Well the wait is finally over! I finally taken my 695 out for a spin...well not quite yet. What I have done is taken the first 'hands on" class of the MSF Riders Course. All the anticipation and 4 weeks of waiting have finally paid off. I was able to find an opening at the Cerritos course and hopped right in.
The anticipation the questions all answered with the first turn of the throttle. Although it was on a Honda 250 Nighthawk, I will take it with a grain of salt a perfect step to a dream bike.
The class members made it really enjoyable also. They came from all walks of life and had one defining trait that united everybody - that gleam in their eye. The one that says, "I want to ride" or I'm a rider. The instructors were top notch. The pace is fast and from the moment the class starts it is time "to swim". It looked liked everybody had studied their manuals and now it was time to ride.
It started with a walk around the bike. We went over our pre-ride inspection and the main instructor went over the basics of riding. soon after we were walking our bikes over 100 yards to the staging area. It was a good way of getting used to the weight of the bike.
We were broken down into 3 groups and started with power-walking the bikes and getting familiar with the "friction zone". Our next lesson consisted of slow throttle with feet up on the pegs. We were really riding! After each lesson the instructors asked what we were doing out there? what we were feeling? and what we could have done better? I tried to participate as much as possible, keeping me in the zone of listening and enjoying the ride.
When the instructors exclaimed that we would be shifting to second in our next lesson, a glazed and color draining look washed over our group. This is when it was going to get serious. This is when we would become true riders.
Up, up and away we went, hearing the revs, heart pounding, ease on the throttle, clutch lever in, then the press up with the left foot, click, ease out the clutch lever and applied steady throttle. WHOA I was second gear. Now I'd have to stop, just when things were getting good.
Break time. All that adrenaline had gone to our heads and we were trying to process just what we had done. It was complex yet so easy in the hands of the MSF. Helmet off and a steady breeze under an exceptionally cloudy sky helped to sooth me as I walked back to the car.
My 1st course day eats consisted of coffee(Kona of course), a bowl of cereal and half a piece of toast before I arrived. I followed up with a mix of Kirkland trail mix from Costco at the course - walnuts(brain food), banana, Gingko drink, white ice tea, a small glass of OJ and just snacked and alternated as our breaks permitted. I also grabbed a PEPSI for that extra zing about 3/4 of way though the training time.
Now back at the course we were going shift to 3rd! We would start out, shift to second by the two cone marker and then shift to third by the tree cone marker. Seemed easy enough. What I realized after this exercise is that we had shifted to third in what was not exactly a turn but a gradual arc to the right. Had the instructors pointed out the angle before hand we all would have been pretty scared. As it stood, the tactic paid off. We simply followed the instruction and our skill level grew evermore faster then would have given ourselves credit for.
Before I knew it, we were calling it a day. Wait I wanted more! The second half of the Pepsi was kicking in and I could smell the asphalt, feel the lean, imagine the throttle. Yes it was over, at least for now. My first experience on a motorcycle(excluding scooters etc.) had come to and end. The smile and utter bliss of the day lived on well into the night and the next few days. Thanks MSF!
