Two Wheel Terrors

Well that's what I liked to call my class of 20. All of us were there for one thing, to learn how to ride a motorcycle. The class was made up of people from all walks of life. There were police detectives, computer geeks, truckers, retirees, and soccer moms just to name a few. Some had riding experience, others didn't. Some already bought a bike (myself included) and others were there just to learn. It was definitely an eclectic bunch.

The class started last Friday night and the instructors began by having us mingle for a few minutes to meet each other and then we introduced each other to the class. Overall a nice way to loosen things up a bit. Then began a 3 hour long video talking about the motorcycle and motorcycle safety. They took short breaks in between to talk about each part. Basically saying the same things twice. Boring! But informative. We finished the night by stepping outside and going over one of the instructors bikes followed by a rules briefing for the next day when they actually put us on bikes. Probably the best part of the night.

And so the day finally came. Saturday - the day we all got to climb onto our first hogs and finally learn how to ride them. Ok so they weren't really hogs, not even pot bellied pigs but they were two wheels with a motor and that was more than most of us had ever ridden. Basically the bikes were leftover trash that had been donated by bike shops or people. They had small 250cc engines and weighed about the same. They began the morning by having us go over each part of the bike to learn what everything did. Kind of a repeat of the end of Friday night only this time we were doing it on our bikes. Then began the real fun. We pushed the bikes into position for the first exercise. For the first exercise we were to use the clutch with the bike in first gear to pull the bike ahead and "power walk" the bike as they called it to the other side of the course. Then we were to turn around and do it again. Now this was my first time balance something on two wheels in years. So at first it was a little awkward. But as the saying goes, it's like a riding a bike. Only this time almost literally. Pretty soon we were all up and riding in a straight line down and back, down and back. Now they started getting fancier, each exercise adding a turn here, a curve there or maybe a swerve around some cones. Shift to second, then to third, now downshift to make a sharp turn. I remember the first turn I took, I wasn't prepared for what it would take to turn the heavier motorcycle so I went way wide. But each time around I got better and better until I was hitting it each time and having a blast doing it. Finally the last exercise for the day, quick breaking. Basically, speed up then stop the bike as fast as you can without locking the breaks. All the while gearing down and putting the correct foot down first.

Now it was lunch time and our time was finished on the course. It was back to the classroom. Boring! But needed. After a few more hours of the same stuff as Friday night we took our tests. Now I aced the test. Perfect score. Of course a blind monkey could have gotten a perfect score on this test. After the test they sent us home, tired and sore to get ready for another day on the course on Sunday, and a drivers test.

We started Sunday with the one thing I had heard about the classes that made me nervous. The figure 8. Not just any figure 8. It was in a tight box about as big as 2 parking spaces next to each other. Not a way for me to start my day. We must have run through that exercise 10 times and I never once could stay in the box or not put my foot down. Very discouraging. But things got better after that. We switched to doing sharp curves and swerves which was a lot of fun. After awhile they sent us through a practice round for our test. And what is the first part of the test...the figure 8. Oh know! So I tried again. And again. No success. All the other parts of the test I had mastered but not this one.

Then it happened. They stopped all of us. It was time for the driver test. But I still hadn't mastered the figure 8. And that is the FIRST part. I took a deep breath and relaxed. Just do the best you can I told myself. Finally it was my turn. I shifted into first gear, let the cluth out, gave it a little gas and off I went into what has become my least favorite number. To my surprise, I did it! Well mostly. On the second turn I went just a little wide but no big deal that only cost me a point. The tough part was done. Next was the swerve and then the quick stop. I passed through them perfectly. And last but not least, a steep curve. I breezed through all the other tests without a problem. Relieved I parked my bike and headed in for our short graduation.

Now I can be licensed to ride. Overall, the class was a great experience and I'm glad I took the time to actually take it. I can't imagine ever riding a motorcycle without taking the class. I'm not sure why people would want to. I know I have learned several valuable lessons that could perhaps save my life on the road. If any of you are thinking about taking the class, stop thinking about it. Just do it. It's worth the money you spend to do it and it will teach you valuable lessons for riding on the road. Everyone in my class enjoyed the experience and all plan on riding more. Some are even more enthusiastic about it than they were before. So ride on Two Wheel Terrors. Ride hard or stay home.