learning to ride

Day 3

by 2clouds

Yesterday was my third day of my little summer getaway. I was out and about for a good seven hours, which is surprisingly tiring at the end of the day.

The weather was a little colder than the previous days and it wasn’t quite as sunny. I didn’t mind that at all as riding in the hot summer weather can be exhausting as well. But the wind was taking a toll on me and made touring difficult at times.

I first went to Kiel, taking the scenic route, which also meant going slow. And yes, this time I made sure to take more pictures along the road as well.

Kiel is pleasant enough, but I am glad I chose Hamburg when I did. Kiel feels a lot smaller, though it is lovely by the water side, and you don’t have to go far to get out of the city and to the sea. Or the beach.

From there I visited a local lighthouse, where I took a bit more of a break. I didn’t know where else I was headed, so I figured getting a pancake with fruit and a coffee wasn’t a bad idea. The break was also a good opportunity to figure out where else I wanted to go.

I ended up visiting another lighthouse further up the coast, which gave me a proper view of the Baltic Sea.

From there I went to Eckernförde, which is another small town right by the sea. It’s known for its beach as well as its harbour for private boats and yachts of all sizes. Everywhere along the waterside there were boats, which left me a little envious as I would love to have a boat as well. It was a great opportunity to go for a walk and simply enjoy the scenery, though it was also a bit crowded.

Turns out, they had some sort of Viking festival that weekend, which is a popular event every July.

Eventually I returned to Kiel. There was no other suitable route to take back to my hotel and since I also needed a quick Covid-19 test, I killed two birds with one stone. Three actually. I also got dinner in Kiel, which I took back to the hotel.

Overall, the ride yesterday was a bit of a mixed bag. The scenic parts along smaller roads were a lot of fun. Whenever I had to battle the wind, things were a lot less fun. But I also got to take the highway for a while, which was surprisingly fun again.

I usually don’t take highways as I find them rather boring. I don’t just want to get somewhere fast. I much prefer to take the leisurely approach. But that also means I don’t ride the bike at speed very often and sometimes that can be a lot of fun.

I also noticed just how fearless I was when riding at 100kph. I was completely calm.

When I first learned riding the motorbike two years ago, I was a nervous wreck just thinking of going 50kph in the city. Though it wasn’t so much the speed as it was the traffic that concerned me.

Nowadays I’m comfortable at any speed (as long as the wind isn’t buffeting me around), but it still tends to be the traffic that makes me a bit nervous.

On the highway I didn’t feel nervous at all, which was really quite amazing. I’m a very attentive and careful driver, mind you. So, 100kph is about as fast as I will go. My bike doesn’t have that much horsepower to go superfast anyway.

Anyway, this was my ride, there and back again:

159.3 km

Motorcycle practice

by 2clouds

In July 2019, I started to get my motorcycle driving license. I had no driver’s license yet. This would be my first one. I could have chosen a more opportune time to get this done, but my friends dragged me on a trip to Japan in May that year, which meant I didn’t have the funds for the first few driving lessons available any sooner.

Getting a driver’s license in Germany is expensive.

Anyway, I wanted it. I didn’t want to put it off any longer and the time felt right. It wasn’t quite the best timing, though, as the instructor was on holiday for the latter half of July, which meant that getting my first lesson had to wait until August. Bummer.

And then it was really hot, too. Not the ideal conditions to get started. Still, I’ve been wanting to get that license for 15 years, though I’d never been in a place where it had been feasible.

Finally getting started was immensely exciting. I was super nervous before my first lesson, which ended up being a little ridiculous.

I was all fitted out and the motorbike was ready. It was a bigger size since I decided not to start with a beginner’s license. I’m old enough to get the proper A license without first having to get an A1 or A2.

That also meant it was a little heavier than a smaller bike. But sitting on it immediately felt right.

My instructor explained how the machine functioned, all the bells and whistles, and what I needed to look out for. Then we started the machine and he showed me how to move in first gear by just letting go of the gear shift ever so slightly, so the engine would pull without engaging the throttle at all.

We slowly rolled down a quiet side road. My instructor would alternately hold onto the bike and then let me go. It was a little like learning to ride a bicycle, though with a much bigger and heavier bike.

He wanted me to know the gear shift, throttle, breaks and how to balance myself. Once he was confident that I could operate all the parts of the bike, he encouraged me to open the throttle a little more and drive up and down the road. He was always close at hand, which meant a lot of running for him that day.

At the end of the 90-minute lesson, I was driving down the road at 15kmh, which was oddly exhilarating, even though I routinely cycle at 30kmh. Never mind that the power of the motorbike is intimidating when you are not careful with the throttle.

I have no need for speed, though now I do enjoy getting up to speed more than I did then. I was very careful, which ended up being the right approach. And my instructor was very pleased with my progress and said I have a talent for riding the bike.

Ultimately, as cautious as the first lesson was, it was also a lot of fun. It put me out of my comfort zone but pushing ahead was absolutely the right thing for me to do.

When I jump on my bike now, I feel right at home.

Just posing. I did wear gloves during the lesson.

In Theory

by 2clouds

In Germany, you have to go through a whole driving course and two tests (one theoretical and one practical) before you get a license and can get yourself a motorbike.

Well, you could probably get a motorcycle at any point before that, but that would make no sense whatsoever since you wouldn’t be allowed to ride it.

So, we go through the motions, which is usually for the better.

Usually, theory and practice are done side by side. Since I don’t even have a regular driver’s license, I have to do most of the general driving theory on top of the special motorcycle theory. That means you get to sit in a class with other people who want to learn to drive a car and listen to an instructor explaining driving rules and regulations in Germany.

I had to go through 12 modules of general driving theory and 6 modules of motorcyle-specific theory. We had several instructors, depending on their schedules. One of them was really entertaining, teaching us a lot of things beyond the grey theory.

Of course, as a cyclist, I have been aware of many traffic rules and regulations already, but there was a lot to learn beyond the general knowledge I already had.

Additionally, we have a learning up that contains all the theoretical questions and scenarios that we need to know for the official theoretical test. The app includes over 1,000 questions, which we had to learn, though the final test would only contain 40 general and 5 specific questions.

I’m a total geek and I really enjoyed learning everything. The catalogue of questions was sometimes a bit much to go through, but I’m glad to have gone through it all.

It also made me more aware as a cyclist, even though I have always been riding defensively. But it is better to know the rules and adhere to them than just winging it.

I passed my theory test without any mistakes, which did make me a little proud of myself.