Now all I have to do is go down to the DMV out in pack-a-lunchville, aka Mount Pearl, and do my written test. That'll get me my Class 6, Level I license. Woohoo! I meant to get out there this week... might do that tomorrow. I spent a few minutes studying the section on "signs" in the driver's handbook.
Funny thing there... my instructor told us that people go to write the test, fail the section on signs, and hop back in their cars to drive home! Um... failure to recognize what the signs mean?? Huh? They're allowed to DRIVE?! Ack! No wonder there's so many g.d. weirdos on the road!!
Anyway... Paul let me (okay, he encouraged me) drive his KLX 250 up and down the road beside our house yesterday. There I was, all geared up and ready to go for the 1-minute up-and-down jaunt. Stalled the bike. Stalled the bike again. And again. and again and again and again... I totally couldn't seem to get the hang of the clutch! After about 10 minutes solid of standing there poking the starter with my thumb, holding the clutch, releasing the brake, giving it gas, letting out the clutch... bike would lurch then stall... I FINALLY managed to get up the road! Woohoo!!! Up the road to the church parking lot, turn around and go down our road to Dominion Hill where I turned around in the muck (eww), managed to get about 20 yards up the road, tried to gear back down to first, *cough* die. Damn. I spent another 10 minutes trying to move up the hill under the bike's steam.
I should mention that the part I enjoyed most about the riding was the actual riding. I mean, wow... it's so much fun to be tooling up the road, legs tight against the tank, swaying with the curve in the road in perfect harmony with the bike. Definitely an enjoyable experience that I'm looking forward to repeating!
Now to move on the less enjoyable part.
Paul made me do exercises in going and stopping and going again. You know, pretend like I'm at a stop sign or red light... brake the bike, idle, go again. Hah... not happening. If I were really in traffic with a truck barreling up behind me... let's just say that I should probably be practicing a dump-and-jump manoeuvre. Well, I did manage to get it up as far as our driveway via the lurch-and-go method, then finally managed to get it cruising once more, so up to the church again. By this time I'd been out for an hour or so, it was starting to get dark (just starting, mind you) and my hands were cramping. It was fun while it lasted. Time to go inside.
Kyle told me that it took him a week of trying to get up to the church. I guess I'm doing well then.
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