Learning to Ride a Motorcycle - A Newbie’s Journal

by Dee Dee Baker (DoubleDee)

>Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Wednesday, July 9th, Lesson #9:
 52 miles.

The mission this evening was to retrieve my bike from Eastside MotoSports. It now has a brand new backrest and Leatherlyke saddlebags mounted on it. How cool is that! Last evening my friend rode my bike and I followed him by “cage”, that’s what bikers call a car, with all of the accessories in it and we dropped them off at Eastside MotoSports. He checked on the progress during his lunchtime and the bike was ready to be picked up after work. So we rode two-up to retrieve my bike and then the objective was to get in more stop and go practice in very heavy rush-hour traffic. It worked! I really wore out my hands holding and releasing the clutch and break. Our destination was to eat dinner at the Texas Smokehouse BBQ in Woodinville. I did much better in not stalling the bike, but it still happened twice. Fortunately, I don’t panic; I just push the ignition switch and get it going as quickly as possible. I’m still having difficulty keeping up with him from a starting position. He wants me to take off simultaneously with him and really be aggressive with my take-offs. Sometimes I do it OK and then other times I’m still tentative and want to start off slow.

On the way back from Woodinville we stopped in Redmond to get gas, another lesson on gassing up correctly at the pump. He said, OK we need to do something differently, you just aren’t keeping up…so here’s what we are going to do…YOU will lead! OMG…I said I don’t think I know where I’m going…and he said yes you do just head back down the east side of the lake. Well, OK then…and off I went with my friend following me. Amazing how well I did after that, in fact at one point he had to motion me to slow down. Once we got home, he asked why I thought I did better on the take-offs when I was leading and I said there was no way I was going to have him on my butt telling me to get going, move-it, you’re holding up traffic!! So he said, ”Well now that we’ve figured that out, you will always lead in our practice sessions!!” He did tell me at one point along the lake he was concerned I was too close to the center line and needed to ride more to the center because of oncoming traffic. I saw his point, because I know there was one instance that a very large truck was in the oncoming lane and the back draft from the truck pushed me around somewhat.

Newbie Tip: Hold a safe position in your lane, especially when traveling in formation; make sure to not hug the center line too closely when you are leading. It is very common for people in cars to drive closer to the center line than over to the right, therefore if you also ride your bike too closely to the center and an oncoming car crosses over that center line…you will always loose!!

Thursday, July 10th, Saturday, July 12th, and Sunday July 13th:

BRC in Lacey WA: OMG, where to start???…The BRC, Basic Rider Course (similar to MSF), is designed to train newbie riders how to ride safely and with successful completion of the course ride test you receive your endorsement to ride a motorcycle and do not have to retake the test at the Department of Licensing. As I mentioned earlier, I was successful in getting scheduled into this earlier class. This was achieved by continuing to call on a daily basis for cancellations and I was fortunate to be at the right place, at the right time, when the State added 36 new classes that were not posted on the Internet. I was originally scheduled to go to this class on September 18th, however in my desire to get out on the roads riding legally with an endorsement I landed this earlier class.

When this opportunity came up I asked two friends, Greg and Patty to join me so that I would have moral support and they agreed to do it. The timing was not the greatest because we also had a 50th Birthday Bash to go to for one of our dear friends, Mary on the same weekend we were doing the field training and ride testing. The three of us decided it was worthwhile to be very good at the Birthday Party (no heavy drinking) and stay clear headed for the Sunday riding test that was required for the endorsement.

So off we went to Lacey (65 miles) on Thursday evening after work to attend a 4-hour classroom training session on Safety and Motorcycling. It was a very good exposure to what to do to properly when riding a bike and what the consequences were if it wasn’t done properly. We were grouped into 4’s, and my group consisted of 3 young men, 2 of which were in the Army and 1 new father of twin girls, all who had ridden motorcycles but now wanted to get their endorsements. We called ourselves the Rebel Riders. We had a lot of fun together and were very supportive of one another. The guys thought it was really cool that a woman “my age” would be taking up motorcycling for the first time in her life.

After the class we headed back home for the long 1+ hr. drive, ‘twas quite late when I was finally able to hit the sack. The plan was that we would spend Saturday night at our friend’s Mary and Jerome’s house in Tacoma and that way we would first go to the Saturday Field Training at 0730-1800 and from there go to our friend’s home, Mary and Jerome, to shower before going to the Birthday Bash. Afterwards we would spend the night at their house so that we would only need to drive 30 miles to Lacey the next morning for the remaining field training and test.

Saturday morning field training covered some of the basic riding techniques, however for about the first hour they had us walking our bike everywhere, forward, backwards, around and around…I thought we were never going to get on it to ride! Once we did, I felt I was doing pretty well, in particular with the cone weave and cornering. We practiced quick stops and I was having difficulty remembering to downshift into first, simultaneously with braking with the front and rear brakes. One of the instructors, Howard, did not like that at all and when he didn’t like something he would yell at you, pointing to come to him, then scolded you for not doing it right. I did not like his method of teaching and sometimes found myself arguing with him, which I can tell you was not a good thing…trust me! Overall, I did pretty well and after lunch it was time to go back into the classroom to take the written test. I aced the written exam with 100% and was feeling really good about the outcome.

Mary’s Birthday Party was a lot of fun and as planned I was a very good girl. Got back to their house around 2300, but did not sleep comfortably on their sofa bed. Sunday morning we left for Lacey at 0600, but something just didn’t feel right. I was dead tired, groggy from no sleep and the skies were black outside with storm clouds moving in.

