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Apollofrost
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#21 Unread post by Apollofrost »

First and foremost I want to say that I'm OK and sorry for giving you guys a scare. My internet went out and I ended up lugging my laptop down to a local library to post this.

Day one: When we got to the range I picked a 1991 Honda interceptor that as I was to find out was a real beast. This thing pointed to the throttle and yelled “Gimme!”

At first I was having some problems but I figured out how high I had to keep it reved to stop it from stalling out and got a good feel for the clutch. Unfortunately by that point I was getting some serious soreness in my wrist. I'm not sure if that was because the friction zone starts 9/10ths out and I had to pull it a really long way to disengage the clutch or I just wasn't used to it. Maybe a bit of both. Either way, by the end of the day I had some serious pain when I disengaged the clutch.

Enough about the bad, on to the good. I had one hell of a time and learned a lot. Getting up to second gear the controls smoothed out and I could do the sallom with ease. Counter steering was fun but very hard to just relax and actually do. It took some one on one instruction but I got it down, more a leap of faith than anything else but I did it. If I can just remember to keep my head up on the panic stop and my throttle smooth I'll be A OK.

Day two: My hand was still sore when I woke up but I took a few ibprofen and went to class. The knowledge test was easy and I got a perfect score on it. The range riding I was to find would be a whole lot more difficult. When I got out to the parking lot the coach pulled me aside and told me that he had gone over the interceptor the night before and it needed a new clutch cable. Then he asked me if I wanted to try one of the Honda rebels, to which I said yes. I got on it and the clutch was so much smoother and easier to operate, but going from the interceptor to the rebel proved to be too much of a change and I got back on the interceptor. It was hard, and I could barely close my hand by the end of the day, but I passed with a nine.

It's strange, I was definitely the student that needed the most one on one instruction and the first day I felt like an idiot because of it. But the second day I realized something. Almost all of the other students either rode dirtbikes or had brand new supersports chilling in the parking lot. So I just stopped berating myself and accepted that I needed help, and was better for it.

Highlights of the course:

2 crashes: one of the scooter riders took a corner too sharp and one of the guys on the other range flew off his bike and rolled ten feet.

Crossing the lines twice on the box and putting my foot down, but doing almost everything else right on the other tests.

Discovering that counter steering is not only fun, it's easy.

Discovering that I could trust my bike. That was the main one. I was so far leaned over in a turn that I could have dragged my knee on the blacktop, yet the bike was stable. That was when I realized that if I just relaxed and didn't go beyond my limits that the bike would turn and weave and countersteer with ease.


Oh, and nibblet... I did not go to the vet!
I'm starting a petition to cull narrowminded dull people - be afraid Peter, be very afraid....
-Anonymous

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Apollofrost
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#22 Unread post by Apollofrost »

I passed by the way.
I'm starting a petition to cull narrowminded dull people - be afraid Peter, be very afraid....
-Anonymous

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#23 Unread post by Scoutmedic »

:woohoo: CONGRATULATIONS! :woohoo:

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Apollofrost
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#24 Unread post by Apollofrost »

Ok, with the MSF out of the way I'm now getting a bike and a helmet. I ordered an Arai Profile in Aoki Serpent/Carr Freedom Silver. It should be in next Tuesday and I can't wait to put it on.

Plans fell through on the ninja 500 that I was intent on purchasing but I'm currently trading emails with someone that wants to sell me their 500. I hope it all goes well because it's more like what I wanted in the first place. They seem like nice people, but I'm still getting the bike checked out by a dealer.

Ok, I'm off to Cycle Gear to pay the deposit on the helmets. Since I'm ordering two things that they don't normally stock I have to pay full price for one of them in advance then send the one I don't like back. The reason I'm doing this is that I've seen pictures on the web but the pictures can't show everything.

Yesterday I went to Northbay Motorsport and saw the Carr Freedom helmet up close, it was amazing yet online it looked terrible. The depth of the paint job, the sheer luster of the finish. But none of those were at all visible online.

