I learned how to ride a motorcycle about 2 weeks ago! Yes, me the big chicken! I told my husband that I wanted “experiences” rather than “stuff” for gifts and my birthday is coming up shortly, so he enrolled me in a course at our local Harley-Davidson dealer. The course is sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF). Some of the courses are done at community colleges here in California, but the course at the Harley dealer turned out to be just amazing, because the classes are smaller and you get more riding time.
I was very curious about the possible demographics of this class. Would I be the old lady in a class of young men? There are 5 days of “school” consisting of 2 evening classes in a classroom, then 2 days of riding classes at another location and then 1 more evening class where you watch a few more videos and take a written test. When I walked into the classroom on the first night there were 4 other people in the room. Gregg was about my age and had just bought a touring bike from his neighbor. Robert is in his 20’s, had a lot of very well done tattoos, and was very quiet. Greg (with one g) looked to be a little younger than I. Amber is also in her 20’s, and has a long commute which she wants to do by motorcycle. Okay, so at least I wasn’t the only female in the room! Then in came shaved head Erik who I would guess to be in his 3o’s, and Will who is in his 20’s and already owns and rides a Harley. I liked the mix of ages so far. Then in walked two very attractive, stylish females who looked like they could be close to my age. I discovered later that Mo and Aida are both just slightly younger than my 54 and they both ride on the back of their husbands bikes. Wow! I’m starting to feel a little more comfortable. Five men and four women. Four people in their 50’s and the rest younger. It is interesting to observe the demographics of riders. In California there are a LOT of motorcycles and riders my age are abundant.
The first night of class was interesting. We talked about risk and we were asked to think about how much risk each of us is willing to accept. A motorcycle is less stable than a car and you are less protected than you are in a car. Are you willing to ride in the rain? At night? How about on a freeway? This course is all about risk—-assessing it, managing it, and minimizing it. The second night we spent a lot of time going over where the controls are on a motorcycle and what they do and how to negotiate turns and actually ride. I was thoroughly confused by the end of the night. Do you “roll on” the throttle to accelerate or “roll off” the throttle, and what does that mean anyway; are you rolling your right hand towards yourself or away from yourself? I tried to let go of my doubts. I am very visual, and I decided it would probably make more sense to do it than to read about it. I was the student who always aced her chemistry lab work, even when she was struggling with the classroom book work.
The next day was Saturday and we had to be at the course at 7:45 am. Class would go until 2:30 on the course and then we would return to the classroom until 6:00 pm. I had been talking to myself for weeks to just “relax and enjoy myself.” I had been telling myself to “have fun.” Friday night I prayed. I prayed I wouldn’t hurt myself. I prayed that I would get over my fear. I arrived Saturday cotton mouthed with anxiety, but positive that I could work through the fear. I’ve done it before. The great thing about being 54 is I can look back and see all the times that I have faced my fears and been the better for it. The MSF courses include motorcycles and helmets. You need to wear long pants, long sleeves, over-the-ankle boots, eye protection and gloves.
