Last year, in November, when it was cold and miserable and my fibromyalgia was kicking in, I took a motorcycle training course through Ziggy's in Nanaimo. It was my first exposure, and with a slight fibro flare, my muscles tensed, and my heart in my throat... well, let's just say I learned some, but not nearly enough to pass the Motorcycle Skills Test at ICBC. I did get over my initial fear, and I really enjoyed riding, but though I managed to do the slalom course correctly now and again, I just couldn't do it consistently.
Winter cold quickly followed and I knew I'd need to take another course in the spring. Dave McKeown, the instructor at Ziggy's at that time, was really encouraging, and told me that I'd be able to do it once I got calmed and relaxed. He suggested I come back. I'd heard he was planning to start his own riding school this year, so a few weeks ago I tracked him down and asked if I could do the course with him. My timing was perfect, and that alone told me this was the right thing to do. It's the way things that are meant to be fall into place. Dave and his new partner Brian were starting their first course on May 30th.
At 6:00 pm on the appointed day, I met with the four other students who would be taking the very first course offered by High Rides! Dave spent the evening reviewing our motorcycle knowledge, understanding of the rules of the road, rider formations, etc. He also made sure we saw the results when people don't dress right, or don't follow the rules. We all saw the grim reminders in graphic photos of accident victims--one of them actually beheaded. Yes, riding a bike requires focus, skill, defensive riding techniques, appropriate gear, and far more concentration than most drivers of cars could ever imagine. We were given some frightening statistics, again reminding us that we will be out there without a steel cage to protect us. Lots to think about, but for me, it was all familiar. I just couldn't wait to get out on the range.
Saturday morning at 9:00 sharp we were gathered and ready. High Rides invested in 5 different student bikes. Unlike Ziggy's there were choices and we weren't stuck with the hard to ride little Yamaha 250cc cruisers... now nick-named Viagra by our class because they're so much tougher to learn on. There is just one of these bikes at High Rides. Dave and Bryan have a few enduro cross bikes that are perfect for learning the tight curves and slalom techniques.
One of the bikes is a Buell, manufactured by Harley Davidson. This was the most difficult bike for Allison and me. The clutch action is self-adjusting on this bike, and so Dave, an excellent mechanic and bike builder himself, was unable to soften it. I rode the course just twice on this machine. For the rest of the day, my thumb ached. Of course, when you spend the day riding the clutch in the friction zone, you're bound to get sore hands. You have an iron grip and by day's end, it is painful. I raced home after the first day to get some ice on my hand, and then follow that up with heat. But I was so happy. I'd managed every instruction, felt comfortable, made ever tighter turns, and only knocked over a pilon on two of the rides. By the end of the day I was comfortable about the first two parts of the ICBC test. I felt that I needed to start concentrating on the speed run and emergency stopping. But I felt good!
Day two and we all came and practiced. I noticed that Maurice, who had been doing so well the day before, was struggling, and it wasn't long before I recognized the symptoms he was experiencing. He'd expected to be better at it, and his initial failures to do the slalom on this second day were upsetting him to a point of extreme tension. Gosh, I felt bad for him. But in truth, by the time I realized he was working himself into a state, it was already too late. Sadly, he ended up dropping our favorite bike, breaking the clutch lever. When he went down in the turn, Dave raced to him to help him up. I didn't hear a single word of concern about that bike, and certainly there was no suggestion that Maurice should pay for damage. Instead, there was concern about Maurice. Dave and Brian wanted him to relax, not to worry, and not to give up. They suggested he rest a while, but not leave. Maurice was so disappointed in his performance, and bravely did attempt another ride after a short break. But he realized he couldn't do it that day, and Brian and Dave arranged for him to come back again, at a really good price. I really was so impressed. I may have the same instructor I had at Ziggy's but the atmosphere and attitude to the students here is completely different. We're being empowered to learn.
We practiced the four parts of the test for a while, and then Dave tested us each individually. Ian, Gary (he's a hot dog and great rider), Allison and I all passed our test. All knowing we can do it at ICBC too, and the reward was a group road ride. Vic joined us, so there were seven of us out on the ride. Man oh man, the first part of this ride was, perhaps, the worst I've ever done. In part perhaps because I had to switch to my own, much heavier, motorcycle (my choice). In part because I was riding in the back where Dave could see everything I did, right or wrong. I stalled my bike within two blocks of leaving the range and that set me up for stress and it went downhill from there. I can't believe how many times I stalled that poor Hussy. The worst incident was when I was about to merge into highway traffic and I was in too high a gear and she stalled and stopped dead with all sorts of traffic coming up behind me. Poor Dave could have been rear-ended. But though authoritative in his approach to me, he was also extremely empowering. We rode to the Malaspina campus, all struggling. Allison later told me she stalled her bike about 15 times that day... but I could not tell from where I was, so I was just freaked about me.
At Malaspina, Dave made me practice taking off on a hill a number of times, making sure I understood how to use the rear brake, clutch and throttle to prevent the bike from stalling out. What a difference that little session made. From that stop on, we all seemed to ride better. We also relaxed and began to enjoy the experience. We ended up going to Quiznos for lunch, and riding up Hammond Bay Road past the school where Ziggy's students were training. They all waved and we honked hello as we rode by. The ride back to the range was perfect. We all felt huge confidence in ourselves by the end of it. And at the range we practiced the test maneuvres yet again. It was great that this exercise was broken up by a road ride... gave our hands a break from the constant friction zone riding. But I have to admit, I still needed ice and heat on those hands once I got home.
