Biker Babe

After getting my scooter, then wrecking my scooter, I finally got around to getting licensed to actually RIDE the scooter today. Shortly after I got it, I went to DMV and got my permit. It allowed me, much like a driver's permit, to ride with another licensed rider. I figured that was ok and not that big of a deal until I started wanting to go places and didn't have an escort. I couldn't take it to Weight Watcher meetings, I couldn't ride it to trivia or to the library or anywhere. Kind of a PITA since I'm not comfortable riding with a passenger yet and we always had to wait until someone else was home to watch the kids so we could take the bikes out. Since I wrecked, I've been back on it several times and I haven't had a problem. I had not been near DMV and I was ok with that too. RF has been encouraging me to get back over there and get it done. I kept putting it off for this reason or that and today, I finally just had to suck it up and do it. I posted to FB last night that I was doing it and I knew that would hold me accountable because I knew people would be asking me if I had done it. So I did.

I got up at 6:30 this morning so that I could get everyone up and fed and out the door in time to be at DMV when they opened at 8. RF rode the scooter over for me, since I couldn't, and I followed in the van with the kids. I was in line and ready to go when the doors opened at 8. I was the second person in and the only one taking a motorcycle exam. I handed over my info, visited the cashier (I didn't have to pay because I paid when I got the permit) and waited about 5 minutes before the lady called me out to test.

We went through the standard light checks then she had me set up for the course. The first test is a sharp left hand turn. You have to stay inside the lines, not knock over any cones and not put your foot down. As soon as I entered the shoot, I knew I was going too slow and wouldn't be able to make the turn in the space. I ended up putting my foot down but completed the rest of the test fine. After that was weaving and U-turn (we had been doing the U-turn in the wrong area and it was a lot harder the way we were doing it), which I was confident about. Following that was stopping. I had no issues with that because if I can do anything on that scooter, it is make it stop! There is a foot break pedal on it and when you hit it, it stops NOW! After that was the swerve. I freaked out to no end about the swerve because that was were I wrecked before. I told RF that I sort of wished that I had passed on breakfast because I felt pretty sick at the thought of having to swerve again. On the one hand, I was pretty panicked at the thought of wrecking again. On the other, I knew I wasn't going to do it so it didn't matter. She showed me how to complete the test and I found out I was doing it ALL wrong. Not as wrong as I thought I was doing but wrong enough. Basically, you start at the same point as the stopping test, ride through the shoot and swerve around the red "stop" line. We were starting right, just trying to swerve around the outside boundary line instead. I pulled around, fairly certain that the foot down had failed me. I've heard other people talk about getting their license and most of them that failed the first time failed because they put their foot down somewhere they weren't supposed to. Imagine my surpise when she told me that was only worth 1 point and the only point I missed. If I had kept my stupid foot up (something we worked and worked and worked on while we were practicing), I would have had a perfect score!! Back inside to wait a few minutes and now I'm the proud owner of a shiny new license, listing me as class DM. Ask to see it sometime, it is pretty neat looking, with holograms and two pictures and stuff :)

Most people have been pretty happy that I was able to pass fairly easily. The notable exception to that is my mom. Since I first started riding the little scooter a year ago, she has wanted me to take the U of I motorcycle class. I felt (and was obviously right), that I didn't need the class to get my license. The class is not without virtue and merit, it just isn't for me. It requires 4 hours, 4 different days, pre-committed with no exception. It is rain or shine, hot or cold, doesn't matter. First of all, I would like to know where I was going to fine 16 hours to devote to the class? My weekdays are open enough (although still busy) but I have the kids and my weekends are packed! We had to cancel a trip a couple of weeks ago because it was simply too much. Had we gone, we would have had 6 solids weeks where we weren't home either day of the weekend, then a week off and then vacation. Too much. I'm also nothing if not a fair weather rider. I don't want to do it when it is raining or cold or too hot or anything else. Committing to taking a class in July sometime in April just didn't work for me. Had I needed to learn to ride a motorcycle (motorcycles have manual transmissions and require clutching and shifting and what not. Scooters are automatic and a much smaller learning curve), the class probably would have helped but it still just wasn't me. So basically, I practiced the course for maybe 2 hours and rode it for maybe an hour and passed just fine. That is 13 hours I saved by doing it my way

