June 15th 2013: Riding a Motorcycle in Boston

Today, I had an appointment to learn how to ride a motorcycle at Streetwise Cycle School, located in the Hyde Park area of Boston.

After dropping off my friend in the Allston area to settle her living arrangements for the next two months, I headed to the place, which is a pretty wide open space in an industrial area, passing by the Astra Zeneca Hope Lodge Center in town along the way.

Things started out fine, with our instructor going through the basics of motor cycling in a classroom, teaching us the various components of a bike and the gear that should be worn, including the different types of helmets, jackets, gloves and boots, as well as how to ride the bike. I amazed to learn that bikes usually don't have fuel gauges, and bikers need to go by their mileage in order to know whether they are running dry or not. The gear system is weird too, with neutral being  a sub-level between first and second gear. Lastly, the throttle on the right handlebar is also oriented in the opposite direction in my opinion, with you having to turn the throttle toward your self to speed up, and the other way to slow down, other than using the handlebar brake or foot brake.

It was then time for lunch before the real stuff began, so I decided to head nearby for food. The first place I stopped at was the Green Garden Liquor and Deli, located at 35 West Milton Street.

This place looks more like a grocery store than a deli, and the deli side is actually tucked away in a corner of the shop. I ordered a Reuben sub, but the guy clearly did not know what he was doing, and my sub did not taste like a Reuben at all, although it wasn't too bad either.

Because of the disappointing meal, I decided to try another place as well, getting a Cheese Pizza slice from Olympic Pizza nearby, which wasn't too bad either, being really crispy.

After heading back, it was time to start learning to ride a motorcycle for real. We were first told to gear up, wearing our jacket in the hot sun, our sunglasses, our helmets and our gloves, then choose a bike which we could comfortably sit in and still touch the ground firmly with our feet.

I decided to go with a Harley looking one,

which was really heavy, and when I tipped it over, I ended up twisting my wrist in the process, and although I was in pain for the rest of the day, it wasn't bad enough to force me to stop learning. The heaviness of the bike itself, such that I could not even pick it up after it had fallen, is probably the major factor in why I will never do this again.

When we were finally settled down, we next learned all the different parts of the motorcycle controls, and how to know which gear the motorcycle is in, with the neutral light coming on when in neutral.

Our first few exercises involved getting used to the clutch control on the bike to prevent it from stalling, with us waddling like ducks to and fro on our bikes.

When the instructors were satisfied enough with our performance, we gradually learned to ride for longer distances, stop, change gears etc, up to a point when we were beginning to feel comfortable riding our bikes, and that was when my accident happened.

I had not been expecting to stop, only realizing too late, with my reflexes causing me to speed up into the crowd instead of stopping, twisting my ankle and scratching my shin in the process while breaking someone's smart phone as well. I really hope I don't have to pay for it.

Thankfully, it wasn't too serious that I could not proceed for the rest of the day, so the day went on without any further issues.

Overall, I have to say that it was actually pretty easy to ride a motorbike, much like riding a bicycle with a lot of balancing involved, but easier with no pedaling or much effort. However, due to my accident, the weight of the bike, and the terrible driving in Massachusetts, I have to say today will most probably be the first and last time I will ride a motorcycle. I had a lot of fun doing it though.

After the lesson was over, I headed back to meet up with my friends, passing by a few places in
Boston along the way,

New Fellowship Baptist Church,

618 Blue Hill Avenue

Mecca at Grove Hall

whereupon we decided to have a late dinner at BonChon Chicken in the Allston area of Boston, which I have been to in the past for lunch.

This time, we got the Tuna and Salmon Ceviche (freshly chopped tuna and salmon marinated in mango salsa, red onions and avocado in a Korean Chilli sauce),

the Spicy Basil Beef (Chilled beef rib-eye, basil, and shallots served in a spicy soy sauce),

the Crispy Wings in hot sauce/soy sauce,

the Onion Ring Maki (Onion Rings, cucumber and avocado with eel sauce),

the Okonomiyaki (Japanese Style Pancake with squid, shrimp and bacon, topped with bonito flakes, Japanese mayo and okonomiyaki sauce),

the Spicy Japchae (Stir fried glass noodles with thinly sliced beef and vegetables),

and finally the Stir Fried Baby Octopus (Stir fried baby octopus, vegetables, and thick wheat udon noodles in Korean spicy sauce).

All the dishes were pretty amazing, especially the Japanese pancake, which I have never had before, although I wasn't too much of a fan of the Japchae or the octopus.

With that, I had to come back early to do food truck stuff all day tomorrow, so I decided to call it a night early and head home, bidding everyone at the table farewell for the day. This was definitely a fun day learning to ride a motorbike and all, and I don't regret trying it at all.