Now the Aoki Serpent helmet looks great online, but that's just a picture. So I have to see it up close to make my decision and that's what I'll do when they come in next Tuesday. After which I'll walk out with my new helmet and a smile.
I'm starting a petition to cull narrowminded dull people - be afraid Peter, be very afraid....
-Anonymous

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Apollofrost
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#25 Unread post by Apollofrost »

Went to order my helmet today when something weird happened. My debit card was denied. Seems that the bank transfered some money out of my checking instead of my savings. But phone banking saved the day and I was able to order my helmet, I decided to just go for the Profile Carr Freedom helmet by Arai and it should be in next Tuesday.

I also picked up a pair of black Dainese leather racing pants and I'm happy with them. I'll probably put skull decals on the sliders when I find some I like. That or I'll change the Dainese logo into a Kitty logo.
I'm starting a petition to cull narrowminded dull people - be afraid Peter, be very afraid....
-Anonymous

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#26 Unread post by Veda »

What? No photos?

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Apollofrost
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#27 Unread post by Apollofrost »

Ok, here ya go.

Image

Now for some lovely sh*t that makes me so f***ing p*ssed

Well yesterday I swung by Cyclegear to pick up the Helmet I had ordered as well as exchange a pair of pants that had a busted seam. The exchange went great and they even gave me 20% off on the helmet which was originally selling for $560. I looked it over and just fell in love with the art on it and the general style of the helmet. So paid for it, saw some friends at the Wednesday night market and then went home.

Now what do I see? My sister on the couch, teary and red eyed. So I ask her what's wrong and she says that the though of me on a bike gave her panic attacks all day and that she would wreck any bike i bought before it could kill me.

Ok, this is just f*cking stupid. She waited until after I had taken the MSF, Gotten my license, and bought most of my gear. I was going to get my bike this weekend. I had a seller coming into town to have the bike checked out at a local dealer. But no, she chose now to freak.

To add to the hassle she gave me another ultimatum. You get a bike, you move out. Now it's her apartment and while I pay rent it's much cheaper that it would be if I were to move in with somebody else. Oh, and she spilled all of this to my neurotic mother who now calls me daily from mexico.

I was actually in a good mood before I walked in the door.

So once I get a job I'm moving out if I can afford it. I'm living off my savings right now and I can afford to get a bike or to move out, not both.

So why does my sister hate and fear motorcycles? Well to start out she's afraid to drive and when she wanted to get a motorcycle her father told her about how on her first ride he had gotten hit by a car that left turned into him. So she sees it as an eventuality that I will get pinned under a car if I ever ride a motorcycle. She even acknowledges that it's an unfounded fear, which makes it impossible to reason with her.

On a lighter note I've begun to wage subliminal warfare on her. I'm leaving little notes around the house that say "It's OK for alex to get a motorcycle" and while I doubt they will change her mind she'll be thinking of the notes when she thinks of motorcycles, not me pinned under a car.
I'm starting a petition to cull narrowminded dull people - be afraid Peter, be very afraid....
-Anonymous

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#28 Unread post by KarateChick »

Hang in there Alex!
Ya right, :wink: there are only 2 kinds of bikes: It's a Ninja... look that one's a Harley... oh there's a Ninja... Harley...Ninja...

[img]http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j135/KarateChick_2006/IMG_1245_1.jpg[/img]

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#29 Unread post by fireguzzi »

KarateChick wrote:Hangin there Alex!
Nah, those pants are pretty tight.


:groan:

I just couldn't stop myself. :peep:
[img]http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/fireguzzi/papabarsig.jpg[/img]

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Apollofrost
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#30 Unread post by Apollofrost »

boo hiss guzi























that was pretty funny though.
I'm starting a petition to cull narrowminded dull people - be afraid Peter, be very afraid....
-Anonymous

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