Down but not out

You may remember my post about my first ambulance call teaching a motorcycle class. My step son tells me the person who was injured during my class is in the middle of an evening class for which he is the range aid. He says she is doing well and happy to be back in the class. She choose to wear a full face helmet for the class.

Zen and idiots

Here's the new rule. Ride to work at least once a week.

Beautiful morning, temperature in the mid 50's in Chicago. With little time for riding in my current circumstances, I will need to commit myself to ride to work once a week. Today was a perfect day to ride. I-57 is a breeze going in or on the return trip. Traffic is fairly spaced out with an average speed of 65-70. I know the speed limit is 55, but that is the pace set by traffic. Once I-57 merges with I-94 (The Dan Ryan) is slows to real rush hour traffic. Even so, this morning I only had to plant my feet twice on the rode. The traffic pattern of the Dan Ryan including adding a lane and the new surface eases some of the congestion. Just a ridership of the Metra has thinned a little, I have to believe some of the cars on the Dan Ryan has thinned as well as a result of unemployment.

It wasn't until I got on the Dan Ryan that my Zen of riding was disturbed. Once on the Dan Ryan, cars are jumping from lane to lane to get one or one cars closer to work. This behavior means consistently getting cut off. Okay I am a little used to that. However once per trip and cager moves over into my lane without checking mirror and ignores my presence. The short peep of the horn is my only recourse to make me feel better as the cager usually forces themselves into my lane and I back off. I know I can't win. Unfortunately I get mentally sucked in for the next five minutes thinking of bad ways to react. Riding along side the car and giving it a kick, flipping them the finger, carrying steel ball bearings to through as the car, etc.... Of course I won't end up doing this as it will have no effect and could produce road rage with a cager. As before, the horn is my only way to vent. If I could only get back to enjoying the ride as quickly as the cager who cuts me off forgets about me. I will work on it.

It was good to ride to work today. Enough said.

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Back on the bike for one

My step-son graduated from HS this week. In the midst of this business he has been working as a range aid for the motorcycle classes on weeknights and the weekends. My step-daughter Ebony came home for a week to be here for the party and celebrations. Ebony get this motorcycle bug started in me in 2005. Ebony is someone who likes to explore new activities. She came across the motorcycle classes while living with us after graduating from college. Ebony asked me to take the class with her and I said why not. I had grown up riding dirt bikes but hadn't ridden a motorcycle for over 20 years. Of course the rest is history. After taking the class, Ebony bought a Ninja 250 that she shared with me during the summer of our first riding season. That fall, I purchased the Concours. She had the bike for a couple of years, but went to Boston to get a Master's in Medical Science to help her get in Med School. After the first year away, "we" decided to sell it to reduce her expenditures while in school. As she had only been paying those minimum payments, I ended up eating about a thousand in order to sell the bike.

Ebony just finished her first year in Med School and Boston University with straight A's. While home for the graduation, I helped her remember the basics of motorcycling while using Neil's new Ninja 250. We had a mini motorcycle course on our dead end street. She following me in the subdivision for around 20 minutes (lots of curves), then made it out to roads that took us up to 55 mph. She was happy to be back on a motorcycle. After Med School, I know she will have a motorcycle of her own again. In the meantime, there will always be a bike at home for her to ride.

First Ambulance call teaching motorcylce classes

Thank goodness for a calm co-instructor and for first aid classes. During Evaluation #3 (quick stop) of the Basic Rider Course I was teaching Saturday, a rider over applied the front brake. The result was a front tire skid with the student head/face making the primary contact with the asphalt. The student rolled onto her back and was very still. She then opened her eyes and realized what had happened. We used gauze and ice packs to control bleeding and swelling as we waited for the medics to arrive. Her husband arrive shortly afterwards and took her to the ER to get checked out and probably some stitches. Before she left, she gave Steve (my fellow instructor) and I big hugs with a warm smile. "I'll be back in a few weeks because I am already registered for another basic class," she declared. She had gotten in as a walk-in for this class.

A couple lessons were learned during the event. The first as indicated by one of the anonymous evaluation comments "full face helmets should be required for these classes." The other riders saw the reality of even a slow speed crash on the face. Had the student been riding with a full face helmet, she would still have had some road rash on her knee, but would not have suffered the cuts, gash, and possible loose teeth .

Of course, in Illinois, riders are free to choose. However, even for short ride 5 blocks away to Starbucks, I "always" don the full face lid. Witnessing this accident during the class only reinforces my choice to be a full face rider all of the time.

I pray for a quick healing for the student and may the rest of her riding be blessed.

Counter steering video

During one of the earlier classes of the season a fellow instructor had me demo counter steering for his HD video recorder. Jeff then produced this video. Kudos to Jeff. So you say that doesn't look like one of the programs bikes. It's not. It's Cornelius' 2009 Ninja 250R.

Old school GS

Okay, I am not a BMW rider but I had to snap a picture of this one walking from the train to the library in Chicago. So for you BMW riders, name this bike.

Day ride to Champaign

Monday I was already dressed for work. The girls had eaten and were ready to go to school. My schedule at work had no appointments or shifts on the reference desk. The forecast called for partly cloudy skies with a high in the sixties. Okay, I couldn't pass it up. With my granddaughter living with us, getting any riding in on the weekends is much of a possibility. I barely am able to do the motorcycle classes (only half days this year) and I don't feel right asking Abigail to look after the girls while I go riding. The bulk of this year's riding will have to occur during the week when the schedule is open and the weather is dry.

I called my father once I decided to spend the day riding. He said that he was busy already for the day and wouldn't be able to meet for lunch. After around fifteen minutes, he called back and said to meet my brother and him and buffalo wild wings in Savoy (south side of Champaign) at 12:00. The call back and shifting his schedule made me feel good. I love my father.

Made a few stops before getting on I-57. The Connie has had a long winter and needed some Seafoam. I filled her up with gas and Seafoam, plugged in the XMradio tune it to BBC Radio One, popped in the ear plugs, and off I went. I cruised down to Champaign at around 70 the whole way with a nice wind out the the east.

Before meeting them for lunch, I stopped by the UIUC Motorcycle Rider Program office in Champaign. I wanted to drop off the paperwork from the weekend Intermediate Rider Course that I had taught. Stopping by would also give me a chance to talk shop with them about the IRC. Gil and I were able to talk for around 30 minutes about the new curriculum. He had just finished teaching two of them as well.

Lunch was good. My brother seems to be loosing a little weight, which is really good. After lunch I stopped to visit my daughter and son for a few minutes. I would see my daughter that evening as well when she came for her every other Monday night visit with the girls.

I didn't want to take the interstate home however. Instead I caught I-74 East and exited IL Rt 49 N. I take this rural route quite often when visiting my father who lives near Kickapoo State Park. Besides rolling (okay it is a bit flat) farm land, the route has quite a few banked 90 degree corners (big smile). 49 turns into US Rt 45/52 16 miles south of Kankakee. I had to take a pit stop at my fun store, Blain's Farm & Fleet in Kankakee. From Kankakee, I rode Governor's Hwy home.

A wonderful relaxing 270 mile day. The Connie was purring by the end of the ride having consumed a day's worth of Seafoam treated gasoline.