Anyway, my mom took the class a couple of years ago and really struggled with it. She ended up sick all 4 days from the heat, she struggled and struggled to pass the test and just generally didn't do well with it. Then she bought a bike she didn't really want, dropped it a few weeks later trying to park on gravel (she was stopped, the kickstand just slid on the gravel) and sold it last summer. I think she really wanted someone else to have as hard a time passing and riding as she did. Of course that isn't the case because RF and my brother basically breezed through the class and I never took it. And I don't think she was in anyway happy when I wrecked but I sort of got the feeling she was hoping it would put me off riding. Since I had just bought the bike, I had to get back on it or it was a HUGE waste of money. And I didn't wreck it riding it, I wrecked it at DMV. Basically the same difference but a huge divide in my mind. Her attitude today was "oh, isn't that nice, well anyway" and I think she was irritated that I did as well as I did without the class because that meant I was right. Getting a license isn't rocket science and I didn't need a class to teach me how to do it.

My first motorcycle ride is this weekend too, which is part of the reason I decided to get my license today. Although I was perfectly legal to ride in it, I felt better knowing I had a real license and not just a permit. My mom is following the ride with my van and a trailer in case anyone has problems. She will also have MT with her and since TB is riding with my dad, she will be available if he wants to get off before the end of the ride. Last year, this ride was plagued by busted bikes. 2 guys never made it out of town. One guy blew a tire, one guy had something else happen to his bike, it was crazy. My dad worded his statement about the trailer very carefully. He said "your mom is going to drive the van and pull a trailer in case something happens to one of the bikes or if you decide you don't want to ride anymore". My mom was not as careful. She told me "I'm driving your van with a trailer so when you decide you can't do it, you have a way to get home" Well, by God, I'm finishing it now, if just to show her. I don't care if my ass is on fire, my arms are completely numb and my head is pounding, I WILL finish that ride!

If you see me around town, feel free to wave. I'm getting better about waving back because I'm more comfortable than I was last summer and my new scooter is heavier and less squirrely so I don't have to have quite such a death grip on the handle bars :)

Crash test dummy

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a scooter. I've been taking it to DMV to practice riding the course so I can get my license. The first night I took it out, I managed the left turn ok, although it still needs work. I had the sudden stop DOWN cold. If nothing else, my scooter can STOP! I had a lot of trouble with the weave/u-turn part and the swerving was a nightmare. Thursday night, RF and I went over there while mom took the kids to the pool. I decided there was no reason to practice stopping because I was good. I also decided that I was comfortable with the left turn so I needed to spend our limited amount of time working on weaving and swerving. I wove and wove and wove and finally managed to do it several times in a row with only a few minor issues. We were running out of time so I decided to move on to swerving. That is definitely the hardest part of the test and I just wasn't getting it. RF kept telling me to really push, both with my hand and my foot to force the bike where I needed it. The last time down, I really pushed and I think I made the right turn and as I tried to swerve back (part of the test is to swerve around the red line and bring it back inside the yellow line), the bike slid out from under me and I hit the pavement. My foot got caught between the seating the fairing and as I rolled coming off, my foot didn't go with me. I also slid across the pavement on my left elbow/arm. Despite being a helmet nazi any other time, I wasn't wearing mine then. I had taken it off because we were in the parking lot and not going over 15 mph and I couldn't hear RF who was reading me the test directions and offering pointers on how to do stuff better. Fortunately, I didn't hit my head. I also, because it was stupid hot, was wearing a tank top while I rode. I had a long sleeve shirt in the trunk of the scooter but just wasn't wearing it. I was wearing long pants, which seriously saved my leg. No matter how hot, I always wear long pants riding because I seriously burned my leg climbing on my dad's motorcycle when I was 5 and I still have the scar. So good for me because the pants were trashed. The knee is covered in black tar and the pocket is all shredded. That would have been my leg if I had shorts on.

