I hope everyone took time, whether on their own or in a public ceremony, to reflect on the high cost of our precious freedom during Memorial Day.
My recent transition from bicycle to motorcycle is admittedly very nice, but I need to find a new way to work regular exercise into my schedule. I guess it is time to dust off the home gym… Along with this transition comes an added responsibility to my safety and the safety of others on the road. I am wearing a high visibility yellow armored riding jacket, even on hot days. It is a Tourmaster Epic jacket, the inner liner is removable and it has plenty of airflow openings. So far it has served me well, but I have had some days where a full mesh jacket would have been more comfortable. My helmet is a Scorpion EXO 700 in high visibility yellow. This helmet is super comfortable, gets good ventilation airflow and isn’t terrible from a wind noise perspective.
In addition to the proper gear, I had a training course recommended to me by a good friend to help ensure I have the proper knowledge and skills too. I signed up for the May 25, 26, and 27 Missouri Motorcycle Safety Basic Rider Safety course and it was worth every penny I spent (course cost $200.00, bikes and gas provided) The course started Friday evening by reviewing the basics of motorcycle riding as presented in the course text. Yes, this part was kind of boring, but still necessary. Bright and early Saturday morning the riding began. We all got on our trusty rode-worn and battle-scarred 250 cc bikes and embarked on what would be a very hot (100 degrees, full sun, on asphalt) day of learning and reinforcing riding skills. From riding the clutch friction zone to swerving, turning, and quick-stops everyone in the class gradually became more comfortable rolling on two wheels.
When lunch time came around I rode to Grassroots BMW, the dealership where I had purchased my motorcycle, (not a BMW) and picked up my title and a new pair of riding gloves. And since it was Saturday the downtown farmer’s market was in full swing. I jumped over to it and began searching for lunch. Lucky for me I found Heinkebein Hills BBQ and had a great toasted BBQ sandwich and picked up a bag of pork jerky for a snack later. The day wrapped up around 5:00 and we all had survived the heat and learned quite a bit about motorcycle safety and riding techniques.
Sunday morning brought more skills training and the much anticipated skills test which was the path to a motorcycle endorsement on my driver’s license! Everyone in the course did well and passed the skills test. A big thanks to Kevin, our instructor, he did a great job introducing us to the exercises and giving hints and tips along the way. After all, he is a seasoned rider and law enforcement officer, so the training he has received goes far beyond anything we were attempting in this course. This safety course is a great use of time and money for anyone considering riding a motorcycle. I highly recommend it!
the heat island course view #1
the heat island course view #2
the heat island course view #3
what’s this? a farmer’s market?
I better investigate
lunch and a snack for later, yum!
now this is a good BBQ
one car experience 