Lisa’s (Old) Place

Having been told that I only needed to take my proof of taking the rider safety course to the DMV to get my new license, I went to the closest one. After standing in line for 10 minutes, I was told that I had to go to a DMV with a “testing facility”.

I was on my lunch break. I knew I would be late, but I was determined to get my motorcycle license.

Next stop, “Little Mexico”, where I stood in line for a few minutes before the teller kindly told me that I needed to go across the hall first, to fill out paperwork. I don’t know what YOUR DMV is like, but here, they only help people when they are done with lunch, and whatever else it is they do behind that sliding window.

I filled out the paperwork and was finally called back for an eye test. The paperwork had asked me what color my hair was. I wrote “BL”. That could only mean one of two things in MY book… “BLonde” or “BLue“. Mind you, I was standing right there, when she asked, “WHAT color is your hair?” I should have said “Blue!” just to get her to look for herself.

So, paperwork in hand, I went back to the other side, where I waited behind 10 other people. I finally got up to the window and the clerk couldn’t figure out what I was changing.

“Erm… I am adding a motorcycle designation.” She raised an eyebrow, ever so slightly and said, “Walk down here and we’ll take your picture.”

And I walked out into a half-decent day with my brand-new motorcycle license, fully expecting to give my bike another whirl when I got home. Or not. The 40 mph winds and freezing temps going on by then were hardly conducive to safe, novice motorcycling.

Nebraska rocks.

Thanks for visiting Lisa’s Place.

I passed the field and the writing test to get my motorcycle license! Yay for me.

This morning, someone lost control of their bike and flipped himself clear over his handlebars. The bike flipped, too. He decided to take a break until next spring. The instructor said that he didn’t know why his throttle kept rolling on… I bet I know (cause I did it, too)! It’s because he was probably leaning his wrist on it.

Another person laid their bike down a couple of times, because we were doing slow, tight curves. She kept after it, and did really well in the final field test. There were plenty of us putting our foot down here and there, as we felt wary that the slowness was going to involve the bike falling over. I have it in my head… “The bike does not go down”.

Anyway, it was fun, and although my mom would like me to take out more life insurance, “slow” adaptation to traffic is the key. I don’t plan to do more than a block in the neighborhood until spring. Winter’s coming, you know.

Thanks for visiting Lisa’s Place.

So, just when I was afraid that I wouldn’t have much practice with actually starting my motorcycle in training class, I had PLENTY of chances. Operator error (me) kept killing the engine. The silly thing is that I can drive a manual transmission car. With a motorcycle, the required parts to shift and brake are in different places than a car, obviously, so it’s a matter of coordination.

This is a process where self-talk and planning come in handy:

“Walk the bike and balance it before you put your feet up”
“What are the procedures for braking? Whatcha going to do first?” (pull in the clutch and apply BOTH brakes … not just the front one…lol)
“You’re going to shift… what gear are you in now?”
“You’re coming up behind a bike… what are you going to pull in or push first?”

They say that the actions become second nature, and I believe that. Certainly GOING is much easier than starting and stopping every couple of minutes. That’s how a rider course is… cones and turns, slowing down at certain spots, shifting in others.

One guy lost control of his bike and went down. He’s alright, but there was a big hole in the jeans where his knee was. The bike, a little 500cc, landed on top of him. I think he started off scared and kept being that way. He was riding slow, at least, when his bike went down.

One thing that is easy is to get your handy leather glove stuck on the throttle. A little voice in your head is saying… “Ummm… your motor is revving” and then your brain says, “Oh crap…” lol. This normally happened to me in neutral, though, or when I had the clutch in and the bike wasn’t going anywhere anyway.

So learning is fun. You get over the scary part after awhile. Hopefully, I’ll be starting my bike a few less times tomorrow, and perhaps not braking like an idiot.

And I’m sore as heck…wrists, arms, legs, rear end… everything.

Thanks for visiting Lisa’s Place.

.. I took a ride on a motorcycle and did not dump it over. I came close a few times, but as I learned to relax and enjoy the ride, I did fine. I managed to shift into second gear and back down. I learned (the frightening way) that stopping very quickly with just the front brake was a bad idea (thank God for a good suspension!).

It’s all a matter of coordination and balance, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not so bad. I’m sure it’s going to be till next spring that I get out into traffic, though.

So you’re all safe for now.

Thanks for visiting Lisa’s Place.