Seasons greetings all, welcome to the Two Wheeled Ronin Christmas Special. It's not that Christmassy and pretty much only special to me but I hope you enjoy it none the less.
They say everyone remembers their first
time. She was tall, blonde and pretty comfortable to ride. I am, of
course, talking about my first time on a motorcycle. (I say blonde,
it was more of a yellow colour). As regular readers will know, I’m
a bit of a novice when it comes to actually riding a motorbike but
like every biker, I had to start somewhere. My journey begins at the
NEC in Birmingham. I was there for Motorcycle Live (Read my
highlights here).
As I said in that post, I visited the
guys at “Get On”, who give the opportunity for non-riders to have
go at riding a motorcycle for the very first time. So I thought I’d
tell you a bit more about my experience. I arrived at my agreed time
slot and get kitted out with a jacket that was slightly too small, a
helmet that was slightly too big and gloves, that fit…the way
gloves are supposed to fit.
I joined one of the instructors there
and five other non-riders. I was clearly the oldest person there, but
I try not to let this bother me. The instructor asked if anyone had
ridden a motorbike before. We all shook our heads.
“Has anyone
ridden a push bike?” A question I was surprised by. I happily said
yes. I guess the basic foundations between bicycles and motorbikes
are still there after all. He then asked if there was a particular
model we would like to try. I had my eye on a bike from the new
company, Herald. The Herald Motor Company are a relatively new
company and I really like their bikes (check their site here). They have a vintage style with
all the modern elements that you need. Unfortunately, the model I
wanted to ride, Classic 125, was already taken. But they very kindly
brought out another model for me to try, The Maverick 125. As I said,
she was pretty tall, probably too tall for me, to be honest but a
beauty none the less.
First lesson, if you wear glasses (like
me), take them off before you put your helmet on. Perhaps the most
important lesson I will take away from today!
As for the actual lesson, I really
enjoyed it. The instructor went through a few of the basics, starting
the engine, controlling the clutch and using the brakes. As it was
the first lesson we only used the first gear. To begin with I just
rode a few feet, without lifting my feet up (as instructed). But soon
enough I was actually riding. Granted, it was only about 30ft, a
couple of times up and down the hall and all in first gear, but it
felt amazing.
I would certainly recommend “Get On”
to anyone who is curious about riding a motorcycle for the first time
or even for people who have ridden before and are looking to get back
into it.
So where do I go from here? I honestly
don’t know. Maybe a DSA next year…maybe. But one thing I do know
is that this year I rode a motorcycle for the first time and I loved
it.
Thanks for reading.
You know what I'd really like for Christmas? I few more Facebook followers!
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I’d like to wish all my readers a
great
Christmas and a wonderful 2018
