Getting a Bike Part Two: Training and a Surprise

One of the instructors overheard that I was buying a new Blast, and informed me that the Ottawa Safety Council was trying to sell theirs for the reasons that caused Andy to dislike them for the course, like powerful brakes and weight (obviously heavier than the little 125s). They wanted to know if I was sure I didn't want one of them instead of a new one.

Andrew rides the Sherpa, the school's solution for tall people.

Gee, why didn't I know about this before, when I couldn't find a single used Blast in all of Ottawa ? Oh well, I already set aside the money for a new one, and you can't beat a two year warranty.

But the deal they offered was pretty smoking. So I mused with Andrew, suggesting he should buy one. Oddly enough, he liked the idea! He'd heard me praise the bike enough, and buying one of these Blasts at such a low cost would be the only way he could get any bike this season.

He wouldn't seal the deal until the weekend after, when we picked up Little Red on the trailer, on the way to getting safety certified. Despite its small size for his 6'3" stature, he's has a blast with that bike.

But back to the course, where the afternoon loomed with a test in sight and a questionable amount of confidence.

The good news is that the Blast excitement over lunch got my mind so far away from my lack of confidence that I found it once again. The final exercise that brought the entire course together (that's around 50 people I think) for a more involved traffic situation was actually kind of fun.

And finally the test! - I would have preferred testing first instead of last, but I didn't let nerves consume me. I knew I could pass; it was just a matter of by how many points.

Shawn is about to test ride the red Blast. A week later, it was theirs.

The test consisted of five exercises. In the first, you started from a stop, made a hard right turn, shifted through a decent curve, and stopped at the other end with your front wheel in a bounding box. Then you turned around and did the same thing in reverse.

The second exercise involved riding through a high-speed curve. By high speed, I mean that you would aim for mid-second gear.

Next, a straight stop. You could lose points if you took too long to stop based on your speed at the time the tester signaled the stop. Skidding was ok, although it would likely increase your stopping distance and risk losing you points.

Swerving in the direction the tester indicates was the next skill tested, and finally, we had to brake in a curve, with the same rules as the straight stop applying.

I should have aced the test with a perfect score, but I lost points for going too slow in the very first exercise. I didn't even realize I wasn't going fast, but Andrew pointed out that I went SO SLOW I could have won the slow race. Oh well, I'd rather get dinged for that then messing up the other four skills!

This was my first time on the road, and it was all thanks to Andrew's gracious lending of his new red Blast. I let Mom tag along on her 883, but only so she doesn't worry.

Andrew lost just one point for putting his foot down during the same first exercise. I guess he lost his concentration when pulling out into the hard right turn. Shawn got a perfect score, and somehow, despite not shifting properly once during the whole test, Ryan the accident boy did too. It makes me wonder if these tests are really effective, because Ryan would probably be a danger on the road and yet passed with a perfect score.

The weekend was a great success. We learned a huge number of skills to keep us safe on the road, and found a bike for Andrew and Shawn to buy. I'm extremely excited about getting my Blast in the spring and riding whenever, wherever I feel like it. Again, it's going to be a long winter!