Tash and I said that when we got rid of the scooter we’d get me upgraded to a full motorbike licence, gears and all. So when the noise started in the scooter, I went and got my motorbike learner’s permit. Here in QLD, if you have an open car licence, you can apply for your motorbike learner’s, do a course called “Q-Ride” and if you pass the course, you get your motorbike provisional licence (which, like a car licence, you stay on for a year). There’s no waiting time. You can go in and get your bike L’s and that afternoon do your Q-Ride course and pick up your P’s the next day. One issue for me though: I’d never ridden a bike with a manual clutch before. Scooters have gears, but it’s all automatic. I don’t want to get an automatic bike licence, that’s just lame. It’s the full licence or nothing for me. So I had to get some training in riding a manual bike.
A few phone calls and I found Morgan and Wacker’s training centre. They do Q-Ride courses but also have a Gear and Clutch course to get you used to a manual bike. Nice. Best bit is it’s only about 8mins down the road from home. Sweet. I booked in and did the course yesterday. I wasn’t too nervous until I got on the bike. It was a big, 650cc BMW. Nice bike. I chose the 650cc as Tash and I are looking at getting me a 650cc cruiser bike. Once I got on, I realized I needed to learn a LOT more than I thought I had to. My feet have had nothing to do on a bike before but now they have to brake (right foot) and change gears (left foot). Plus I now have to remember that my left hand is the clutch instead of the rear brake. Thankfully my right hand is still the front brake. The clutch was trickier than I thought it would be. I’m not ashamed to say I stalled the bike a few times before I got the feel of it but I’ve realised I need to work hard on building up the strength of my hands. The clutch is heavier than I ever expected and you use it A LOT. The biggest lesson I learned: RIDE THE CLUTCH! At low speeds, you control the speed of your bike not with the throttle, but with the clutch. THAT takes a bit of getting used to. After 90mins of riding, doing slaloms, slow riding (as in less than 10km/hr) and tight figure-8’s I got a much better handle on the clutch. I hope I’m ready for my Q-Ride on Sunday. I think I am.
But I’m still nervous. I might be ready to ride around the training circuit again, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for traffic yet. Still we’ll see. I’ve just got to remember I have a clutch and a foot brake. Then once I’ve gotten my licence, it’s off to shop for a new bike! This is what I’m hoping to get:
Quite an upgrade from my little scooter. Sweet.
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