Curve Practice

Curves are hard.  I've gotten much better after much more practice.  I'm still not perfect and still have more to learn, but I'm way better than when I started.

Back in the school parking lot, I found an empty lot and went around in a big track.  I kept doing that to get the hang of it.  Then once I was good with that, I stepped up the speed and took it faster.

Once I started going out on the roads, I found this awesome for practice road that connects two schools.  It is a 20 MPH road.  Not much traffic, pretty good visibility for most of it.  Some curves, but two, count em' two 90 degree curves one right after the other.  I don't know who designed this road.  It makes a strange cut out around a park or something.  "With a little more thought, you think someone may have said, hmm, maybe we could just go straight or curve the road out."  To which the other person must have said "Nah, two quick 90 degree bends is the way of the future."  Again, don't know what they were thinking.

But on the upside, this makes for an awesome practice road.  I'm still going back to it every now and then.  I'm pretty good at it.  Thus, if your trying to practice curves, that's what I suggest.  Start in an empty parking lot, work up there, make sure you can do it at a faster space.  Once you are comfortable on the road, see if you can find a good badly-designed-for-traffic, but good-for-practice road out there.

My advice to fellow new riders:

Every curve is easier at a slower speed.  Those signs with numbers on them right before the curve are suggested speed for the curve.  The curve is easier at that speed and lower.  Of course, it is a bit distressing to go along at 30+ and then come to a corner that says 15, but do it anyways.

As advised in the course, slow down before the curve, and then accelerate once your in it.

Oh, and my general rule of thumb is for a right turn, be in the left-third of your lane.  And for a left turn, be in the right-third of your lane.

The Briar Patch

My driveway is about 800 feet long of gravel.  When I first started, I mostly drove on the grass next to the gravel.  I only came onto the gravel for the garage and entrance to the yard.  The gravel feels harder to drive on.  However, each day I have to go across part of it.  In the start, I minimized that.

As I've been going out, I've been trying to drive on the gravel more and more.  The other day I came back home and was like I'm going to try to drive on the gravel.  I went fifty or so more feet before the steering took me to the grass on the other side.  It is a bit more tricky.

The next time though I took it all the way out to the road from the garage and back again when I came in.  Since then I've been getting better and better.  Today, I don't need to take the grass.  I don't need to hold the clutch, the brake, or put my feet out.  I use the throttle and the steering and can go up and down that drive way.  And every time I do it I get a bit better.

Today I was out, practicing roundabouts.  Whoever thought up round about?  Curves and corners are confusing enough without having to face a circle in the road.  But more on that in another post.  The key a round about is difficult.  It is a giant sharp curve.

I was in the round about, leaned in, taking the curve around the side.  What suddenly do I see in front of me?  Gravel and sand, all over the road.  It is like a dump truck took a dump on the road.  Not really what you want to see when your taking a curve, or round about for that matter.

But I was cool.  I thought this is my drive way.  I'm home in the Brair Patch.  I sailed right through okay.  Key lesson - practice on non-paved roads for when the pavement ends.  Lucky for me, I do a little bit every ride just to get out there.

Fifth Gear Baby

The school parking lot and smaller roads have been great building up some experience and comfort level.  Today I felt ready to try out a 4 lane divided highway.  In many ways, this road is safer.  Where other drivers are going to enter/exit from is more predictable.  Don't have to worry about someone driving out of their driveway unexpected.  And practically no risk of a head-on, because it is a divided with a big median between the traffic.  I think there's more risk in getting to that road from my house than that road.  And as I've researched it, that's what others are saying.  I don't feel quite ready for the interstate just yet.  But this nice 55 MPH state road seems right.

It was my first time getting up to 55 MPH.  Hard to imagine that not too long ago, 20 or so seemed like wrap speed.  The biggest thing I can say is the you feel the wind.  Now, I'm confused on why that is.  I'm a new rider and this is the only season I've driven.  How much of the wind is due to the speed, the particular road, or even the day?  These October days can be more windy than say summer time.  I'll have to see next year.

55 MPH is actually like 80 feet per second.  Think about that, every single second, you travel 80 feet.  I'm only slightly over 6 feet tall.  In one second's time, I travel over a dozen times my own body length.  In a car, it feels like nothing.

I'm also getting good at the shifting up after we start up again from a red light.  The path has a few red lights on it, so that's good practice too.

The first few times I've taken this road, I drive down to where the median ends and there's some road construction.  I turn off there.  Pull the bike over, turn it off or into neutral.  Stand up, stretch, just make sure I'm ok, and as a little break.  It isn't that I need to do it.  It is that I know I'm still new, so a short break after a few miles at warp speed seems a reasonable measure.

The whole time I did this I didn't have any close calls.  I'm glad I waited though.  I used all the skills I had been practicing.  It felt like a good time in my experience level to do this.  Once I called it quits, I turned off into a Kroger's parking lot.  I came to a 4 way stop.  I do what I always do.  I looked at whose coming the other 3 directions.  On the right, there was a car coming fast.  I saw they had a stop sign too.  It even came in the standard color red, like the one I was paused it.  And there was obstacle in front of it.  Plus it was a parking lot you should probably slow down.  I waited to make sure that car was going to least slow down before I crossed the intersection.  There was enough time I could have probably made it across, especially if I accelerated up quickly.  But I'm already stopped, so I waited.  Sure enough, no stop at all, the car keeps going and turns right without even signaling on top of that.  I shake my head and go through the intersection, clear of morons now.

Dogs Dogs Dogs

In the Basic Rider Course, they talk about dogs.  They say if you are approaching a dog, slow down as you approach the dog, and then speed up as go away from the dog.  Moreover, they say don't kick the dog.  I was in the class and I was wondering how did this info make the course?  I'll tell you because dogs are literally everywhere!

But back to class, they ask why shouldn't you kick the dog?  Someone answer animal cruelty, which seems like a good answer and would have been mine.  Good answer and point, but not completely.  What else?  Because you can fall off the bike!  So whether you like dogs or not, don't kick at them.  Again, do you really need to put that in a course?  It is like directions on shampoo.

