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.

Gear for the Class

Gear for riding is expensive, but medical bills are even more expensive.  However, as I’m brand new, I don’t know if I’ll like this or hate it. I may take the class and find out this isn’t for me. Or it might be the next big hobby I get into. Thus, I tried to be economical and rational in starting. Go fully safe for the class and low speed trips after the class.

Helmet

There’s all sorts of helmets. But I wanted the safest kind – a full face helmet that is DOT approved. I found a cheap one and went with it. (What I got here.) This helmet has worked out well for me. It is true what they say that it breaks in a bit after wear. It feels awkward and different to wear it at first, but after a while you don’t even notice it.

In the future, I’ll probably upgrade to a modular full face helmet. I didn’t know these existed at first. They are a full face helmet where the front module can flip open. Instead of having to pull it off and on.

My first challenge with the helmet was my glasses. A few quick searches online and I found out the answer. Take off your glasses first, pull the helmet on, and then put back on your glasses. It feels odd at first, but like the helmet, the feeling goes away. Another newbie tip, when putting it on, position the side pulls over your ears and then pull down so that your ears are on the cloth the whole time. The first few times I put on and off the helmet I hurt my ears until I got that action right. There’s actually quite a few putting helmet videos out on you tube you may want to check out if your as new to this as I am.

Jacket

I’m using a leather jacket I already have. In the future, I’ll upgrade to a heavy duty riding jacket, likely with metal padding inserts. Or maybe a full racing suit. I need to research more into this. Again, just starting out.

I also wore a thicker long sleeved shirt under my jacket for just in case.  That was such a trivial thing to do for an extra millimeter of protection, I figure why not.

Gloves

I have many assorted gloves for gardening, winter wear, and so on. But I was concerned if any would be the right thickness and feel for riding a motorcycle. Gloves are cheap, so I bought a new pair of “motorcycle gloves.” As an added plus, the pair I found was used in an episode of the Walking Dead. If it works in the zombie apocalypse, it should work to drive a motorcycle. (What I got here.)

Pants

I started with a thick pair of jeans in good shape. (I say good shape, because I sure wouldn’t use them if they had holes and were falling apart.) Jeans aren’t much protection, but like my jacket should be a good enough start for the class. In the future, I’m going to look into riding chaps and/or riding pants. I mean hey, a chance to wear lather chaps in public, why not? ;)

Over the Ankle Footwear

I had a solid pair of over the ankle boots I used. The boots are in good shape and just a few months old. (I like red wing boots.  They hold up to abuse.) I need to research more if there’s much difference in riding boots or not.

Raingear

There was a chance of rain for the class, so I needed something. I looked around amazon and bought a cheap rain suit. I doubt this will hold up over years or many rainy rides. But like I said at the start, I don’t want to go all in, until I see how it goes.  (What I got here.)

Longer term, Harley makes an orange rain suit that feels thick enough to last. Plus, it is orange for high visibility, yet, because it is Harley it still looks cool, even when orange. Of course, it is over 3 times as much as the cheap one I have.

Overall

I feel good about starting, but this whole gear area is one I will be researching more to find a good balance in cost, comfort, and safety.

First Dealership Visit

Before I signed up for the riding lessons, I visited a motorcycle dealership.  The sales guy was very helpful.  But without having ever driven one, I really couldn't tell how they would actually feel when I was driving them.  I wasn't sure which one was right for me.  But it was helpful, because it gave me a feel for what they feel like and look like in person up close.  I think this helped for the class.

I really recommend taking the class, seeing if you like it, and then deciding to a bike after that.  Some of the guys in my class did it in the opposite order.  If your new to it, like me, you won't know which bike is right for you.  Also, you can't test drive it without a motorcycle license.

Update: When I was there first, I sat on a Harley Street and Dyna Street Bob second.  I was so new to all of it that I couldn't much tell them apart.  However, after actually driving a Street, I know that bike doesn't fit me well at all.  Further support for, take the course first, and then select a bike.

Motorcycle First Steps

Should I get a cheap motorcycle and learner’s permit and lean on my own? All I need to be street legal is a learner’s permit and that only requires passing a written test. Scary isn't it?  These things are big complex dangerous machines. I wasn’t sure how to drive it down the driveway to even start learning. Plus, without ever having driven one, how could I be sure it would fit me well? I decided to sign up for a course to learn how to drive it.

The MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) has a Basic RiderCourse

http://www.msf-usa.org/brc.aspx

In my area, there are two main organizations this course. A set of classes is sponsored by ABATE. ABATE is a non-profit motorcycle advocacy group. They are cheap, just $75 dollars for the class. However, they were booked out solid through the end of the year. The other choices was through Harley Davidson. They were pretty booked up too, but there were 3 dealerships in my area offering classes, so I found one I could get into. They are much more expensive at $300, but also include an extra day of class time. And I think the class size is normally smaller. Plus you ride a Harley :)

Before the course started, I wondered if I should have waited for next year for the cheaper ABATE class. But, the Harley class worked out well, and I consider it money well spent.

Advice: Ask what happens if you drop out of the class or fail the test. The dealership I took it at had a nice policy. They’ll let you try again in the future: wait list for free, or guaranteed spot for half price. I think this is a dealer specific policy and could change, so ask in advance. At $75, failing and paying a second time isn’t too bad, but at $300, failing and paying a second time is pricey.

Beginning of My Motorcycle Adventure

First my background, I can ride a bicycle. Now when I was like 7 or so, I broke an arm flipping over one, but I’ve done alright since then. I last flipped over one when I was 15 or so, and didn’t even break anything :) That’s over two decades without bicycle injury! Thus, I felt I was ready.

I’ve never drove a motorcycle. I think I may have been a passenger a super long time ago. I never drove dirt bikes, but did ride as a passenger with my older aunt when we were both kids. That’s the extent of my motorized two wheel experience.

Why am I doing this?  It is there.  Or, I like to try new things, and it something there.  Or, my wife wanted a boat, but we don't live by water, so this was a compromise.  Or, when I was younger, I had fun riding on a dirt bike as a passenger with my aunt.  Or, I'm getting older and needed a midlife crisis adventure.  Or, I'm always looking for new challenges and this is one.  Or, do I really have to have a reason?  I'm doing it.  I'll see if I enjoy doing it and if so, I'll keep doing it.  Then after I'm into it, then I'll figure out the reasons.