Page 159 - A Life - my Live - my path

Harley-Davidson trips

of exercises by trying to get as close as possible to the cones.
The aim was to negotiate the smallest possible turning
radius, because on the roads, this is sometimes necessary.
Other exercises - such as riding without deviating on 3
masonry planks 30 cm wide placed one after the other;
learning to brake in an emergency over shorter and shorter
distances; riding in amazon style; kneeling with both feet on
the saddle; standing on the saddle while holding the
handlebars - are designed to show that a motorcycle, by
design, is very stable, except that some things need to be
learned and others avoided. Trying to stop when you're
leaning into a bend - except in cases of force majeure - is not
a good idea, as with the bike's weight of 300 kg to 400 kg,
you risk falling off. Finally, the last exercise consists of riding

with the instructor on roads and freeways.
Having completed my training, and feeling in full control,
I decided to rent motorcycles at weekends. I found a Harley-
Davidson rental shop on the Dutch border. I rented
motorcycles there several times, but as Belgium's climate is
uncertain, it occasionally rained at weekends too. Since I
really enjoyed riding, I concluded that in Belgium, it's better
to have a motorcycle at your disposal. When the weather's
fine, no matter what day it is, you go for a ride. So I decided
to buy a Harley-Davidson.
The Harley-Davidson world has a few special features:
• by design, it's not a speed bike, but a touring bike. Hence
the image of the "road barge".
• motorcycle manufacturing began in 1903. It's the oldest
brand in existence, and it's still going strong. For over a

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