I’ve rarely been so nervous while riding a motorcycle. And all I had to do was slowly take off in first gear, paddle-walk the bike 120 feet across the pavement, stop, turn around and do it again. And this was on a thrashed 200cc dual-purpose machine, not some rare museum piece.
And it’s not like I can’t ride. I’ve been in speeding packs of amateur club road racers. I’ve been a mobile chicane on track days with national superbike champions. I’ve been on high-stress moto photo shoots. I’ve been on precious pre-production test bikes that were the only ones of their kinds in the whole country. I’ve been alone on dirt roads miles from help and without a cell phone. I’ve lane-split past a million cars and their inattentive drivers in thick Los Angeles freeway gridlock.
Still, I was far more keyed up while waddling across a parking lot on this grungy little training bike, 14 pairs of eyes upon on my every move. Two sets of eyeballs belonged to Motorcycle Safety Foundation RiderCoaches - mentors who I was shadowing that day to learn all I could about the Basic RiderCourse. The other dozen browns, blues and greens were those of actual students in the class, who would soon try to copy me as they embarked on Exercise Two, where some would experience the clutch, throttle and friction zone for the very first time.
The coaches would bust my chops if I did the demo wrong. They could suggest to the MSF I wasn’t fit to be among them if I performed poorly throughout the day. The students, who had no reason to think I was anything less than an expert, would be aiming to do what I was doing, whether it was right or wrong. So, I couldn’t blow it without confusing them, getting the RiderCoaches mad, being forced to do the demonstration again, the right way, and slowing the whole course down. Hey, no pressure.
Now, most training bikes aren’t in the greatest shape. They’re hammered over many weekends by beginning riders. Clutches and cables are worn. Controls are bent from frequent tip-overs. Throttles usually have a lot of play. Transmissions are cranky. I’ve never been on one that’s not rideable, but they often require some finesse if you hope to appear smooth.
So, releasing the clutch on this 200, I wanted to make sure I didn’t stall it in front of everyone, adding a bit more throttle to compensate for any possible twilight in the bike’s friction zone. I began to “power walk” away from one orange cone, going across the range to meet its twin on the other side.
At this point in the RiderCourse, the idea is to let the student experience the friction zone and not worry much about keeping balance. So, feet down it is. Of course, I don’t regularly do this on my own bikes. Green light comes on, my boots are on the pegs and I am off. Now in this demo, my muscles are doing unnatural things they don’t usually do and by the time I’m on the other side of the range, I have a seriously raging hamstring pull and I am dying to jump off the bike, massage the hell out of my leg, find the nearest hot tub and order some cheese to go with my whine.
But those 28 eyeballs are on me and I continue the routine, stopping the bike, then turning it around - and this without engine power. Owwwww. Ooooooch. I paddle my way back across the range, glance at the coaches, who look over and give me thumbs up. Fortunately, the tinted helmet shield is concealing the tears welling up in my eyes as my unattended limb continues to sound the fire alarm.
Part two of the demo shows the second part of the exercise, where students first paddle as much as needed to keep their balance, then plant those feet on the pegs and actually ride a motorcycle, sometimes for the very first time. So, some relief for me and my gammy leg.
My demonstration done, the coaches take over and the students swing their legs over their bikes. Hiding my limp, I will myself off the riding range, start to silently knead my leg and stretch it out. Aaaaaaah.
Before I rejoin the group, I stop and watch some of our students taking their first steps to becoming motorcycle riders, just as I’m taking my first steps to becoming a certified MSF RiderCoach.
Hardly anything I’ve ever done in motorcycling is more gratifying than just seeing this class successfully rolling along in first gear.
And it’s not like I can’t ride. I’ve been in speeding packs of amateur club road racers. I’ve been a mobile chicane on track days with national superbike champions. I’ve been on high-stress moto photo shoots. I’ve been on precious pre-production test bikes that were the only ones of their kinds in the whole country. I’ve been alone on dirt roads miles from help and without a cell phone. I’ve lane-split past a million cars and their inattentive drivers in thick Los Angeles freeway gridlock.
Still, I was far more keyed up while waddling across a parking lot on this grungy little training bike, 14 pairs of eyes upon on my every move. Two sets of eyeballs belonged to Motorcycle Safety Foundation RiderCoaches - mentors who I was shadowing that day to learn all I could about the Basic RiderCourse. The other dozen browns, blues and greens were those of actual students in the class, who would soon try to copy me as they embarked on Exercise Two, where some would experience the clutch, throttle and friction zone for the very first time.
The coaches would bust my chops if I did the demo wrong. They could suggest to the MSF I wasn’t fit to be among them if I performed poorly throughout the day. The students, who had no reason to think I was anything less than an expert, would be aiming to do what I was doing, whether it was right or wrong. So, I couldn’t blow it without confusing them, getting the RiderCoaches mad, being forced to do the demonstration again, the right way, and slowing the whole course down. Hey, no pressure.
Now, most training bikes aren’t in the greatest shape. They’re hammered over many weekends by beginning riders. Clutches and cables are worn. Controls are bent from frequent tip-overs. Throttles usually have a lot of play. Transmissions are cranky. I’ve never been on one that’s not rideable, but they often require some finesse if you hope to appear smooth.
So, releasing the clutch on this 200, I wanted to make sure I didn’t stall it in front of everyone, adding a bit more throttle to compensate for any possible twilight in the bike’s friction zone. I began to “power walk” away from one orange cone, going across the range to meet its twin on the other side.
At this point in the RiderCourse, the idea is to let the student experience the friction zone and not worry much about keeping balance. So, feet down it is. Of course, I don’t regularly do this on my own bikes. Green light comes on, my boots are on the pegs and I am off. Now in this demo, my muscles are doing unnatural things they don’t usually do and by the time I’m on the other side of the range, I have a seriously raging hamstring pull and I am dying to jump off the bike, massage the hell out of my leg, find the nearest hot tub and order some cheese to go with my whine.
But those 28 eyeballs are on me and I continue the routine, stopping the bike, then turning it around - and this without engine power. Owwwww. Ooooooch. I paddle my way back across the range, glance at the coaches, who look over and give me thumbs up. Fortunately, the tinted helmet shield is concealing the tears welling up in my eyes as my unattended limb continues to sound the fire alarm.
Part two of the demo shows the second part of the exercise, where students first paddle as much as needed to keep their balance, then plant those feet on the pegs and actually ride a motorcycle, sometimes for the very first time. So, some relief for me and my gammy leg.
My demonstration done, the coaches take over and the students swing their legs over their bikes. Hiding my limp, I will myself off the riding range, start to silently knead my leg and stretch it out. Aaaaaaah.
Before I rejoin the group, I stop and watch some of our students taking their first steps to becoming motorcycle riders, just as I’m taking my first steps to becoming a certified MSF RiderCoach.
Hardly anything I’ve ever done in motorcycling is more gratifying than just seeing this class successfully rolling along in first gear.
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