“Forget everything you learnt about driving. This is a
Ural,” my husband said.
My mind raced back to the workings of my first car with its standard-transmission, and the fun experience of driving a scooter in Hawaii. Back in the moment,
on a cool autumn day, I swung my leg over the driver’s seat of our 2007 green
Patrol. I stared at the array of instruments
and controls facing me.
“The engine throttle control is the right twist grip on the
handlebar. To increase engine power, bring the grip towards you. To reduce
power, roll the grip away from you,” Frank said.
In neutral, with the green light as an indicator, I pushed
the foot break and twisted the throttle at the same time, just a bit, to hear
the distinct rumble of the engine. I located the gear shift lever on the left
side of the engine, next to the foot peg, engaged the clutch and shifted the
Ural into first gear. I released the break, twisting the throttle slightly as I
released the clutch, and moved the stallion forward. I strutted around in first
gear for quite a while before I sped up, shifted, and managed second gear.
Round and round I drove over the open expanse of the vacant
parking lot. What great fun! I thought. I glanced at Frank, now the
monkey, sitting calmly in the sidecar. We came to a stop, turned off the engine
and started the learning process over again.
Monkeys, do yourself a great favour and
learn to drive the Ural.
 |
| Susan learns to ride. |
 |
| Susan as a biker. |
Sounds like a great start towards learning to drive a sidecar rig!
ReplyDeleteHighly recommend you attend the sidecar rider's course if available. At the very least, read up on the free manuals from sidecar.com and get the Yellow Book on riding a sidecar rig.
Learn to "fly the chair" and how to deal with it when it happens. Ballast is a good thing in the sidecar till you get more experience on the tug.
Be safe, it's a blast to ride!
dom