It's Official I am a fully licensed motorcycle instructor

I am still pinching myself! I finished my Motorcycle Instructor Trainee practicum and am now ready to embark on my teaching career.  The weather wasn't perfect, but honestly I am glad we had a wet and soggy weekend, as I told the students "Rain happens, it's only water" it's good that they are exposed to all kinds of weather because it's not always sunny days.  

I am taming the paperwork dragon before the students do their MSA/MST.

Part of being an instructor is riding the motorcycle skills assessment test as a demo for students. The MSA Test Officer is running through the pre-ride explanation in prep for my ride. 

It's a little unnerving having 2 senior instructors watch and then add 11 students into that and the stress can be over the top. Usually I would stress out, but not today, I just did it and rode it flawlessly. In the end I  actually I rode it for myself and it felt good!

All of the students rode their MSAs and passed!  I feel very humbled by the small part I played, in the end it's like watching baby birds fledge.  Now most are ready for their traffic class and continue their skill development as new motorcyclists. 

This was the most satisfying part of the process, here they sign their course completion paperwork, my job is done at this point.  Well done students! 

I am so grateful to my senior instructor mentors, who guided me through the entire process and hope that I will be lucky enough some day to mentor new instructors.

It's official weekend 2 PM class is done & my successful practicum complete! It still feels surreal! My first official course is in 2 weeks and I am STOKED!

It's a journey! What a ride!

This weekend was the end and beginning for me, it's almost the end of my training cycle as a motorcycle instructor trainee culminating in the beginning of my instructing career.  It's been a very a comprehensive process packed full of learning motorcycle theory in written form and practical tarmac sessions.  I've gone through over 100 hours of training and now it's all getting strung together and I am applying the knowledge I've learned.  I have discovered the wonder, joy, exhilaration, and challenge of teaching and mentoring. From time to time there is little nervous angst thrown in just to keep it spicey.  I am learning the challenging act of walking backwards and talking students through an exercise before they run the manoeuvre. I still need to work on this a little, darn cones pose issues even when one is not riding, but in all fairness I wasn't looking where I wanted to go, and one of my students pointed out that I wasn't practicing what I was preaching, I quipped back I was just demonstrating the cause and effect of the action. (Touché says the student) It was the proverbial  Grasshopper "Snatch the pebble from my hand" moment. 

The hardest thing I have found is taking reflexive day to day actions breaking them down and teaching it to students. It's harder than you think, because there are so many movements and actions we do as experienced motorcyclists and translating that to students takes deliberate thought and process to relay it to them in a way that they take the lesson and apply the skill.  It is pretty heady stuff and at times when a student finds something difficult it's finding the approach to get the message through, sometimes it as simple as the student overthinking, or lack of belief in themselves, and at times the shear volume of information they are taking in can be overwhelming. In terms of teaching, I am learning that keeping it simple and giving them the information they only need to know is better rather than drowning them in minutiae and motorcycle white noise so to speak.  

My school has a team centred partner approach which is awesome! You work with another instructor and team teach, I am being mentored by my instructor and other instructors and the bonus is I am mentoring new riders.  I was a little anxious at first because it's something new and I've only taught the course in chunks to my fellow instructor trainees and passively observed a full complete course.  I've learned very valuable techniques and had great feedback from my practicum supervisor.  The novice students are growing in confidence and skill, and through this my confidence and skill set is also growing. I will always be learning and striving to do it better and more efficiently, I think it will always be an evolving process of growth and change.  It was pretty cool discussing teaching methods and results with my instructor mentor and using that insight to fine tune and find my teaching style and groove. The practicum is very intense because I'm delivering the bulk of the lessons, but that will change and it will be a little less intense when I'm teaching subsequent courses. So far I am loving this, it's pretty amazing and I actually can't even put it into words, the best feeling to compare it to is that moment when you find the perfect twisty road on a sunny day, it's BLISSFFUL.  Sorry for the lack of pics, but honestly I was too busy! 

Wish me luck as I finish my practicum next weekend.  

First ride of 2015, it was glorious!

Notice the new specs? Loving them!

We have been experiencing a Pineapple Express winter here on the We(s)t Coast, with mild temperatures in most cases well above normal, and accompanied by a fair amount of rain.  Today it was brilliantly sunny and about 12C which is absolutely tropical when you look at the rest of Canada.  We may not be wearing bathing suits & flip flops like other tropical destinations, but Victoria compared to the rest Canada is amazing! Right now most of Eastern Canada is buried in snow and ice with the average temperature being in the -20C and colder, with more snow being dumped on them as I write this.  A nephew in Ontario was not too happy and a friend in Oromocto NB was expecting 25 to 35cm of the white stuff today.   Brrrr thank goodness I live in the tropical part of the Great White frozen North.  

