Jackie's Blog

We went out again on our motorbikes on Sunday. I have a new seat for my Suzuki, which is about an inch lower then the original which gives me a much better stance when I stop. This time we went further and on a route with quite a lot of stopping and starting. I'm still trying to get used the clutch control so it was good practice. We also had several twisty roads, so it was a lot of fun, but I was very tired when we got home. You have to concentrate a lot! Me and the new seat

This morning we were up early enough to get out before it got too warm and we decided to go and play disc golf. This meant we were also close to the Metcalf Motorcycle Park, so we just had to go and see what it is like. It is a 459 acre dedicated off-road vehicle park with over 20 miles of trails. Most of the people up there had trailers with off-road bikes. This is definitely not somewhere I can ride yet, but Dick was very excited to find somewhere he can ride up to and take my bike off road.

This morning Dick and I went out on our motorbikes for a ride on the roads around where we live. We even went on some twisty roads up to a trail head and then stopped for a break. I followed Dick on the way there, which I like because I learn from what he does. On the way way, he watched me, to give me some advice and that worked well too. We rode about 38 miles in total. Now I can't wait to receive the new gel seat I ordered. I had a bit of a numb bum after!

I got my days a bit muddled up this week. On Thursday I went to a different Department Of Motor Vehicles to register my bike. I had all the documentation but not original signatures, so I have to go back again. While I was in there I decided to take a picture for my 365 project. I do find that me taking a picture of myself does cause some questions, and this time was no exception. I caught the eye of someone looks at me inquisitively just as I pushed the button..

Sunday morning Dick and I went out on our motorbikes. Not far, just around a local industrial estate which is empty at the weekends. I went in front and played with the gears and practiced stopping and starting etc, while Dick followed me and gave advice. And we both survived! After, he took my bike out to an off road trail he really wanted to explore but it was closed...

Sunday night we went to see the bike I described last week. It was a little rough around the edges but in great working order. Dick rode it for 10 minutes, and declared it perfect. He rode it home and it was in its new place in the garage before we went to bed! For the bike geeks out there, it is a 2005 Suzuki DR-Z 400. The bottom picture is a application on my iPhone called Photo Sketch, which turns photos into sketches- I really like the effect.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles is one of the many government agencies that is having to put up with short weeks (no Fridays or Saturdays) due to the huge budget deficit. Which means therefore that more people have to go in a shorter timeframe. It is also the school holidays, which I had conveniently forgotten. I must admit I was still horrified when I got to the Santa Teresa office this afternoon and found it extremely busy as a result of such measures. However.. the folks who worked there were friendly and efficient. There was a long queue to get the application forms, but the man on the desk was patient and quick at the same time- even though I had to queue up twice, once to get the forms and a second time for him to make sure they were completed before he gave you a number. I sat down waiting for no more than 10 minutes, and then every step of the way was quick and easy- except for the test itself, and that was only because I took my time. I had not realized that they w...

It all started Thursday night- 4:40 PM to 10 PM - the Motorcycle Safety Foundation basic rider course classroom instruction. The instructor, Skip, kept the pace going and was a lot of fun too. Gave some very down to earth advice, and the evening flew by. It ended with a written test. Thanks to some studying before and some good teaching, I got 50/50. Saturday was day one of the actual riding part of the course. Not the best day to sign up for, with temps over a 100F and the tarmac added another 15 degrees- put that together with a hot motorcycle and it was extremely hot. The instructors were very good about getting us in the shade as often as possible and reminding us to keep drinking water often. Skip was back with us, and Ian was the other instructor. We did lots and lots of practice turning, stopping, weaving, changing gear and generally getting to know how to control the bike. The day went past pretty quickly but it was very hot and tiring and I made some silly mistakes towards th...

This morning we went to a motorcycle shop in Gilroy to pick up supplies for Dick's afternoon project. We had to have a look at the bike's and it got me thinking once more about re-taking my bike test here in the states (I passed my test in the UK fifteen years ago). It's a weekend commitment. I may just sign up this weekend. Dick spent much of the afternoon changing out all the fluids on his motorbike- the oil, brakes and clutch fluids. I ended up taking photos after he had finished but I really wish I had thought of taking them at the time, although it would probably have annoyed him thinking about it.