Saturday, June 07, 2003

Motorbike Lessons


I have somewhat learnt not to die or kill others when I am on the motorbike and not as a pillion rider.  I have also learnt to steer clear of the pillars and sometimes manage even to miss the shrubs. Yeah, I have began to learn to ride the motorbike, and so far it has been a success since no insurance companies have been involved… 

It all started when I went to the library with a very stupid friend (yes, I am selfishly using this resource to insult him) and I had finished selecting the books that I needed. I wanted to go back home, but he was adamant about reading a book from the children's section of the library. The library doesn't allow normal members to borrow from the children's section, so I was forced to stay and, well, read something. I started on a book and stopped after two minutes wondering what Schrodinger had against cats. I picked up another one, but due to the hurry I was in, I got bored of that one also. Then there was this book on motorbikes. Superbikes actually, and I started reading it. 

It kept me captivated while my (I am enjoying this) dull and tiresome friend was going through his second childhood without fully getting out of the first one. The book had pictures and information of many superbikes, There was this big flashy picture of a (I noted the name down) 1992 Suzuki RGV500, which was very inspirational. This was because the bike had a radiator, and (hold your breath) 4 exhaust pipes. As soon as I got home, I asked my father if he could teach me to ride the motorbike. His answer surprised me. (Hey, stop holding your breath, or the ambulance guys will be over). 

I thought I'd do the thing properly. This is a very bad notion if you are setting out to do something. So I dug up a book to get all the technical information on bikes and became well acquainted with brake calipers and telescopic forks. So before we started, I knew it all in theory, so I thought it would be totally easy to try it out.

As things turned out, it totally wasn't. For one thing, it is totally useless to know what a push rod is and for another, a Kawasaki Bajaj has an anatomy that is totally different from a 1994 Husqvarna Motocross TC610. I was so very useless that I dashed into another vehicle as soon as I got it off the stand. I had not even started the machine. I got it out of the stand, felt the weight of the bike on me and totally lost control. Then I got myself onto it. I can handle this, I told myself. And strictly speaking, somehow, I managed to. OK, first time for me, but kick-starting the machine and revving it up was totally awesome. It was pure excitement, it was like you have so much power in you hands. And it wasn't even in gear yet. 

But I never got to put it in gear. End of lesson I. I started it up a few more times and put it on stand etc… the boring stuff.

I'll be on the road soon.

Better get yourselves insured.

Ok, one last time….

My friend is a footrest.

AND I AM LEARNING TO RIDE A BIKE!!!!!