Neither Tristan nor I knew how to ride a motorcycle until today. This is obviously a necessary skill if we want to cross China on one. We have intentionally failed to mention this little fact to our sponsor, Feiying Motorcycles. Although they might not care about our lack of skill, we would like them to have plenty of confidence in our ability. To gain experience, our plan is to learn from motorcycle taxi drivers.
Today Tristan, Rodman, and I went to a nearby place where motorcycle taxi drivers congregate and wait around all day, every day. After some negotiation, we found a young driver willing to teach us and allow us to use his bike for practice. We paid 50 yuan for one hour. This is a lot of money for a driver to make in one hour, but considering our inexperience and the possibility of damage, we thought the price was right.
Getting used to the bike didn't take very long. The language barrier didn't matter so much, and within a few minutes we were doing counterclockwise circles around the parking lot like pros.
I do worry a little about the breaking; it is counter intuitive, as my first instinct to stop fast would be to grip the right hand brake. If I did that, it would engage the front break, flipping the bike. The right foot pedal is used for the rear break.
By the time we get the bikes, we should be confident enough to ride away from the dealership like we know what we're doing.
P (edited by T)
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