Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Monday Feb 25, 2008

Well...I have a couple of more small rides under my belt. Doc and I went for a very short ride on Thursday to practice some turns and slow riding.
Then later that evening I used my bike to go to an information meeting at the place where they teach motorcycling. I figured since I know the route quite well and it wouldn't be frosty, it would be a good first time back night ride.

On Saturday we rode to Langley where we were joined by the former noodlehead I was dating. He wasn't supposed to be there. I went early to have lunch with Doc and the bossman....figuring noodlehead wouldn't be there yet. Wrong. He messed up his times and was just finishing.

A grand finish it was, too. As he came around the corner, he let out the clutch and wound up the throttle, stalling the bike and almost toppling over. The boss man said he had been like all morning. Doc and I have tried to dissuade him from taking motorcycling. I even told him that if he rode the same way he drove, he would not pass the road test. We also told him DO NOT BUY A BIKE YET. We told him to wait until AFTER the course. Personally...I hope he doesn't pass the skills test.
Anyway....the boss man couldn't leave, so Doc and I and the noodlehead went across the street for lunch.
Almost the first words out of noodleheads mouth were. "I won't be in a bike anymore today, I can have a beer."
Doc and I simultaneously said, "You still have to drive home."
It wouldn't have mattered if I had said it....he would not have listened to me anyway...but I think Doc saying it made him smarten up.
After lunch Doc and I left to go to Abbotsford so he could pick up a part he needed. Then we rode over to Mission to pay a visit to someone we know.
On the way home I could feel the results of the day so far. Very sore shoulders and right arm and hand and knee. I still have a long way to go build up the strength and stamina.

It must be because it's February that cagers don't see bikers. I mean more than usual. There were so many close calls because of people pulling out right in front of us....they required sudden breaking and downshifting...and a healthy dose of middle finger.
To quote Shane-o What a bunch of fukctards.

I was with noodlehead one time when he pulled out in front of a bike....We were leaving the bike show. He had his signal on to indicate he was going to pull away from the side....but that still means you have to wait for either someone to let you out; or; until it is clear.
Well....there was a bike coming along the road and noodlehead pulled out right in front of him forcing the guy on the bike to brake and stop.
I asked him if he saw the motorcycle. He said he did. I asked him why he pulled out when he did.
Noodlehead reasoning? I had my signal on.
I let him know that what he did was wrong. I reminded him that he was planning on learning to ride and asked him to put himself in the bikers shoes.
I have tried to educate NH (short for noodlehead) , but it was a waste of breath. I only hope the boss man can get it through his head how stupid he is sometimes.
A week ago, a few of us in our own vehicles were leaving a club function to go have some supper. NH was behind me. As we got to the location, I turned on the left blinker. There was along line of traffic so I could not make the turn. There was enough room for my car on the other side of the train tracks for me to move across and wait until I could make my turn. NH drove his car to within a few feet of mine and was stopped smack dab in the middle of the train tracks.

Not only is that illegal and stupid; it's dangerous. That is a busy track and the trains come by there so very fast.
Finally the traffic cleared and I could make my turn. The others were able to follow. WE asked NH about his stopping on the tracks...he actually tried to justify it.
I sure hope he doesn't pass his skills test.
I am going to a club thing on Saturday evening with NH. (Only because it is sold out and I would like to go and he has the tickets). However....I am taking my own vehicle. I told him I will never ride with him again.
If he wants to carpool, I will drive.

Anyway...where was I? Oh yes....once Doc and I got back into Coquitlam we stopped in at Staples so I could get some printer paper. While we were going through the parking lot, another cager on a cell phone pulled out right in front of us causing us to once again do a sudden braking. She pulled into the gas station there. I rode over beside her vehicle and parked my bike. I walked around to her driver window to talk to her. She was completely oblivious. I let her know that she had almost hit me. I also told her that she needed to quit talking on her cell phone and pay attention to her driving.
I don't think she cared. About the only consolation is that whoever she was still on the phone to would have heard me chew her out. I hope it's a parent.

Doc and stopped for some supper and then I rode home alone. Doc wanted to ride with me in case I was fatigued...but the rest and dinner helped. I wasn't too far away from there anyway. Good thing, because all the ibuprofen I had taken through the day had worn off.

On Sunday, I was so sore and achy. I stayed home. The ride yesterday had been a long one and I was paying for it.

Today was another nice sunny day, so I decided to use the bike to take care of an errand. Took my vitamin I (buprofen) and delivered my letter and then came home the long way.