I insured Scarlett today while Motorcycle Man was fixing an errant sagging saddlebag.  It was a good day to try out my new AVG Aura Kevlar jeans, FirstGear Kilimanjaro jacket, and TourMaster tank bag. Yup it was a winter of farkle expansion. 

I decided I would layer up with winter woollies under the Kevlar jeans and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they were and that I was actually quite warm.  This was my second outting for the Kilimanjaro and it performed flawlessly on both occasions. The first was during my instructor test in a torrential downpour and today in the nippy sunny weather.  Pretty happy on both counts.  Loving the new tank bag too, but I will post more about that in a few days, I need to ride a few more times with it.

It was a gorgeous day for a ride and everyone in Victoria had the same idea I did, the scenic beach drive.  There were lots of bikers out today and it felt good to give and receive the wave. I was out for about 90 minutes, but decided to zip home as the daylight waned as it was getting a little more chilly and I could feel it settling into my core.  Next priority is a heated jacket. 

A nice chap offered to take my pic as I was struggling with trying to do a selfie. I'm at Cattle a Point off of Beach Drive.

In the background is Mount Baker a dormant volcano in the US.  It looks spectacular on a clear sunny day and my little iPhone just doesn't do it justice, but I can tell you it was beautiful! 

So it was off to home and treating my hub and daughter to a surprise sushi dinner to celebrate 'Colour Day' as Martha calls Valentine's Day, when everyone gives flowers and chocolates as tokens of affection. Yup it's a greeting card day, but I really don't mind because it brings a little cheers to winter.  

The card I gave to the hubs. 

The French Chocolates he gave to me, which of course I shared with him & my wee girl. Even the pooch got heart shaped treats.  

PS we ordered the sushi to go and I picked it up and transported it in my now non-sagging saddlebag - boy do I ever love my moto man. 

PSS I didn't take any pics of the cherry trees that are blossoming, I didn't want to rub it in too hard, because karma can be vengeful if she so desires, but they are blooming.

Happy Valentine's Day or Colour Day if you prefer!

Status update - a few steps closer! Chasing the motorcycle dream.

This is me about 7 months post motorcycle novice course, spring 2012, I was running a cone course on Scarlett at an alumni event.  

The bulk of my course is finished and I've written my school's exam & our local government exam and passed those.  

I want to do nothing less than my very best at teaching and give my future students the tools to be safe, competent, confident, and well trained motorcyclists who are committed to excellent road craft when out on their bikes.  

I owe a big thanks to a few people along my instructor path, my 3 instructor trainers who have been rock solid and imparted their moto knowledge.  

The biggest thanks though really goes to my family, because they have ridden along with me on this journey when it started in January 2011 on a little 50cc scooter, through motorcycle courses, exams, licensing and finally being moto orphans since September 2014 when I was busy learning to teach. It has been quite a ride and I still can't believe I have really only been riding for 3 years and am now embarking on a new phase of my motorcycle adventure.  Stay tuned! Wish me luck, my practicum is at the end of March.  

I am not a happy Moto Diva - long term effects of scooter crash

          Knee and hip armor from my riding pants - this is the only thing between you & pavement.

Most folks who follow my blog know that about 13 1/2 months ago I had a scooter accident.  Since then I have battled with pain in my hip, as well as numbness, burning, and tingling in my thigh.  In my usual Princess Scooterpie fashion I suck it up and carry on.  BUT since December the entire area has been hurting more.  I ended up seeing my family doctor in December and getting a cortisone shot in my trochanter area (hip).  This helped a little and took some of the intense pain away in a small area.  Unfortunately, though things have become static and it is not getting any better. I asked my GP to send me to a specialist.  We both agreed a Physiatrist who specializes in physical and rehab medicine would be the best route.  Today was the day of the appointment, I was poked, prodded and bent this way and that. When I showed him the pictures I took of the extensive bruising I had he kind of gulped and there was a sudden intake of breath.  He asked me if I went to hospital by ambulance and I said nope, in fact I got up and finished the ride, he was a little shocked at that.  

