Had this conversation with buddy Mike today. Thinking of giving up motorcycles, again. I pointed out to him that when I was the Chief Instructor, on occasion I had to point out to someone that maybe they weren't ready to ride a bike, maybe never.
I remember back to my early days in the late sixties. I was in grade eight at Wellington Junior High and I was the only bike in the parking lot. Principal Marles once called me into the office and told me he didn't want that kind of influence in his school. I persisted, and gained experience and confidence, and rode back and forth to school to get it.
That's the key.
Experience and confidence. You can't have one without the other.
So what do you do if you have a burning desire to ride (or drive or play hockey or run sprints or meet girls...) you just overcome your natural fear, and do it. I rode by myself, first around Wellington then Athlone then Kensington, and pretty soon I was over on the South side (yeah, across the river even) I was past St Albert, I was at Lake Wabamun or Elk Island National park. Then by age twenty... across the country!
How do you get from, dropping the bike in gear with lots of throttle and no clutch (who knew?) and wheelieing into the garage door, to riding across Canada in 7 years?
You just take your knocks, get over your fear, and you just do it.
I remember back to my early days in the late sixties. I was in grade eight at Wellington Junior High and I was the only bike in the parking lot. Principal Marles once called me into the office and told me he didn't want that kind of influence in his school. I persisted, and gained experience and confidence, and rode back and forth to school to get it.
That's the key.
Experience and confidence. You can't have one without the other.
So what do you do if you have a burning desire to ride (or drive or play hockey or run sprints or meet girls...) you just overcome your natural fear, and do it. I rode by myself, first around Wellington then Athlone then Kensington, and pretty soon I was over on the South side (yeah, across the river even) I was past St Albert, I was at Lake Wabamun or Elk Island National park. Then by age twenty... across the country!
How do you get from, dropping the bike in gear with lots of throttle and no clutch (who knew?) and wheelieing into the garage door, to riding across Canada in 7 years?
You just take your knocks, get over your fear, and you just do it.
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