And today is the day I head out to ICBC for the test. I'll report on my results later. Barring examination nerves, I should pass this test with flying colours and from tomorrow on, I'll be able to ride with or without a class 6 riding companion. Freedom... here I come. Yippee.
Winter cold quickly followed and I knew I'd need to take another course in the spring. Dave McKeown, the instructor at Ziggy's at that time, was really encouraging, and told me that I'd be able to do it once I got calmed and relaxed. He suggested I come back. I'd heard he was planning to start his own riding school this year, so a few weeks ago I tracked him down and asked if I could do the course with him. My timing was perfect, and that alone told me this was the right thing to do. It's the way things that are meant to be fall into place. Dave and his new partner Brian were starting their first course on May 30th.
At 6:00 pm on the appointed day, I met with the four other students who would be taking the very first course offered by High Rides! Dave spent the evening reviewing our motorcycle knowledge, understanding of the rules of the road, rider formations, etc. He also made sure we saw the results when people don't dress right, or don't follow the rules. We all saw the grim reminders in graphic photos of accident victims--one of them actually beheaded. Yes, riding a bike requires focus, skill, defensive riding techniques, appropriate gear, and far more concentration than most drivers of cars could ever imagine. We were given some frightening statistics, again reminding us that we will be out there without a steel cage to protect us. Lots to think about, but for me, it was all familiar. I just couldn't wait to get out on the range.
Saturday morning at 9:00 sharp we were gathered and ready. High Rides invested in 5 different student bikes. Unlike Ziggy's there were choices and we weren't stuck with the hard to ride little Yamaha 250cc cruisers... now nick-named Viagra by our class because they're so much tougher to learn on. There is just one of these bikes at High Rides. Dave and Bryan have a few enduro cross bikes that are perfect for learning the tight curves and slalom techniques.
One of the bikes is a Buell, manufactured by Harley Davidson. This was the most difficult bike for Allison and me. The clutch action is self-adjusting on this bike, and so Dave, an excellent mechanic and bike builder himself, was unable to soften it. I rode the course just twice on this machine. For the rest of the day, my thumb ached. Of course, when you spend the day riding the clutch in the friction zone, you're bound to get sore hands. You have an iron grip and by day's end, it is painful. I raced home after the first day to get some ice on my hand, and then follow that up with heat. But I was so happy. I'd managed every instruction, felt comfortable, made ever tighter turns, and only knocked over a pilon on two of the rides. By the end of the day I was comfortable about the first two parts of the ICBC test. I felt that I needed to start concentrating on the speed run and emergency stopping. But I felt good!
Day two and we all came and practiced. I noticed that Maurice, who had been doing so well the day before, was struggling, and it wasn't long before I recognized the symptoms he was experiencing. He'd expected to be better at it, and his initial failures to do the slalom on this second day were upsetting him to a point of extreme tension. Gosh, I felt bad for him. But in truth, by the time I realized he was working himself into a state, it was already too late. Sadly, he ended up dropping our favorite bike, breaking the clutch lever. When he went down in the turn, Dave raced to him to help him up. I didn't hear a single word of concern about that bike, and certainly there was no suggestion that Maurice should pay for damage. Instead, there was concern about Maurice. Dave and Brian wanted him to relax, not to worry, and not to give up. They suggested he rest a while, but not leave. Maurice was so disappointed in his performance, and bravely did attempt another ride after a short break. But he realized he couldn't do it that day, and Brian and Dave arranged for him to come back again, at a really good price. I really was so impressed. I may have the same instructor I had at Ziggy's but the atmosphere and attitude to the students here is completely different. We're being empowered to learn.
We practiced the four parts of the test for a while, and then Dave tested us each individually. Ian, Gary (he's a hot dog and great rider), Allison and I all passed our test. All knowing we can do it at ICBC too, and the reward was a group road ride. Vic joined us, so there were seven of us out on the ride. Man oh man, the first part of this ride was, perhaps, the worst I've ever done. In part perhaps because I had to switch to my own, much heavier, motorcycle (my choice). In part because I was riding in the back where Dave could see everything I did, right or wrong. I stalled my bike within two blocks of leaving the range and that set me up for stress and it went downhill from there. I can't believe how many times I stalled that poor Hussy. The worst incident was when I was about to merge into highway traffic and I was in too high a gear and she stalled and stopped dead with all sorts of traffic coming up behind me. Poor Dave could have been rear-ended. But though authoritative in his approach to me, he was also extremely empowering. We rode to the Malaspina campus, all struggling. Allison later told me she stalled her bike about 15 times that day... but I could not tell from where I was, so I was just freaked about me.
At Malaspina, Dave made me practice taking off on a hill a number of times, making sure I understood how to use the rear brake, clutch and throttle to prevent the bike from stalling out. What a difference that little session made. From that stop on, we all seemed to ride better. We also relaxed and began to enjoy the experience. We ended up going to Quiznos for lunch, and riding up Hammond Bay Road past the school where Ziggy's students were training. They all waved and we honked hello as we rode by. The ride back to the range was perfect. We all felt huge confidence in ourselves by the end of it. And at the range we practiced the test maneuvres yet again. It was great that this exercise was broken up by a road ride... gave our hands a break from the constant friction zone riding. But I have to admit, I still needed ice and heat on those hands once I got home.
And today is the day I head out to ICBC for the test. I'll report on my results later. Barring examination nerves, I should pass this test with flying colours and from tomorrow on, I'll be able to ride with or without a class 6 riding companion. Freedom... here I come. Yippee.
2 comments:
hey that was awesome.First time l noticed it there Joshi.Actually l went online to see if our site would come up and it didn't and then l noticed yours.Right on and l hope the riding is going great.Cheers Brian.
And what happened now.....??
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