I love riding on the back of motorcycles. It’s a love I discovered while tooling around Entebbe and Kampala in Uganda, and while renting motorcycles with Willi when I was last in Goma, DRC.
Especially in Africa, where there are no speed limits in many of the countries, just being able to zoom around is so exhilarating!!
I don’t, however, like driving motorcycles. It messes with my depth perception in a big way and it means that I must be reliant on others to drive!
Adam and I meant to get tutored in moto driving with Adam’s Uncle Carl before we left, since Uncle Carl loves them hogs, but it didn’t quite pan out so when we got here, neither of us knew boo diddly.
We decided this week that the time had come! We were/are healthy, and what a better time to learn to drive!
Motorcycles here seem to be pretty similar to ones in the US. They’ve got gear shifts by the left foot, and there is a starter pedal by the right foot, but also some sort of auto-start button by the right hand near the gas. Because it’s a shifter bike, you need to keep coaxing in gas when you’re just sitting idle or else the bike will stall out.
And of course keep your hand depressed on the brake, a lesson Adam learned the hard way when, the first time he started out, he released the brake WAY too fast and the bike popped a wheelie, sending everyone watching in the garden scattering and throwing Seba right off the back!
It was funny to watch, for sure, but also scary!!
Adam was brave and kept going even after his inadvertent wheelie, and he and Seba tooled down the main road.
Adam will have another lesson today before he gives karate lessons at 4pm. I’m hoping he’ll feel comfortable enough to drive me around soon!
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