talie
06-20-2004, 06:34 PM
Hello Ladies, Gentlemen, Friends, Enemies and others!
I think that I have figured this system out enough to venture a post. I just wanted to let y'all know that I passed the MSF course with flying colors (red and black) and am now officially a licensed motorcyclist. I even got a nifty new helmet sticker, too! Though I could have done better on the test, I was a bit shaken because an hour before riding it, I was in a tornado in my car, with my sons. We were shaken, but not stirred. Fortunately we were able to careen into a parking lot and head into a building just after the building sign ripped off and flew in front of the car to hang in the power line beside us and a moment after the wind ripped the two huge plate glass doors from their frame and twisted the head off the stop sign I was parked by. It was the weirdest thing! I was sitting there in the car, a river flowing beneath me on what had been a road, and the sky was right on top of us! These black clouds with ghostly fingers were plucking at the car and we rocked from side to side. The boys were asking, "Mom, Mom, what do we do?!" and I had to reply, "I don't know guys, just HOLD ON!" It really shook my confidence to be so utterly at the mercy of the elements and that feeling lingered when, 45 minutes later, I was straddling that little Kawasaki Eliminator 250 and facing a test while the sky rumbled above and the boys clung to a fence nearby watching me, not wanting to be too far away, just in case.... but I did it.
I've had better, smoother and far less stressful rides, but in spite of letting the pressure get to me a bit, I managed to pull it off. Afterwards when I went to get the results of the test, the instructor looked at me, shook his head and said mournfully, "Faith, what happened? Where did we go wrong? We gave you our best and you... you..." At this point my lower lip was threatening to hit my boots and my eyes were welling with ...rain, yes, that was it, it was the rain...and then he said... "..and you...you pass." I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to kiss a Rider Coach, or to hit him first, for that matter....but he seemed to understand!
I really enjoyed the class and reccomend it to new riders and seasoned ones as well. It wasn't exactly easy. Seven people of the twenty in the class failed it. I had trouble adjusting to the small bike at first but then got used to how tightly I could turn it under me. I ground the pegs on the pavement a few times as I took it around tight turns on the course. The instructor told the class that I should have been teaching them how to ride! The class was fun and informative. Now I'm ready to hit the road and keep the rubber side down...(or sideways).
Oh, I want to thank everyone who sent my brother a word of encouragement after his accident two weeks ago. He's still in pain from the pelvic fractures but he's on the road to recovery and plans to be back on a bike again as soon as he can afford to replace his.
Surak is getting a few miles on him as I venture further and further from home. The Memphis Shades Hellcat windshield is awesome, and since I did alright with that, time to tackle a new project. Maybe some saddlebags since the wingerline engine guard isn't here yet. (They emailed me last week saying it will be another 2-4 weeks yet.) I rode out this morning at 6:30 when it was 42 degrees here in western Pennsylvania and I'm thinking the next purchase is a warmer pair of gloves! I pulled into the lot where the MSF coach was starting a new class and I hollered at him, "Hey, can we go over that chapter on hypothermia again!?" Do they make seats with warmers in it for the VN750 so I don't have to freeze my ass off now that I'm a hopeless addict?
Ok, enough rambling from me...
Talie aka Faith (or vice versa)
I think that I have figured this system out enough to venture a post. I just wanted to let y'all know that I passed the MSF course with flying colors (red and black) and am now officially a licensed motorcyclist. I even got a nifty new helmet sticker, too! Though I could have done better on the test, I was a bit shaken because an hour before riding it, I was in a tornado in my car, with my sons. We were shaken, but not stirred. Fortunately we were able to careen into a parking lot and head into a building just after the building sign ripped off and flew in front of the car to hang in the power line beside us and a moment after the wind ripped the two huge plate glass doors from their frame and twisted the head off the stop sign I was parked by. It was the weirdest thing! I was sitting there in the car, a river flowing beneath me on what had been a road, and the sky was right on top of us! These black clouds with ghostly fingers were plucking at the car and we rocked from side to side. The boys were asking, "Mom, Mom, what do we do?!" and I had to reply, "I don't know guys, just HOLD ON!" It really shook my confidence to be so utterly at the mercy of the elements and that feeling lingered when, 45 minutes later, I was straddling that little Kawasaki Eliminator 250 and facing a test while the sky rumbled above and the boys clung to a fence nearby watching me, not wanting to be too far away, just in case.... but I did it.
I've had better, smoother and far less stressful rides, but in spite of letting the pressure get to me a bit, I managed to pull it off. Afterwards when I went to get the results of the test, the instructor looked at me, shook his head and said mournfully, "Faith, what happened? Where did we go wrong? We gave you our best and you... you..." At this point my lower lip was threatening to hit my boots and my eyes were welling with ...rain, yes, that was it, it was the rain...and then he said... "..and you...you pass." I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to kiss a Rider Coach, or to hit him first, for that matter....but he seemed to understand!
I really enjoyed the class and reccomend it to new riders and seasoned ones as well. It wasn't exactly easy. Seven people of the twenty in the class failed it. I had trouble adjusting to the small bike at first but then got used to how tightly I could turn it under me. I ground the pegs on the pavement a few times as I took it around tight turns on the course. The instructor told the class that I should have been teaching them how to ride! The class was fun and informative. Now I'm ready to hit the road and keep the rubber side down...(or sideways).
Oh, I want to thank everyone who sent my brother a word of encouragement after his accident two weeks ago. He's still in pain from the pelvic fractures but he's on the road to recovery and plans to be back on a bike again as soon as he can afford to replace his.
Surak is getting a few miles on him as I venture further and further from home. The Memphis Shades Hellcat windshield is awesome, and since I did alright with that, time to tackle a new project. Maybe some saddlebags since the wingerline engine guard isn't here yet. (They emailed me last week saying it will be another 2-4 weeks yet.) I rode out this morning at 6:30 when it was 42 degrees here in western Pennsylvania and I'm thinking the next purchase is a warmer pair of gloves! I pulled into the lot where the MSF coach was starting a new class and I hollered at him, "Hey, can we go over that chapter on hypothermia again!?" Do they make seats with warmers in it for the VN750 so I don't have to freeze my ass off now that I'm a hopeless addict?
Ok, enough rambling from me...
Talie aka Faith (or vice versa)