The Motorbike
There have been days this summer, or rather sleepless nights, where I regretted getting the bike. And then I had a perfectly clear afternoon this week, schedule-wise and weather-wise. I put my fully-charged battery back into the bike, mashing up the screw on the right and got it started again. I love fixing stuff myself, especially when I don’t get electrocuted. (Upon closer inspection, I see that the screw on the right had been mashed into its socket before by the friend who first installed it for me. It’s just not a good fit into that spot. It just isn’t.)
At any rate, I haven’t made it out of the parking lot. Some nice people I know helped get me re-oriented and tweak a few things a couple of weeks ago, when I had my first moments riding in the parking lot at home. I was really nervous and tense about it all. But this afternoon, I had a great time making ovals around the cement medians, and cutting figure-8’s in low gears. It hurts my forearms to squeeze the levers, but it’s a good kind of ache.
Even though I am sorry I spent the money, on the other hand, I had a great time noodling around that afternoon. I can now stop reliably, even if it’s still not perfect. If I had a jacket on, I would have taken the bike out of the lot, onto the street. But I left it inside for the moment since I had only intended to practice. I’m not really supposed to ride alone anyway because I have only a permit.
I’m still edgy about riding on the street in traffic, but I had a great time on the bike. It’s perfect for puttering over to nearby places like the farmer’s market.
For the amount of enjoyment I’m getting though, I have no regrets. It felt really nice to ride around the lot and practice even if it’s costing me a gazillion dollars per mile. LOL.
Little by little, step by step. I’m going to learn to ride.
Sean wrote:
Keep it up, mapgirl! I think learning to ride and then riding is more of an investment than it is splurging. Riding to me is the closest we get to flying on our own. Let me know if you still want to get together to learn/practice. Cheers!
Posted on 20-Sep-07 at 9:41 am | Permalink
golbguru wrote:
Believe me, once you get the hang of it, you are not going to regret spending the money on a motorcycle.
Keep it up, keep practicing.
Posted on 21-Sep-07 at 3:31 am | Permalink
Bro wrote:
Keep riding, when I first got my bike, I was riding it in a parking lot for a while. Then one morning, I woke up at 3 am, just to get the feel of riding it on the road. That was almost 10 years ago, and I still remeber the rush of my first solo road ride.
Where do you get your bike maintained? I need to get some work done, was thinking about taking it to coleman’s out in fall church, know anything about that shop?
p.s. if you need a license rider to get on the road with, let me know.
Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 11:24 am | Permalink
mapgirl wrote:
Bro - Thanks for the offer. I have a few friends who can help me out. Coleman’s in Falls Church has a bad reputation. I was pointed to Crossroads Cycles in Bailey’s Crossroads. They do mostly HD’s from what I could see, but they were pretty nice. I have yet to take my bike in for lots of work. Pretty much, I’ve been doing it myself.
You’re better off taking it to Criswell in Montgomery County, MD. It’s far, but all my friends tell me to stay away from Coleman’s in FC. (The Woodbridge location is better, but farther away.)
Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 3:11 pm | Permalink
Bro wrote:
Thanks for the tip, I’ll check out crossroads cycles.
Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 9:02 am | Permalink