As for the slow down and then speed up, that is to throw the dog off.  If the dog plans an intercept course, it will estimate your current speed.  By slowing down and then speeding up, the dog will arrive too late if it sprints after you.

Now that I've been driving.  I think like every trip I see a one or more dogs.  Sometimes on leashes, sometimes not, and sometimes on leashes so long you're like what is the point?  And again sometime with or without their pet human.  It is like anywhere you go, there's at least one or more dogs between here and there.

Now lucky, I've not been chased.  Though I always follow the advice, slow down and then speed up.  I always keep an eye on the dog as I near to see where its interest is at.  Is it sniffing in the grass, chasing a squirrel, or is focused on me?

Haven't had any close dog calls.  I did have one "annoying" experience.  I was coming to a road by a school.  I came up to the stop sign, put my turn signal on.  As I get closer, I see a dog on the right of the road I was going to turn onto.  Ok I think, plenty of road for this turn.  Then I get closer and there's a car, stopped in the road.  I think are they moving?  Nope, as I come to a stop, they don't move.  Now there was a little space to the right between the car and the grass and the dog.  But it wasn't enough to leave me comfortable.  I mean in an emergency situation I'd have used that space, but I was just trying to turn right from a stop sign.  Thus, I keep rolling past the car.  I debate entering on the left of the road.  There's no traffic, and I have good visibility down the road.  But the thought leaves me slightly uneasy.  As I roll straight, looking right, I see the driver.  The driver is over in the left lane of the road with...  Another dog! on the other side!  Well that seals it, I won't be turning on this road, so then I look over to my left and re-merge back to continue straight on the road I was trying to get off of.

And of course when I get come, it doesn't help there's 2 dogs living in my house :)

This post goes to the dogs, thanks for not chasing me... so far...

Riding Gear Upgrade - Riding Boots

I have a nice pair of upscale general purpose boots from Red Wing.  I've always like their boots.  They stand up to a lot of wear and tear before starting to fall apart.  They come up above my ankle.  They are water proof and insulated.  I started with those as my riding boots.

Then I went to the dealership to look at upgrading some of my riding gear.  The sales lady showed me riding boots and said "All I have to do is ask someone to try these on.  They sell themselves."  I think I've heard that before.  But she was right.

I had one of my normal boots on one foot and the other riding boot on the other.  I tried skidding each of them across the floor.  The riding boot would stop, excellent traction.  On slippery roads, on gravel, on who knows what, that is what I want to be wearing.  Also they had a much more thicker sole around the back of your foot, you could feel the extra height and thickness.  And they came up higher.

The kind I ended up getting was Harley-Davidson Felix.  I've been out riding in them, very happy with them.  I'm still glad I started with my regular boots.  After all I didn't know how this motorcycle "thing" was going to go.  But now that I'm getting into it, time for even more riding gear upgrades.

Breaking 100 Miles

I've gone 100 miles now on my new bike.  A lot of it was parking lot, but a lot was low speed roads.

I'm much more comfortable with the controls.  I can now operate all the main controls without looking down.  I can shift, throttle, brake without looking down.  I still need to look at the turn signals sometimes.

Also, I feel ok riding along at 30 or even 35 mph on the bike.  It takes some getting used to going that fast.  The first time I was going 20 it seemed so fast.  35 still seems fast, but the more I do the more comfortable I get.

I realized other drivers would be a danger, but that's been rung home to me.  There are times when I take a corner too wide or too tight.  Mostly, I'm doing well though.  But the main thing I'm learning is beware of other drivers.  Learn the basics and get comfortable, but don't understand other people's driving dis-ability.  Here's a few of my favorites:

It was daylight, two hundred feet down from a 4 way stop sign, the speed limit was 25mph, right outside a school, I had my left turn signal on, I slowed down with my brake, so my brake lights were on too.  (And yes, they do work.)  There was a car behind me.  I knew he was there.  But as I slowed to make that turn.  I saw him start to move over to the opposite lane, like getting in position to pass me.  I guess he had an important TV show and forgot to set the DVR.  I saw him coming.  I knew my exits.  The right was clean, plenty of space, and open to a wide field beyond that.  The left would have been good where I was intending to go, but he looked like he was considering passing me.  As I slowed for the turn, I kept a tabs on him.  I was ready to break off and head to the extreme right at a moment's notice.  But he came to a complete stop, so I was able to complete my turn.

On another case, I was coming down the road, approaching a stop sign.  There was a trunk with its headlights pointing right at me.  It was stopped in the middle of the road, facing the wrong direction.  I don't even mean over to the side.  I mean completely in the road.    The only plus was that they had come to a complete stop.  I saw that truck from a way back.  I rolled off the throttle and decreased speed as I came up.  I weighed my options if they didn't move.  I could come up and come to a complete stop.  But this could be a drunk or someone who decided to keep going at any moment.  I could pass them on the left, but it was right down from a 4-way intersection with some cars.  Giving unpredictability to what the car might do, and if any traffic comes down the other lane, that didn't seem good.  However, I could do a U-turn and go back the other way.  But that may be the way they were heading.  Or I could simply come to a stop a safe distance in front of them.  Or off to the side of the road, which I kept in mind.  Fortunately, there was a side road on the right coming up well before that car that I could turn down.  I was mostly leaning to that option.  I was also keeping a watch on what that car would do.  At any moment, they may decide to go forward in the wrong lane right at me, switch back over to the right lane, or turn into a drive way, or who knows what.  I kept my speed lower and was preparing to turn on the side road to get the hell away from them.  Then they started to move.  I speed up to complete my turn to the side road.  But, they went one house forward and then into the drive way.

