Step Up! - Amuli's ZZR250 Motoblog

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the_sandman_454
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Location: Midland County, Michigan

#11 Unread post by the_sandman_454 »

Just wanted to say congratulations for sticking with it, and not getting too discouraged.

In a way you're lucky to be getting the class out of the way this early in the riding season, I won't be taking my class until June. :( Of course I don't envy the temperatures you've had to endure for the event.

Have you had any more of an opportunity to mess about with your bike?

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Amuli
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#12 Unread post by Amuli »

Haha, I'm glad I've gotten the class out of the way, though at the time it was a completely different story!

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Motorcycle Course, Day 3 of 3

After I got home on Saturday, all I wanted to do was warm myself in front of the television for the rest of the night. I was supposed to go out to dinner with some friends, but I wasn’t feeling up to it. I had been bailing out on my friends for almost a month now. In the end, I decided that the best thing to do was to not think about the class. After a hot shower, I felt a million times better. I decided not to blog about the day just yet, instead I went out and had a really great time.

Sunday morning rolled around and I headed back to class. Everyone had returned, save for the older man that had dropped his bike twice the day before. I was surprised, because he was handling the bike a lot better than I was. Everyone commented on how well he was doing, so it was especially sad to not see him come back. The morning was almost as frigid as the day before, but the wind had noticeable died down somewhat and skies were blue instead of grey. We rolled out the motorcycles one by one and lined up at the lot entrance. In front of us, quite the obstacle course. Not only were the tiny orange pylons menacing, but so were the patches of ice. After our bikes were sufficiently warmed up, he let us loose. And what a difference a day makes.

Everything I had trouble with before: the cornering, handling, stalling, clutch control, practically all the basics had suddenly disappeared. I must be solar powered or something because that sun shining made such a huge change in everything I did. I was keeping up with the class, hell, they even told me to slow down once or twice. I wasn’t stall free, though. The ONLY times I stalled were when an instructor was within 5 feet of me and watching. I’d do everything I was supposed to correctly, but as soon as one of them looked my way, instant stall. It didn’t bother me anymore, unlike yesterday. I don’t know if I was frustrating them, but in the end we had a good laugh about it.

The day went by so quickly and our test was upon us. I had a few marks deducted because I wasn’t going fast enough, but in the end nobody failed and we all went home happy. Tired, cold, and sore, but everyone was all smiles in the end.

The course was a great experience for me, and I feel that such training should be made mandatory for all motorcyclists everywhere. The information and techniques they offer are absolutely vital to keep your precious bike shiny side up. I plan on going through the exact same exercises on my bike when the weather warms up. I won’t exactly be out and about on International Female Ride Day like I planned earlier (it’s in 2 days!), but I’m sure I’ll tackle it with full force next year.

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