3 month mark

E, recently relocated to Sydney and in possession of a new car, tells funny stories about her driving dramas - to add to the new country adjustment bag, she hasn't driven in a really long while. And in the middle of our pen-driven chat, i realised how far i've come through various stages of this bike thing in the last 3 months. It's hard to believe i've only had my little beast for 12 short weeks.

Going to York seems to have been the point at which the bulk of my jitters went away. After that day, everything sort of started falling into place. I've learnt to stop fighting the wind, and it's stopped fighting me. Cornering - click, click, clutch out, lean and swoop - getting smooth. My lean angles are improving nicely, save when some nut in a P-plated, V8 ute tries to climb up my ass (disturbing image of radiator grille in mirrors always a distraction). And countersteering felt out in conscious practice. While i suspect this is largely instinctual for most motorcyclists once they figure the leaning part out, it gets better when deliberately applied every once in a while - the conscious action is a good feeling at any rate.

That's the thing about riding a bike. A lot of it is about how you feel. And they say men aren't in touch with their emotions.

Confidence, my biggest lack in all of this, is coming along as my good rides take predominance over my bad. I still won't lane-split, but i'm very happily doing everything else like i was born to.

(That last bit was a totally relative statement)

The one weird rut i can't seem to get out of, is kicking the bike into neutral when taking off from this particular set of lights at a cross-junction near home. In general, i never manage to get the bike into neutral unless i'm stopped, and nudge the gear peg up from first very gently. Never - it likes being in gear too much.

However, at said lights, no matter how high i toe it, change clutching strategy etc, the bike goes into neutral rather than second after taking off without fail. I ride these lights everyday so it's getting bloody annoying, not to mention, embarrassing.

I'm blaming it on the slope of the road. I swear it's not me.