The first thing I did after an unsuccessful day 1 was to call and cancel my motorcycle order. In my earlier post, I mentioned this was my second mistake and rightly so, I should not have rushed into making a purchase not even knowing what skill level I had. Also, the right approached would be to test ride a few motorcycles before making a decision on one.
The second thing I did was to look online for a private tutor. I found one and had my first lesson on Sunday evening. It was a rather daunting experience. I was still feeling scared. But the moment I was on the go, it felt amazing. At that point, I decided no matter how long it was going to take me, I will learn to ride a motorcycle. I did another lesson again on Wednesday but this time, it didn't go as well when I upgraded to a bigger motorcycle. I got scared again.
It's now one more day to my remedial class... ... ...
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Saturday, 25 June 2011
4. Pre Learners Day 1
Today, I did day 1 of the Pre Learners course and it was one the more horrible days I've had (and I pre warn that this is going to be a rather long post).
I got to the rider training centre fairly early and waited around until the other learners streamed in. We all had a bit of a chat and learnt a little about each other before being split into two classes. I ended up with a guy instructor. Unfortunately, I don't recall his name... I don't actually know if he even introduced himself.
He was a fairly new instructor and was teaching the course as per the booklet he was given. At the start, I fell twice while my buddy was pushing the motorcycle (only to find out much later it was because it was in the wrong gear hence the fall).
After an uneventful start, I was doing a little better and was riding fairly well in a straight line and turning left. However, my downfall was turning right. After two laps, the instructor came up to me and told me this lap was my last go and if I got it wrong, I was out of class. He did not bother explaining how I should get it right either. At this point, I was quite flustered and asked if he could position me at the back of the class and his response was again "No. Go now. This is your last shot!".
His other words during the day were: "this is a structured class and there is not enough time to help people who can't follow."
Well, no surprise, I got kicked out of day 1. I felt incredibly humiliated (I did hold back my tears and got through the rest of the day standing and following him while the class continued).
I thought the point of the pre learners was to learn. I learnt nothing today except lose my confidence. At the end of the day, I asked again what I did wrong and what I could do to improve and his response was: "You did everything wrong. This is all too much information for you. Just go to remedial and you will be ok."
As I walked out of the centre, I started crying. I felt HORRIBLE! All I wanted to do was learn to ride a motorcycle... ... ...
I got to the rider training centre fairly early and waited around until the other learners streamed in. We all had a bit of a chat and learnt a little about each other before being split into two classes. I ended up with a guy instructor. Unfortunately, I don't recall his name... I don't actually know if he even introduced himself.
He was a fairly new instructor and was teaching the course as per the booklet he was given. At the start, I fell twice while my buddy was pushing the motorcycle (only to find out much later it was because it was in the wrong gear hence the fall).
After an uneventful start, I was doing a little better and was riding fairly well in a straight line and turning left. However, my downfall was turning right. After two laps, the instructor came up to me and told me this lap was my last go and if I got it wrong, I was out of class. He did not bother explaining how I should get it right either. At this point, I was quite flustered and asked if he could position me at the back of the class and his response was again "No. Go now. This is your last shot!".
His other words during the day were: "this is a structured class and there is not enough time to help people who can't follow."
Well, no surprise, I got kicked out of day 1. I felt incredibly humiliated (I did hold back my tears and got through the rest of the day standing and following him while the class continued).
I thought the point of the pre learners was to learn. I learnt nothing today except lose my confidence. At the end of the day, I asked again what I did wrong and what I could do to improve and his response was: "You did everything wrong. This is all too much information for you. Just go to remedial and you will be ok."
As I walked out of the centre, I started crying. I felt HORRIBLE! All I wanted to do was learn to ride a motorcycle... ... ...
Monday, 20 June 2011
3. Bike Shopping
Having done heaps of research, both reading and watching youtube, I decided my first bike was going to be a Kawasaki Ninja. I rang the people I was going to buy it from and put a deposit down for the bike. This was also my second mistake as I make my journey into the world of motorcycles.
The Kawasaki Ninja is one of the most popular learners bike in the market. Its meant to be easy to learn on and its been around for over 20 years (this is from memory and I could be wrong). This gave the manufactures plenty of time to get the bike right. The only downside I've read was the engine would need to be warmed up during colder weather.
The other motorcycles I researched included the Honda CBR250, CB400, VTR 250, Suzuki Intruder, Yamaha Virago and the Hyosung 250.
Its now only one more week to my pre learners! I can't wait!
The Kawasaki Ninja is one of the most popular learners bike in the market. Its meant to be easy to learn on and its been around for over 20 years (this is from memory and I could be wrong). This gave the manufactures plenty of time to get the bike right. The only downside I've read was the engine would need to be warmed up during colder weather.
The other motorcycles I researched included the Honda CBR250, CB400, VTR 250, Suzuki Intruder, Yamaha Virago and the Hyosung 250.
Its now only one more week to my pre learners! I can't wait!
Saturday, 18 June 2011
2. Shopping
I've been out practically every weekend with a guy friend of mine (he's a rider too). He's been kind enough to volunteer and pass on some of his bike and gear knowledge along the way.
The first few weeks was about getting the right size helmet. I tried every single brand from the cheapest to the most expensive and nothing seemed to fit. I only found out later that those helmets on the shelf have been fitted into so many heads and the sizes aren't true to what they are. The one that ended up fitting me was the Arai Vector XS.
This was also my first clumsy start into the world of motorcycles. I dropped my helmet... =( I was of course asked to purchase it and the one lesson I've learnt: One should always protect one's helmet and look after it because it'll end up saving your life! Don't dangle it off your bike or put it anywhere it could drop. It should either be on your head or on the floor.
As for protective clothing, I was slightly disappointed with the limited range. I suppose that was to be expected considering that most riders are male. I eventually settled on a Dainese leather jacket because it fitted the best, was fairly light weight, offered good protection and best of all, it was on sale. I also got myself a pair of Hornee jeans (don't you love the brand name), a pair of rather lady looking like Gaerne boots and a pair of five gloves.
At this point, I was pretty stoked with all my purchase and couldn't get my hands on a bike! I was envious of everyone that could ride. I wanted to be out there too!
The first few weeks was about getting the right size helmet. I tried every single brand from the cheapest to the most expensive and nothing seemed to fit. I only found out later that those helmets on the shelf have been fitted into so many heads and the sizes aren't true to what they are. The one that ended up fitting me was the Arai Vector XS.
This was also my first clumsy start into the world of motorcycles. I dropped my helmet... =( I was of course asked to purchase it and the one lesson I've learnt: One should always protect one's helmet and look after it because it'll end up saving your life! Don't dangle it off your bike or put it anywhere it could drop. It should either be on your head or on the floor.
As for protective clothing, I was slightly disappointed with the limited range. I suppose that was to be expected considering that most riders are male. I eventually settled on a Dainese leather jacket because it fitted the best, was fairly light weight, offered good protection and best of all, it was on sale. I also got myself a pair of Hornee jeans (don't you love the brand name), a pair of rather lady looking like Gaerne boots and a pair of five gloves.
At this point, I was pretty stoked with all my purchase and couldn't get my hands on a bike! I was envious of everyone that could ride. I wanted to be out there too!
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