Sometimes we just don't know

   World, sometimes what seems like a huge dose of bad luck can actually be a reminder of just how bad things could have gone wrong.

   This morning I was on the highway going to work in my car. Traffic was rolling pretty well, I'd say about 65km/h.  Before I go any further, I have to confess, I was probably a little to close to the car in front of me, a little under the "two second" rule we've all learned.  So here we are, rolling along, when I see a what looks like a metal bar fly up from in front of the car ahead of me.  The bar rises up about 10 feet in the air, flies over the car ahead, and plunges down just in front of my front bumper.  *BANG*  I hear it hit the bumper, then thump it's way under the car.  I see the car behind me swerve, I assume he saw it come out from underneath my car.

   When I finally get to Old Montrea, I check the front of the car, and sure enough, my bumper and the rocker panel underneath are busted.  I started to get very pissed, because in 12 years, this is the second time it's happened to me along the same stretch of road.

   But the reason I am telling you this story World, is because if what a friend of mine here at work said.  As I am retelling him this story, his first reaction was: "Oh my God, can you imagine if you were on a motorcycle."  At that moment I sat back and thought: "No, I can't imagine what that would have been like on a motorcycle."  What would a metal bar, probably three feet in length, a couple of inches in diameter, do to a motorcyclist riding at 65km/h?  Even if it doesn't hit him, what kind of damage can it do to the bike and in turn him?  It's actually kind of frightening to think of what things might have been.  Even in a car, I realised that bar could have come through the wind shield and make thinsg a lot worse than a busted bumper.

   So, even though it's February, let's all keep safety in mind, sometimes you just don't know what will happen on the road, but riding defensively may just give you the extra second you need to make what could have been a serious accident, into just a small dose of back luck.

   Peace.

Myths and Legends of Getting a Bike License in Quebec

Hi again World,

     For my second post, I thought I'd describe the steps that are needed to get a motorcycle license in Quebec.  It was a complete mystery to me before I started to look around, and fortunately I had people around me that were familiar with the process to that made it even simpler. By posting the info here, hopefully you'll have a simpler time going through the first steps.

    Now, the first thing you need to do is call your local driving school, or look them up on line to see whether or not they have lessons for motorcycles, it is not every school that offers them.  In my case, I got lucky and had a school about 10 minutes away from me called Morty's in D.D.O.

The following was taken from Morty's website:  

    The motorcycle course consists of 9 hours of theoretical instruction and 22 hours on a motorcycle.

After you have completed your 9 hours of theory you may register with the S.A.A.Q to do a motorcycle theory test consisting of 32 multiple-choice questions and you must achieve 85% to pass.

Upon successfully passing this exam, you will receive your 6R permit which allows you to practise on a motorcycle.

   Once you pass this test you will be given the mandatory 22 hours of practise on a motorcycle.

30 days after receiving your 6R permit and have completed the 22 hours of practise during those 30 days, we will register you with the S.A.A.Q for your closed track exam.

 

   Sounds simple enough, right?  It is actually, the best part is that the theory is offered during winter months.  In my case, I took my theory classes early January, and I passed my test at the S.A.A.Q. by the beginning of February (only 1 wrong baby, woooh!!).  I recommend going this route for a couple of reasons.

 

1.  If you fail your S.A.A.Q. theory test, you have to wait 30 days before taking it again.  So, if you go for your first try in February and fail, you go back in March to retake it, giving you plenty of time to be ready for your practical lessons in April.

 

2.  The law requires you to hold your 6R license for 11 months before obtaining your 6A, so if you get your 6R in April, that will give you a whole season (May to October) to practise before booking your final road test the following year.  You haven't wasted any time.  Compare this to getting your 6R in say, September, that gives you a month-ish of riding before you put your bike away for the winter, then you have to ride the whole next year as a student until the following August.

 

   Another detail is that if you have a valid driver's license, the theory exam will only ask question about motorcycle riding.  You won't have to worry about all traffic signs, etc.  And last but not least, if you don't know how to drive standard, learn it.  You will have more difficulty when it comes time to ride than those of us who have a stick in our cars.  Motorcycles are all standard, and friction point is going to be a term used over and over again.  There are enough things to think about when learning to ride, if you can eliminate things like understanding the relationship between gears and engine speed, it'll just make your life easier.

   So that's it, just two simple steps although the time frame to the final 6A license is quite long, getting the 6R isn't too painful at all.

Well, here goes.

Hello World,

    So here goes.

    I decided to write to you because I thought you'd find it interesting to see how someone with ZERO experience with motorcycle riding, can go from total neophyte, to actually riding the Tail of the Dragon.

   Now, I suppose the natural question is, what exactly is the Tail of the Dragon?  Well, I can only retell what I've been told, but, from the information I've seen online and the stories that I've heard from people who have been there before me, it's just a road. Ok, not just a road. A ROAD! Miles of road with hundreds of turns and no entrances or exits where other vehicles can t-bone the motorists. What makes Tail of the Dragon a ROAD, is that fact that it is probably the triple black diamond of all motoring roads in the area, if you will allow me to use alpine skiing terminology. And when I say "triple black diamond", I mean "triple black diamon you can die if you aren't careful".  Check out this nifty graphic:

    Where is the Tail of the Dragon?  There is a place called Robbinsville, North Carolina surrounded by the Smokey Mountain range just south of the Tennessee border.  It's a huge landscape with almost nothing but forests, mountains, and a long meandering lake called Cheoah Lake, although it looks more like a river to me on the map.That last little detail is important, on a map.  I've never been to this place, but from what I've heard, along with all the natural beauty, during the Spring to Autumn months, a horde of mechanized beasts roll in from all over the U.S. and Canada to ride the roads, including Tail of the Dragon.

    So what is this blog about exactly?  Well, I don't ride motorcycles.  At least not yet.  And some friends (who you will get to know as we move along this adventure) and I are planning a motorcycle trip to go to the Tail of the Dragon for the first week of June.  Now, again, I DON'T RIDE MOTORCYLES!  That leaves me March, April and May to get my license, get my gear, and, hmm, there was one more thing, oh yes, I forgot, I HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO RIDE A MOTORCYCLE!  Now, if you're reading this in say, Texas, you're probably saying to yourself; "3 months?! Easy!"  Unfortunately, I'm in Montreal, we don't get on our bikes until mid-march, and usually April since most of the time there is still snow on the ground in March.

   So, here we go, next time you hear from me World, I'll fill you in on what I have been able to to during the winter's months, and then as we get closer to our departure date, June 1st, we can see how I am progressing in my preparations.

Until next time.