The key is whenever you are on the road.  You are in danger.  I never felt like I had an extremely close call.  Even pass the left turn motorcycle I saw him coming.  But what I do with these scenarios is I play them back in mind and think about the different outcomes and variations.  What if that driver stopped had kept going straight on at me?  What if the car that wanted to pass me did so when I was mid left turn?  I don't do that to scare myself, and I don't dwell on it.  I think of it sort of like a chess game or something.  What would have been my best response if things had played out slightly different?  I like that, because one day if I am where shit hits the fan, I want my response to be automatic.

Other than that, its been fun.  Like I said, much more comfortable and all the controls are coming more naturally with less thought.  You get connected outside in a different way.  In the car, your an observer passing through.  Out on the bike, your out there, part of it.  Looking forward to progressing further.

Riding Gear Upgrade - Leather Chaps

Its been getting colder here in the evenings.  Another thing is my pants always seemed long enough.  When I walk, they come down to a good place at my shoes.  When I sit, they come up a bit.  But, on a motorcycle, that little bit they came up to seems to be above the sock and boy you really feel that cold air where your pants end.  In the future, I may get my jeans a little bit longer.

Jeans feel thick when your wearing them around.  But on the bike, the wind can go right through them.  Plus I keep reading that jeans aren't much protection if you fall.  They are more like paper than like actual protection.  Given all that, I invested in a pair of Harley-Davidson Leather Chaps.  I'm styling.  They really add to my biker look.  Plus I'm a bit safer.  Kind of worried about the part they don't cover, but more research on riding gear is needed.  But too, my legs aren't cold anymore when I ride.  Not even on the gap where my pants come above my boots or socks.  That alone makes it so worth it.  Plus did I mention I'm styling? :)

First Gas Run

I've been practicing in the school parking lot and the side street.  Each step of the way, I keep repeating one or twice more until I'm sure I have the hang of it.  My 25mph side street goes up to 30mph the other way and down to another school and back to 25mph.  That was my next step.  It was a pretty quiet road.  Few cars, but not many.  I went back and forth between the two schools.  25mph still feels kind of fast, but 30 feels like warp speed.

What's nice about this run is that I start at stop sign, turn signal, wait for any traffic, then turning into road, shifting up, coming to a stop sign, then going straight for awhile, shifting up again, until I get to the next stop sign and go to the other school and repeat.

And the weather has continued to be nice.  I feel like I'm gaining more confidence and skill.  It'll still be awhile before I'm expert, but I feel like I'm doing pretty well.

Then after a few runs, my low gas light came on.  I've driven just 77 miles when it went off.  That was odd, I had expected to get way more miles.  But, most of those miles were super slow around a parking lot.  When they sold me the bike, they said the tank was full, but I didn't expect that and full could mean quarter full.  Or, it could simply be because I've been running it a lot of time but not a lot of miles.

The gas station was straight down the street I was going on, just another mile or two, not very far.  I paused in the parking lot and weighed my options.  I could go back home and fill up from a gas can, but I've done 77 miles so far.  And the gas station isn't far and is about the same condition of roads I've been on so far.  I decided to go for it.  Straight shot up the road and then two more turns and stop signs and even crossing a red light.  Also, at the red light, I was making extra sure to pay attention to all the cars and who is going where.  I paused a second once the light turned green as extra insurance.

At the gas station, I pulled in with the bike to the left.  But didn't consider the front leans in to the left.  It is manageable, but since it was my first time filling it up, I didn't want to get gas everywhere.  The gas fills up right in front of where you sat.  I made it through without a problem.  I only added about three gallons, the total was less than $10.  If only my car was that much to bring up to fill up.

First Street Ride

My school practice zone has a subdivision running behind it.  There's a main artiery road where the side rides branch off.  There are some drive ways on it, but not many, most are on the side roads.  And the speed limit is 25 mph, the whole way, from the school through to the subdivision, down to the end where it connects back to the main road.

This was my first real ride.  Once I felt comfortable in the school parking lot, I ventured out onto that road.  I waited for all the traffic to go past, then went down to one of the side streets and turned around and came back.  It wasn't far, but it was enough to get me up to 20 or so mph.  I did that with combination circles in the parking lot to get more comfortable.

After even more practice, I felt I was ready to go further, so I worked up to taking the road all the way down to the end.  If any cars came up, I tried to get over, turn off, or otherwise evade them.  They were the real danger.

I'd go down to the end and make a U-turn before the road ended before the main road.  This was great too.  I worked up to being able to make that U-turn without stopping or putting my foot down.  I think back to the MSF class.  I think I could nail that part perfectly now after doing it so many times.

Even though I was only cruising at 20 to 25, it felt so fast.  A big part is just getting used to being out in the open air at that speed.

I also practiced shifting on this road.  I'd work up to second gear, occasionally try out third gear.  I wasn't shifting at the right RPMs, but I was getting better at just shifting.  There was also a stop sign about half way down, so this provided me with a chance to down shift, practice engine braking, practice braking, and a brief pause.

I don't know how many times I went up and down that road.  The 25mph never felt so fast.

The only annoying thing is other drivers.  The speed limit is 25.  It is a subdivision and very close to multiple schools.  Still some car drivers try to barrel down that road.  Again, right now, I do my best to get away from all other traffic.  Though honestly, since it is a subdivision, most of them quickly turn off on to one of the side streets.

My yard, the school parking lot, and this is 25mph road.  That is my practice zone, where I'm trying to get comfortable, continue learning, and get practice.

School Parking Lot

The school in my area is out on break this week and next.  Plus, I'm on vacation this week.  This meant I could practice in daytime hours.  Plus, the school is a very short drive my house.  I live extremely close to the school.  Going on the road is very minimal.

Of course, first I had to get down the gravel drive way.  I took a strip of grass next to it to the end and then turn backed into it to exit.  That gravel feels slippery.

The school parking lot feels perfect.  The speed limit is 15 or less.  Not many other people or cars.  Great visibility.  Plus, this school is connected to another.  There were lots of little roads, multiple empty parking lots, multiple stop signs, and even some slight hills.