We were seated on the bikes by 8:00 am. I ride on the back of my husband’s bike, so this isn’t totally foreign to me, but it was both thrilling and scary to be sitting there with my hands on the handlebars. Our bike at home is a touring bike that probably weighs about 1,000 pounds when we are both on it. We would be riding on Buells for this class. The engines are just under 500 cc and I think that bike weighs around 500 lbs. It is not a small lightweight bike, but it also isn’t at the top end of being big and heavy; it is a good place to start and transition to just about anything you want to ride. At first we just learned where the controls are, how they work and some basics like how to get and off safely, the steps for starting a bike, and also for turning it off. Then we kept the bike in first gear, and let the clutch out a little so we could slowly walk on the bike. By 8:30 am we were riding slowly with our feet on the pegs! I was still nervous and scared, but it was starting to be fun! We did all kinds of exercises that day. By noon I had woven back and forth through cones in first gear and that quickly became one of my favorite exercises, and each time I did it a little faster. We had also learned how to go around curves, and of course we spent a lot of time starting and stopping. It takes both your hands and feet to stop a motorcycle, so it’s not as easy as it sounds. The bike did go down once. I was going slowly through some cones and I was looking down at them and I stalled the bike and it went sideways underneath me because I was turning it around the cone I was looking at. The motorcycle goes where you look. It reminded me of skiing. You tend to go where you are looking when you ski, and it is the same with a bike. If you look towards where you want to go, your body tends to turn that way, too and the bike (or skis) follow. We learned how to ride seated with our backs straight and our heads and eyes up. The bike went down because I was looking down; I got off, but I did burn my leg slightly on a hot pipe. I had jeans on, so it was very minor. Usually I ride with chaps, too, but it was very hot on the course. By the end of the day I was still the queen of stalling when I was getting going, but I wasn’t stalling so often when I came to a stop. I was feeling more confident and safe on that bike, I was having some moments of fun, and I was exhausted. I was more than happy to get off and go sit in the classroom for a while. Riding a motorcycle is a full body experience and I was tired, but mostly I was mentally tired. Almost 7 hours of concentrating on what I was doing, learning new things and managing my fear had drained me. By the time I got home I was excited to tell my hubby that I did it, but I wasn’t through being scared and I was so tired that the idea of getting up in the morning and doing it all over again (but this time for almost 9 hours) was just too much to think about. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back, but I was sure that I didn’t want to give up. My common sense told me that the second day would be better, because I knew what to expect and was already developing some skills. I just wished I could get rid of the pit in my stomach, and relax. I prayed myself to sleep.
I was back on the course at 7:45 am Sunday morning. The first exercise was a little challenging because we were shifting gears as well as doing turns and stopping and starting and I wasn’t comfortable with that yet, so I got all tangled up in my head trying to remember everything as well as just being too nervous. The instructor made me stop over by him and told me to take a deep breath and take it easy. After that it was better. By the next exercise, I actually started relaxing. I had an amazing, fun day! I learned how to do all kinds of curves from hairpins to wider turns to s curves. I learned how to ride over a 2 x 4 in the middle of the road. I learned how to do a quick swerve to avoid something in the road. I learned how to do slow tight figure eights so I could park anywhere. I learned how to go faster on the bike. It was an exhilarating day! Towards the end we all had to do a fairly complicated course one by one and we were all given points for mistakes. The purpose of this exercise was to get the smallest score possible and not more than 20 points so that we could pass the riding test and get an exemption from the riding test at the DMV when we went to get our licenses. I scored one of the higher scores in the class, but at 16 points, I passed! In fact we all passed! I managed to stall going into the course and that made me mess up my first slow tight figure eight. All in all I was pleased that I passed and I know what I need to work on. The next evening, I passed the written test with only 1 wrong answer.
Am I ready to go buy a motorcycle and start riding? Hmmm, interesting question. I have a Harley sticker on my helmet that says “It’s Your Life. Don’t Just Go Along For The Ride.” I am VERY glad I took this class and I don’t think anyone should be allowed to ride without taking the class. It is such good preparation for just about anything that could happen to you on the road and you develop such a good understanding of what to look for and to consider to keep yourself safe. I definitely feel more confident about my own skills and abilities to ride safely. I also know that before I get on a motorcycle and drove on a street or in traffic that I need a lot more practice. I love riding on the back of my husband’s motorcycle. I have a much deeper appreciation for what a skilled rider he is and all he does to keep us safe. If I never rode my own motorcycle I wouldn’t consider the class a waste. I’m a better companion on the bike knowing what my husband’s challenges are. Having said all that, I would like to get my own motorcycle and go on rides with my husband. There is a freedom and a thrill in riding your own bike. I’m not that excited about riding with the traffic in southern California. I’d rather ride on back roads and highways—-say in Montana! One step at a time. I’m out of work right now, so it seems very frivolous to go buy even a starter bike which would probably be $3,000 to $4,000, but hopefully I will start working soon, and I can buy a bike this year. I’m proud of myself for learning something new, overcoming my fears and finding there is still some adventure left in my soul. Isn’t that where I started with this blog? I remember that I was thinking about what I want and need to do with what is left of my life. I think I want and need to do some motorcycle journeys. VROOOOMMMM!!!
Living Up to Mom 