Sunday morning the first exercise we were introduced to was the infamous “blue-box” double U-turns. Howard said, “These U-turns will be on your riding test and you must successfully make both U-turns without crossing the blue lines, or dropping one or both of your feet to the ground”. So off we went on our bikes and OMG what a disaster it was for me; not only could I not stay within the blue lines, I dropped my feet a number of times to keep my balance. I realized at that moment I had never done this maneuver in any of the previous practices and I was simply blown away. All of a sudden I was faced with the possibility that I might not be able to pass this portion of the test and I let it psyche me out. The rest of the morning I continued to dwell on this “blue-box” and asked Howard if I could practice it more when we took our breaks, he replied NO we would have the opportunity to practice it as a group before we took the test.

I started doing poorly on just about every other maneuver I had done fine on the day before…WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO ME??? Then we came back to the “blue-box” one more time and I made two more passes through it, but continued to do poorly. By this time I had myself convinced I simply could not do it. Sure enough, along came the riding test, and the first maneuver we were tested on was that DAMN BLUE BOX and I failed miserably. I went outside of the blue lines and dropped my foot once! I knew I was screwed because Howard had told me I had to pass the U-turn test. After that, came the Panic Stop Test and needless to say I was in a PANIC! My first run through, Howard told me I anticipated the stop and prior to the first orange cone I let up the throttle, so he told me to do it again. The second pass through I was really, really pissed and wasn’t about to let up on my speed until my front tire passed the first orange cone. But I had built up too much speed and when I lay on my brakes I locked up the front tire and skidded past the permitted stopping point. At all times I kept control of the bike, but it didn’t matter I knew I had failed the test.

What I did not know was that you were permitted to loose 20 points out of 100 to pass the riding test and the “blue-box” only counted for 8 even if you didn’t do any part of it correctly. The panic stop counted for 15 points, which I probably would have done properly if I hadn’t let the “blue-box” failure get to me. I have never, ever, beaten myself up as much as I did over this failure. Why did I let this happen??? Well it took me the rest of the day and night to finally realize what had happened to me. I wanted this endorsement more than anything and never once did I ever consider I might fail the BRC course. When I was faced with the failure of the “blue-box” it became overwhelming to the point that nothing I did that day was going to be done right.

I look at this experience much differently now. This was not the end of the world, all things happen for a reason and this humbling experience will indeed make me a better rider. First, I probably shouldn’t have tackled getting my endorsement until I was further along with my training and secondly, thinking I would pass the test without a problem was a huge mistake! I only had been on my bike 9 times before the class. Now, I will practice, practice, practice. I also learned that to succeed in anything you must know how to find enjoyment in what you do…that day I did not know how to find pleasure in riding, which is why I was pursuing this activity in the first place.

Newbie Tip: Don’t make this endorsement thing bigger than life…relax, you are learning good things; have fun in the class!

Monday, July 14th, Lesson #10:
 Target Shopping Center Parking Lot.

I told my friend I needed to get right back on the horse for some good old-fashioned confidence building. He agreed to come over and the plan was to tackle the “blue-box” U-turns in the parking lot of the Issaquah Target store.

I did not realize how much the BRC destroyed my confidence. I was so apprehensive to even get on the bike and start it up. When we rode away from my house it was like I had forgot how to ride and thought to myself what and the hell am I doing?? Then I started talking to myself (I do that from time to time when it’s really needed) convincing myself I was better than this and nothing should stop me from overcoming this defeat! By the time we got to the Target Store I was pretty much relaxed and ready to tackle the infamous “blue-box”!!

Fred figured out that 3 ½ parking stalls was equivalent to 24 ft, which is what a 500cc or larger bike is allowed in the DOL riding test. Immediately he could see my difficulty was coming from looking down at the lines and he positioned himself somewhere in the middle of the path I was to take and said LOOK AT ME, crank your head and LOOK AT ME. It worked, by the end of the night I finally was able to make the U-turn within the specified space. However, he could tell I was exhausted when I started to get sloppy and said OK it’s time to quit, let’s go home.

Newbie Tip: Do not let small set-backs stop you from pursuing your dream…always have faith that you can overcome whatever obstacles get in your way.

Tuesday, July 15th, Lessons #11 & #12:
 Target Shopping Center and Interstate ride to Eastgate.

MORE OF THE SAME…but this time I pretty much got the U-turns down very quickly and my friend wanted to GO GET ICE CREAM, so we hit the bricks to I-90 and rode the longest distance to date (3 Exits) on the freeway to the Dairy Queen! Now I understand the meaning of the term “death grip” and clearly questioned my sanity. However, even though I was holding on for dear life, going fast felt really, really good!

Newbie Tip: You will be scared out of your wits riding a motorcycle at 65-70 MPH. Breath, loosen that grip slightly, say a little prayer and know the faster you go the more stable the bike becomes.

Wednesday, July 16th, Lesson #13:
 NEVER APPLY FRONT BRAKES WHILE IN A TURN ON GRAVEL ROAD!!...

This is my friend’s story, for only him to tell. I would have opted to drop (probably not a good choice of words) Lesson #13 from the training schedule, since #13 is considered an unlucky number…as would be corroborated by his cornering, gravel driveway, braking, dumping story. That’s why you usually will not find a #13 floor on most elevators!

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