The Blog of Blues
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 11:41 am
I have always liked motorcycles. Over the years, I have been a passenger on numerous occasions and always enjoyed the experience......well, almost always.....there were a few close calls because the person in control liked to take chances....thus scaring the heck out of me. ( I no longer ride with people like that).
Due to various circumstances over the years, I never got around to learning to ride my own motorcycle. I have put on plenty of miles on 2 wheels on my mountain bike though.
Last year, after a day out on the back of my friend's bike, he said to me, "You could do this, you know."
He said, " Go ahead, sit on the bike".
So, I sat on his bike with my feet planted on the ground (instead of pegs) and took the grips in my hands. I think that was the moment that finally sparked me into action to do what I've always wanted to do......ride a motorcycle. It was last year that I started thinking there was a lot of things I still wanted to do. I didn't want to be one of those old people who say to themselves, "I wish I had...."
So, I set the wheels in motion toward getting a Class 6 license and a bike.
I didn't tell anyone what I was doing (with the exception of my friend). I wanted to wait until after I knew I could master it.
I got the books from the motor vehicle office so I could study and write the test. As soon as I got my learner's permit, I signed up for some motorcycle lessons. During the waiting time I started bike shopping. What an eye opening, frustrating experience it was.
Here I was ready to spend a whole lot of cash to fulfill my lifetime dream and yet, most motorcycle salesmen wouldn't even give me the time of day......
After a lot of futile visits to motorcycle shops, I happened to go to Pacific Yamaha one day. (along with my trusty friend). From the moment I walked in the door, I felt I was in the right place. Patrick, the salesman, was very helpful...even though he knew I was not going to buy a bike that day. Patrick spent time answering my questions, explaining things, showing me bikes, getting me to sit on various bikes and never once was condescending or made me feel like I was wasting his time.
After I left the shop, I could not stop thinking about the beautiful blue 650 V-Star he had showed me. 2 days later I phoned Patrick at Pacific Yamaha ( he actually remembered me) and placed the order for the bike, subject to a test drive.
I was in the process of parking lot sessions and was due for 3 road riding sessions with the motorcycle school, so we planned a test drive for immediately following my classes.
I never got to take my test drive. I didn't get to finish the course. I cancelled the order on the bike because I had exactly 20 minutes of road riding on a little 250cc Honda.
One of the instructors in the course was an egotistical, arrogant, sexist, racist jerk who sucked the joy of riding and my confidence right out of me. Even though this course was for absolute beginners, his main focus was on racing. He seemed to have lost focus for beginners. I was the only woman in a class of 10 people. Half the guys showed up on their own bikes. Our instructor would cut the parking lot sessions short and we would go inside and watch race videos. He wanted us to see him in action at some race track. He kept talking about track days and advanced rider training.
Now, I ask, how the heck am I supposed to learn to ride a bike by sitting inside watching racing videos? I don't need to go into detail about things he said, or the horror stories he would tell, but suffice it to say, I was not a happy camper.
I went to class for what was supposed to be my first real road ride and was re-assigned a different bike. Well, I could not shift that thing. The Honda Nighthawk I had been riding was easy to ride, but the Suzuki Marauder I was assigned that night was impossible to shift. I almost dropped the bike a couple of times because I was so busy trying to get the shifter into gear, I never noticed I had come to an almost complete stop....until I started to tip over....
I went for help. His solution was to ride by me....standing up....to show me that the bike was easy to ride. How is that supposed to help me?
He told me to try again while the rest of my class was assembling to get ready to go on the road. So, there I was riding around in circles in first gear, unable to shift, while the other class members were giving me sideways glances wondering what's wrong.
The instructor eventually called me over to see how it was going. I told him it would be a mistake for me to go on the road on that particular bike. So, his solution?...Take away the receiver and earphones and tell me to stay behind and practice. He should have assigned me a different bike and taken that Suzuki in for adjustment.
Do you have any idea how disheartening it is to watch everyone else get to go riding and I had to stay behind in the parking lot?
There was other classes going on, so I was able to go to another instructor, but lo and behold.....even he could not shift that Suzuki. I spent 2 hours in that parking lot trying desparately to shift that bike....trying until my hip and back hurt from exertion. I finally went home and had to line up an extra session in the parking lot. The extra session in the parking lot was with a different instructor and a different bike that actually worked.
The school postponed our two road rides . Wait a minute....we were supposed to be done by a certain date. I was supposed to have a test drive.....
Things went from bad to worse because of that particular instructor (who also, by the way, was part owner. The other owner/instructor did not know at this point what was happening because the jerky instructor had not bothered to share the letter I had written).
So, after all the problems with the school I was beginning to think I was not supposed to ride. I cancelled the order on my bike. I fully expected them to keep my $500. deposit, but, they gave it back to me. The manager at Pacific Yamaha knew how upset I was because I was crying. I wish I was not so emotional, but, after wanting something so much for so long and putting so much effort and money into the process, I was feeling somewhat devastated.
The manager at Pacific was very kind and suggested I phone a certain individual who does private lessons for motorcycle training. He gave me his name and number and told me this instructor has a 400cc bike he uses for training and if I was still wanting to ride, I should give this guy a call.