I stopped in at a deserted parking lot to do some turns and figure eights. Well....I hadn't been there very long when 2 guys in their souped up little car came into the lot and proceed to park in a space that was right in the circles I was doing.
THE WHOLE PARKING LOT WAS EMPTY!!!! They could have parked right near the entrance or the other side.....but no-o-o-o-o-o-o....they pulled in right in the middle of where I was practicing. What a couple of a$$hole$.

Oh...I should mention....there is also another parking lot. Also empty. So...I went to the other parking lot, but there was too much sand to be doing tight turns. I came home.

I am trying out contact lenses for riding. It's a good thing I had lots of time to spare. The lenses take me about 40 minutes to get into place. The lens stays stuck to my finger and won't go into the eye.
I hope it gets easier to do because it sure is nice for riding instead of dealing with glasses.

I just realized....I didn't have the chest pains today.

I'm going to go make a cup of tea to celebrate. (and take another vitamin I )

That's what it has suddenly become here. In a way I am glad because it means I can leave the bike parked.
We got teased in February with its unusual Spring like weather so I was motivated to get out and try riding.
This temporary reminder that it is still winter gives me a chance to reflect.

I was out on the bike on Saturday. I met up with Doc at a mid way point between us for coffee before we set out for a short ride. Due to the impending storm clouds hovering over the North Shore, we opted for a ride to the east instead.
We decided upon a route through some back road areas that would give us a combination of curves and hills and to avoid the main traffic thoroughfare of a typical Saturday afternoon.

As we were slowly cruising by a park area, I saw a van start to back out of a driveway. I slowed down and was about to stop when the van stopped.
Flashback.
I was hesitant to go because this is the same thing that happened last year. When it seemed obvious that the van was really stopped, I started to accelerate. Just as I got behind the van, it started to move back. I wound up the throttle to get out of there. Doc honked the horn on his bike (which incidentally sounds like a car horn) and the van stopped.
Doc rode by and joined me at the stop sign where I was waiting. We turned the corner and continued on our way.

I was seriously affected by what happened. My anxiety levels increased. My stomach felt like it was lodged in my sternum. I was making mistakes. I was stalling and missing shifts.
When Doc and I got back on to the main road, he stopped beside me at a red light and asked what we wanted to do about lunch.
The original plan had been to go to Port Moody, but I needed to get off the road. I pointed to a plaza a block away and suggested we go there for lunch. We both like fish and chips so we went to a popular place for lunch.
Doc asked if I was ok. I told him no. I told him I needed to take a break and be off the road.
Once we were inside and talked about it and had something to eat, I felt ready to ride again. We decided on a place to go in Port Moody so that Doc could look into an alarm for his pretty new bike.
I was much calmer now and although I was still not feeling the "fun", at least I had got back on the bike and could carry on.

After we dealt with Doc's shopping, we went east a bit more to go up Mariner. It was a nicely twisting uphill road that is a good practice road for riding curves. About halfway up the hill my bike started sputtering.
It took a few seconds to realize what it was so I reached down to the petcock and turned it. It had been about halfway between on and off. I guess that the uphill needed more gas than the system could deliver.
Anyway, as soon as I felt the it, I could tell it was in the wrong position and turned it to on. The gas started to flow properly again.
Poor Doc....he was behind me. He knew what was happening...although he thought I was out of fuel....but the car behind him did not know....the car behind him got very close.....
Doc got up beside to tell me there was a gas station up the road a bit. I just nodded. Wearing a full face helmet with the shield down is not condusive to conversation.
We got into the gas station where I topped up the tank anyway even though it was still half full. We had a good laugh at my expense when I told him I was not out of fuel but simply had not turned the petcock all the way on.
We went next door for tea and a recap before I went home and he went to visit his sister.

I had a quick bite to eat and a change of clothes and then went out again....but this time in my car.
I was going to a photography show and was picking up NH. He wanted to carpool, but since I will no longer ride with him, I said I would pick him up and I would drive. He may feel like it is a slam against his manhood, but since the train track incident I will not get back in a vehicle that he is driving.
The photoshow/competition was good. I had an image in but it scored somewhere in the middle. Our club came second over all clubs in the province. The host club was the winner.

When the roads clear up on the mountain, I will go up there with my camera and shoot some action shots of bikers on the hairpins. That should score me some good points for camera club.
Now.....waiting for another dry day.

