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.