Solo for Safety

Teaching someone else how to ride a motorcycle never entered my mind until I aced the motorcycle written test. The first thing the instructor asked me was if I'd consider becoming an instructor. I did not respond. Then, after I passed my skills test, the same instructor pulled me aside and said, "Hey, you are damn good! You practically aced the skills course too! Would you like to teach this course?"

I just could not fathom that, really.

But as I talked with others and reflected on how much I absolutely love to ride, I gave it some serious consideration.

So, I talked to the instructor and ordered my study materials. I had to attend other classroom teachings to observe other instructors. I took good notes and learned some different teaching styles. You never know who will make up your group of riders. Some are first timers, like I was. Others are seasoned riders, but are finally taking the safety course to refresh their skills. It was real interesting to see the make up of those in my class.

I had bought my bike about three months before and pretty much had been riding it every single day. So, I already had the basics down and knew I was coordinated enough to handle my Sportster. Others in my class were not so comfy and it showed right from the gate.

One woman was determined to learn how to ride. She had been in so many accidents on the back of her old man's bike, she refused to ride with him anymore. The bummer was she never got that 125cc out of 2nd gear. She dropped it a couple times, had trouble shifting, and nearly crashed over the curb. The instructor asked her to not try any further, save face, and come back again after she had a bit more time working with a dirt bike. She was so mad at herself and determined she would be back.

Another woman could not get the coordination down whatsoever. It just did not work for her. She had not even learned how to drive a stick shift.

My opinion is if you can drive a stick shift, you can manage a motorcycle. If you can ride a motorcycle, you can pretty much drive anything. My opinion anyway.
So, I began taking things real seriously when my Drill Sargent instructor kept yelling at me because I was not looking ahead at the outside of my turn. My problem was I kept staring at my front wheel! He told me I am never going to get where I am going unless I look at where it is I want to go!

Ok, I got that!

But taking my eyes off the front end of my bike was real hard to do! Not sure why! But when I forced myself to do this, it made all the difference in the world.

One of the problems with the class was it was friggin HOT out there in the middle of the asphalt. You had to wear long sleeves and a full helmet, which I was not at all used to. I wear one of those barely there helmets. Not sure what they call them, but they do not do squat for head protection.

Part of the course involved practicing swerving around obstacles in the road. Wow, would that come in handy sooner than I thought. I wanted to complete this 3-day training course so I could get my license so I could ride to the Redwood Run with my friends. That was only one month away!

Anyway, the swerving around obstacles test was all about maneuvering around orange cones. No problem. Where the real test came in was not so long after I completed this class.

I was flying up Hwy 50 in the fast lane when I saw this old pick up truck up ahead a ways. It had wood side panels on the truck bed which held a huge load of car bumpers...steel car bumpers! There was another sports bike in the lane next to me. He was behind me a bit too. Then suddenly those car bumpers started flying out of the back of that pick up truck! At first, it was not that big of a deal because it was only a couple that hit the highway. But then the whole load of them loosed free and began bouncing all over the freeway! One would hit the fast lane and bounce across to the slow lane, then come back again. Some were mid air! I thought for sure I was going to be decapitated!

My first response was to slow down...way down....so I would not catch up to the bumpers until they stopped bouncing all over the road. It did not happen quite that way. I ended up swerving around these flying bumpers, just praying one would not catch my skin or neck, or my tires! The other rider beside me was doing the same thing.

We finally came to a stop along the median near the fast lane. My heart was in my stomach, for sure! My heartbeat was crazy fast. I'd actually come out of that mess without a scratch on myself or my bike! Wow, that class was worth it!!

I returned to the Street Skills training site and told my old instructor what had happened. He told me, "See, I told you you should teach this class!" Maybe he was right.

I ended up teaching three people how to ride. I enjoy it actually, as long as they are not on my bike. Made that mistake one time and it was certainly the last.

Thought this guy knew how to ride. It ended up he did not and he was not about to let the cat out of the bag to all the brothers hanging around Jerry's Tumbleweed. I could not show my face dating some wannabe who did not know how to ride a motorcycle!!! So, I put him on my Sportster and took him to a couple school parking lots. He did good until he forgot to turn the friggin handle bars.

Are you kidding me?

He used to race bicycles, for goodness sakes! How could you not turn the handlebars? He ended up running it up over a red curb onto the lawn and fell over. Minor damage.

Before long, he took to riding like a fish takes to water. Then we had to find him a bike. That was easy.

Never again will I find myself in that situation again.

So, I mentioned I was preparing to ride to the Redwood Run. It is a run I looked forward to every June. But for years, I was riding on the back with my ex. This time, it was all about me.

The friends I was riding with lived an hour from me, so I had to get to their place first. That was our meeting point. This was real interesting for me since it was my first time venturing out on a freeway and headed for the bay area. People drive crazy on those freeways. I made it there just fine. It was leaving there with these kamakazi friends of mine that started my ride out of their neck of the woods a bit rough.

They blasted ahead of me without a warning. We never even discussed our route. I think they thought I just knew where I was going! When I finally maneuvered my way through the traffic to catch up with them, I flagged them down so we could set some road rules.

See, they were all riding much more powerful motorcycles. Mine was only a 900cc. So we finally started cruising up Hwy 101. I had no idea how much I would be beat up on my first solo run! What a difference compared to riding on the back of a bike. You get all the wind, all the elements, and all the bugs. Not to mention, the other things flying up from the road.

And you think your butt gets sore riding 25 miles on a bicycle? Try riding at 80 mph for 100 miles without stopping. Ok, I am not whining. But for the first time out solo, this is quite an adjustment for your hands, feet, neck, and ass. Your entire body gets all tingly. It's exhilarating...in many ways!!!

I decided I needed 100 mile rest stops. Riding any more than that was just too much on my neck.

Here we were, twenty minutes outside of the event and suddenly the air became real misty. That meant the roads were wet. That also meant wet and foggy goggles....and slower speeds.

Everyone signaled to slow way down. There was danger ahead. It was an accident. Yep, first run and I get to witness a bike going down.

I heard the crash of the bike around the turn but did not actually see it happen. When our group pulled around the bend, the rider was lying in the middle of the street and his bike was on the edge of the road, mangled. His riding partner had ridden ahead of him and saw the accident in his mirror. He had just pulled up to the scene and ran over to his brother. His body was lifeless. We all thought he was dead. Blood was trickling from beneath his helmet.

Someone called Cal Trans while me and Leslie did traffic control on each side of the road.

By the time the paramedic arrived, the brother had regained consciousness and they said he would be alright. Praise God! His beautiful red Road King was a different story, though.

That slowed things down a bit for all of us the rest of the weekend! It ended up being a ton of fun even though the event is scattered with many accidents, some of which are not so happy endings as I described here. That really reminded me of how important that safety course is. I tell people about it often. Maybe I will return to teach it; who knows.

You often learn more by just getting on your bike and taking off. Those close calls can do major damage. It's worth taking the course, no matter how long you've been riding.

I hope that sister who was determined to learn how to ride actually returned to Street Skills and got back on the motorcycle. That was a dream of hers. It was a dream of mine to learn how to ride. And it was one of the biggest accomplishments I am very proud of completing. It takes motorcycle riding to a whole new level. And it makes you more aware when you are on the back of how much control you absolutely do not have.

No thanks, I'll ride solo.