For many days, this was my practice.  I went across to the school parking lot.  I found a small empty lot and practiced going around in circles in it.  I went through all the stop signs and practiced coming to a stop.  I even practiced shifting up to second to get up to 15 mph in one section.  This was perfect.  It helped me learn the controls more, get to know the bike, and do all the basics.

The bike idles at 10 mph if the clutch is released and I don't give it throttle.  Feels fast.  But that's part of it, getting used to the speed and getting comfortable.

First Ride In Yard

I did a short test drive of the bike in the parking lot of the dealership before I bought it.  It felt so much nicer than the little Street bike, since I'm a tall guy.  It felt right and manageable in size.  But, I also needed far more practice.  I didn't have memorized with muscle reflex where are all the controls.  For better or worse, I was used to the Street 500.

Fortunately, I have an extremely large yard.  I started just driving around my yard in the grass.  Going in a giant circle.  I went slow.  I went around and around.  I practiced shifting up to second just for the practice.  My goal was to get used to the controls.  I kept going around.  Even after I felt I had mastered going around my path, I kept going.  I'd see how well I could curve back around, or how well I could match my tire tracks from the last time around.  I tried out the turn signals.  This was great and was all about getting basic familiarity.

I also have a drive way that is about 800 feet long.  Originally I thought that would come in handy.  But it is gravel and everyone says that gravel is slippery.  They are right.  Thus, I take it out of the garage and get over to the grass as soon as I can.  The grass does feel more stable to drive on than the gravel.

In the MSF class, one of the instructors suggested just sitting on the bike with your eyes closed and memorizing where all the controls are.  I tried doing that too.

Starting off, my goal was to work up to enough comfort to drive to the school parking lot and begin practicing more there.

Buying a Bike

Many people say to get a bike to grow into.  That you learn quickly and want a bigger bike.  That may be true.  But, it is winter time coming up, I already lead a very busy life, and the MSF training course was all so new to me.  Thus, I feel far safer and more comfortable starting at the low end of bikes.  Moreover, my wife is considering getting into it as well.  Thus, if I pick the bike right and I do grow out it, it might be something I can give to her, if I do outgrow it.

The two brands I debated with were Honda or Harley.  I heard good things about Honda as good starter bikes.  But if I'm buying something, I may as well buy something I like.  I picked Harley for the style, comfort, customization possibilities, community possibilities, and all the dealerships.  There are more Harley-Davidson dealerships near me than there are Sam's Clubs and Coscos.  They may even be edging in on number of Walmarts.  I know there are alot of fast sporty bikes, but I honestly don't care about a top speed racer.  If the MPH only goes up to 70 or so, that'd even be ideal.

I'm new to Harley-Davidson and the bikes are confusing.  There are so many different ones.  After endless research, I think I have the most bare basics down.

The entry level is the Street bike.  Now, from experience, I know that bike doesn't fit me.  If I was short, I would have gotten that.  My advice is just beware used 500 models.  They may have been used in the riding academy classes.  They'd be low miles, but heavily abused by numerous inexperienced people, like myself :)

After the Street family, the next model up is the Sportster line.  There are multiple types of Sportsters.  A friend suggested going with one of the 1200s for better resale value.  Thus, I went to a dealership and sat on the various Sportster models.

Some of them have forwarded mounted foot pegs/controls.  Right away I could tell this is what I needed.  I sat on one of the 1200 models with the regular mounted foot pegs/controls and my legs were all bunched up.  I knew that didn't work for me.  I then tried a Forty Eight.  It has forwarded mounted foot pegs, so My legs weren't bent up.  But it just didn't feel or look right.  The center is too small for me.  Plus that model also has a very small gas tank.  Then like Godilocks, I found one I liked just right, the 1200 custom.  What was neat is the different models of Sportsters actually started to make sense.  Some have forward foot pegs, some have a wider or narrower front tire.  Each one will fit and appeal to a different person.

The sales people suggested I try out some of the next model family up.  It fit ok, but I didn't feel comfortable on it.  Like the Dyna Street Bob, a really nice bike and maybe I'll get that one day.  But I could feel it is a big bike and alot to take on for a new rider.  I know my limits and comfort level.  At worst, maybe I will outgrow the bike and sale it off at a lose.  But you know what, I'll be well and alive to do that and have learned a ton when I get to that point, so I accept that.

The new models weren't that much more than than the used ones.  But, that's before all the fees and the used ones often come with accessories already on them.  Plus, the new label comes off as soon as I buy it.  Or, mainly, it comes down to.  I'm new.  I'm going to drop this bike.  I'll feel ok if I dropped a used bike.  It is used.  It has probably been dropped before.  I'll feel bad if I drop a brand new bike that I paid a big premium on.  Side note, that's also why an engine guard was my must have accessory.

I found a used 2014 Sportster Custom 1200.  It wasn't even fully 2 years old.  It was still under factory warranty and only 5,500 miles.  It had a windshield, saddle bags, and some other features.  I negotiated in an engine guard.  That's an important point, consider what you want in accessories.  The bike I picked had some sort of custom exhaust and customized foot pegs.  That's nice, but not something I'd pair extra for, because I wasn't looking for those features.  The number one thing I wanted was an engine guard.  A windshield and saddlebags were nice to have things that I knew I'd like get later on if I didn't get it at first.

Plus, my wife loved the color of the bike.  There were alot of used sportsters to pick from in the area, but my wife liked this one the best.  And if I do really grow out of it and give her this bike, then that's important.

Thus, it was a real win every which way.  A style-ish color, low miles, newer model year, accessories I wanted, and in good shape.  Oh and they even delivered it to my house later the same day.  Like I said, I was very happy with the purchase.

Few other tips to others who may read this in the future:

On timing, I'm buying a bike in October, in the fall.  This is a great time.  The dealership has brand new 2016 and 2017 models and lots of used bikes.  Winter is coming up and sales are only going to get lower.  So this is probably a better time of year to get a better deal.  Everyone will be buying bikes come spring time.

