Starting to ride

Matt and I were finally able to take the bikes out this weekend. We only got about 20 minutes on Saturday because of time constraints and because my chain broke. Luckily it was only a $6 fix, or so I thought. I figured I would just need to thread the chain over the sprocket then over the back well gear. Well after doing what I thought was correct, the chain didn't connect. That should of flown up the red flag right there. Not being very experienced I didn't know something was wrong. So, I proceeded to remove the back tire to get more slack in the chain. Once I finally got the chain together, I couldn't get the link to go on just right. After about 5 hours I just gave up.

Sunday Matt came up and helped me put the chain back together correctly, at least it appeared to be on correctly. As I started to move forward there was a noise that just wasn't right. The chain was wrapped around a small safety dowel. Well at least it was a learning experience.

After all of that we got some good riding in. It seems like Matt was getting a pretty good hang of things. I was having some trouble coming to a stop. It sounds simple but you have to apply the brakes, release the gas, make sure it's in neutral or at least keep the clutch compressed, then balance yourself once the bike has stopped. I think the weight is what is tough for me right now.

I estimate about 1 week before I will feel comfortable to ride with traffic. Our class is the 25th and I feel that we will be really prepared for the class!! I'm looking forward to it.