First question, did we want to change bikes, today? Hmm, give me a minute to consider that one. Um, no. No, no and no. I wasn't up to introducing an additional element of uncertainty into a day that was supposed to include already knowing how to ride a bike and learning new skills that included stopping VERY quickly and passing A TEST, to boot. Call me chicken at worst,
conservative at best, but I walked to the same bike I had used the day before; a bike I had chosen, by the way, because it already had a dent in the gas tank and so any extras I was going to make wouldn't show as much. :)
Day two training started with an oral overview of the important points from the day before and I was reminded that "eye lead" is VERY important. More than once, I had heard, "LOOK UP! LOOK UP!". Looking through the curve, and ahead in the straights to where you want to be is critical and something I needed to remember. Clutch control and friction point as well as what to do if we felt we were out of control - "push and pull" i.e.; pull in the clutch and front brake, push on the rear brake and gear down were all made fresh again, in my mind.
We spent the morning learning the skills we would be tested on in the afternoon: emergency braking, swerving, counter-steering, accelerating out of a turn and gearing up, staying within a "lane" and stopping at a specified point. We learned that during emergency braking, if the front wheel locks up, to release the front brake lever; that if the rear wheel locks up, to ride it out; NOT to brake on a curve since that straightens the front wheel and takes us out of the curve and straight off the road (nice, hmmm?)(good point to remember). We also spent time slowing to turn tight circles and figures of eight while maintaining control.
It took some mental maneuvering for me to grasp the concept of counter-steering and it was my husband who made it clearer by demonstrating how spinning wheels actually lean from side to side when they are moving in a curve or turn and that the lean is OPPOSITE to the direction of the turn. So, at higher speeds, pushing the handlebar of the direction you want to turn is what is needed, not the opposite which is what I saw in my mind.
We ended the morning by actually running through the test several times and this is where the heat, the effort and lack of restful sleep starting to catch up to me. Initially, I was doing great - managed to run through the five sections without a hitch. It was only as lunch approached and the spectre of the ACTUAL test loomed closer that I started having problems. Oh, well, after something to eat and a break, things were bound to improve, right? Well, not exactly.
Lunch and a break did help and once we started up again, we went for a short drive around the college campus and practiced stopping and taking off on a hill. This was something I'm glad to have been taught since I saw how often the situation arises, especially on the dirt roads around my home. Once everyone had run through it several times, we met inside while we waited for the first group to be tested and to discuss some of the considerations for carrying passengers (no, don't ask me for a ride).
How am I doing, mentally, at this point? Better. I'm feeling reasonably confident that I've been taught what I need to know and that I wouldn't be proceeding to the test if I hadn't. Still, the inner critic nicely reminds me that I was screwing up the practice test just before lunch. I told it to shut up and go to its room. After all, the instructors were saying all weekend there is a 99% pass rate; pretty good odds!
Back on the motorcycles and back to the test lot for a few more times through the five sections of the test. NOW, I'm really screwing up - crossing lines, not accelerating fast enough, rear tire "skipping out" due to lack of control, poor braking....NOT good. I had essentially managed to convince my body that I had forgotten everything I just worked so hard to learn.
How am I doing, mentally, now? Awful and after the second time through the first curve without doing any better, I'm feeling frustrated. Now, when I reach a feeling of frustration it isn't pretty; not pretty at all. Pulled aside by my instructor, now in tears, I'm feeling pretty lousy and my confidence is shattered. All the stress and heat and physical and mental exertion of the last 2 days has reached it's max and ain't gonna be held back no more! Poor Steve, my instructor. I have to give him credit for not sending me to the corner for a time out, or worse - home! Faced with a blubbering female, he did very well, indeed. "It's not the end of the world." he said. "One woman isn't even DOING the test. She's decided to sit it out." Didn't matter one bit, to me. "But I don't want to be the ONE who fails." I blubbered. (Remember the 99% pass rate? Well, in the world as my mind sees it, that meant one person fails and that, of course, would be ME.) "Look," Steve said, "just ride this part of the test in first gear. It's timed but you'll be fast enough in first gear." Relief flooded through me. OK. I can do that. Good. No need to change gears as well as nail the right hand turn AND stay inside the really-close-together lines AND stop in the box. Little bit of confidence returning. "Give it a try.", Steve says. So I do and I did it! OK, now go, sit and wait my turn to ride the test.
I was fourth and each of the riders before me did very well. My turn. Remember to breeeeeathe. Of course, the FIRST part of the test was the part I was having the hard time with, earlier, Murphy' s Law. Good and bad. If I did well, I was more confident with the remainder of the test. If I blew it, I could kiss my confidence good-bye and no matter how well I MIGHT have done on the rest of the test, a disaster was likely. Remedial class, comin' right up.