On cost limits, The other thing is on cost.  It ranges widely.  Each of us can afford a different amount.  The dealerships do offer financing if you need it.  However, I want to emphasis something.  Take whatever you're spending limit is and knock off ten or twenty percent to spend on riding gear.  Yes, this probably means thousands of dollars.  Save that money from the down payment or see about including some gear in financing.  But especially as a new rider, don't think the purchase ends with the bike and bike accessories.  There are large on-going purchases around the corner for good quality riding gear that is going to keep you safe.

On finding a price, I'm sure someone else would have gotten a better deal and someone else probably got a worse deal.  I'm not an expert at sales price negotiations, but here's my tip.  Try to get some money off the list price, at least enough to cover the fees that get added back in.  Then try to get something added in.  To you, a hundred dollars less in price is the same as a gift card, accessory, or gear for a hundred dollars.  But to the dealership, the difference is huge.  Remember the tactic isn't to necessarily ask for a super lower price, but to ask about including some of the items you want, like an engine guard.

Now Licensed

The Indiana BMV is closed on Mondays, so I had to wait until Tuesday.  I got there about 10 minutes after it opened.  I was number 33.  It was fairly packed, but moved quickly.  I used the time to browse bikes as I waited.  Doing that, the time cruised right by.

The process was fairly pain free.  I showed them the certificate I received for passing the class and my current driver's license.  They took a new picture and filled out some paperwork.  They gave me a temporary print out license and said the official one will come in the mail.  Before I got up, I scanned the paper to make sure the motorcycle endorsement was listed.  I'd been advised to check that before leaving.  I asked where it was listed and they showed me.  It was marked.  I was set.

With that I'm now licensed to drive on the roads!  With my nearly 12 hours of bike ride time :)  However, technically to be legal on the roads, all you have to do is take a written test and get the permit.  So while it sounds funny, I'm actually a step up from the base requirements, so there :)

Harley-Davidson Riding Academy - Day 4 - Part 3

After the driving skills test, we broke for an hour lunch, then resumed the classroom portion.  Today, we picked up supplemental information and "fun/games" that prove a point.

Supplemental Info

Sometimes a motorcycle won't trigger the car sensors for a red light.  In Indiana, you only have to wait 2 minutes and if it hasn't changed, then you can legally run it.  I researched this after the class and confirmed.  Here's an article, and here's the official Indiana House Bill 1080.

I don't plan on carrying adult passengers for awhile, but the kid info was interesting.  A child can be a passenger, but must be tall enough to reach the foot pegs.  And must have on helmet and full protective gear.  Also, if the kid isn't directly yours, even if you are grandparent, then you must have written permission of the legal guardian.

Indiana doesn't require a helmet.  (I'll be wearing one anyways.)  But some neighboring states do.  Some places sell fake "DOT" stickers that can be placed on lightweight plastic hats.  This way a motorcyclist and try to trick a police officer if pulled over and claim it is DOT approved.  That's ridiculous.

Don't drink and drive is obvious, or really should be.  What is also interesting is the caution in the handbook about having a drunken passenger.  Even if your a sober driver, a drunk behind you could seriously mess up your ride.  Good thing to keep in mind.

Fun & Games

They had a pair of "beer goggles."  These distort your vision so that you can't walk in a straight line.  We went through trying to walk a straight line with and without them.

There was the center of vision test.  Where someone looked straight ahead.  Another person slowed moved a large number card far out far into their center of vision.  The person looking ahead said when they could make out the number.  This is point out that you can only see directly where you are looking.

There was also the ruler drop.  A person drops a ruler and you see how quick you can grab it.  This is to point out reaction time.

The fun & games were nice points to drive home.

Written Test

The test is multiple choice.  Twenty questions and you can miss up to 5 questions to pass.  My advice carefully read each question and the answer.  Sometimes the question is tricky. You'll read it and be like A sounds good, B sounds good, wait a minute, what?  Other times, they might slip in a term from the handbook in a slightly wrong setting.  Most questions are straight forward, but some are trying to be tricky.  (However, high school level tricky, not college/genius tricky, don't over think it.)

A few of the questions were about how a motorcycle reacted.  The prior actual driving portion helped with that.  I was like I remember when I did that on the bike.  I know what it does when you do that.

There wasn't a time limit.  I went through the test, answered the questions I was sure on, and marked any I wasn't certain on.  Then I took a second pass through and answered the questions I wasn't sure on.  I looked up and no one had turned it in, so I went back to the start and re-read it all over again, slower this time just to make sure, not like I have anything better to do :)

Turning in the test and waiting for the results is nerve racking.  You think you did okay, but you know there's a few tricky questions.  Was C or D on question X the best answer?  As we finished, we could exit the room and talk to the others in another room.

There was something that made me feel good the whole time both the skills and written tests.  I took the course before buying a bike.  If I didn't pass or didn't enjoy it, then no big deal.  A few of the other guys did that in the opposite order - bought a bike and then took the class.

Results

After what felt like the longest time in forever, we go the results.  We all passed!

After that, the instructor went through the test question by question asking if any of us had questions on each one.

They gave us all official paperwork for the license branch.  That's all we need to get our motorcycle endorsement on our license.  And they gave us a completion certificate showing we did a MSF class.  They said insurance companies give discounts for that.  (Which is true, later I found out mine did.)

On top of that, they gave each of us a personalized certificate for something we had personally done.  For me, it was "Weaving Wonder."  I did bad on the cone weave in practice, but on the skills test, I did it perfect.

Then we got a free T-shirt, which my wife claimed when I got home :)  And we did a group picture.

I asked the instructor for any practice tips.  They suggested empty parking lots.

Next up, the license branch.  However, I have to wait a whole day, because the license branch in Indiana is closed on Monday.  Whoever thought that up?

