The Hardships Behind Driving a Bike

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As you know, I’ve been learning how to drive a bike. I have realized that it is really hard and that I’ve been making a lot of mistakes. There is so much to remember.

For starters, you have to balance the bike when you’re attempting to kick-start it. When you’re doing that, you have to be sure not to hold the clutch (which is something I have been doing.) “You have to hold on to the handlebars, but not the clutch,” instructed my friend. “Also, be sure to use your heel and follow it all the way,” he added.

Then, right after you start the bike, make sure to change the gear from neutral to the first gear. Here, you have to hold the clutch like it’s a live grenade. If you let it go too soon, the bike will turn off, which means you have to kick it again. Slowly, you have to release the live grenade, aka the clutch, while slowly revving the throttle. If you do that too fast, it consumes a lot of fuel. You have to do these simultaneously while watching for other vehicles approaching. Then, you have to make sure you are holding the handlebar steadily.

You can move up to the next gear in a couple of seconds, according to your speed. A problem I have been facing is not knowing when to shift gears up or down. You have to remember to shift down if you’re going too slow unless you want the bike to turn off – in the middle of the road, which has happened to me.

The next thing you have to remember is to look both ways at intersections, which I’ve been having trouble with as my friend insists that I wear a helmet (he is very responsible.) I haven’t worn a helmet before and I’m finding it too heavy to move freely in. You also have to indicate your turn and honk the horn. You have to slow down when you see a bump in the road unless you want a hard jolt.

Yes, learning to drive is really hard, but I’m getting there slowly. Recently, my friend called me a visionary. When I asked him why, he told me that a lot of little girls on the road were looking at me in awe as I was trying to kick-start the bike – after it stopped in the middle of the road. (The sound of the engine, when you rev it right after starting, is amazing and worth the effort you put into starting it.) I was honoured when he called me a visionary. It made my day.

I’m determined to get this down perfectly and I’m not going to give up any time soon.



Comments

  1. Anderlin VictorMarch 22, 2024 at 7:52 PM

    You truly are a visionary 👏👏👏 I know it might seem like a lot at first but driving is actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I congratulate you for not giving up👍

    ReplyDelete

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