RF got me up and settled down. Although I was hurt, I was more angry than anything. I was mad that I'd only had the bike a couple of weeks and managed to put it on the ground. I was mad that I had hurt myself. I was mad that I couldn't swerve right, etc. I was yelling and cussing and everything else. Eventually, he helped me up and got me back on the scooter. I got it going again and we rode home. Other than the fact that my leg hurt so bad that I couldn't even put my foot on the floor board of the scooter, it wasn't terrible to ride home (and way better than the time I broke my ankle when I was 9 and rode my bike 3/4 of a mile home. This time I didn't have to pedal home) and the bike had to get home somehow. We got home and RF got our stuff together and took me to the ER, since I couldn't put any weight on my left foot at all. While we were waiting in the ER, he took a picture of my elbow, with blood swears and everything. See that top bit that looks like it is already scabbed over? Yeah, it's not. That is tar from the parking lot embedded in my elbow. Despite scrubbing, it hasn't come off. I'm hoping as it heals, it will be forced out. If not, I'll have a permanent black spot on my elbow



They never did look at my elbow. When we got home, my mom helped me clean it up and get it bandaged. The X-ray on the ankle came back saying no break (I'm very surprised). So now I'm in a splint and on crutches for the next several days. I'm supposed to follow up with my doctor sometime this week. In the meantime, rest and ice. Keep it elevated, etc. So far, I really don't have time for rest but I'm working the ice in occasionally during the day.

We finally got some decent gauze pads to bandage the elbow with (we had been using plain gauze and it was sticking like crazy) so while it was off today, I took another picture of the elbow, just for comparison :)

I found out today that there is a chance I was actually doing the test wrong and that would explain the wipe out. The way the course is set up there is the potential that you could either swerve left or right. Right is hard right turn, left is much more gentle. I'm going to talk to some people that have taken the test at DMV, not through the U of I motorcycle course and see if left is acceptable. I'm also going to call DMV and ask if I can fail a section of the test and still get my license. Because honestly, if it the right swerve, I will likely never be able to do it. The one and only time I used enough pressure to actually swerve around the object line, I dumped the bike. Not something I'm likely to try again. So I need to find out if I can just attempt it and hit the object line or the side line and still pass the test. We'll see what happens

Cruisin'

If anyone is interested in riding or donating to the event, you can find more information by visiting the website

Hey! It's almost that time again. Our fifth annual motorcycle marble run is right around the corner! This year's proceeds will benefit Camp COCO. I have attached our commercial that will air soon on WGKC 105,9. Pass on the ride info to your friends and family that ride. All makes and models of motorcycles welcome! Our event will be held rain or shine. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. at Andrae's H-D and we will end at Fifth Dimension Collision Repair.
Enjoy the ride!
Jane

Cruisin' 4 Kids with Cancer
July 25, 2009
http://cruisinforkids.tripod.com

Applications now being accepted

On Thursday, I went to DMV and took a written test to get my motorcycle permit. It rained all day Thursday and RF had to work on Friday and Saturday so today was my first time to get on a real bike. I've been riding my little scooter for a year but it only tops 30 mph going downhill with a tailwind. A 400cc motorcycle is way different! So I spent some time earlier this morning riding it around the parking lot. But there was an issue with the battery so when I killed (pretty much every time I stopped), it has to be push started which was a pain and eventually, even that quit working so RF pushed it home and plugged it in. It got charged a little bit ago so I spent another hour on it, practicing right hand turns and shifting into second gear. Woo hoo, I can now go over 30, even if it is just in the parking lot :)

I will practice riding for the next few months and I'm hoping to actually get my license by the end of summer. Once that happens, I'll being taking applications for bitches to ride with me :)

Riding the Hog

Lizzie going for her first ride on the Harley. Paw-Paw took her a few laps around the parking lot to get a little taste.

Scoot over

I got a scooter. It is super cute. It looks a lot like this one


Except it is black and a year older (strangely enough you can't find good pictures of a 20 year old scooter on the internet, go figure). I really like riding it and I'm coming up with reasons to leave the house by myself. I figure I can ride it to work out when RF is home, to PTA, to girl's night outs, to book club, on small errands during the day, etc. It doesn't have a trunk or anything so no major shopping trips, but if I can fit it in my little back pack, I can carry it.

