Crotch Rocketeer. So I took (& passed) a motorcycle safety class last weekend (2 and a half days long), and in the state of Nevada, that entitles me to the motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license. Not bad for $100. Seriously though, the test was kind of a joke, like how can you seriously say we're ready for the streets after just that?? I guess they figure the fear of death will keep you off the roads until you're ready... or at least it'll be a form of natural selection, hah!
Anyways, so I've been riding my brother's old Kawasaki Ninja 250cc that's been sitting in our garage for like half a year just gathering dust. (Well, actually, my dad took the motorcycle class last Fall, but he doesn't really ride much.) Yea, I think 250's the wimpiest that they make sport bikes in, but supposedly it's good to learn on something with a piddly engine, I guess? -_-
On my first day out by myself, I was riding around a neighborhood, and took a fall on a slow speed turn. And yea, it hurt, but I think it was the sheer shock of what had happened that kept me lying on the ground like WHOA, what the hell just happened??? I was wearing my leather jacket, so I didn't get scraped up too bad, but it tore a hole in the leather (I guess there IS a pretty big difference between leather for riding and the soft stuff for casual wear. >_<) I went out and bought myself a motorcycle jacket right after that (; my brother's old one was a little too small for me). I DO rather like the feel of wearing a motorcycle jacket though- if ever there was an outfit that deserved soundtrack music when you put it on, the motorcycle get-up would be it, haha.
But yea, seriously- I'm gonna need a LOT more practice before I'm ready for the streets, much less the highway. Right now, any time I go over like 40 mph, I start getting really nervous. I gotta admit, there are moments on the bike where I seriously fear for my life. It's like being 15 and learning how to drive a car again- only this time, there's no seat belt, air bag, or crumple zone. And the bike is a lot less [forgiving] of user error than a car.
A lot of the difficulty I'm having, I think, is cuz I've never driven a manual transmission before, so I'm having to learn all the shifting and clutch control on top of the usual handling/steering stuff. I stall the engine... a LOT. >_< I just feel like there's so much stuff I need to be thinking about all at the same time. And of course, THAT's the problem right there: I shouldn't HAVE to think about it- it should all be as natural as instinct. Well, it'll have to be before I'm ready for the primetime, I suppose. =/ More practice! >:O
Who's the Boss?. And I dunno, I get the feeling that riding a motorcycle will always be one of those things where I might be decently competent, but I'll never be able to do anything real super cool and daring. I'm just too scared of getting hurt. It's like how I am with snowboarding- I can hold my own just getting down a mountain, but jumps and excessive speed scare me. It's like I don't know if it's the snowboard (or motorcycle) in charge, or me. And deep down, I know it can't be like that. I need to make it submit to my will.
I remember when I was learning chain whip back in my kung fu days, and I really just had a very hard time getting it to do what I wanted. Yea, if it ever comes up in your life (e.g., if you ever have to avenge your family's deaths at the hands of ninjas), any flexible weapon (like a whip, or nunchucks, or rope dart) is inherently harder to learn & control than a rigid one (like a sword, spear, or stick). And I don't remember if I actually learned this from a person or just some tacky kung fu B-movie, but it's still true nonetheless: The weapon should be an extension of your body. If you fear the weapon, you'll never truly master it- you'll never be the one in control.
I think that's an overriding theme in my life. Whether it be a motorcycle, a snowboard, a weapon, a horse, or anything ELSE in my life- I'm just too dang SCARED all the time of the possible consequences of failure that I'm subconsciously keeping myself from realizing my true potential. I mean, yea, ok, so I've had some setbacks, and it's put the fear in me, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't get back on the bike, right? I can't just give up because I've been hurt. No one said this life would be easy, but I'm living the wrong character archetype in my own memoir. =/ I need to be better than this.
"Fall seven times, stand up eight." ~Dwyane Wade, Converse commercial (well, Japanese proverb, actually)
Anyways, so I've been riding my brother's old Kawasaki Ninja 250cc that's been sitting in our garage for like half a year just gathering dust. (Well, actually, my dad took the motorcycle class last Fall, but he doesn't really ride much.) Yea, I think 250's the wimpiest that they make sport bikes in, but supposedly it's good to learn on something with a piddly engine, I guess? -_-
On my first day out by myself, I was riding around a neighborhood, and took a fall on a slow speed turn. And yea, it hurt, but I think it was the sheer shock of what had happened that kept me lying on the ground like WHOA, what the hell just happened??? I was wearing my leather jacket, so I didn't get scraped up too bad, but it tore a hole in the leather (I guess there IS a pretty big difference between leather for riding and the soft stuff for casual wear. >_<) I went out and bought myself a motorcycle jacket right after that (; my brother's old one was a little too small for me). I DO rather like the feel of wearing a motorcycle jacket though- if ever there was an outfit that deserved soundtrack music when you put it on, the motorcycle get-up would be it, haha.
But yea, seriously- I'm gonna need a LOT more practice before I'm ready for the streets, much less the highway. Right now, any time I go over like 40 mph, I start getting really nervous. I gotta admit, there are moments on the bike where I seriously fear for my life. It's like being 15 and learning how to drive a car again- only this time, there's no seat belt, air bag, or crumple zone. And the bike is a lot less [forgiving] of user error than a car.
A lot of the difficulty I'm having, I think, is cuz I've never driven a manual transmission before, so I'm having to learn all the shifting and clutch control on top of the usual handling/steering stuff. I stall the engine... a LOT. >_< I just feel like there's so much stuff I need to be thinking about all at the same time. And of course, THAT's the problem right there: I shouldn't HAVE to think about it- it should all be as natural as instinct. Well, it'll have to be before I'm ready for the primetime, I suppose. =/ More practice! >:O
Who's the Boss?. And I dunno, I get the feeling that riding a motorcycle will always be one of those things where I might be decently competent, but I'll never be able to do anything real super cool and daring. I'm just too scared of getting hurt. It's like how I am with snowboarding- I can hold my own just getting down a mountain, but jumps and excessive speed scare me. It's like I don't know if it's the snowboard (or motorcycle) in charge, or me. And deep down, I know it can't be like that. I need to make it submit to my will.
I remember when I was learning chain whip back in my kung fu days, and I really just had a very hard time getting it to do what I wanted. Yea, if it ever comes up in your life (e.g., if you ever have to avenge your family's deaths at the hands of ninjas), any flexible weapon (like a whip, or nunchucks, or rope dart) is inherently harder to learn & control than a rigid one (like a sword, spear, or stick). And I don't remember if I actually learned this from a person or just some tacky kung fu B-movie, but it's still true nonetheless: The weapon should be an extension of your body. If you fear the weapon, you'll never truly master it- you'll never be the one in control.
I think that's an overriding theme in my life. Whether it be a motorcycle, a snowboard, a weapon, a horse, or anything ELSE in my life- I'm just too dang SCARED all the time of the possible consequences of failure that I'm subconsciously keeping myself from realizing my true potential. I mean, yea, ok, so I've had some setbacks, and it's put the fear in me, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't get back on the bike, right? I can't just give up because I've been hurt. No one said this life would be easy, but I'm living the wrong character archetype in my own memoir. =/ I need to be better than this.
"Fall seven times, stand up eight." ~Dwyane Wade, Converse commercial (well, Japanese proverb, actually)
posted by Dear Daniel at 5:00 PM
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