Yea, we drive on the left

[Curval]

Wouldn't your left foot be on the gear shift and your right foot be on the brake?

I was actually thinking about that point when I was riding in this morning.  I find that I do in fact rest three fingers on the front brake lever (right side) when I am riding, particularly in traffic.

[mechanic]

I used to ride an ancient ka125 before I got a car licence. I don't think I ever fingered the front brake unless I was using it. I mean, if I'm going then I'm going and if I'm stopping I'm stopping. The two functions never needed to be simultaneous. It doesn't take more than a micro second to release the power and hook my fingers over the brake. Feet on the other hand were always resting on the gears and rear brake. I remember clearly being stopped at the lights and bending down to hug the engine for the heat it emitted, winter was always a freezing experience. Was a fun little bike till I gunned it down a carriage way at 85mph for too long and blew a hole in the top of the cylinder. Then, to make matters worse, I tried to kickstart the seized engine into life and sheared off the kick starter...what an idiot. She ended up in pieces in the garage and never saw motion again.

[Curval]

After 34 years of riding these little death machines I have learned that microseconds matter.  A lot.

[mechanic]

oh absolutely! Not arguing against it, just sharing my limited experiences.

[Curval]

oh absolutely! Not arguing against it, just sharing my limited experiences.

I had a roomate when I was in University in Toronto that rode a big motorcycle all year.  ALL YEAR...in Toronto.

Your story about warming your hands reminds me of the times he would get home in winter time after riding the Don Valley Parkway from Downtown to Finch Avenue.  He would just pull in and start yelling as best he could for help. One of us would have to go help him get his hands off the handlebars and help him off the bike and into the house.  He would be so absolutely frozen cold he could barely talk, walk or function.

[danny76]

I've ridden home from work at 5mph with both feet on the floor skating. Now I am far from a fair weather rider but refuse to go out in high winds or icy conditions. Spent far too many bitter journeys with my ricker going 10p-5p

[texasmom]

Were you on a pedal bike passing cars?  The trees which lined that course were beautiful.

[Curval]

lol...I wish I could pedal that fast...uphill at times too!!!

No Mom, it is a little 125cc scooter I now ride.  I had that other 150cc motorcycle but got fed up with getting wet feet and I refused to put a basket on it, so I had to take a backpack everywhere.  So I bought the scooter, which has a basket on it...you can't gay up a scooter any more than it already is.  That fits my daughter's helmet and mine with room for other stuff too.  And my feet stay dry, even when it is actually raining, not just on wet roads.

It gets me from point A to point B faster than my car does due to all the traffic and I can park it anywhere.  Given the choice I almost always take the bike over the car.