength as it should. I was feeling it. So we did some basic things and then we started riding around. I wasn't very steady and I had a hell of a time coordinating everything. Riding a bike involves using both hands and feet all at the same time. You can't be looking down at what you're doing either. You need to be looking straight ahead. It was not fun. We were moving from exercise to exercise very quickly and I was concerned about that. I felt like I needed more time. At that point I started questioning whether or not I should continue. I told myself I'd give it until lunch and see how I felt then.

Eventually we were all driving around the parking lot in a big circle. I was doing ok and I suddenly realized I was riding a motorcycle. I was only going 10mph but it felt like I was doing about 100. Cool, I was doing it! Then we had to weave between cones. I did ok with this until I passed the last cone. There's a telephone pole near this cone and it's a bit of a distraction. It's hard not to stare at it. You will steer your bike in the direction that you're looking. Well, I was looking at the telephone pole. Do you see where I'm going with this? No, I didn't hit the pole. I thought I was going to hit the pole and I panicked. I'm sorry but in a state of panic it's a little difficult to remember to do something with all 4 limbs. I hit the brakes too hard, locked them up and went down. Yup, I dumped the bike. I was pissed! One of the instructors pulled the bike up so I could get my leg out from under it. I was fine but I was pissed. Then I got frustrated, really frustrated. I don't deal well with that. I messed the bike up so they were going to get me another one. I talked to the instructor and explained my concerns about the class moving at a quicker pace than I was comfortable with. We talked a little and I decided I'd head home. I was a little shaky and knew I wouldn't be able to relax if I got back on a bike. Being relaxed and not all tensed up is important. I signed some paperwork and I headed home. I don't think I would have made it past lunch even if I hadn't crashed. The fatigue in my left arm was causing me some trouble and my arm was shaking. That's not a good thing.

The safety equipment is important because if I hadn't been wearing boots that covered my ankles then my ankle would have been shredded. My head did touch down on the ground but because I was wearing a helmet I didn't smash my skull into the ground. The long sleeve shirt probably saved me from having a scraped up arm with pebbles stuck in it. Something I noticed about my boots that I think is important...the soles were thick and because of this I had a great deal of difficulty feeling the gear shift lever and the rear break pedal. I believe this was a huge part of my problem. If you can't feel it then how do you know you're making contact? You don't. If you ever need to buy riding boots please keep that in mind. I've also been told that having the proper safety gear saved my grandmother once. From what I understand, the leather she was wearing was shredded. Imagine if she'd been riding around in only a t-shirt.

I decided, before I ever fell, that riding a bike might not be for me. I wasn't feeling it. I got the "feeling" when I was on a skateboard but didn't get it when riding the bike. That doesn't mean I'm giving up, and I don't feel as though I failed the course. I didn't complete the course because it was in my best interest, and everybody elses, for me not to. In a few weeks I'll be starting over at a friends house using a quad. I'll start with that and once I'm comfortable with it I'll move up to a dirt bike. Like Mike said, maybe we'll discover that I'm an off road kind of girl. You never know. So, I will learn to ride one of these things but I can't say that I'll go back to try to get my motorcycle license. I learned a lot during the class and I did ride a motorcycle on my own so it wasn't a waste or anything like that. In addition to that, I came home with some parting gifts-a giant bruise on my thigh and on  my shin. I'm pretty sure they're each the size of Texas. Who knows what kind of bruises I'll find in the morning. 

So, it's all good. I learned a lot today and I think I mostly learned that this beaver is a car girl. I was meant to drive a car: 4 wheels, doors, and a comfy seat to lean back and relax in. 

Right now, this banged up beaver is exhausted, but before I go, let me say that I have a great deal of respect for those of you who are able to ride a motorcycle. It's no easy thing and it takes some serious skill to make it happen. 

Until my next adventure...

-Beaver