Hey Blues. Ive read that last page of your blog, and I really enjoy your writing style. Very easy to read and flows naturally.

I read a post of your blog that mentions you are having trouble with your new contacts. Ive been wearing contacts for years now and would like to offer some advice, as I had a ton of trouble when I first started. Although you have probably heard all of this before.

Firstly, it depends on how you insert the contact into your eye. If you look up and place it below the iris and pupil and let it slide into place, then might I suggest an alternate method: place contact directly onto center of eye with finger. Essentially, I just stick it straight onto where I want it to go. I try to line up the edges of the contact with the edges of my iris. Once I see the contact flap down and stick to my eye, I move it around in a little circle to make sure it has a snug fit. No idea if jamming my meaty fingers directly onto my eye's lens is a good thing to do, but meh.

If you are having trouble getting the contact to release from your finger, then theres a couple of tricks to try. First, always make sure theres plenty of solution on your finger and your contact. Dry contacts are no fun. Try washing your contact, too. Take your contact and place it into your clean palm and squirt a little puddle of solution into said palm. Now run the contact gently but firmly in circles so that both sides (finger and palm) get squeaky clean. I do this at least once a week, it keeps the contacts clean and feeling good. Relieves mineral spots and blurriness too. Oh, and if the contact wont stay in, make sure it isnt inside out. Its a little hard to tell at first, but compare how it sits on top of your finger to how it sits inside out. If the edges point out at all, its inside out. It should look like a flattened half-sphere, or a bowl. You need that shape to grasp your eyeball nice and snuggly.

I think thats all the basic info I can think of without getting into too much detail. Sorry for the really long post, didnt mean to turn this into a novel. I hope some of that helps. Dont worry, contacts get much easier the more you wear them and they are a darn sight better than glasses for convienence. Goodluck in both your ocular and motorcycle endeavors.

Thank you for the tips. I will have to get some solution. What do you recommend?
The one I have is for overnight cleaning. I can't use it to clean and place it in the eye.
I'm getting a tiny bit better at it. It only takes about 15 minutes now to get the right one in.

I used to use Opti-Free. Also Renu a few times. I liked the no-rub solution because, I'll admit, I'm kinda lazy. Now I wear extended wear lenses and wear for a week straight, then throw them away.

I've been wearing contacts for six or seven years now, I think. When I first started, it'd take forever to get them in and even longer to get them out. Now, it doesn't take but a few seconds. My routine goes like this:

- Make sure I've got all the little lint and hair fibers off my fingers. That stuff hurts when it gets pressed into your cornea.

- Stick the lens on the pad of my right pointer finger. I'm right handed, so YMMV.

- Make sure the lens is right-side out. Like the previous poster said, it should present one smooth curve. If it looks like it curves back out at the top it's probably inside out. Some lenses have "123" faintly printed on the outside edge. If so, the printing should be readable from the side. If the printing looks inside out, the lens is inside out.

- Reach up with my left hand and pull my upper eyelid up.

- With my right ring finger I pull my lower lid down.

- I then stick the lens right into the middle of my eyeball like a suction cup. Sometimes one of the edges of the lens will collapse and stick to your finger instead of your eyeball. If that happens, straighten out the lens and try again, it won't work if it can't suction on.

- Once I feel a little bubble escape from between the lens and my eye I know I have that suction achieved, and I can gently pull my finger out of my eye. Gentle is the key word, too quick a pull just might send the lens flying.

- A few blinks should get the lens comfortably settled onto your eye. The lens may feel scratchy for a couple minutes, this is normal in my experience. If discomfort is severe, or lasts for longer than a few minutes, you might have debris trapped in the lens, or the lens might be inside out. If this is the case, remove, rinse, and try again.

To remove:

- Pull down the lower lid with the left hand. With the right hand simply pinch the lens off your eyeball. It might take a few tries to get comfortable with this, but it has worked better for me than any other method.

Some notes:

- If you stick a fresh lens in and it feels kinda funny, and things are blurry, you just might have forgotten to remove the old lens first.

- If you go swimming with your lenses in, water may cause the lens to float up around the back of your eye. Given enough time it ought to float back down to where it's supposed to go. Try to wait it out before making a trip to there Emergency Room.

- If at first you're prone to dropping lenses, you might want to try spreading out a towel on your kitchen table, and doing it over that surface. It makes finding the lens easier.

- It gets easier after the first week or two, don't get too frustrated.

Good luck!