The doctor has come to the conclusion that I need two things to tell him what is going on 1) CT scan of the hip and femur 2) MRI of hip joint and entire thigh area, this will visualize if there are any tears of muscle or tendons as well as showing if there is anything physically wrong with the bones. The specialist is concerned that I have damaged the joint or bones in the hip from when I impacted the pavement.  I distinctly remember a crunch and a 'give' feeling in the joint at the time of my unfortunate intimate pavement encounter.  He diagnosed meralgia paresthetica - which basically accounts for the numbness, tingling and burning - I crushed nerves in my thigh area during the impact and they probably aren't going to regenerate.  We are probably looking at 6 to 8 weeks for the CT scan and probably 6 to 8 months for the MRI, so this is a hurry and get nowhere fast situation.  I was really worried he was going to tell me that I couldn't ride anymore.  Phew!  

                           I wear ballistic grade nylon pants with armor and wear them year round

                           EVERY time I throw a leg over the bike or scooter, even for a short trip

                           to the corner store.  I am never without my gear even in the heat of summer

So the moral of this tale of woe is that if you don't wear armored gear and rely on jeans, chaps or ballistic nylon pants to protect all of your bits and pieces, you might as well ride naked because the only thing you are protected from is road rash.  You really do need the exo-skeleton of the armor in the hip and knee area.  Unfortunately this is part of my journey and if I can bring home the importance of gear to any newb or any rider who chooses not to wear it then someone has benefitted from my huge mistake of not practicing full ATGATT. 

Without the knee and hip armor components your pants are only 

partially protecting you, so why take chances and only wear

half of the gear??

                                                                       Hip armor

Milestone 1 year scoot/motorcycle commuting

Our bike family - my 50cc Yamaha Vino 'Vixen' & Motorcycle Man's ride 'Monster'

I have hit the first year mark in my scooter/motorcycle journey, which began January 21st, 2011.  It has certainly been a wonderful year full of ups and downs, highs and some very low 2 wheeled vehicle points.  I marked my 1 year anniversary by going to the Vancouver motorcycle show with some new motorcycle friends.  I also met my fellow motoblogger Bob and it was a great!  Wow what a journey it has been so far in the space of 1 year I went from my Vino 50cc scooter to novice & traffic  motorcycle course with my Honda 450cc and finally to my newest ride my VT500C.  I have had 3 bikes in the span of 1 year!  I am not sure how many other people can say the same.  I used to be so content riding on the back of my hubbies bike that I had no desire to possess a motorcycle license, I had given it passing thoughts over the last 28 years, but that was about it.  After catching the scooter bug and then motorcycling bug I don't know why I waited so long.  

When I think back about the whole process it was pretty daunting.  It's funny when you doubt yourself sometimes it takes the belief of others who love you to pull you through and make you think "Yup maybe I can do this."  Some of the most vivid memories I have of this journey is when I finally figured out the friction zone and that it was my best friend and it wasn't a matter of speed or throttle.  It really meant something when I heard my instructor yell "Well done!" after I finished manoeuvring around the dreaded cones.  I have to tell  you I hate those orange pylons from hell, I swear that the devil created them to torment newb motorcyclists.  I remember taking my MSA test and being so nervous, I am not sure why, because I had done all of the exercises now they were just in a sequence.  I was placed in the second position out of my ten classmates, I guess my instructor new I needed to get it over with.  When I was finished I hugged the MSA instructor, who was a little shocked, I guess that doesn't happen everyday.  The next biggest thing was taking the actual road test, which stared out to be a gong show because my license had fallen out of my coat pocket when I put the jacket on and it was sitting on the kitchen floor.  Motorcycle Man came to the rescue and brought it out to me and then off I went.  I had trouble with the Honda Rebel I was using for the test, it wouldn't warm up and then came the traffic standstill that happened and I was almost late for the test.  During the road test one of the mirrors came loose and the examiner couldn't figure out why I was pulling over.  I have to tell you I almost parked the bike and walked away.   The next best memory of the past year was when Motorcycle Man went riding with me and said "Welcome to the club" I was so happy, we then continued on and rode some wicked twisties.  I have to say that twisties are my favorite thing next to eating some of Motorcycle Daughter's fabulous baked treats.  


I have been commuting for an entire year on the scooter or motorcycle and it has been great most of the time.  I have driven in all kinds of weather from scorching heat to freezing cold to torrential rain.  I have found the key to success in motocommuting is good gear.  If you are can adapt your gear to the various weather scenarios you can successfully commute.  I bought 10 bus tickets for those iffy days and downloaded a schedule, I have 8 tickets left, not bad considering I commuted for a year and through winter.  I can see spring on the horizon and I am dreaming of motorcycles trips and am excited to participate in the International Female Ride day on Friday May 4th.  I am getting together with a group of ladies and we are going riding!  For more information on International Female Ride day go to www.motoress.com  It doesn't matter what you ride, just get out there and ride!

