Scootering is lifelong learning
Published by Wendy December 21st, 2007 in news & gossip.
Last weekend it was sleeting and windy in my part of the world and I was completely unable to “commune” with my Metropolitan. It wasn’t very memorable except for the fact that it marked the two year anniversary of my ownership. Before December 16, 2005 I was aware of scooters only as transportation for others and a means of getting speedy delivery of Chinese food by a vehicle that arrived covered in duct tape with a driver wearing what seemed like just a rice bowl for a helmet.
I’ve yet to take an MSF course for the thoroughness of its training, but I used the sentimental moment to take stock of the progress I made in the two years and 2,300 miles or so since my scooter was first delivered to my door by my Honda dealer.
I learned to ride in traffic first and foremost. Although my own neighborhood afforded me one-way streets with stop signs, venturing any further than a four block radius had me contend with multiple lanes, buses veering out from a stop to merge with traffic, intersections with several angles of traffic and turn controls, as well as heedless and dense flocks of pedestrians.
As I increased in ability to run my scooter righteously in a traffic lane and to maintain street speeds of 30 or so, I gained confidence and honed instincts for drivers about to do the expected dumb things they tend to do. Knowing I was somewhat invisible gave me all the more shrewdness to anticipate the selfishness and silliness of driving decisions made by others and to hone defensive skills.
Ultimately, I learned to ride in remarkable extremes of wet surfaces, pounding rain, milled blacktop that left grooves and gravel for my tires to step through, and a deep appreciation of the close calls I survived that were born of my own bad judgment or ballsy chance-taking. And I learned the vital basics of maintenance like oil changing and battery tending. Although I am a fervent bling queen, I admit that one should not consider accessorizing a skill! (Don’t get me started on the stuff I’ve added to my bike!)
My rides (in season) are longer now and I am willing to route myself through neighborhoods and along thoroughfares that were beyond my ken just a while ago. I now enjoy cold-weather riding if there is any forgiveness in the temperature for even an hour or so.
It remains my ambition to complete an MSF course. Moreover, I yearn to ride across a nearby bridge that connects two counties and happens to rise right above my summer sailing area. The bridge allows scooters, but its roadbed is a steel grate for about 700 feet before resuming a concrete surface. I am still quite scared of that elevation and road type. What have you mastered; what will you learn in 2008?
Great thoughts and ideas. I think it is always good to take stock of where we’ve been and where we think we are headed. Riding and riding skills are especially good to have that kind of understanding.
The MSF course is a great thing to do. When I started riding again in the summer of 2005 after a gap of over 30 years since the last time I rode I thought I knew how to ride. After taking the MSF Basic Rider Course I was humbled at how much I didn’t know and how many bad habits I had learned as a kid. What I learned as kept me out of harm’s way more than once.
As far as those steel grated bridge decks go—we have a lot of them around here though not 700 feet long. But long enough to know that they make you feel as if the scooter is going to fly off the road much the same way that grooved pavement does. A relaxed grip (not loose) on the handlebars and just let the scooter wobble as it likes will keep you moving forward without problems. I had the same concerns as you do with the bridge the first time I went through the 4200 foot Squirrel Hill Tunnel in Pittsburgh. Turned out I had nothing to fear but fear itself. My riding skills were up to the challenge.
Not sure what I’ll learn in 2008. I am not much of an accessorizer but I could do a better job keeping the Vespa clean. Learning that might reach across to other areas of my life. And I would like to learn how to take some multiple days camping rides. Maybe down the Blue Ridge Parkway or up into the Adirondacks.
Anyways, good luck on your continuing adventures and for the things you write on Girlbike!
Steve Williams
Scooter in the Sticks
Once you think you know everything there is to know, you need to quit riding :-).
The MSF is wonderful, but in and of itself, it is just a part of what there is to know. Seat time, armed with that knowledge, reading about the things that happen to others whom we know, sharing experiences with other riders, and even just sitting in traffic, watching what other people are doing. We learn and grow every time we get in the saddle, and if we don’t, we really don’t need to be in the saddle. Unfortunately, I think there are a quite a few that fall into that category, but oddly, I don’t feel that there are many of them among the ‘year round’ crew. Most of the folks I meet that have embraced the cold, have also embraced the need to learn and be safe in addition to the rewards that come with crisp cold air and that tingle on the skin that goes along with the cold…
I hope 2008 brings more adventures and enjoyment to you and yours.
I too have a 50cc scooter, and recently, with help from a fellow scooter rider, I was able to overcome my personal fear with a certain local landmark.
Live and learn. Learn and live. All the best to you in 2008!
I really need to take the MSF class, too. In my rural area, the closest one is an hour away and fills up months and months beforehand, so it’s eluded me so far, but I hope that I’m able to get into a spring class.
On another note, my Scooter Seat Cover gift certificate got here. Thanks, Crystal!
And, thanks to the entire GirlBike crew! You’ve all been a great resource for me as I’ve gone from my first wobbly ride in an empty parking lot to riding all across the state!
Wendy, definitely schedule the MSF class sooner rather than later. Most states subsidize part of the cost; in Washington, your cost would be $100 for a subsidized class vs. $250 full price (unfortunately, the appropriation is limited, so only a certain number of class spots are subsidized). Unless you live someplace that’s blanketed with snow, this is a good time of year to schedule a class.
As for bridge grates, I have to negotiate four sets of them on a regular basis, though none are as long as your bridge. I second Steve’s advice to relax and let the bike wobble a bit. To that I would add:
* Approach the grating straight and upright. If you can’t, don’t make a sudden change in direction.
* Try to maintain a constant speed across the grate.
* If you must brake, do so slowly and gently; if possible, adjust your speed approaching the grate slightly, so you can make it across in one pass.
* It may seem counterintuitive, but faster will be more comfortable and less twitchy (I discovered this in a group ride that went 45 mph over one of the bridges I use regularly).
* Make sure your tires are inflated to the scooter manufacturer’s recommended pressures (which are not necessarily the maximum pressures embossed on the tire sidewall).
* When it’s time for new tires, choose tires that don’t have a straight groove down the middle.
I also second Dru’s motion: for me, every ride is a learning experience…
Happy holidays to you and yours,
__Orin
Scootin’ Old Skool