I never would have thought that a group of about fifteen women used to riding on the back of a motorcycle could be up front in a matter of hours. But that's what happened on Monday, May 19, 2003 during a women's training course in the General Dynamics Canada parking lot, thanks to The Ottawa Safety Council and Wendy from the Eastern Ontario HOG Chapter.
The two patient instructors, Perry and Mike, guided us novices through walking the bike, starting it, and finding that friction point associated with the clutch. Our first test of balance was done by having our bikes pushed and seeing if we could ride in a straight line. A lot of us couldn't, including myself. Not to worry, though, because it turned out to be a lot easier to stay upright when the bike was pushing itself. After we got the hang of starting and travelling
in a short straight line, we got bored, so we all just started
riding in circles around to outer edges of the parking lot. It
was really amazing to think that barely an hour earlier we didn't
even know what a clutch or throttle was, and now we were actually
riding our little 125 After a few laps in both directions, it was time for a break. It was at this point I came to the realization that it was only hot outside once we got off of the bikes. While riding, I never noticed the intense heat (it must have been 30 degrees) even though we were required to wear full gear, including ankle high boots, jackets fully zipped up and full sized gloves (fingerless gloves were a no-no). Thirst has never hit so hard and so fast. Fortunately, a few of the smarter ladies had plenty of water to go around. The break was great for re-hydrating as well as socializing. I had the opportunity to talk to some of the women closer to my age and hear their stories. Most shared the same problem as I did: not enough money to buy a bike yet, but a newfound desire to ride one. In good time, I suppose; in good time. Between our break and
lunch, we learned a few more techniques for At lunch time, the friends and family members who weren't already watching us arrived. Leo was able to teach us the third rule of bike locks: make sure you have the keys to your lock before locking it a fair walking distance away. My dad, who dropped me off earlier in the morning, returned completely wired on coffee. The free dozen cups of Tim Horton's in the morning was well appreciated by him, and he doesn't even like coffee! The afternoon brought with it the introduction of second gear. Thank goodness that shifting gears while moving was so much easier than taking off in first gear, the only thing I had a hard time with all day. After a while, I wished we had enough room to make it to third gear. That, of course, would also require speed, so to some, it was a scary thought. But we did get the chance to pick up Overall, everyone had a good time. Everyone gained
a newfound respect for the riders up front, and while most wanted
to be there as well, some decided that the passenger seat would
be theirs for a long time coming. I was very impressed and proud
of our progress, and hope to be able to afford to be licensed in
the near future. That, and to make it to road speed! |
motorcycles!
improving control,
including riding slalom through
the pylons and performing left and right circles
around them. I even got good enough to ride in the inside of the
circle of pylons! These sorts of abilities are said to be of great
help when learning to ride slow.
more
speed after our last break. A great clincher to the day was a guided
putt that wove through adjacent parking lots, and if you were brave
enough, you could easily go fast enough for that illusive third.
At times, I wanted to go even faster!