         The dreaded orange pylon from hell, my nemesis until I ran it over and squashed the damn thing.....
 

2011 A Momentous year for Princess Scooterpie

2011 has been a momentous year for me.  In January of this year I made a fateful decision to start riding a scooter without formal motorcycle training - which turned out to be a bad decision.  I had a rather tumultuous start to my scooter journey with a crash on the test drive. (Believe it or not I actually got up off the pavement and finished the test ride) My biggest mistake was getting on the scooter without professional training and not telling my hub, who I affectionally call Motorcycle Man, that I had wiped out. I was pretending to myself that everything was 'fine',  but in reality I wasn't fine.  I have to say in my defense and shock filled state of mind, I was worried that Motorcycle Man wouldn't let me buy a scooter as a result.  It seemed logical at the time.

I called Motorcycle Man at work 6 hours later to come and take me to the ER or clinic because I had hurt myself and was in shock and much to Motorcycle Daughter's utter fear I almost passed out on her several times and she was not very happy with me at all. It is amazing what happens to you several hours after an accident when the adrenalin finally dumps out of your system, you start shutting down from the shock which was worse because I ignored the symptoms. After being checked out and having one hell of a bruise on my thigh, needing some serious pain killers and help just being mobile, I survived. My entire right leg was purple from the crest my hip to down below my knee on the front and back. Luckily I hadn't broken anything, but it hurts like hell when you hit pavement.  I could hardly walk and my leg is still suffering the ill effects of my first encounter of the scooter kind, some 11 months ago.   I still don't know how I managed to talk Motorcycle Man into purchasing my beautiful sapphire blue 50cc Vino scoot two days later.  I was in a rush to get out on the road on my scooter and can't help but think if I had done this properly with professional training I wouldn't have dumped the scooter in the first place.  Hindsight is as they say 20/20.  So if you are a little myopic, I will lend you my 20/20 hindsight vision and say "GO GET TRAINING"

After my initial rough beginnings I took to the scooter like a duck takes to water.  I was in love with everything two wheeled.  I thought I would be content with the 50cc's, but after a few scooter adventures out into the country side I knew I needed something bigger, my little scoot is great for in city commuting, but did not allow me to venture onto higher speed roads, which in hindsight is a good thing due to my lack of formal training. After several months of riding I wrote the motorcycle learner's license test and passed.  That was September 1st, and it was the day my 2 wheeled life changed, I was elated.  I can tell you from firsthand experience that there is a steep learning curve with scootering and motorcycling.  Not being prepared for the 3,000 pounds of rolling car death coming your way is a big mistake, they win, you lose and this reality is what made me decide to get professionally trained.

As a fledgling motorcyclist I needed skills that would help me survive in the chaos of traffic and give me the street smarts to know what to do and act reflexively in traffic situations.  One bad decision or misjudgement can cost you dearly and for that reason I signed up for a Novice motorcycle course and  Traffic Safety course.   I chose to do my training with Vancouver Island Safety Council (VISC).  It has been the smartest thing I have done since getting on 2 wheels.  

On Tuesday, October 18th, I took my ICBC road test and passed.  I have had my license for a month!  I have also learned that you have to recognize your skill level and ride within it. Over time and experience your skill set grows along with your confidence with continued training.  Every time I encounter a situation in traffic I think about it and always wonder "Is there anything I could have done differently or better?"  When you stop asking yourself that question it is time to hang up the bike keys, there is always room for improvement and learning.

I am committed to continuing the motorcycle learning process and today I attended a Winter/Wet Weather workshop put on by instructors of VISC.  It was an informal workshop, but we covered everything from cold/wet weather gear to driving techniques.  It was very informative and helped me think of my riding in these conditions differently and always keep safety first and foremost.  We ended our workshop with a group ride and it was a cold and a brilliantly sunny winter day with the temp about 5 to 6 degrees celsius, it was cold, but amazing.  I can't tell you how happy I am that I went with VISC, the instructors are professional and their commitment to teaching students safe motorcycling is their first priority.  They answered the call of VISC alumni for this type of workshop and encourage us to continue  learning and upgrading our skills. 

The courses are comprehensive and give you the skills to be a proficient well trained motorcyclist.

See the frost, it was that cold this morning!

VISC Alumni after the classroom session, it was group ride time!

I am in the pink Helmet and my fellow motorcyclist Debra

If you are contemplating becoming a motorcyclist or scooterist, please value yourself enough to take professional training, it may just save your life or someone else's because 'you' won't put their lives at risk because of a bad driving decision you have made.  If you have been riding for a long time, it might be time to consider brushing up your skills by taking an Experienced Rider's course, it is never too late to polish up or learn new skills!  

