Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Today's accomplishments!

1. I rode Miss Patience to the Harley Davidson dealership. It isn't far, but I had to ride on a couple of BIG streets to get there, with traffic and everything. LOL.

2. I got up to 5th gear and almost 50 MPH. Previously I had only reached 3rd gear.

3. I was able to downshift when I needed to without any trouble.

4. I changed the bulbs in my turn signals. I know it isn't hard, but it's the first semi-mechanical thing I've done myself to my bike.

5. I rode to one of my jobs. Dave was nice enough to escort me, and then come back when I was done. (He's so awesome!)

6. We rode over to the hospital to see our friends and their beautiful new baby girl. Dave took me through the hospital parking lot, which was far scarier than any road I've been on.

7. I got a "thumbs up" from an elderly woman who was stopped next to me at a light.


Okay, now, so you don't think I'm just patting myself on the back, I'll tell you the bad stuff. (Well not bad, just things I need to work on.)

1. I have this really bad habit of gripping the throttle very tightly while I am stopping, and/or stopped, so at the same time I'm braking, I'm giving it throttle and revving up the engine.

2. I have some kind of mental block when pulling into the driveway at Dave's house. As you may recall that is where I dropped my bike. Well, today, I pulled in the driveway and then ended up on the neighbors grass. It sounds worse than it was, he uses it like a driveway anyway.

15 comments:

IHG said...

Oh B.B.!!! You make me smile!! Sounds like you did wonderful.

-Connie said...

Another WooHoo!!!! I agree with IHG, it sounds like you're doing great!!! :) I know Josh would be proud you did some mechanical thing yourself.. he doesn't think I would at all. Jerk. :-P I would have a complex about the driveway too if I were you.

And I'm taking your lead and practicing in a big empty parking lot. There's a movie theater 2 miles from here that doesn't open til 3 during the week and 12 on weekends.. nice!! But the problem is GETTING the bike there hehehe.

Anonymous said...

You are doing great, just keep at it. Find little ways to work Miss Patience into the things that you do. It is totally awesome that you have someone like Dave to accompany you on your adventures! For some reason I always feel much more secure when I know that I am not alone. When I was first learning, Jay came down to Baltimore a few times to help me out with the parking lot maneuvers. That was fabulous, but I couldn't expect him to keep traveling over an hour each way after work just to watch me ride around in circles! So once I got my endorsement I was pretty much on my own to take all of those little trips...until I moved to Delaware! Make sure Dave knows just how awesome he is ;-)

B.B. said...

Thanks Stephanie!

Connie- Wait! Did I miss a post? Did you get your bike? I need to know! I need details! :)

Mrs. RC- I try to tell Dave everyday how awesome he is. I would be lost without him, not just on the bike but in my life. Sappy, but true!

Lady R (Di) said...

I did that for a little while too. Eventually, you realize how to grip without twisting your wrist and it will become natural. I was making a turn once and for some reason I was reving my engine something fierce. Harely was behind me and wanted to "why was I gunning it?" I didn't have an answer other than I was gripping so tight, I would roll the throttle when I didn't mean to. My biggest intimidation was hills, even slight inclines freaked me out. Learning how to play with the clutch and throttle on a hill was another of my issues. These are all the kinds of things new riders have to resolve with themselves.

You are doing fantastic. I'm proud to hear you are venturing out of the "hood" a little bit. Just don't get in a hurry and you'll continue to have a great time gaining your experience.

I think it's time for another little video so we can see ya!

Mr. Motorcycle said...

You are doing fine. I'm proud of you. Keep at it!

As for Connie, I think she's holding out on us. I just checked. Last post Sept. 13th, only talks about getting the bike set up to be delivered. Doesn't talk about anything after that! We're waiting!

Ann said...

That's so awesome! Don't worry about the driveway...they're over-rated anyway. Sounds like the neighbor's yard is just as good! :)

Dean "D-Day" said...

That's so awesome. Keep it up and you'll get better over time.

It's so sweet that little "rooter bear" accompanies you on your rides. LOL!

Anonymous said...

Ms BB,

Little steps at a time... got to walk before you can run. Nice to hear you are even working on your bike. You will be surprised how much this teaches you about your bike and will help you out in a time of need. Get the service manual for your bike and before you know it you will be doing all of the simple stuff. Like adjusting your cables, which makes me wonder something. Are your throttle cables too tight? This could be part of the reason for revving while braking, there needs to be a bit of play before the motor responds. Just a thought.

Keep it up and it will become a natural act to ride, just like driving a car.

Ride safe and have fun,
fasthair

-Connie said...

I should've clarified! I meant WHEN I get my bike. Still nothing yet.

B.B. said...

Lady R- Thanks. I'll try to get some video, but I don't know if Dave can film and ride at the same time. LOL.

Mr. M- Thank you!

Ann- LOL. Driveways are over-rated, aren't they?

Dean- Thanks. Yes, 'rooter bear' is a sweetie! LMAO!

Fasthair- I have been studying my manuel. I figure that if my bike needs something done, even if it's something I can't do, I want to know what they're talking about. Dave thought the same thing about the throttle cables, but he checked and said they were ok. So, it's just me. :) Thank you!

Connie- Ok, thanks for the clarification. I thought, "She got her bike and didn't tell us, how could she!?" :) Hopefully soon!

Mimi said...

Sound like you did great! Just remember, you have to go through challenges to make progress.

B.B. said...

Thanks Mimi!

"Joker" said...

It's a little hard to remember exactly because it was 20 years ago, but I do remember some of my time learning to ride. It was a Honda CB650 and I just started riding it around my neighborhood. I stalled it a bunch of times, but never dropped it. I did your mantra, clutch, brakes downshift. It ended up being repetition and time once I ventured out onto the streets.

You're doing awesome. Don't feel like you have a monopoly on getting a little rattled. That can happen to anyone. With all my experience, it still happens to me sometimes depending on conditions. During my advanced riders course when doing emergency stop drills, there were a few times I forgot to downshift. There was even one time I pulled the front brake too hard and almost threw myself.

Listen to Dave, keep practicing, and keep telling yourself that you CAN DO IT! Remember, when we do the blogger's meet and greet, I want to see you out there on Miss Patience!!

B.B. said...

Thanks Joker! I can't tell you how much it means to me to have so much support and encouragement from all of my blogger friends. I love my friends that I see everyday, but the fact is, most of them just don't get it. They're like, oh that's cool, but that's all they can say. I rode today, and will be posting about it later, it was awesome!