Motorcycles and Me

Upon meeting my husband, I discovered he was a motorcycle enthusiast. I assumed motorcycles were dangerous. Those stories of friends who crashed. The road rash. Motorcycles were never on my radar. He was. I opened my mind and took the plunge.

First, I learned the rules:

Always wear your helmet and protective gear.
Always mount and dismount on the left side of the bike.
Wait until he tells me to get on.
Hold on while riding and at stops.
Don’t get off until he tells me to.

My first date on a bike was at night. I wore my cutest outfit. The bike was a BMW R1100R. He loaned me a helmet and jacket. Didn’t really go with my outfit. We rode to a local Fish Camp for the sunset. A 15-mile ride. I slid back and forth on the saddle. Those sexy slacks couldn’t grip the vinyl. Visions of a crash occupied my mind.

We made our destination. My hands and knees were set in a death-defying grip. I was given the order to dismount. It took time. I was doubting the functionality of my radar.

He led me to a nice spot on the deck, facing the river. I had a glass of wine. We talked about everything. I found I liked him more. The sky glowed in hues of red and orange.

For the ride home, I was buzzing. The sky was dark and clear. The moon, almost full, was gleaming. At that moment I discovered a new love. The love of motorcycle riding.

Dirt Bikes Are Fun, Too

A few months into our relationship, we went to California. He had a cabin in the mountains. And he had a dirt bike. There would be some additional rules:

If you get scared, jump off.
When it looks like we’re going down, jump off.
If he tells me to, jump off.

Easy enough. I wore full protective clothing. A jacket with back, shoulder and elbow pads. Pants with knee and hip pads. Helmet, gloves and sturdy boots. I looked like an astronaut.

The ride was amazing. We climbed steep hills. The landscape was like that of a Spaghetti Western. Dry and mountainous.

That dirt ride led me to want to drive. I practiced on a Yamaha XT225 and took a class. Never mastered the figure eight. I could duck walk like a pro, though. My next bike was a Suzuki SV650. Really nice bike. Fast with excellent brakes.

Scooters!

After nine years of playing house, we got hitched. Our honeymoon was a month-long adventure in Thailand.

Scooters are the main mode of transportation there. We rented two of them. Those bikes are considered semi-automatic. Gears to change but no clutch.

Different Country, Different Rules

Drive on the left side of the road
Move to the front of the pack at stops. Scooters have priority.
Splitting traffic (driving between cars) is acceptable.
Yield to scooters loaded down with produce and/or children.
Ride on sidewalks as needed.

Thailand is a beautiful country. We rode over 2000 miles through farms and villages. The residents were always happy to see us. My riding proficiency escalated ten-fold.