Harley-Davidson Riding Academy - Day 4 - Part 2

Skills Test

The MSF Rider Course lists the skill tests as "To assess basic skills using a cone weave, normal stop, turning from a stop, U-turn, quick stop, obstacle swerve, and cornering maneuver."  Here's how each part went.

There are 5 sequences where you have to demonstrate what we did, like the U-turn in 20 feet, cone weave, swerving, quick stop, and a short circuit course.  Each of us went through one at a time.  I was last in line.  This was good and bad.  I got to see someone else do it, so could understand what we're trying to do and where the common mess ups are at.  Bad, because it gave me more time to fret over it, think over it, and so on.  Being in the middle of the line would be ideal.

Quick Stop

You have to go fast and then stop as quickly as possible.  They are making sure you properly used both the front and rear brake.  I think I did fine on it.

Obstacle Swerve

You have to go fast and then swerve to the right of cones a few feet before and then come to a stop.  Here is where you have to use counter steering.  You are going fast, so you push in the direction you want to swerve.  The push actually turns the handle bars in the opposite direction.  I know, don't question the physics.  Think bugs bunny.  I think I did fine on that one too.

Cone Weave

There are little cones lined up in a straight row, about 12 feet apart or so.  You have to take the bike back and forth throw the cones without touching any of them.  The key isn't to look at the cones.  You want to look at the space next to each cone, and then once you are about there, start looking to the next space after the next cone.  Here is a good example of pacing of the class.  In practice, I had just started getting this.  I was coming close and with more practice could have nailed it.  Apparently, I was right, because on the test, I nailed it perfectly, better than any of my practice attempts.  They awarded me "Weaving Wonder" due to this feat.

U-turn

You start off and do a sharp right turn.  That was easy after the first day.  Just look where you want to go.  The challenge was the second part.  You have to drive into a twenty foot wide rectangle and make a U-turn.  My memory is hazy due to the ending, but I think I was doing well at first.  I think I had it in the line or very close to it.  But just as I was completing the turn, I looked down to where I was supposed to stop at.  I suppose I was so used to doing the S-turn and needed to think just U-turn.  But, when you look down, in a U-turn, your bike goes down.  My bike didn't fall, but started to.  I put my foot down and gave it throttle.  I did both really quick without thinking.  My heart was pounding.  The instructor called me lucky.  Lucky, because if you drop the bike in the test, you automatically fail.  I will admit that threw me off a bit for the rest of the test.

My advice on the U-turn is keep your head up.  If your worried that you can't make the turn in the space, then go out of bounds.  It is better to take the point hit on going out of bounds, then to drop the bike and fail immediately.

Side note, the bike won't fall once it is moving.  But in a U-turn, your going very slow, barely moving to make that tight turn.  And when you slow down and lose momentum and start to come to near a stop, it is at that point that the bike can fall. Never completely come to a stop in the turn.  The greatest risk is at the end of it, when you've already spent all your forward momentum.

Cornering Maneuver

I should have nailed this one.  I did well on it in practice.  You start off taking a curve and are supposed to reach a high speed.  (I forget the exact target.)  Then slow down (but don't stop) and take another corner around and come to a stop.  Honestly, it isn't that hard of a test.  But...

I was last in line and trying to forget about the U-turn incident.  I kept hearing "remember go fast" as each person went ahead of me.  And I over thought it.  I kept thinking go fast.  So when it was my turn to go, I went fast, far too fast, faster than I did in the whole course.  I nailed the first part.  But I was in way too fast for that second curve.

I knew that as soon as I midway through.  I went wide, off the track and did a giant curve off to the side.  Cursing under my helmet the whole time.  And then looped back into the track and finished it up.  My instructor wasn't happy with me to say the least.

I told my Uncle who drives bikes daily to work on the interstate.  He said he was proud of me for the quick thinking.  I messed it up by going too fast, but when presented with something that would have made me crash - taking a sharp curve too fast, I evaded the obstacle safely.  Also, even in that U-turn, when I was coming to a stop, I acted quick.  I need to learn more skill and practice more.  But I'm glad I've got the quick thinking reflex.  My skills are going to lag until I practice more and build it up.

Results

Honestly, it was a bit of a blur after my high speed curve escapade.  My head wasn't in it.  I remember I passed, but not by much.  But hey keep in mind, a day ago, I had never driven a motorcycle or a dirt bike, and my bicycle is the simplest model they make.  I went from that, to passing.  Even if I hadn't have passed, being able to do all that or even come close in only 12  hours of practice is impressive.

Road ready?  I don't think anyone who completes this test, perfect even, is prepared for the road.  This is just the basics of motorcycle operation.  I feel like I'm prepared to practice more.  I'll start in empty parking lots and work up to some low speed roads and just see how I progress and my comfort level.  Also, keep in mind, all you need to do to be street legal is take a written test for the permit and then you're allowed to drive in daylight with no passengers.  I look at like a license to learn more.

What if I had failed?  My advice is go into this expecting to fail and expecting to have to re-take it and expecting to have practice far more.  Because even if you pass, you need a lot more practice.  This is just the most basic start.  If I had failed, I would have just taken a written test and got a permit and then re-taken the class again later.

The most important thing of this class to me was to know if I enjoyed motorcycling or not.  Is it for you is important question before spending thousands of dollars on a bike.  And it taught me the basics of operations, so I could go and practice more.  And it gave me a license, so now I'm legal to venture out and practice where I'm comfortable.

Harley-Davidson Riding Academy - Day 4 - Part 1

On day 4, we built on what we had learned doing more advanced maneuvers.  For instance, we had to do a S-turn in a limited space rectangle.  The rectangle starts at 24 feet across and goes down to 20 feet across.  You drive the bike into and make a u-turn and then make a u-turn the other direction.  Roughly, you make an S.  I and most had trouble with that.  Though once or twice I got it perfect.  I wondered about the utility of this lesson.  But I looked it up online, this is preparing you to do a u-turn on a street.  Most streets are about 24 feet wide.  The S-part is just for extra practice or the really indecisive about which direction they want to go :)

We did other things, like swerving.  This is something you don't think about on a bicycle, but its weird.  At a low speed, turn the handle bars in the direction you want to go.  At a higher speed, turn the handle bars the opposite of the direction you want to go.  Or as they said in the class, push to the direction you want to go.  Roughly explained, as turn handlebars for a turn and push in direction for a curve.

