Okay, so I just love getting out and riding. Who with a motorcycle could deny that feeling?
Yesterday, I took the parkway from my neighborhood down to the Chain of Lakes. This is a great ride. The speed limit is a measly 25. However, the road has lots of twists and curves that let you practice leaning your bike over. It's a bit bumpy but worth it. The scenery is great, the traffic is light, and there are plenty of places to pull over and soak it all in. Going around Lake Harriet, I got to see the Lake Creature. It was a bit strange but very cool at the same time.
One thing I learned on this ride was that ear plugs would be nice. Then I can flip my visor up a bit and still block out the noise. I went to Home Depot last night.
Okay, on to the circles. I am fortunate enough to leave near a school that has an empty parking lot most of the day during the summer. On three occasions in the last 7 days, I've just gone over to the parking lot and practiced circles, figure 8s, hard stops (without locking the wheels), slow tight turns, and swerving.
The neighbors must think I'm some sort of lunatic. However, these are all the skills that we covered in the Basic Rider Course. I feel so much more confident doing these skills with my own bike that I've been riding and that I've had some time to actually ride and trust what the bike can do.
It must be odd to see me riding in circles, stopping hard and weaving in and out of imaginary cones. But I don't really care. Practice builds skills. Skills keep you alive. I like being alive even if it makes me like crazy.
Yesterday, I took the parkway from my neighborhood down to the Chain of Lakes. This is a great ride. The speed limit is a measly 25. However, the road has lots of twists and curves that let you practice leaning your bike over. It's a bit bumpy but worth it. The scenery is great, the traffic is light, and there are plenty of places to pull over and soak it all in. Going around Lake Harriet, I got to see the Lake Creature. It was a bit strange but very cool at the same time.
One thing I learned on this ride was that ear plugs would be nice. Then I can flip my visor up a bit and still block out the noise. I went to Home Depot last night.
Okay, on to the circles. I am fortunate enough to leave near a school that has an empty parking lot most of the day during the summer. On three occasions in the last 7 days, I've just gone over to the parking lot and practiced circles, figure 8s, hard stops (without locking the wheels), slow tight turns, and swerving.
The neighbors must think I'm some sort of lunatic. However, these are all the skills that we covered in the Basic Rider Course. I feel so much more confident doing these skills with my own bike that I've been riding and that I've had some time to actually ride and trust what the bike can do.
It must be odd to see me riding in circles, stopping hard and weaving in and out of imaginary cones. But I don't really care. Practice builds skills. Skills keep you alive. I like being alive even if it makes me like crazy.
Comments
Post a Comment