Motorcycles: Day 2

So today was the last day of the MSF course. Again, it was hot as fuck. Nothing better than sweating so much that I'm pretty sure if my pants weren't relatively tight and my balls weren't mashed into a pulp against the tank/seat, I'd have sweat filled shoes from it running down my everything.

We finished the MSF DVD, along side the book, then took the written part of the test. I don't think a single person missed more than two, and our entire table aced it with 100%. Easy enough, especially when it's three answer multiple choice. You have one dead wrong answer and two 50/50's. A break for an hour, then on to more skills practice.

So we get our gear on and head out. What's the first thing of the day? Countersteering u-turns. The figure-8 box of doom. No warm up or recollection of skills. Who goes first? I do, of course. I didn't even make it INTO the box, hahaha. Eventually I figured out where I was supposed to be going, and put my foot down a bajillion times the first time through. Next was only a few thousand. I finally got the left, f'ed up the right. By the end of this session, I really wasn't confident in it. I later realized I wasn't sitting up straight, so it was harder to shift my weight, and I wasn't doing it effectively, as I aced that part for the test.

Having sustained a sufficient ego bruising, I figured it could only get better from there. And it did. Nothing but smooth sailing. Curves? Cake. Swerves? Pie. Emergency stopping? Not so much.

I apparently suck at emergency stopping. Well at least on that thing. I feel I may have been better at it, if I had been able to get more practice in at a PROPER SPEED. Like, 35 mph, say. Going like 15 mph isn't sufficient to feel the weight of the bike shift as you brake. The fork dive from getting on it happens when you're stopped, as it's popping back up. That's something I'll practice in a parking lot, after I get completely familiar with my brakes on MY bike. The good news? I'm great at locking the rear tire. Even better at it not changing direction during the slide. I locked it up 4 times. Yes, 4. Each time I came to a nice stop before putting my left foot calmly down, then my right. I also kept anticipating the stop too early.

This was what dinged my the most on the practical test. I totaled 87 / 100. Perfectly acceptable. Far from José's 100 / 100 (good job, asshole, hahahah), but not bad by any means. I lost 10 points for being at 23 feet when expected to stop in 11. Means that I didn't stop accelerating until I was in the cones, and I was easy on the rear. Whatever, no big deal. A great skill to have mastered as it can literally save your life, but that's what MORE PRACTICE is for. After all, isn't that something we should be doing regularly to maintain a sharp edge and usability of our skills? So, where'd the other 3 points come from?

The last part of the test. Curves. Where I was flying through them before, I was paranoid of overriding a line or knicking a cone, so I took it easy. Apparently just a tiny bit too easy. Believe me, I like to get down and dirty, leaning way the f over is thrillingly fun, but so is making sure you pass the course to get your endorsement and have even more fun on a bike you actually want.

So now it's time to get gear. Sometime after that, my dad is going to come up and cosign for the bike for me. José and I already tried and we both need cosigners. My dad put a stipulation of withdrawing the cosign if I get a speeding ticket. I'm not sure if that's incentive to be safe and ride properly (which I had generally planned on doing regardless), or incentive to get it paid off asap. I'm almost leaning towards the latter because the first thing out of both of their mouths was "As long as you don't pull a Lindsay on us." Shouldn't be too hard to do. Just don't waste your money anymore. Payments of $350/month will pay it off in 12 months. The sooner it's paid off, the sooner I can speed, haha, and the sooner I can buy a car that's not a piece of s.

I really need to work on shortening these up. Anyway, looking forward to the gear shopping. I want everything and I want it fashionable. Oh how I wish Heidi Slimane would make me a motorcycle outfit. Or maybe just that he made leather riding pants. I think I just got a boner.

Motorcycles: Day 1

So, today I had my first day of the MSF Safety Course provided by Pacific Northwest Motorcycle Safety. What a fun time.

First was class time, which isn't always the most fun, but when I'm allowed to be the smart ass that I can be (well practiced since at least 5th grade), without it irritating the instructor, we all have fun. We learned all the crap that I've spent the last couple months constantly reminding myself of and thinking about to help me further understand the dynamics of motorcycling. Lunch break.

Second half of today was spent getting acquainted with and riding our motorcycles. The bikes provided ranged from Suzuki GZ250's to Honda Nighthawks or Yamaha 250's. I grabbed the one "Space Gray"ish Suzuki. We got all situated with where everything is, how to operate them, then we started them up and started feeling the friction zone, then power walking back and forth across the ride area.

Soon enough we were feet up riding around the area. Various exercises from low speed cornering, friction zone slaloming lightly and further, 2nd/3rd gear ovals leaning in and all that jazz. I pretty much did excellent on everything but the slaloms and some emergency braking.

My issue with the slaloms was mostly that I just didn't get the hang of my balance while manipulating that bike. Some reason I just don't feel comfortable on cruisers. I can lean over in a corner no problems, but going back and forth especially at lower speeds just doesn't feel right. Also, initially I was still working on steady throttle and more work in the friction zone. It's all stuff that I know will come in time, or that's how it feels. I was getting better at the slaloms but I wasn't able to consecutively nail them. I felt like I was going too slow, but couldn't go too fast or I just wouldn't make it. Never found that happy medium.

Emergency braking was fun, I just kept doing something wrong. Initially, I was too long, then not stable, then I was stable but managed to lock the rear up, haha. I fixed everything but bringing the distance down. I think that's mostly that I don't want to start too early. That will screw you come the final testing.

It was hot as hell. Like 80+ degrees today. We were in such a beautiful spot though, we lucked out. Right next to an airplane hangar, right next to the water, down on the docks at whatever military base area that is in Magnuson Park. It was hot, but the air was constantly blowing in off the water, which felt so amazing.... Awww yeahhhh. My only complaint is that I got sunburnt, and until I got a good seat, I was smashing my balls, hahaha.

I'm excited for tomorrow, the written, the testing, and hopefully obtaining my passing paper to go get my endorsement, and finally, the motorcycle that I've wanted since I was sixteen. Time to study, probably nap, and yeah.