First Gear – It’s Alright

Slow.

Look.

Lean.

Roll.

That’s the definition of the acronym SLLR, as any smart and safety conscious bike riding fan will tell you. SLLR is taught (or it was at least 24 years ago when I first took the course) as part of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course for motorcycle riders.

At the time that I took the course, I was in the US Air Force and if I wanted to ride my Honda Nighthawk on base I had to complete this program. If I wanted to ride it in Europe while stationed in Germany I had to take the course. The course itself took a half day as I recall, and many of the details are long gone. I remember riding through cones, testing my hand-eye coordination and response on braking, things like that, but most of that day is far beyond a memory. SLLR has stuck with me to this day.

Even though I no longer own a bike, I find that every spring I long for one. Or just to ride. Anyone who has logged countless hours of having their butt on leather while riding on the open road is nodding their head right now in agreement. There is just something magical about putting on a helmet and taking her out on a winding country road; feeling the bike cut through the open air and leaning into some tight turns.  At this point you might well determine that I am more of a cruiser fan than a high speed performance junkie. But we both are gripped with similar wants and longings this time of year.

As I took a walk outside today in our first day reaching 70+ degrees, this longing gripped me right away. I thought “wouldn’t it be nice to ride home today after work.”  Later, a buddy of mine tweeted that he too has bike fever.  I chastised him in a reply for reinforcing my desire, then tweeted my wife and told her I am thinking about getting a bike.  Her reply was “not this again.” She is terrified of them.  So was my mother as I recall.

But since I so easily recalled SLLR and what it’s about, I was thinking “why not borrow a friend’s bike and enroll us both in a MSF course?”  She knows I practice SLLR while driving as I have mentioned it to her on more than one occasion. Slow down as you enter a curve, look 10 seconds ahead, lean into the curve (wow, I am remembering more!  I forgot that I learned in the course that if you push on the handlebar in the direction of the turn, it has the same effect as turning the handlebar), roll the bike back to perpendicular after exiting the curve.  Pretty easy.

Now who has a bike they want to lend me?

GO!

I’m gonna wake you up early

Cause I’m gonna take a ride with you

We’re going down to the Honda shop

I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do

Put on a ragged sweatshirt

I’ll take you anywhere you want me to

First gear (Honda Honda) it’s alright (faster faster)

Second gear (little Honda Honda) I lean right (faster faster)

Third gear (Honda Honda) hang on tight (faster faster)

Faster it’s alright

It’s not a big motorcycle

Just a groovy little motorbike

It’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys

That two wheel bike

We’ll ride on out of the town

To any place I know you like

First gear (Honda Honda) it’s alright (faster faster)

Second gear (little Honda Honda) I lean right (faster faster)

Third gear (Honda Honda) hang on tight (faster faster)

Faster it’s alright

It climbs the hills like a Matchless

Cause my Honda’s built really light

When I go into the turns

Lean [Tilt] with me and hang on tight

I better turn on the lights

So we can ride my Honda tonight

First gear (Honda Honda) it’s alright (faster faster)

Second gear (little Honda Honda) I lean right (faster faster)

Third gear (Honda Honda) hang on tight (faster faster)

Faster it’s alright

First gear (Honda Honda) it’s alright (faster faster)

Second gear (little Honda Honda) I lean right (faster faster)

Third gear (Honda Honda) hang on tight (faster faster)

Faster it’s alright