Not my bike, thank god, but my feelings. If you've read a few of my posts, you know that it takes a big push (like friends and ice cream) to motivate me to practice. Tonight, I did it all on my own! After a satisfying homemade meal of kimchi fried rice, I felt like riding. Maybe it's because I just learned more about how my 250 runs (thanks Misha!). With only 20 minutes of stalling, I pack the red laptop in my backpack, and gear up. As I put on each piece, I feel the butterflies getting crazier. This will be the first time I'm riding by myself without someone following me. I'm psyched! I straddle my bike...go through the usual start up...and my bike won't start. Did I forget to turn on the choke? No. Am I out of gas? No, filled up a few days ago. Did I forget a step in starting up? I get off my bike and re-do the whole thing. Still won't start. NOOOOO!!!! This can't be happening!!!! I'm super bummed. I park my bike and I feel totally defeated. You ever get that heavy feeling in your chest and it just makes you want to deeply say "ugh"? That is where I am. I'm now in my room and moping on my blog. I finally found some self-motivation, but it got crushed. Hopefully this pity party will go away soon...I want to keep practicing. Hmm...guess it's already begun. Thanks for reading folks.
written 7/26/11
From Expressway to Highway
Oh my goodness, the end of the summer is coming which means that my motorcycle trip is coming which means that I better be comfortable at riding!! I made a goal for myself: Before the end of July, I will have ridden on the highway. If you're not from California, you may use the words "highway," "freeway," and "expressway" interchangeably. Crazy-ass Bay Area has different definitions for all 3. Here is my version for each:
Expressway - Two lane roads where the speed limit is 50mph, but you better hurry your ass up when you get on because the merge lane is short and you might get hit by a jerk that doesn't want to make space for you. There will also be the occasional stop light.
Highway - Two lane roads where the speed limit is 55mph, no stop lights, and people either dangerously speed past you or dangerously crawl in front of you after they get into your lane.
Freeway - Big-ass roads where there are 4 or more lanes, ridiculously crowded during rush hour, and drivers are not looking out for motorcyclists.
So yesterday I rode on the highway for the first time! As usual, I woke up early on a weekend (best advice ever) and headed for Highway 237. I was unsure of how many RPMs my 250 Ninja could safely handle so I had my BF ride first with me on the back while I watched him switch gears and play with the throttle. He merged on the highway and exited a couple of times before heading back home so I can try it myself. It's really important for me to debrief after riding so I can get feedback or go over what I just learned. Oh and to celebrate my successes of course!
Headed to the entrance, which is a 3-way stop with a yield sign for my side. A car was approaching and my already nervous self stopped hard and my bike started to lean to one side like it was going down, but I was able to stabilize it. Dangit! We're not off to a good start. The highway was pretty empty, which made me feel better as I began to merge. I pushed my bike to 7000 rpms. Vrooooommmm!! I was not used to my bike making that sound, but apparently it's a "normal" sound. All I remember was switching gears as fast as a could trying to keep it above 5000rpms. I managed to do it, but by the time I was actually on the highway, I was only going 45mph...definitely not fast enough. I bumped the speed up to 65mph, the fastest I've ever gone woohoo! Felt pretty good. At this speed, I can feel how light my bike and I are. A strong gust of wind would be very bad news. I exited, came to a yield sign, stopped hard, did the bike lean thing again...but didn't tip over. Ugh! Not feeling very good at this point. I went forward and my bike started jerking. Guess I forgot to put into 1st gear, AGAIN! Enough of this...I'm going back home! On the way there, I told myself to keep trying. "You can twist the throttle more. You don't want to go home feeling down. You want to go home feeling proud." Good ol' self talk again. 20 minutes later, I'm back on the highway with more confidence. I really cranked on the throttle up to 8000rpms, switching faster, this time making it onto the highway at 55mph which is the actual limit. Ye-YEAH!!! I did it!!! So glad I had a re-do. Headed home feeling accomplished, proud, and adrenaline rushed.
Lessons learned:
1. My bike can handle much more rpms than I thought. I shouldn't be afraid to go higher than 4000.
2. I can do more than I think. Stupid brain. The more you know. *cue shooting star*
Written on 7/24/11
Expressway - Two lane roads where the speed limit is 50mph, but you better hurry your ass up when you get on because the merge lane is short and you might get hit by a jerk that doesn't want to make space for you. There will also be the occasional stop light.
Highway - Two lane roads where the speed limit is 55mph, no stop lights, and people either dangerously speed past you or dangerously crawl in front of you after they get into your lane.
Freeway - Big-ass roads where there are 4 or more lanes, ridiculously crowded during rush hour, and drivers are not looking out for motorcyclists.
So yesterday I rode on the highway for the first time! As usual, I woke up early on a weekend (best advice ever) and headed for Highway 237. I was unsure of how many RPMs my 250 Ninja could safely handle so I had my BF ride first with me on the back while I watched him switch gears and play with the throttle. He merged on the highway and exited a couple of times before heading back home so I can try it myself. It's really important for me to debrief after riding so I can get feedback or go over what I just learned. Oh and to celebrate my successes of course!
