Two wheels is kinda fun
2158hrs: I just completed my second bike lesson on Friday and it was quite enjoyable. But before I delve into the recent lesson, lemme tell you bout the first.
The first lesson was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E! It was conducted at 1245hrs when the Sun was at it's hottest. I have never ever been under the Sun for so long and have never felt heat more intense. With the helmet on, I swear my brain was sizzling on the inside. The first 30mins was ok and I handled the bike relatively well for a beginner. But after 45mins I just couldn't take it anymore. The heat was just too much. I hadn't even gone through anything this bad in the army. After an hour I started feeling sick. I swear I thought was gonna get a heat stroke. So after about an hour, I called it quits even though the lesson was for 100mins. But the heat was just too much. 'Why didn't you just book an evening lesson in the first place', I hear you say. Well, I couldn't. That first lesson had to be at that timing because the orientation was only at that timing. But I swore to myself that I'll take only evening or night lessons from now on.
Ok...now that I've related my horrible first lesson, lemme tell you how much fun the second was. I was still stuck in the little circuit learning how to shift from gear one to two and how to stop. But after about 40 mins of it, they let me out on the bigger circuit. The bigger circuit allows you to stretch your legs a little more and permits gear shifts up to 4th. Which means speeding along at about 50kmh. I realised I was a lot more comfortable in the bigger circuit with a little more speed. So I took it slow on the first lap round the circuit. No problems. Alright, second lap was a little faster. I managed to shift up to 3. Now on the third lap I admit I was getting a little cocky. I upshifted to 4th and was travelling at 50kmh for a short period of time. I've got the upshifting and downshifting nailed. Albeit still a little awkward. But I was comfortable riding and it started to dawn on me the sorta 'freedom' much talked about among motorbike enthusiasts. I understood. On my fifth lap I was overtaking people who were slowing down for no good reason. I was really enjoying myself now. But on my sixth and final lap, my luck ran out. There's a short straight between the 3rd and 4th corners on the circuit. You could realistically hit about 40kmh if there're no learner drivers blocking your way. So I was travelling along this straight in 3rd gear when I got the shock of my life. The bike leapt forward surprising me and when it did, my right hand pulled on the throttle which caused the engine to scream like a spooked horse while it hurtled faster into the next corner. I panicked! Of course I panicked! I mean the bike caught me off guard. A couple of seconds passed before my senses came back and I managed to disengage the clutch and put on the brakes. I managed to slow down enough not to get thrown into the bushes. After the adrenaline wore off, I had time to sit and think about what I did that caused the bike to go off and buckle like a wild bronco threatening to throw me off. I did something stupid. My left leg must've inadvertently pressed on the gear lever and caused it to down shift. And because I didn't disengage the clutch before shifting, it caused the bike to jerk. Which then caused my right hand to pull on the throttle harder and well...you know the rest.
That stupid stunt happened only cause I'm still new to this two wheeled machine. I shudder to think what would've happened if it occurred on the roads. I'll definitely be plastered to a guard rail somewhere. I hope it never happens again cause it really did freak me out. Besides that little scare, the lesson was fun. I just gotta be careful where I put my foot next time.
Looking forward to more two wheeled fun @ 2232hrs
The first lesson was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E! It was conducted at 1245hrs when the Sun was at it's hottest. I have never ever been under the Sun for so long and have never felt heat more intense. With the helmet on, I swear my brain was sizzling on the inside. The first 30mins was ok and I handled the bike relatively well for a beginner. But after 45mins I just couldn't take it anymore. The heat was just too much. I hadn't even gone through anything this bad in the army. After an hour I started feeling sick. I swear I thought was gonna get a heat stroke. So after about an hour, I called it quits even though the lesson was for 100mins. But the heat was just too much. 'Why didn't you just book an evening lesson in the first place', I hear you say. Well, I couldn't. That first lesson had to be at that timing because the orientation was only at that timing. But I swore to myself that I'll take only evening or night lessons from now on.
Ok...now that I've related my horrible first lesson, lemme tell you how much fun the second was. I was still stuck in the little circuit learning how to shift from gear one to two and how to stop. But after about 40 mins of it, they let me out on the bigger circuit. The bigger circuit allows you to stretch your legs a little more and permits gear shifts up to 4th. Which means speeding along at about 50kmh. I realised I was a lot more comfortable in the bigger circuit with a little more speed. So I took it slow on the first lap round the circuit. No problems. Alright, second lap was a little faster. I managed to shift up to 3. Now on the third lap I admit I was getting a little cocky. I upshifted to 4th and was travelling at 50kmh for a short period of time. I've got the upshifting and downshifting nailed. Albeit still a little awkward. But I was comfortable riding and it started to dawn on me the sorta 'freedom' much talked about among motorbike enthusiasts. I understood. On my fifth lap I was overtaking people who were slowing down for no good reason. I was really enjoying myself now. But on my sixth and final lap, my luck ran out. There's a short straight between the 3rd and 4th corners on the circuit. You could realistically hit about 40kmh if there're no learner drivers blocking your way. So I was travelling along this straight in 3rd gear when I got the shock of my life. The bike leapt forward surprising me and when it did, my right hand pulled on the throttle which caused the engine to scream like a spooked horse while it hurtled faster into the next corner. I panicked! Of course I panicked! I mean the bike caught me off guard. A couple of seconds passed before my senses came back and I managed to disengage the clutch and put on the brakes. I managed to slow down enough not to get thrown into the bushes. After the adrenaline wore off, I had time to sit and think about what I did that caused the bike to go off and buckle like a wild bronco threatening to throw me off. I did something stupid. My left leg must've inadvertently pressed on the gear lever and caused it to down shift. And because I didn't disengage the clutch before shifting, it caused the bike to jerk. Which then caused my right hand to pull on the throttle harder and well...you know the rest.
That stupid stunt happened only cause I'm still new to this two wheeled machine. I shudder to think what would've happened if it occurred on the roads. I'll definitely be plastered to a guard rail somewhere. I hope it never happens again cause it really did freak me out. Besides that little scare, the lesson was fun. I just gotta be careful where I put my foot next time.
Looking forward to more two wheeled fun @ 2232hrs
posted by Ben at 10:32 PM
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