I got this great motorcycle that I’m learning how to ride. I really like my E-bike but I also wanted to have a gasoline powered vehicle that is faster and has a bigger range. The biggest deciding factor was the fact that they don’t allow E-bikes on the long road to the beach in the mornings and evenings because it is so narrow, but I’m looking forward to having it for all sorts of reasons of course.
I rationalized that I would sell my E-bike to help pay for the motorcycle, but I really don’t want to do that for a few reasons. One because it can go places where a motorcycle can’t go; another because it can haul heavy and bulky things that can weigh hundreds of pounds using the dolly cart; and finally because I would lose money selling it, especially because I know that I would want to re-buy a similar bike like it again in the future. So I’m going to avoid selling it if possible.
I bought a “half helmet” for the motorcycle because I thought it would be the least obtrusive, but it turns out that such helmets actually obstruct your hearing because the air rushing past your ears blocks out the other sounds. I didn’t realize that a helmet covering your ears allows you to hear the traffic around you. There are also other ways to stop the wind noise but I now also want a helmet that protects more of my head.
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Yesterday I went on a long trip with my E-bike to run an errand where I went 70 miles each way along the coast. I have three batteries and I was able make the trip with my bike because I was able to recharge the batteries when I reached the destination. The batteries get much better milage when you use petal assist and don’t start and stop a lot. I find that they can get up to about 35 miles per charge in such conditions, where otherwise they get about 20 miles per charge.
I got into a bit of a wreck with my E-bike on the trip. I was inside an area in a construction zone that was cordoned off by cones, and the front tire glanced off the edge of a road that was being cut which was higher than it appeared, which made the bike topple forward while I was going pretty fast. I broke my fall mostly with my hands and arms, but my head and face still hit the road a bit nonetheless. Thankfully my teeth avoided being hit. Somehow my upper lip hit the road along with the side of my face, but not my teeth.
I hate the sensation of being in a wreck such as that. It all happens in an instant but time seems to slow down as it is happening. When I finally came to a rest on the road I was certain that my mouth and face were badly inured, but thankfully I’m fine with only a few small cuts and scrapes.
Due to that experience I decided to get a different style of helmet for the motorcycle. At first I didn’t want one that covers my entire head, but those also protect your face and mouth.
I’ve been studying about riding motorcycles, and I’m finding that there are technical methods for every aspect of it that are important to habitually do in order to be safe. Of course it is nothing like riding an E-bike which is really no different than riding a traditional bicycle. A motorcycle can be pretty safe if you take the right precautions and take it very seriously though.