RF and MIL (who owns the scooter and is just letting me use it since it is an extra one that has been sitting in their garage for years) kept cautioning me about not being intimidated by other cars on the road but since I believe I am the most awesome thing on the road, I'm really not intimidated by them. It is only a 49cc, which is why I can ride it, legally, without getting a motorcycle license. But that means that it tops out at 30 miles an hour so I end up a little slower than the rest of traffic. I really enjoy riding and will likely get my motorcycle license and look for something bigger in the next few years.

My dad has had a motorcycle license as long as I can remember (I burned my leg rarther badly on his bike when I was 5 and I know he had one before that. If you want, I can still show you the scar sometime) and RF and my brother took the motorcycle training class a few years ago. My mom decided to get her's again after not having it for years (she had a bike in CA before she married my dad and had to ride his first bike home for him because he didn't have a license for it) and also took the class. I honestly don't think I will mess with it. By the time I get around to getting one, I'll have been riding the scooter for at least a couple of years and once I learn to shift and use the clutch (the scooter is automatic), it will be no big deal.

My mom is absolutely shocked by my choice NOT to take the class. Really, it is a major pain in the neck. It is 4 hours, 4 days, over the course of 2 weekends. You go over to campus, and ride a 250cc motorcycle around the parking lot, in long pants, long shirt, boots, gloves and full helmet (I wear a full helmet anyway because I like my head the shape it is in now, thanks so much) in the summer in the outrageous heat (or the rain or whatever other crappy weather is happening during the class). Besides all that, you have kick, scratch, bite and potentially kill to get in the classes because they fill super fast. It isn't worth all that to me. Riding a bike isn't rocket science, I have no need to waste 16 hours learning to something I already know how to do.

Anyway, if you see a girl on little black scooter with a big black helmet that weighs more than the bike, it is probably me. Feel free to honk and wave, although depending on how my ride is going, I might not wave back since I might have a white knuckled, death grip on the handle bars. :)

Cruisin for kids with Cancer

Is an annual motorcycle ride that my family participates in. I don't ride, so typically, my mom and I volunteer while my dad, Evan, MIL, FIL and Dave ride in it. all proceeds go to benefit the peds cancer ward at Carle.

Today was the 3rd annual ride and it was quite fun. There 40 bikes, which is down from last year. Some of that can be attributed to the fact that it looked like it might pour down rain at any second most of the day (it never did, but the threat of rain is enough to keep some people away) Not only did the family ride, they set up a group of people from work which totalled 15 of the 40 bikes. C also rode with my dad for about half of the ride. His very first poker run ever :) The ride goes by the hospital that it benefits so the kids can see the bikes. The ones that are able, come down to the circle drive to see all the bikes ride by. The ones that aren't watch from their hospital rooms. Today, there were no kids downstairs. We found out later that it probably meant there were none in the hospital today, which is superb.

There was a small snafu with my volunteering. We (my mom, Liz and I) took one car over and mom planned to follow the ride, in case C wanted to get off. They wanted me at the end, but I couldn't get in there until 12:30, which was smack in the middle of the ride and I wouldn't have a way to get from the beginning to the end. I ended up riding with mom for most of the ride and then when C got off we took off for the end so I could be there when the riders got there. It all worked out well.

When you ride in these things, you draw marbles at each stop. Each color of marble is assigned a point value and at the end, they tally all your colors and generally 1st, 2nd and 3rd get nice prizes and last gets some gag gift. First prize was big screen high def TV (retails for about $700) Dh won one similar to it the first year at C4KC. I can't remember what second was but third was an iPod shuffle. Last place was "Anti-Monkey Butt" powder. Apparently, it is similar to Goldbond and prevents chafing on long rides :) In addition to the prizes, they raffled off various gift certificates, food stuffs, and poster. Dave won a really nice leather jacket with Looney Tunes characters on the back. That will come in handy when he goes to Sturgis in a week. This year they also raffled off a beautiful quilt that took shirts from various Harley dealers and black cloth, with rainbow stiching and then on the back they had a gold ribbon (the symbol for childhood cancers) that was signed by survivors and their sibilings.