Another neat thing is look in the direction you want to go.  Turn your head in that direction and you'll go there.  There were turns I didn't think I could make, but if I did that, I did them.  It doesn't make sense, but it just works, like magic.  Speaking of magic, it is magic that the bike doesn't fall over when your turning.  I was talking to a classmate.  I told him I thought of it like Bugs Bunny.  Bugs didn't know gravity existed, so he could walk off a cliff.  I just thought to myself I am Bugs Bunny and didn't question the physics.

And we actually got to ride in a giant loop for a few exercises.  That was the most fun, actually trying out riding the motorcycle.  I understand why they go over the braking day 1, you've got to know how to stop.  But it was sure nice to actually try out the actual driving part.

Physically, this wasn't as a hard as day 1.  My legs still hurt from the smaller bike.  But less pushing, power walking, and on/off bike meant less physical exertion.

Overall, I would have liked a slower pace.  Both today and yesterday, it felt I just started to get something and we'd move on to the next sequence.  Like I had that S perfect and then messed up the next try and then sequence over.  As someone who studies all sorts of things, it felt like mastery level was around half or slightly better.  However, the MSF course is a lot to cram into 2 days, so I don't know how much flexibility the instructors fully have.  But I wouldn't have minded practicing each sequence until I felt around A or at least B level confident.

Still I learned a lot and the instructors were supportive.  I went from never driving a motorcycle or dirt bike to being able to drive a motorcycle in 2 days.  That's amazing if you think about it.

We had two instructors.  One was the owner of a dealership.  I really liked that the owner did this.  It showed really caring.  The other was a retired fellow who had been riding his whole life.  He had lots of tips and stories from his long motorcycling life.  I was glad we had him.  I had choices in where to take the MSF class.  One I didn't think about too much in advance was who would be teaching it.  You might consider that if you have a choice.  If schedule and everything else works, maybe call them up and ask about who will be teaching the class and their background.

Harley-Davidson Riding Academy - Day 3

Today was the first day driving.  We were in an empty school parking lot that had been divided into an area with cones.  That's where the driving was on both days.

The bike:

We were on Harley-Davidson Street 500.  The bikes were outfitted with extra protective frames so that when they fall it wouldn't damage them.  They looked nice at first.  Even though you know, they've been heavily abused the whole season with beginner drivers like me.  I got the one with a tall seat.  This bike was a solid bike, but it didn't fit me at all.  The instructor and even classmates were all telling me that the bike wasn't a fit.  At first, I didn't know if it was me or the bike.  After two days, it is the bike.  My legs were all bunched up.  The bike wants to fall over with me standing because I stand so tall over the top.  If your average height or short, this is a good starter bike.  But if your tall, don't get this as a starter bike.

One thing I learned quick was to ignore the Neutral light.  This gave me a lot of trouble at first.  I went to shift into Neutral and the light wouldn't be on.  And at one point, I was driving the bike around with the Neutral light on.  I told one of the instructors.  He told me, good lesson for you.  I think it was.  I always treat the light as a suggestion and ease off the throttle just in case and start the engine with my hand on the throttle.

The sequence:

It had a very good start.  At first, we pushed the bikes in Neutral.  Didn't start them, just pushed them across the parking lot, turned them, and pushed them back.  After that, we started them up and did what they called "power walk."  Power walk is where you sat on the bike, walk it with your feet, but ease out the clutch so that the engine is moving it along.  This was a very good introduction to the controls and moving.  After that, we worked up to a short ride back and forth with lifting our feet up.  Then we updated our ride books with signed date of "first motorcycle drive."

It may sound simple or easy.  But it was physically hard.  I'm in very good shape.  I can weed a large field, cut down a tree with an axe, and anything else.  But I really felt this was a work out.  It was a few things.  You start by pushing the bike.  It is a lower end bike, but still heavy.  You also get on and off the bike many times in a row.  Plus, I think me being tall and having to bend my legs so much made it worse.  The other taller guys in my class said their legs hurt from it too.  But I didn't hear anything from the average height older guys.  So either they are in better shape or being tall has alot to do with it.

Oh and another thing is your leg position.  Even on a bigger bike, there's something about having your legs in that riding position.  (I still feel that a bit after I got out today.)

In retrospect, good leg exercises for a few weeks before this would have been wonderful.  Or if you could borrow a friend's bike and don't drive, just sit on it and push it.  If you can do that for a few hours, then you'll have a giant leg up (or rather non-hurting leg) in the class.

After that, we start into other sequences, like stopping and later swerving.  The MSF website lists out each point if you want to know details.  The key thing overall is day 1 you learn the basics.  You don't ride on the bike much.  You'll be pushing, braking, mounting, and dismounting.

After the first day, I was left feeling like motorcycling was a lot of mental and physical work.

As the class ended, I felt like I was getting things, but really felt like I needed more practice.  Here is where not having a bike puts you at a disadvantage.  There's not a good way to "study up" or practice.  What I did was to watch YouTube videos of people riding motorcycle and explaining how they drove.  I practiced moving my hands and feet with the different motions, like shifting gears.  I even did that a bit on the drive between home and the class.  I also tried to close my eyes and remember back through it.

Next day 4 and the skills test!

Harley-Davidson Riding Academy - Day 2

The second day of riding academy was a triple bonus.  It was a Friday, so weekend.  Second, I had the whole next week off.  Third, I was looking forward to the class.  I know we wouldn't be driving yet, but it was still exciting to look forward to.  Overall, the session was 6pm to 10pm and it pretty much started and ended on time.

