Wobbly Whiz on a Motorbike in Dalat
Reeeeeeeely quick one here, ‘cuz g-knows I’ve been peckin’ my brains out here lately. But I DID promise a follow-up on the scarey motorbike thing, and…
I actually drove a motorbike all by myself (even a bit on a real road – with TRAFFIC and everything!
Still not fully steady, nor ready for the big time (i.e. zippity traffic in downtown Dalat and/or at night or heaven-forbid, at-night-in-the-RAIN), but still… Leastwise I can spin around doing figure-eight turns, whilst keeping my wits about me enough to flick a turn signal on ‘n off, and honk the horn at curves and intersections.
My teacher (Manh) is excellent. Great fun, very patient and encouraging, and extremely conscientious about safety matters. First thing we did was stop to buy me my very own (PINK!) helmet. Then we headed out to one of the most GORGEOUS lakes on the outskirts of Dalat, and the wee video below tells the story – Woo HOO!
I plan to take a few more lessons, and then begin a search for a used motorbike. Then (finally, after nearly a full year without my own car or any kind of personal transport), I’ll again have my own wheels!
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About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
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Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
Oh my, you are having an adventure.
Free advice is often worth what one pays for it, but here’s mine anyway, limited to one point: 4 fingers on the rear brake lever, 1 on the front at all times once your learning has progressed to using brakes. At some point every rider will squeeze both brake levers as hard as possible in a panic stop. At low speed or in a turn or on a loose surface it’s easy to lock up the front wheel. Nothing good can come from that. With a front disc 1 finger will give substantial slowing*, allowing the rider to add more fingers for more force during the rest of the braking.
*Some brake and finger strength combinations require 2 fingers.
Thanks Four Letter Nerd – that’s great advice on the “fingers”. Yes, my driving instructor warned me about the front (right) break, so I’ve kept ALL my fingers well away from it. But I think the 1 finger/4 finger motto is a good one. Thanks for the tip!
Nice work on the bike riding Dyanne. Will be awesome to be independent on the road now and there’s gotta be a lot of beautiful countryside up in Dalat too. 😀
Thanks David – I’m still a bit wobbly, but won’t be long til I’m fully confident to take on most anything (o.k. maybe not HCMC traffic!) And yes, it will be such a RELIEF to be able to explore the beautiful backroads of Dalat all on my own.
Please, oh please, keep both hands on the handlebars! (Looks like you were having fun) 🙂
Hey there Carolyn – oh my yes, trust that once I’m actually on the road, I shall keep eyes always alert, both hands on the handlebars, and a finger ever on the horn for good measure!
And yes, yes – it was great fun, and sooo thrilling to be once again driving my own (albeit just 2 now, rather than the 4 on my ol’ beloved Toyota) WHEELS!
OK, I have to tell you a funny story. As I was scrolling through my Google Reader, this post came up. I continued scrolling down to the video. My computer hiccuped and the scrolling jumped down. I didn’t realize it had jumped into the following news story – a burglary reported on The Capitol Hill Blog. So the effect was: You writing about learning to ride a motorbike, a video, and a police incident report. I thought “Yikes! What happened?”
Anyway, I’m glad you found a great teacher and there were no police involved.
LOL Paul – “Yikes!” indeed – what a coincidence! But no, thankfully, no police report nor emergency ambulance was needed. Just a sweet little whirl (in a most beautiful setting, no?) with no calamity. I can’t WAIT til I’m more experienced and can buzz around Dalat/the countryside anytime I please.