A Lighthouse Tour in Southern Maine
Send this Article to a FriendI eventually graduated from riding the motorcycle in a college parking lot to a larger lot that had an actual road around it. Here I could practice my stops, passing, and switching gears. When I got to third gear, the exhilaration of speed came back, and I completely forgot I was in a parking lot with my husband and our dog cheering me on! I did this for a couple weekends, and then, smile on my face, officially graduated to the road.
The first time I went on the road with the motorcycle, it was an early Sunday morning with no one out.
I was following my husband on his Harley Davidson, and was really excited to be out for the first time.
The first few minutes had my nerves jumping a bit, but this didn't last long. The feeling of exhilarating power and freedom was so overwhelmingly fun that I forgot to be nervous.
I just paid attention to what I was doing and enjoyed the ride. The first time I got up to 45, I felt like I was flying! I now started to really realize what everyone loved so much about riding motorcycles!
The hardest thing I had to learn about riding motorcycles on my own?
First: Curves. But I went slow, and low and behold, "looked where I was going" (I DID remember something from the MSF class!) and it made the turns much smoother.
I also really watched my husband ride, which was really helpful. Riding behind him helped me to see how he entered and exited turns, which I then tried to replicate.
Second: Starting on a hill. Although no one laughed when I stalled four times going up my inclined driveway, I would rather not do it on the road. This one just takes practice coordinating all those damn levers and peddles on the motorcycle.
I recommend finding a small hill that you can do it in private. I'm not perfect yet, but not too bad either.
This past week I hit a milestone. For the first time, I took the bike to work on my own.
No one was there to make sure I shifted OK, didn't stall, or felt steady. I was completely on my own.
So, with my laptop in my backpack and high heels in a bag, I set out to work on an early Monday morning. I didn't have any trouble - I think all the practicing made me feel really comfortable with the bike and with my skills.
There is nothing better than watching the sunrise break over the horizon on my own motorcycle. And I do have to say that it was the first time in a long time that I went to work with a smile on my face!
To all of you fellow motorcyclists out there, ride safe and ride well.
Read Part One Here:
Woman Motorcyclist's Viewpoint - Learning To Ride
Read Part Two Here:
Woman Motorcyclist's Viewpoint - Buying Your First Motorcycle
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