A Lurker No Longer

[Boulevard Billy]

Well I finally decided to take the training wheels off and join your fine board. I have read it quite enthusiastically and learned much over the last few months. I never had a motorcycle prior to August 11th but I made the jump. We have graduated licensing in the Province of Ontario so I received my M1 on May 17th. Didn't have a ride to do the Training Course but I really wasn't too much in doubt about the outcome.

I am going to step back in my story to when I was 10 years old and wiped out Larry's Honda CB70. Laid the dog on the right-hand side and still can see the scar from Billy's Barbeque. I went over the handle bars of my sister's Honda 50 a few times but I was probably near full grown and weighed 3x that of the bike. People, I have deep-seated emotional problems here. My mother wouldn't let me own a bike but it was OK for my younger siblings. My brother wouldn't even let me sit on his Suzuki RM125.

Back to the course. I was doing really well coming to the conclusion and rider's test. The last training involved panic stops and I was confident enough that I figured I'd show them how the 'Big Old Dog' does it. I would be a liar nor subject to exaggeration when I state that I have slid an eighteen wheeler carrying and oversized load on black ice, sideways over a bridge coming into Peoria, IL. A million miles and never jack-knifed a truck. I take off on the Honda and stay on the power till the instructor blew his whistle. I grab the front brake large and really didn't think that the absence of any rear brake to be of issue.

Now it starts getting messy. I'm like 6'2" & closer to 310 than 300. Well over the handle bars I go at 30 mph. I bounce my face shield off the asphalt. My thick leather gloves still have the tarmac stripes. My nylon jacket vaporized and my jeans didn't even rip; the skin burned from the inside out. I didn't stay on the ground long and bounced up as quickly as a 48 year old fat man can bounce. I bent the brake peddle and that was about it. I give the ancient Honda a kick of disgust and jumped on to the twin sister. I got back on the horse, sucked back the tears and went through the course again, gritting my teeth with the power on. Stopped it on a dime with the front suspension maxing out under control.

So there are like 19 students in our class of which three are of the gentler gender. I was the last through the course and had to prove to everyone I was a tough guy. Pushed the little Honda a little to close to the sound barrier and when I pulled the brake(s) on I went through the complete accident a second time in slow motion. I crawled to my feet and cautiously signaled that I was OK and the Honda was ‘good to go’. The strange thing is not that I needed First Aid but the instructors didn’t send me to the hospital in a cab. I did the testing and almost failed because I was penalized on time. I figured I didn’t have much left in the tank.

I continued to heal for six weeks when during a scheduled appointment with my doctor, he tears a strip off you know what. “You are going to die if you keep smoking those cigarettes. You should be responsible. I bought a new 2005 C50T the next day. I have attached a photo for your pleasure. Six thousand kilometers later, not a scratch, dent or abrasion. No tickets, no wounds. No terrorized old ladies in crosswalks.

Conclusion: I am real happy with the C50. A bike big enough for my physical size yet forgiving enough to get a thrill without terminal problems. My goal is to become the best bike rider in the world and love the skill involved. You are never good enough and improve everyday. Bye.

[Clint]

So did you quit smoking?

Great story, and good to have you (finally).

[chadrob30]

LOL, great story....umm...who's Larry?

[Boulevard Billy]

Larry lived next door and he was my idol. He drove a hog for a mini-bike. A Honda CB70 and the cops never did catch him.

As for smoking, I can't get the damn stogie to light on the bike. No cruise control and I can't flick the bic with one hand! Beside, what does the Doctor know about anything? He rides a Harley.

[chadrob30]

Man you are too funny....lol.

[Pinhy]

i like this new guy!!

glad you survived the MSF course and made your way over to our little dysfunctional family here..

welcome!

.

[RampageRider]

wow I didn't know the the MFS course was a combat survivial course ...........lol

But you made through it and lived to tell the tale, welcome aboard.

[Scourge]