Lined up in the box to start part one, I can start whenever I'm ready as the timer doesn't start until I do. Remember "eye lead" I tell myself. Two deep, yoga breaths and, starting, I look through the turn, accelerate, manage to stay within the lines despite a back end "wobble" and stop in the box at the other end. No whistle from the examiner and I get the signal from Steve to proceed to part two. YES! I'm OK. Yay! Staying in first gear did it!
Parts two to five were smooth with the only problem being a stall as I took off from part two to part three. Dumb but given my fears at the start of the test, I allowed myself this mistake without letting the inner critic out of her room.
Exhausted and relieved, I rode the bike over to the shelter where the rest of the group was waiting, took off my helmet and with tears of relief, this time, sat down to cheer on the riders who followed.
Everyone passed, several with perfect zero scores and we were the first group all season to accomplish that. How'd I do? One demerit point for stalling the bike. Not bad for someone who didn't know how to start a bike 36 hours ago and managed to have a melt-down right before the test. I done good!
We ended the morning by actually running through the test several times and this is where the heat, the effort and lack of restful sleep starting to catch up to me. Initially, I was doing great - managed to run through the five sections without a hitch. It was only as lunch approached and the spectre of the ACTUAL test loomed closer that I started having problems. Oh, well, after something to eat and a break, things were bound to improve, right? Well, not exactly.
Lunch and a break did help and once we started up again, we went for a short drive around the college campus and practiced stopping and taking off on a hill. This was something I'm glad to have been taught since I saw how often the situation arises, especially on the dirt roads around my home. Once everyone had run through it several times, we met inside while we waited for the first group to be tested and to discuss some of the considerations for carrying passengers (no, don't ask me for a ride).
How am I doing, mentally, at this point? Better. I'm feeling reasonably confident that I've been taught what I need to know and that I wouldn't be proceeding to the test if I hadn't. Still, the inner critic nicely reminds me that I was screwing up the practice test just before lunch. I told it to shut up and go to its room. After all, the instructors were saying all weekend there is a 99% pass rate; pretty good odds!
Back on the motorcycles and back to the test lot for a few more times through the five sections of the test. NOW, I'm really screwing up - crossing lines, not accelerating fast enough, rear tire "skipping out" due to lack of control, poor braking....NOT good. I had essentially managed to convince my body that I had forgotten everything I just worked so hard to learn.
How am I doing, mentally, now? Awful and after the second time through the first curve without doing any better, I'm feeling frustrated. Now, when I reach a feeling of frustration it isn't pretty; not pretty at all. Pulled aside by my instructor, now in tears, I'm feeling pretty lousy and my confidence is shattered. All the stress and heat and physical and mental exertion of the last 2 days has reached it's max and ain't gonna be held back no more! Poor Steve, my instructor. I have to give him credit for not sending me to the corner for a time out, or worse - home! Faced with a blubbering female, he did very well, indeed. "It's not the end of the world." he said. "One woman isn't even DOING the test. She's decided to sit it out." Didn't matter one bit, to me. "But I don't want to be the ONE who fails." I blubbered. (Remember the 99% pass rate? Well, in the world as my mind sees it, that meant one person fails and that, of course, would be ME.) "Look," Steve said, "just ride this part of the test in first gear. It's timed but you'll be fast enough in first gear." Relief flooded through me. OK. I can do that. Good. No need to change gears as well as nail the right hand turn AND stay inside the really-close-together lines AND stop in the box. Little bit of confidence returning. "Give it a try.", Steve says. So I do and I did it! OK, now go, sit and wait my turn to ride the test.
I was fourth and each of the riders before me did very well. My turn. Remember to breeeeeathe. Of course, the FIRST part of the test was the part I was having the hard time with, earlier, Murphy' s Law. Good and bad. If I did well, I was more confident with the remainder of the test. If I blew it, I could kiss my confidence good-bye and no matter how well I MIGHT have done on the rest of the test, a disaster was likely. Remedial class, comin' right up.
Lined up in the box to start part one, I can start whenever I'm ready as the timer doesn't start until I do. Remember "eye lead" I tell myself. Two deep, yoga breaths and, starting, I look through the turn, accelerate, manage to stay within the lines despite a back end "wobble" and stop in the box at the other end. No whistle from the examiner and I get the signal from Steve to proceed to part two. YES! I'm OK. Yay! Staying in first gear did it!
Parts two to five were smooth with the only problem being a stall as I took off from part two to part three. Dumb but given my fears at the start of the test, I allowed myself this mistake without letting the inner critic out of her room.
Exhausted and relieved, I rode the bike over to the shelter where the rest of the group was waiting, took off my helmet and with tears of relief, this time, sat down to cheer on the riders who followed.
Everyone passed, several with perfect zero scores and we were the first group all season to accomplish that. How'd I do? One demerit point for stalling the bike. Not bad for someone who didn't know how to start a bike 36 hours ago and managed to have a melt-down right before the test. I done good!
Many thanks to Steve and Dan, my instructors that weekend. You were both great teachers and I appreciate your support. I highly recommend this course for anyone learning to ride, even if you already know how to start a bike! :)
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