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!
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