Sea Legs
I drove the Beast around the Raleigh beltline this morning to my semi-annual visit with Dr. Quack. I figured that by the time I arrived my blood pressure would be somewhere north of "Coronary" but, lo, it was a very docile 130/60 when Nurse Ratchet checked it. That and reports of a perfectly normal sized "walnut" were good news.
Now, the Beast has five forward gears for reasons I do not understand. Seems to me that only two — "Go" and "Gone" — would be sufficient because the differences in second, third, fourth and fifth are difficult for me to discern on level terrain. This has lead to a number of stalled starts from easy locations because I have not yet mastered the fine art of unconsciously knowing/remembering which gear I'm in and sometimes do not kick the gear shifter enough times to get all the way down to first when I must make a "full and complete" stop. Unlike a automobile, the Beast gives no visual or tactile indication of which gear you might be in at any time with the exception of neural which is indicated by a blue light on the shockingly minimalist instrument panel (left turn signal, high beam, neutral, oil warning, right turn signal, digital odometer, digital clock, low fuel warning and 0-120 mph speedometer). So it is that I'm learning to look for the flicker of that little blue light to ensure that I have indeed passed through neutral on the way down to low gear and a smooth get away.
With this and most other motorcycles one must make do with four appendages to perform seven tasks. The left hand does steering and operates the clutch. The right hand does steering, front-wheel braking and throttle control. The right foot does rear-wheel braking and motorcycle balance at stops. The left foot operates the gear shifter and also assists in motorcycle balance at stops. Now that's a great deal of stuff to keep up with while you are simultaneously trying to avoid being wiped out by a big rig.
Here's the drill just to start from a stop:
After coming to a stop, continue pressing the clutch lever with the left hand to keep the clutch disengaged.
While balancing on the right foot and continuing to press the front brake lever with the right hand, use the left foot to shift to low gear.
Upon achieving low gear, shift balance to the left foot and use to right foot to press the rear-brake pedal.
Release the front brake lever to free the right hand to operate the throttle upon the signal to "gittie up".
Open the throttle with the right hand and release the clutch with the left hand in an coordinated fashion while releasing the rear brake pedal with the right foot and using both feet to maintain balance until the bike has enough speed to stand up on its own.
Turn the bike as needed and prepare to shift to a higher gear in a brief moment.
(An alternative version also exists which involves leaving the gears in neutral while waiting for the light to change but that further complicates things with two more balance shifts and another gear shift with the left foot while at rest.)
The objective, of course, is to learn to do all this without thinking! When you can, you will have begun to earn your "sea legs".
Now, the Beast has five forward gears for reasons I do not understand. Seems to me that only two — "Go" and "Gone" — would be sufficient because the differences in second, third, fourth and fifth are difficult for me to discern on level terrain. This has lead to a number of stalled starts from easy locations because I have not yet mastered the fine art of unconsciously knowing/remembering which gear I'm in and sometimes do not kick the gear shifter enough times to get all the way down to first when I must make a "full and complete" stop. Unlike a automobile, the Beast gives no visual or tactile indication of which gear you might be in at any time with the exception of neural which is indicated by a blue light on the shockingly minimalist instrument panel (left turn signal, high beam, neutral, oil warning, right turn signal, digital odometer, digital clock, low fuel warning and 0-120 mph speedometer). So it is that I'm learning to look for the flicker of that little blue light to ensure that I have indeed passed through neutral on the way down to low gear and a smooth get away.
With this and most other motorcycles one must make do with four appendages to perform seven tasks. The left hand does steering and operates the clutch. The right hand does steering, front-wheel braking and throttle control. The right foot does rear-wheel braking and motorcycle balance at stops. The left foot operates the gear shifter and also assists in motorcycle balance at stops. Now that's a great deal of stuff to keep up with while you are simultaneously trying to avoid being wiped out by a big rig.
Here's the drill just to start from a stop:
(An alternative version also exists which involves leaving the gears in neutral while waiting for the light to change but that further complicates things with two more balance shifts and another gear shift with the left foot while at rest.)
The objective, of course, is to learn to do all this without thinking! When you can, you will have begun to earn your "sea legs".
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