Tumbles, Fumbles, and Keeping the Shiny Side Up

Tumbles, Fumbles, and Keeping the Shiny Side Up

Author: Jo Kinnard (a.k.a Motowrider)

From our July 21, 2007 Newsletter.

 

When I first got my motorcycle, the neighbor across the road asked with great subtlety if I was going through a mid-life crisis. Every time I took my bike out for a ride, she’d shake her head with an expression on her face that read “what will she think of next?”

Conversations with coworkers were always amusing. I’d be talking about going for a bike ride and they’d assume meant a bicycle. I guess somehow I did not fit their idea of a biker mama, since my professional attire did not include leather chaps and boots. Besides what forty-plus woman in her right mind would take up motorcycling?

I won’t deny that this shock factor was highly motivating in my quest to be categorized as a serious rider. Still, it took a lot more than a bystander’s biker-envy to get me through those first years of tumbles, fumbles and spills. There were times when I briefly – but seriously – questioned my ability to keep the shiny side up. There were times when I knew that I had good instincts and an underlying talent for riding that waited to be discovered. Most of all there was an undeniable and overwhelming urge to ride. I had been riding in my dreams for years.

It helped greatly that I had someone close to me whose encouragement I could count on as I was learning to ride. My partner is always there to reassure me when things are not going so well. He’s been my coach and cheerleader through all my “growing-rider” pains. I’ll never forget what happened one hot summer afternoon, when – despite my partner’s best efforts – the challenges of learning to ride got the better of me.

I was beginning to get really disappointed with myself, learning how to ride the shiny new green Ninja 250 that I had bought recently. It was a little tall for my 5’ 1” figure. I was in my neighborhood park working on the simplest of maneuvers – start, go forward and make a clean straight stop. Looking back now I can see why this was proving to be so daunting. I was making it harder than it needed to be. In my nervousness I’d brake rather hard, grabbing my brake in a death grip, instead of a gentle squeeze. To make matters worse, I’d look at the ground instead of straight ahead. Between the dive caused by grabbing the brake and not looking straight ahead, I’d end up dumping the bike.

Just as I was wondering whether riding was for me, a woman appeared out of the woods. She appeared to have been walking her dog in the trails that criss-crossed between the wooded patches, the baseball fields and the tennis courts. She must have been watching me and my beginner antics as she walked across the parking lot towards the entrance to the park. Instead of walking in that direction, she headed right for me. I politely waited, not wanting to start moving until she had passed by. The lady stopped and said to me. “Don’t give up – you’ll get it right. Just trust your instincts. You can do this.” Surprised I asked her “Are you a rider?”

She nodded smiling. “Like you”, she said, “I started to ride later in life. It seemed really hard until I learned to relax and have fun. It’s about having fun – never forget that.” “Do you live around here?” I asked. She pointed in the direction of Walters Road, a road I took every day on my way to work. “Have you seen the house with the motorcycle mailbox?” she asked. Yes, I knew the house she meant. “I have to run, but stick with it, you’ll be riding before you know it.” I thanked her, and she walked away. Soon she and her dog had disappeared around the corner.

I can’t begin to tell you how important that encounter was for me. I felt invigorated and energized. Any doubts I may have had about my abilities disappeared. I spent the rest of the afternoon practicing and made tremendous progress. It was true. Once I let go of my fear of failure, I was able to work on the actual task of riding. She gave me just what I needed, when I most needed it – a kind word and a boost in confidence from someone who understood the angst of my situation. She had been there. She knew what it was to be forty plus years old and to never have ridden a motorcycle before. She had come through, as I would.

You may be surprised to know that for every nay-sayer, every skeptic about your desire to ride, there’s someone else who can serve as your cheerleader in riding. There’s a whole community of support out there. You’ll find fellow riders appearing out of nowhere – not just at the local motorcycle shop or on the Internet, but at your place of work, at church, or when you are out shopping. A lot of the time you yourself are both your worst critic as well as your best coach. “Just do it” is often the best advice you can give yourself. It might look hard, but it’s easier than you think.

I learned more from the near misses and scrapes than I ever did from my great riding days that passed without incident. It was a shot in the arm to find that I managed to calmly bring the bike down and to a stop without wrecking, after my very first (unintended) wheelie across the parking lot while practicing in a park. It was a high to traverse 10 miles of a gravel and oil soaked roadway under construction, and find out that if I did what the books recommended (“ hang loose and let the bike do its thing”) I did not wipe out!

Chanting the mantras taught in the MSF class greatly helped. “Slow-Look-Lean-Roll, Slow-Look-Lean-Roll.” Watching the experts race around a track and use their bodies to control traction taught me about the dynamics of riding. Reading biker blogs and sharing others’ experiences was illuminating. On the other hand, there were some maneuvers that seemed to lie outside of my reach. I finally realized the problem was my mental block, not any kind of physical impediment or innate inability. I still fight this battle with my own fears and vulnerabilities, but they usually lose the argument sooner or later. When I was a beginning rider though, it sometimes felt like the road was all uphill.

I’d like to share some tips that kept my attitude positive and strengthened my refusal to give up riding even at my lowest moments:

1. Wear riding gear – full face helmet, riding suit, proper riding boots with ankle protection, and gloves – even when you are practicing low speed or stop and go maneuvers. Knowing you will avoid any kind of road rash is comforting.
2. When you fall over, unless you are hurt, just get back up and keep on going. It’s no big deal. It happens.
3. Enroll in a riding class every couple of years. The basic skills class is the most important class you’ll ever take as a rider. It ensures that you learn good riding habits from the outset. Experienced rider classes are important as well, because you never really stop learning riding skills.
4. When you are still a newbie to riding, focus on one or two skills each time you are out. Talk aloud to yourself, pretending you are both the instructor as well as the student.
5. Maintain a riding diary in which you make note of your progress, and the areas where you need more work. Be specific. (“I need to work on looking where I want to go.”)
6. Get as much saddle time as possible, when optimal conditions prevail – in the least crowded roads and times, in good weather.
7. Be conservative about riding. It’s better not to go riding when the weather is iffy, or you are feeling less than 100% fit and alert. There will be another opportunity.
8. Workout, and practice focus and relaxation skills.
9. Have fun! If it seems hard, you are probably doing something wrong.