If you stick a fresh lens in and it feels kinda funny, and things are blurry, you just might have forgotten to remove the old lens first.

And you know this because???????

Thanks for the info. I think having some solution might be the solution.
And removing my finger "gently" instead of abrubtly.

Wow, mgdavis, that is play-by-play, the exact way I insert and remove my contacts. And I thought I was being different

I use Opti-Free as well (green bottle) and have used that one for years. I like it better than Renu or any of the generics. Make sure whatever solution you buy that it says it disinfects, no-rub, and used for overnight and storage. I've never seen a solution that said you couldnt clean the contacts with it, then insert them. I always figured if they sit in the stuff all night, then its probably safe for your eyes. I've even used the Optifree as eye drops before when the contacts were getting dry. The whole contact manipulation gets much easier the more you do it. Once your eye gets desensitized to being touched, it makes the whole process much quicker.

Speaking of ocular accidents, do make sure to check that you do indeed have contacts in before trying to remove them. This morning I mistakenly tried to remove my right cornea. My right contact must have fallen out, and when I attempted to remove it for cleaning, it was gone (after 3-4 pinch-removal attempts). Good luck, its worth it.

Glad it helps. Can you tell I was incredibly bored at work yesterday?

And you know this because??????? :Laughing:

I know this because I am not a morning person.

Thank you both. I will get some Opti-Free today.

The one I got from the optometrist is a peroxide based so it has to sit for 6 hours or more before it is safe to put in the eyes.

March 6, 2008

There is something wrong with a system that allows indentured servitude.

Ever since I started riding I have been planning for the day when I could take the instructor course so that I could get licensed to become a motorcycle instructor.
My whole life has been a series of jobs (the latest one for thirteen years) that I just sort of fell into. For the first time in my long life, I finally found something I want to work toward. I have been a professional driver for 14 years and a driver trainer where I work for almost ten years. I like the training aspect of my job and am good at it. When I started riding I knew I wanted to put my training skills to use in the motorcycle business teaching people to ride.

Well...ICBC calls the shots here. I did everything that they required which included a criminal record check (at a cost of $50.00), and got the medical done. I now have in my possession their approval letter for me to take the course.
Now here is the catch.....I have a job waiting for me as soon as I get licensed. I want to work for "Bossman".
Every single motorcycle school in the province who has been approved by ICBC to train instructors will only train you if you are going to work for them. That is total bullshit. The censor doesn't censor that word? . The only school that will train the general public is not running a course this Spring. Even if they were, it would mean that I would have to the island back and forth for a few weekends in a row. I would do it if that was my only choice, but it would get costly.
The other schools want you to sign a contract so that you can work off the cost of the course while you work for them. None of the schools will let me just pay for the course so I can work where I choose.
I have written to ICBC via email and also via snail mail to let them know of my discontent.
Their reply is this. "We understand your frustration blah blah blah.....however, at this time the schools can choose to teach people that will work for them or the genreal public.. We are looking into this issue blah blah blah.
We suggest you keep trying the schools to see if they will offer a course later.....
Helllooooo......one school said they won't train anyone from the genreal public because of "copyright". How stupid can they be?
I could sign up to learn to ride....and then I could turn around and teach what they taught me...

I think the Bossman is going to get certified to train instructors. He wants me to work for him and I want to work there. He also has another person who is having the same problems so he would do well to train us. He has a busy school.
Instructors are in big demand....well....maybe the schools would have an easier time to get instructors if they didn't require indentured servitude.

Rant over.....
for now.....

On another note....It only took me about 20 tries to get the contact lens into my right eye today. I suppose you could say that is an improvement over last week. I'm sure it took me close to 40 minutes to get the lenses in last week. Today was about 20 minutes.
I had some trouble getting them out later. I can usually manage to get them out fine. But today it felt like the left one was glued on. I just could not get the lens to come off the eyeball. When I felt I got a hold of it and pinched it to remove it, it felt like I was actually pulling the surface of my eyeball. It was quite painfull. I gave it a rest and used many, many drops......I finally came back to try again and finally managed to get the lens to lift off...but it hurt.

I have an appointment to go back to the optometrist tomorrow for a check up on the lenses.....I will ask about why the lens was stuck on.

I sure hope I get better at this.....

I would have tried to go for another ride, but I have such a sore neck and shoulder that I can't turn my head. That means I can't shoulder check, so I have been using transit.
Hopefully tomorrow it will ease off.