Headed to the entrance, which is a 3-way stop with a yield sign for my side. A car was approaching and my already nervous self stopped hard and my bike started to lean to one side like it was going down, but I was able to stabilize it. Dangit! We're not off to a good start. The highway was pretty empty, which made me feel better as I began to merge. I pushed my bike to 7000 rpms. Vrooooommmm!! I was not used to my bike making that sound, but apparently it's a "normal" sound. All I remember was switching gears as fast as a could trying to keep it above 5000rpms. I managed to do it, but by the time I was actually on the highway, I was only going 45mph...definitely not fast enough. I bumped the speed up to 65mph, the fastest I've ever gone woohoo! Felt pretty good. At this speed, I can feel how light my bike and I are. A strong gust of wind would be very bad news. I exited, came to a yield sign, stopped hard, did the bike lean thing again...but didn't tip over. Ugh! Not feeling very good at this point. I went forward and my bike started jerking. Guess I forgot to put into 1st gear, AGAIN! Enough of this...I'm going back home! On the way there, I told myself to keep trying. "You can twist the throttle more. You don't want to go home feeling down. You want to go home feeling proud." Good ol' self talk again. 20 minutes later, I'm back on the highway with more confidence. I really cranked on the throttle up to 8000rpms, switching faster, this time making it onto the highway at 55mph which is the actual limit. Ye-YEAH!!! I did it!!! So glad I had a re-do. Headed home feeling accomplished, proud, and adrenaline rushed.
Lessons learned:
1. My bike can handle much more rpms than I thought. I shouldn't be afraid to go higher than 4000.
2. I can do more than I think. Stupid brain. The more you know. *cue shooting star*
Written on 7/24/11
New found motivation: Ice cream!
I practiced last Sunday and it's now Tuesday. I guess I should practice again...but I'm (fill in excuse here)!! My BF asked, "Do you want ice cream?" I said, "Yeah sort of." This is when he suggested something so wonderful...riding to the ice cream shop! This sparked motivation in me and soon we were riding to the downtown area to our favorite gelato place.
I get nervous and excited driving through the busy streets of the local downtown. We got there and I approached a stop light. I came to a full stop and went forward but my bike started to shake and make a weird struggling noise! Oh no! All these people turned around to look at me and my crazy sounding bike, I got flustered, and found myself driving further and further away from the main road. I pulled into a parking lot and said a few angry words to myself in my head. "What the f***was that??? You're better than this now!" I told him that when those people were staring, that made things tons worse. He told me that I can't worry about what other people think. My safety comes first. I totally agree, but easier said than done. He checked to see which gear I was in: it was in second. I tried to go from 0 to 25 in second gear. I've made this mistake before. In an old post, I even said what I was going to do to prevent making that mistake again. I was disappointed in myself, but I suppose that in life we do that sometimes...make the same mistake twice. I'm still in the learning curve and I can't keep beating myself up over every wrong thing I do. I gotta focus on things I've done right, which is a lot actually. That'll move me forward. So will end this post on a high note.
I will continue to make it a habit to make sure I'm in 1st gear before going. I'll downshift just to be sure.
I practiced twice in one week (instead of the usual one or none), which I haven't done in a looooong time. This will only bring me closer to my goal. I had to do two sudden stops in the busy area because of pedestrians, and I did them super well! I didn't lose my balance or jam on the breaks.
*exhale* I think I'm good now =)
 |
| Picture courtesy of Yelp.com |
I will continue to make it a habit to make sure I'm in 1st gear before going. I'll downshift just to be sure.
I practiced twice in one week (instead of the usual one or none), which I haven't done in a looooong time. This will only bring me closer to my goal. I had to do two sudden stops in the busy area because of pedestrians, and I did them super well! I didn't lose my balance or jam on the breaks.
*exhale* I think I'm good now =)
Tracking My Progress
I forgot about one of the main reasons I started this blog...it was to track my progress. I got caught up in the "I need pictures for every post!" or "I don't have anything really cool to share!" But you know what?? Screw all that!!! I got my license in January, it's now July and I don't have much to reflect on other than what's in my head...which isn't much because it's filled with Filipino recipes. So sorry folks, many of my future posts will not have pictures, will be short, and may lack those cool "a-ha" moments. But hooray for me for writing in my blog again and filling it with neat mini moments!!! Here's one I'd like to share:
I haven't ridden on my bike for like 3 weeks straight. I've been traveling and had family over for a while (that's what I tell myself...of course it's not because I have jitters again...) My poor bike was collecting dust and spider webs! If I was going to take a trip at the end of summer, I needed to practice. So last Sunday I waited until 9:30pm when there was less traffic and cruised the local streets with my BF riding behind me. "Hey this isn't bad" I thought. My muscles still remembered how to do everything. It was sorta fun! I headed towards my usual parking lot when I saw a bunch of "Closed" street signs. "Aww crap." I couldn't go forward anymore, there wasn't any place to turn, so I was forced to do a U-turn. I haven't done one of these since my safety course! "Ohhh NO! I forgot what gear I'm in!!" Oh well it's too late, here we go! I just kept telling myself, "look to where you want to go." I turned my head back as much as I could and I completed the U-turn! Sure my leaning wavered during it, but whatever! I did a freakin U-turn! That made my day =)
Written on 6/12/11
I haven't ridden on my bike for like 3 weeks straight. I've been traveling and had family over for a while (that's what I tell myself...of course it's not because I have jitters again...) My poor bike was collecting dust and spider webs! If I was going to take a trip at the end of summer, I needed to practice. So last Sunday I waited until 9:30pm when there was less traffic and cruised the local streets with my BF riding behind me. "Hey this isn't bad" I thought. My muscles still remembered how to do everything. It was sorta fun! I headed towards my usual parking lot when I saw a bunch of "Closed" street signs. "Aww crap." I couldn't go forward anymore, there wasn't any place to turn, so I was forced to do a U-turn. I haven't done one of these since my safety course! "Ohhh NO! I forgot what gear I'm in!!" Oh well it's too late, here we go! I just kept telling myself, "look to where you want to go." I turned my head back as much as I could and I completed the U-turn! Sure my leaning wavered during it, but whatever! I did a freakin U-turn! That made my day =)
Written on 6/12/11
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