So, I called.
End of part one.
Due to various circumstances over the years, I never got around to learning to ride my own motorcycle. I have put on plenty of miles on 2 wheels on my mountain bike though.
Last year, after a day out on the back of my friend's bike, he said to me, "You could do this, you know."
He said, " Go ahead, sit on the bike".
So, I sat on his bike with my feet planted on the ground (instead of pegs) and took the grips in my hands. I think that was the moment that finally sparked me into action to do what I've always wanted to do......ride a motorcycle. It was last year that I started thinking there was a lot of things I still wanted to do. I didn't want to be one of those old people who say to themselves, "I wish I had...."
So, I set the wheels in motion toward getting a Class 6 license and a bike.
I didn't tell anyone what I was doing (with the exception of my friend). I wanted to wait until after I knew I could master it.
I got the books from the motor vehicle office so I could study and write the test. As soon as I got my learner's permit, I signed up for some motorcycle lessons. During the waiting time I started bike shopping. What an eye opening, frustrating experience it was.
Here I was ready to spend a whole lot of cash to fulfill my lifetime dream and yet, most motorcycle salesmen wouldn't even give me the time of day......
After a lot of futile visits to motorcycle shops, I happened to go to Pacific Yamaha one day. (along with my trusty friend). From the moment I walked in the door, I felt I was in the right place. Patrick, the salesman, was very helpful...even though he knew I was not going to buy a bike that day. Patrick spent time answering my questions, explaining things, showing me bikes, getting me to sit on various bikes and never once was condescending or made me feel like I was wasting his time.
After I left the shop, I could not stop thinking about the beautiful blue 650 V-Star he had showed me. 2 days later I phoned Patrick at Pacific Yamaha ( he actually remembered me) and placed the order for the bike, subject to a test drive.
I was in the process of parking lot sessions and was due for 3 road riding sessions with the motorcycle school, so we planned a test drive for immediately following my classes.
I never got to take my test drive. I didn't get to finish the course. I cancelled the order on the bike because I had exactly 20 minutes of road riding on a little 250cc Honda.
One of the instructors in the course was an egotistical, arrogant, sexist, racist jerk who sucked the joy of riding and my confidence right out of me. Even though this course was for absolute beginners, his main focus was on racing. He seemed to have lost focus for beginners. I was the only woman in a class of 10 people. Half the guys showed up on their own bikes. Our instructor would cut the parking lot sessions short and we would go inside and watch race videos. He wanted us to see him in action at some race track. He kept talking about track days and advanced rider training.
Now, I ask, how the heck am I supposed to learn to ride a bike by sitting inside watching racing videos? I don't need to go into detail about things he said, or the horror stories he would tell, but suffice it to say, I was not a happy camper.
I went to class for what was supposed to be my first real road ride and was re-assigned a different bike. Well, I could not shift that thing. The Honda Nighthawk I had been riding was easy to ride, but the Suzuki Marauder I was assigned that night was impossible to shift. I almost dropped the bike a couple of times because I was so busy trying to get the shifter into gear, I never noticed I had come to an almost complete stop....until I started to tip over....
I went for help. His solution was to ride by me....standing up....to show me that the bike was easy to ride. How is that supposed to help me?
He told me to try again while the rest of my class was assembling to get ready to go on the road. So, there I was riding around in circles in first gear, unable to shift, while the other class members were giving me sideways glances wondering what's wrong.
The instructor eventually called me over to see how it was going. I told him it would be a mistake for me to go on the road on that particular bike. So, his solution?...Take away the receiver and earphones and tell me to stay behind and practice. He should have assigned me a different bike and taken that Suzuki in for adjustment.
Do you have any idea how disheartening it is to watch everyone else get to go riding and I had to stay behind in the parking lot?
There was other classes going on, so I was able to go to another instructor, but lo and behold.....even he could not shift that Suzuki. I spent 2 hours in that parking lot trying desparately to shift that bike....trying until my hip and back hurt from exertion. I finally went home and had to line up an extra session in the parking lot. The extra session in the parking lot was with a different instructor and a different bike that actually worked.
The school postponed our two road rides . Wait a minute....we were supposed to be done by a certain date. I was supposed to have a test drive.....
Things went from bad to worse because of that particular instructor (who also, by the way, was part owner. The other owner/instructor did not know at this point what was happening because the jerky instructor had not bothered to share the letter I had written).
So, after all the problems with the school I was beginning to think I was not supposed to ride. I cancelled the order on my bike. I fully expected them to keep my $500. deposit, but, they gave it back to me. The manager at Pacific Yamaha knew how upset I was because I was crying. I wish I was not so emotional, but, after wanting something so much for so long and putting so much effort and money into the process, I was feeling somewhat devastated.
The manager at Pacific was very kind and suggested I phone a certain individual who does private lessons for motorcycle training. He gave me his name and number and told me this instructor has a 400cc bike he uses for training and if I was still wanting to ride, I should give this guy a call.
So, I called.
End of part one.