Higher speeds
I'd been looking forward to my second lesson all week. I knew I would at some point be getting up to one of the school's 500cc bikes this week, but there would first be another trip onto the roads on a 125.
Having ridden the CG125 on my CBT and for most of last week's lesson, I thought it would be a good idea to ride the YBR125 for this week's road session. I hadn't liked the YBR as much when I rode it last week, I found it cramped and just 'looser' in it's feel, yet I'd found it easier to manouver. I went out onto the road with my instructor and felt confident. Again, I had the same complaints for the YBR, at 5'10" I'm perhaps a bit too tall for it, and I got a little annoyed at it's unwillingness to change up gear at times - the YBR seems to need a very positive shove, as opposed to the quick flick that was sufficient on the CG. Still, I'm a believer that making things harder in practice makes it easy when it's time to do it for real, so I didn't feel bad about it. I had a quick run around the yard and went through the slalom and figure 8 again - they felt fine.
This lesson on the road was good for three reasons. Firstly, I went faster than I'd ever gone before, round about 55mph on a national speed limit section. I was surprised at how much windblast I felt at that speed, and also how much my helmet seems to weathervane. I've said before I'm not a speed freak, but I think riding up to 70mph is realistic on dual carriageways, and up to 60mph on some of the A roads in the Peak District.
Secondly, I learned countersteering. It took a few minutes for this to sink in, and a few more practice runs to actually implement, but it's actually something I'd done before when riding my pedal bike on the road (I have been at times a keen road cyclist).
Thirdly, there was the general feeling of confidence from putting all this together. I'm getting my observations mostly correct now, and they are beginning to become instinctive rather than something I have to remember to do. Still, I don't want to become complacent and forget any of them come time for the mod 2 test.
Larger Capacity
Finally, the time came to ride one of the big bikes! When I arrived for my lesson I spotted the Kawasaki ER-5 parked up in readiness, and this was to be my steed for the second hour of the lesson. The first thing impressed upon me was the weight of the bike and having to re-learn getting it off the stand and coming to a halt.
Once I mastered these basics, it was on to circuits of the yard and stops, and then the slalom and figure 8. Just as my instructors told me, once I was used to the weight, this larger bike felt better for these low speed excercises as the centre of gravity is lower. I felt confident going through them, and my instructor told me I'd done well so I finished the lesson a happy man. A few days respite now before I begin my intensive course next tuesday, and my Mod 1 test in a week's time.
Say Cheese!
It's taken 13 years on the road, but I've finally been caught speeding. It happened last Sunday morning, at 9am on the A6 in Stockport as I made my way to Eastlands. I was doing 38mph in a 30 zone, and I was caught by a Gatso, of all things.
Now, I am very careful not to speed. I never intentionally break the speed limit in urban areas. While I'm not very familiar with this stretch of road, it is an extemely wide boulevard, and with no speed limit signs, it felt fairly safe to assume it was a 40. I'm pretty eagle-eyed when it comes to speed cameras, so I would have happily sailed through this particular trap in the full knowledge of the speed I was going at.
Amongst one of the FAQs on the form Greater Manchester Police sent me was something along the lines of "I didn't know this was a 30mph zone, there were no signs up". With the response "30mph areas are not marked with repeater signs." Well, I can tell my new Mancunian friends that they most certainly are thoughout Stoke-on-Trent, and indeed if there had been on this stretch on Stockport I most certainly wouldn't have been driving over the limit. Assuming other drivers think the same way, the motorist could be kept within the speed limit just by having the signs up, thus reducing road casualties. I'll leave you to consider their motives for not marking a wide stretch of road with speed limit signs.
AOB
The workshop manual for the Pegaso arrived last week, and I spent an evening printing it out and binding it. I was looking on course to have it delivered after I (hopefully) pass my Mod 1 test next week, so I have it ready to rride after I (hopefully) pass my Mod 2 a week later. But it looks like I may be working away for a week just after the Mod 2 test, so I may hang fire until after I come home.
I've also found a couple of places online which can supply me with Aprilia parts, and as I order a few things from there I will report on their service. I think a centre stand is likely to be amongst the first purchases.
I forgot to mention last week that I sat on a KTM Superduke which felt great, and this week got to sit on a colleagues Triumph Tiger which seems a great bike too, but perhaps a bit to tall for me.
I begin my intensive course next Tuesday!
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