Nathan is always right....

This is a long overdue blog post, because ever since this discovery, I have ridden my bike almost every day.  But let's back up.  So, a Ninja 250 is about the only sport bike I could sit on in a motorcycle store and reach the ground.  And with the kick stand down, it was about exactly the right height.  So I get my bike, and I can just barely touch with both of my toes. Which in Kris's world, means I should challenge myself and just figure it out.  Nathan advised lowering my bike; his philosophy was that being able to touch would build my confidence. I kept saying no; I needed to learn it the way it was.  Because I'm stubborn like that.  So, after a couple months of this, Nathan ordered a lowering kit for my bike.  Just to try.  And then after a month, we actually lowered it.  And then I had to admit... Nathan is always right.  I do feel more confident lower to the ground.  Almost instantly my stops and my starts got better.  Zooming along the freeway, I never would need to put my feet down, but being at a height that is about my walking height made me feel so much more confident.  Dealing with banked roads while stopping and starting was so much more manageable; I didn't feel like I was about to drop my bike every time. 


Since then, I have been able to push myself in other ways.  I try to push my speed in the curves to a normal motorcycle speed.  I am riding to work every day that I can (I took Wednesday off to bring in leftover cake, and due to rain.  Rain is my next post.)  I'm learning that my bike doesn't like to warm up, it just likes to ride with the choke on, and to be continually adjusted for the first ten minutes.  I'm sure there are dozens of other things, but the other great thing is that commuting isn't learning something amazingly new every day; it's become a continual process of refining my SEE skills and playing with the idea of swerving... what if the truck on my right drifts into my lane... press the left handle bar... what's left of me if I do that? How would I need to correct if I had to go onto the gravely shoulder?  How many gears do I need to drop down if I really want to accelerate around something? 


Many more challenges and learning experiences to come... and many more admissions, I am sure, that Nathan is always right.