Here is my overview of day 1:

We continued going through the manual in groups.  There were a few more videos and slides.  Overall, much the same as day 1.  Day 1 was the basic controls of a motorcycle, where is the clutch, what the throttle does, etc.  On day 2, we started talking about going through curves and some street driving scenarios.

Some of what I learned:

Open up the view on the road.  If you stop before turning on a road, but have a fence, tree, or something else to the side, then pull forward so that you can open up the view and see more of the road before turning onto it.

A lane divides into three sections.  Also, go where you can best be seen and what is safest.  Generally, that is in the left lane.  But coming over a hill, the middle lane makes you more visible.

Always be looking for an escape route.  If something happens, always have an escape plan. Like, pay attention if you have grass off to the right or left that you could jam into if you needed.  Or if someone cuts you off, are you able to quickly switch to another lane.  Now when I drive the car, I'm scanning the road for obstacles and escape routes.

Whenever you come to a stop on the road, stay in first gear.  That way if someone is coming up on you, you can quickly make a get away.

I like what the handbook says about accidents - there's rarely just one single cause.  They describe a few scenarios of a crash incident and then list all the things involved.

Also, overall, when riding a motorcycle pretend your invisible.  Even if a driver looks you straight in the eyes, it doesn't mean they have registered that you are there.  People in cars, aren't expecting to see motorcycles.  Drive cautious and defensive.  I know they said that back in drivers ed when I was a teenager, but it sinks in on a motorcycle, because a car has nice metal siding and air bags.  A motorcycle has two wheel and open air.

Overall, good info.  Only thing is I am still not comfortable with the basics of the controls.  Right now, I'm not worried about lane visibility, as much as I'm worried about driving a few feet.  I wouldn't have minded some way to practice the basics of the controls more.  And then put the road info after the driving practice.

Interesting stories:

Some of the guys talked about a "Dragon" motorcycle route in Tennessee.  It is a winding difficult path to take on a motorcycle.  Adventurous try to prove themselves by taking it fast.  Apparently, so many people get hurt that gruesome photographers camp out waiting for people to get hurt to take pictures.  Me, I'm more like where is Puppy road?  Or kitten road?

Tomorrow is driving day!

Harley-Davidson Riding Academy - Day 1

The first day met at the dealership. I arrived early to have a chance to look around at the bikes, gears, and accessories. I easily spent an hour and still had more to look at when the class was starting. That helped, getting a feel for things by looking around.

The class started with signing a waver and introductions of everyone. Then we had a tour of the store. They divided us up with sales people who went over some of the bikes. Then around to the motor gear section where they showed us the helmets, jackets, and so on. And the accessories section where they talked about all the add-on you can get. And lastly the service, where we got to tour the back service room. We asked questions about servicing and accessories. I think it helped.

Finally in starting, we had two books. A little Harley-Davidson leather bound journal. It looks nice, but it is a pain to lay flat and actually write anything in. And the MSF Basic Rider Course Handbook. This handbook is about 70 pages long and is what the classroom portion is mainly focused on.

My class had 9 people, but one canceled last minute. We divided into 3 groups. We went through the handbook as a class. Each group was responsible for summarizing a section of the handbook to the rest of the class. The instructor then highlighted anything important that needed to be stressed or was missed. It wasn’t a bad way to go through the handbook. However, I’d really advise reading and studying it individually.

The handbook starts off with the basics of the controls. This is helpful for true newbies, like myself. It goes over the how to change gears, brake, etc. It was interesting to learn that the front tire provides the like two thirds of the braking force. This is because as you brake, the weigh pushes forward. Overall you get a feel for the layout of a motorcycle, but it is still different when you actually go to drive one.

In addition, there's a few slides and videos the instructor plays as you go through the handbook.  They didn't really add that much material the first day.

The first session was 6pm to 9pm Thursday and pretty well started and ended on time.

My classmates varied in background. All were men. (The week before, the dealer had did a special women’s only class, so I don’t know if that’s why it was all men or if that is normal.) Age varied widely. Some were fairly young, in 20s. And some were already retired. One guy was already driving a motorcycle and wanted to get better. It was an good group of fellows to take the class with.

My only complaint with the class is that it is billed as a starter course, but I was the only one who was really new to driving a motorcycle. Only 4 people claimed no experience. One of them had lots of experience driving a dirt bike. The other was a pilot and had driven motorcycle decades ago. That left me and one other who had no experience. (The other one dropped shortly into the actually riding day.)   

Preparing for the class

I downloaded a copy of my state’s motorcycle manual. I then read and studied it. I was halfway tempted to take the written test and get my permit as a prep work for the MSF class. This wouldn’t hurt, but also may not help all that much. What I heard about the state test sounds a bit different than the test I took.

I practiced putting on and off my helmet. I tried wearing it around for a little bit to get a feel for what it was like to wear it. It is better to try it on for twenty minutes before committing to wear it for a two full days in a row.  Get comfortable with it.

I aired up my bicycle tires and drove my bicycle. I tried low speed maneuvers. And I tried out high speed maneuvers, or at least as high speed as I can peddle. I tried out braking, going up hills, and anything else I can think of. I wanted to get a feel for the balance and the feel of two wheels. While the motorcycle is fairly different, I think this helped.  If you have more time before your class, this would be great to try do in the days leading up to the class.

My bicycle is rather basic, but I think a better prep would have been a complicated bicycle. One with lots of gear shifting options, and independent front and rear brakes. Basically, the more complicated the bicycle, the better to prepare you for learning to ride a bicycle.

I also watched many youtube videos on driving a motorcycle. There’s a wide assortment of quality in those videos. But most of them cover the basics, which I didn’t know at all.  On the whole, this was helpful to do.

One tip from one of the videos was to practice your hand movement of pulling in the clutch and opening/closing the throttle. I started doing that. It may feel silly to do, but it did help. The thing is you can read and memorize the controls. But you need the actions ingrained deeper into muscle memory and habit, so that there’s no thought required.