You see, living in Dubrovnik, it's completely natural for people to have a motorbike. Most people around here own a motorbike. Dubrovnik is a small town and there is a lot of traffic in the summer so having a motorbike to ride around town in is perfect.
Since moving here, I always wanted to have one. I thought that they are just so much more convenient than my massive car. Yesterday, I finally got my chance to get on a Vespa and try it out for myself. Now, this Vespa is quite old and is a manual. The gears and clutch are on one handle bar while the gas and the break are on the other handle bar. I can drive a manual car and the concept on a bike is basically the same, except you are using your hands to push the clutch in and speed up. When I got on the bike and started to go forward, I realized just how powerful this machine is and was slightly intimated, but I managed to make the bike go. The video below is my first attempt on the bike. I was quite excited!
As you can see, I was a little unbalanced but otherwise successful...That is until my next attempt. I don't really know what happened. I had the clutch in first gear. It was a straight shot, in fact it was the exact same driveway that I was going down. Yet, when I pushed the clutch in and gave it some gas, the bike jerked which startled me. The next thing I know, the motorbike is heading straight for a wall. In these situations, people always say that you need to remain calm and think clearly. I'm sorry, but I was heading for a wall, my brain was not thinking clearly. In fact, it was having a blonde moment at the worst possible time. Instead of hitting the brake, I kept pressing the gas. I let go of the clutch thinking it would stop the motorbike. Why on earth would I think that?!!! My car is a stick shift. I know that when I let go of the clutch the car will keep running because that's how the car continues to move. Yet, in that moment, I got it into my head that by, letting go of the clutch, the bike will miraculously stop. Of course, I was still pressing on the gas which was making me go faster and only freaked me out more. At one point, I think I tried to stop the bike by putting my feet on the ground as if I was riding a bicycle. Seriously, as I headed for the wall, all logic left my brain and for a moment I went completely stupid. What else could I do, but run right into the wall. And wouldn't you know it, when I let go of the gas, low and behold the bike shut off. Amazing! Not sure why I didn't think of that sooner!
When I ran into the wall, I fell and the bike landed on me. My legs and arm are a bit scraped up with a few bruises. It hurt like hell, but I was actually more concerned about the bike. The only thing that I could think of was, great, they let me get on their bike and I crash it. Go me! The bike was fine and, although, a little bruised up, I am also fine. Once my friend and her husband realized I was all right, we all had a good laugh. It's just a shame that she didn't get it on video.
As for me and the Vespa, I will be getting back up on that horse soon enough. I am determined to learn how to ride one. A few bruises won't stop me!
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