Yesterday it was a
little windy and I geared for the longest so far I’ve ridden on the highway. About
18 miles on I-77. Needless to say, I was a little scared. However half the way,
I had to deal with traffic. My palms were sore from holding the clutch.
So, I got there a little before 6pm from work, took me about
35 minutes to get there. Hammy from CharlotteSportBikes.com were there waiting.
After a while Shawn S. showed up. After going over bikes and me making it quite
clear being a newbie, we took off. We rode
from Cornelius to Harrisburg.
It was chilly. My wrists were hurting, my chest felt cold. But
I didn’t mind the pain that much. I was more taken by/fixated on other things.
1.
Shawn S. is an amazing rider. I was in awe
seeing his skills. I was at least trying to pay attention to lot of things he
was doing. But he truly rides well.
2.
The roads had a lot of twists and turns. It was
not a ‘flat track’ (a new term I learned). That meant paying more attention on
my part to make sure I don’t lose the bike or something more major.
3.
The country side is amazing and beautiful. In between
watching Shawn ride and my own riding, I was trying to take in the natural
beauty, the big mansions and all. Since moving into Charlotte, we thought South
Charlotte is rich and beautiful. But this country houses/mansion will blow
South Charlotte in a heartbeat.
We stopped at the Harrisburg Family House for a grub. First in
I asked for a hot tea, cuz I was so cold. I was pretty darn cold throughout the
whole time. Both Shawn and his friends had good advice on riding and such.
I learned but haven’t mastered on how to pull the bike at
clutch point, cruising the bike and also the importance of gearing down rather
than clutching down on stops. Here’s a list of few things I learned and
remember:
1.
Finding the clutch point of the bike and being
able to cruise on 1st gear. A great tool when taking off of stop and
signal.
2.
The importance of gearing down rather than
clutching down on stops. As I’m approaching a stop or turn, to slow down put in
some gas, pull the clutch and gear down. The idea is to let the engine slow
itself down rather than wearing the break. It also serves another purpose. If I
had to veer off the road for possible hazard or continue to go, it would be
easier and safer to keep going rather than having to match the gear and take
off.
3.
Using the rear brakes less and front brakes more
when braking. Simply because front brake has about 80% stopping power than the
rear break. Also with front brake you have a pretty good idea how much you are
pull the brake and more control than the rear brake.
4.
Learning to enjoy the bike rather than just
riding in speed. I can totally relate to that with running. You have to give
yourself time & dedication to learn it rather than pacing yourself.
On my way home, I kept playing with these and noticed the
difference immediately. For instance, when braking since I would pull the front
brakes more; my body wouldn’t shift forward due to the speed.
Today I am beat up. I feel like I am hitting a wall. Possibly
since I woke up around 6am yesterday, went for a good pace 1 mile run and then went
riding for almost 2 hours. I didn’t get home till 10pm.