For information on courses offered by  Vancouver Island Safety Council visit their website www.visafetycouncil.com, email: visc@islandnet.com  telephone:  250-478-9583

Heaven on earth - moto weekend!

This twisty hill  is just outside of East Sooke Park.  Pretty Amazing on the bike.  

This weekend was my first as a fully licensed motorcyclist, and it was a weekend full of riding.  The weather forecast was pretty iffy for the weekend, cloudy with showers and possibly clearing on Sunday.  I woke up early Saturday and dragged Motorcycle Man out of his cozy bed, because we were going riding rain or shine.  It was slightly sunny as I got up and got ready, but it changed to showers.  We pulled out Lucy and Motorcycle Man's ride (he doesn't have a name for it) and did our pre-check inspection.  We kind of tossed out the idea of driving to Duncan, but it started to rain shortly after we got under way, so that altered our plans.  We decided to go out to beautiful Sidney for breakfast.  Cafe 3 is a tiny little restaurant and it is always busy and there is always a wait.  It was well worth the wait.  I usually drive Motorcycle Man crazy with snapping pictures of our meal, but today I was too hungry and realized after I scarfed down the Pacific Benny that I had forgotten to take a pic.  Let me assure you it was amazing!  The Pacific Benny is a crab cake served with egg and hollandaise sauce.  OMG it was divine!!!  We continued on after our breakfast and took the long lazy way back down West Saanich Road.  I love this ride, it is full of twisties and it is a great ride with long lazy curves.  It started to pour and it was torrential and it soaked us to the skin.  We arrived home chilled, but happy, well at least one of us was.  The whole thing about being a newb is even when it is raining it doesn't seem to really bother you.  Motorcycle Man on the other hand has been riding for 30+ years and has the been there done that feeling about riding in the rain.  Thank goodness he decided to go along on my ride, it says a lot when your spousal unit just does something like this for you.  After we got home we settled in and warmed up.

Saturday's weather was a mixed bag of tricks, mostly rain, but I didn't mind too much.

If you come to Vancouver Island, you have to stop in scenic Sidney has have breaky at Cafe 3.  

Sunday morning bloomed full and glorious with sunshine.  The minute I saw the sun, I was all but out the door, when Motorcycle Man said, "Whoa, we need to have some breakfast and some coffee first."  Darn it, I was hoping we would do destination eating.  I whipped up some blueberry pancakes and waited while he leisurely ate them.  (Seriously I have a one track mind and it is hard to contain my exuberance sometimes)  We decided to go out Sooke way and rode through Metchosin and East Sooke Park.  The weather was so nice we meandered down to the beach. We continued eventually into Sooke.

It was GLORIOUS!!  The sun was beautiful, the temperature perfect and OH THE TWISTIES!!!!!  The road out this way is very twisty and I now know why riders love them so, you get momentum going, you lean into the turn and it is nothing less than perfection.  You become one with the bike and it is an exhilarating feeling.   

As our afternoon wound down we were feeling a little peckish, so of course we needed to stop and have a little something something.  We headed to Mom's Cafe and ordered the salmon corn chowder.  It was pretty yummy.  What I have been finding about our moto adventures is that there seems to be an element of stopping at little eateries, this is just an added side bonus. While we were at Mom's a group of bikers riding classic motorcycles pulled up for lunch as well.  On our way out I snapped some pictures of these beautiful classic bikes.  There were 2 beautiful old Harley's with side cars, a triumph, a Norton and a Matchless.  Gorgeous bikes. The best part of the day was when Motorcycle Man said to me over a bowl of chowder, "Welcome to the club." That meant more to me than anything!  

We had such a wonderful day, I could have gone a 1,000 miles, it was amazing!!!

Little meander to the beach at East Sooke Park

The weather was perfect and it was beautifully warm and I could lazed in the sun for hours

A little bit of fall in the countryside

This is a little pull off just after the twisties end with a little bridge at the bottom.  It was a very popular place for motorcyclists, several came by as we were stopped.  

Motorcycle Man and his ride

There were other 2 wheelers as well, had a lovely chat with the lady who owned one of the bicycles.  

Another shot of the twisty hill and bridge - bike Nirvana

These 2 young guns came ripping around the corner & down the hill & pulled over, they were waiting for traffic to clear so they could take another run at the hill and video each other coming down.  I think every motorcyclist on the Island was coming down this hill today.  They finally gave up and decided just to go as the traffic was too heavy.  

What's not to love about a brilliantly sunny day, good riding company and beautiful vintage bikes.