Learning to stay on the asphalt
By MARKO PRIMORAC
Assistant News Editor
Marko enjoys the finer things in life
The need for speed is all consuming for me. To me,
there is nothing like flying down the highway in my
car, weaving through traffic, taunting the grim
reaper. Believe me, my driving record shows this.
Until my recent ticket, I have never obeyed the
"speed limit," no matter what state or country I was
driving in.
I now have to be obedient, like the rest of the sheep
on the road, but there is hope even in such a bleak
situation.
What hope is that, you might ask? Motorcycles.
Yes, motorcycles.
I used to ride sporadically while visiting family in
Europe, but it's been over 11 years since I actually
shifted gears on a bike. I will never forget the rush
of feeling the power of a bike, and the wind trying to
pull you off and smear you on the pavement.
Well, o.k. my cousin rode the Cagiva Mito and I
held onto his back, or I rode the Vespa moped. The
Mito was an expensive bike, and I was a novice, so I
don't blame the bastard. Besides, those streets in
Europe are pretty narrow, even minimum speed is
dangerous...
Since my memory is all but destroyed, I needed a
refresher course. I called an old drinking friend of
mine, and after a week of poor communication and
phone tag, he made it to campus.
He rode in on a yellow, white, and black 1999
Suzuki GSXR 600.
He gave me a quick rundown on the parts and their
place on the bike.
On the left side of the bike, is the clutch and
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gearshift. The clutch is attached to the handlebar,
and the gearshift is under the foot peg.
On the right side of the bike are the brakes and
accelerator. The front brake is attached to the han
dlebar, and the rear brake is under the right foot
peg. The accelerator is on the handlebar itself.
The turn signals are attached to the left handlebar,
the key ignition is in the center, and the starter is on
the bottom of the right handlebar.
I put on a helmet, hopped on the back, and took a
little spin around the parking lot. After that, I was
up to bat.
To start, put the key in the ignition, turn it, and
then press the starter while giving it a little gas,
holding the clutch in - the bike should be in neutral,
which is halfway up. Put the bike in first-gear with
the peg all the way down and slowly let go of the
Marko masters shifting and avoiding grass. Showing is the side without the
scratches and dents. He is driving a yellow and blackl999 Suzuki GSXR 600
clutch while lightly giving it gas.
After stalling three times, I finally got rolling. To
shift up, put your toes under the gearshift, press the
clutch with your left hand, pull up with your toes,
and ease off of the clutch while gently giving it gas
To shift down, do the opposite.
After shaming myself while turning around, my
• .
tho Life
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brain was too distracted by the adrenaline and I mis
took the clutch for the break. I was told to break at
80 percent front and 20 percent back, that's the aver
age.
After saving face by getting back on the road and
"gunning it" - not really, but it seemed like it to me,
I took a few victory laps around the parking lot. The
power of the machine and the freedom I felt driving
around in circles was pretty wild. I didn't even have
to speed to get my kicks.
I am definitely going to take the free motorcycle
safety course that is offered at HACC the first
chance I get, and save my pennies for a bike. Just
one more reason to quit smoking and use that money
for something useful.
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