Ok, so the journey really began when our wee nads decided to drop and we discovered the need for speed and adrenaline on our first bicycle….
But to save the reader from boring recollections of childhoods past, our bike journey began on the 14th of August, 2009 at around 6:30 in the morning. This is where, as sensible young riders (I know that is a big oxymoron, but we did decide to be smart about this), the brenandsven team found ourselves in Norco, California for our first day of California Motorcycle Safety School.
This perspective on bike initiation is brought to you by the Bren half of this roaming duo. And from my perspective, I can tell you this first experience was a great way to get acclimated and introduced to the wonders of riding. Prior to this class the only experience I have had on a bike was mountain biking, and I have never had experience with anything involving a clutch. So needless to say my nerves were a little high.
The class is a two day intro to motorcycling and assumes you couldn’t tell the difference between a tail pipe and a handle bar (luckily I had figured that out before the class). The class is made up of three 5 hour sessions; the first session in a classroom setting, and the second two sessions providing riding experience on a closed parking lot. Please note, like anything to do with motorcycling, take this class serious and come prepared!
Items to consider:
- You paid for the class so come expecting to get the most out of it.
- Read the instructions carefully and come with full gear! No joke, you look like a real fool if the instructor has to make you correct your attire.
- Pay attention to the weather! Remember that 2/3rds of the class is outside on a parking lot. (We are saying this because we failed to anticipate the summer heat and were badly sun burnt and dehydrated the first day, not fun! I looked like Rudolf the red nosed idiot, and Sven’s head looked like a tomato stuffed into a helmet!)
Sven at the BrenandSven office after the class
- Come ready to learn (this goes for experienced riders as well), there is a lot of information to take away from this class, and as we mentioned in the first item, you paid for it, so take all you can from it.
- Finally, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!
This saga will continue with the next post: “Day One”.
