New Rider

This is my new Harley - a 2009 Road King Classic. Isn’t she great looking?! I haven’t put many miles on it since I decided buy a ’04 Honda Shadow as a “training bike” and have been getting most of my saddle time in on that one. Kinda like buying a Lexus, parking it, and driving your old Honda Civic around town. Of course, I’m not knocking Honda Civics or Honda Shadows, they’re both really great...but c’mon...you know what I’m talking about.

You may be asking yourself, “why did Mary get 2 motorcycles?”. Well I’ll tell ‘ya, after saddling up, holding up and cranking up the throttle of the 810 lb chrome monster, known as the Road King Classic, I realized that my Rider Coaches (I took the Rider’s Edge New Rider Course) were onto something when they recommended us newbies buy a used, lighter weight bike to learn on while we get used to braking, using the clutch and maneuvering a motorcycle out in the real world. Then, they advised, after gaining competence and confidence, sell the bike (hopefully, for an amount close to what we’d paid for it) and go out and get our “dream” bike. Of course, I’d already put a deposit on this baby. Add to that the advice of the people who felt it was best to learn on the bike you would eventually ride (namely Harley Dealership employees) and after hearing countless stories of people who started small, and “outgrew” their bikes within 6 months, I threw all my good sense to the wind and pulled the trigger on this Bad Boy (or Girl). While I love my Harley, that was a bonehead move.

I confess, the weight and balance of the Harley scared the “bejesus” out of me. I found myself hesitant to get it out, even to practice in parking lots. Popping a clutch on the Harley is not a good thing. There’s not a chance I could hold it up once that bike starts tipping over. The good news is, my better judgement prevailed really early on and nobody (namely me) got hurt. With the speedometer reading only 30 miles, I set aside my ego and admitted I should have listened to the sage advice of the MSF Instructors. I decided to park the Harley and went out and found a nice, used, motorcycle, appropriate for a new rider. Enter, the 2004 Honda Shadow Aero. It is half as powerful as the Road King and weighs around 530 lbs. It feels like a Vespa in comparison to the Harley. It’s WAY easier to park, backup, etc. It’s a great beginner bike and has inspired a lot of confidence already. Because of its weight, the Honda is much easier to maneuver, so I feel a lot more comfortable driving around town and in traffic during this learning phase. Stopping, swerving and turning a motorcycle, for you non-riders, is not as easy as you would think. It takes practice. Add to the mix oblivious drivers who “don’t see” motorcycles, and it’s extremely important to master these skills.

I have ridden the Harley since, and am MUCH more comfortable on it, even after 100 miles on the Shadow. Kim and I got away from traffic on two separate evenings and that’s where it shines. The weight is a big plus in wind and on bumps and cracks in the road. It is a touring bike after all. Whereas the Honda is kinda squirrely and my butt comes off the seat at the mere suggestion of a bump. Forget wind! BUT, I will continue to hone my skills on the Honda Shadow for the next few months, or however long it takes.

I do want to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who rides or is thinking of riding a motorcycle to take the MSF Course http://www.msf-usa.org/index_new.cfm or the Rider’s Edge New Rider’s Course (Harley version of the MSF). http://www.ridersedge.com/ Not only will you get your motorcycle endorsement when you pass, you will be a much better, safer rider. I feel very strongly about the course and believe seasoned riders would benefit from it. Of course, they offer advanced courses as well. Actually, I took the MSF in 2003 when I got a Vespa and needed my Motorcycle Endorsement. Not even thinking “motorcycle”, I really enjoyed the course and looked at & considered getting a Harley. But, I never pulled the trigger. 5 years later, Kim was talking Harley and that sounded intriguing. The old interest started resurfacing, even more so with the thought of having a riding partner. Because I’d not ridden a Motorcycle since the first course (my Vespa doesn’t count!) Kim asked me to take the class with her in Dallas in AUGUST!!! Can you say HOT!!!??? No Thanks!! I remembered my class & knew we’d be sizzling like bacon in a frying pan out in a parking lot with our jeans, gloves, helmets and long sleeves. (Kim and her daughter gutted it out). As for myself, I went to Santa Fe,NM to escape the Texas heat and ended up taking the Rider’s Edge course through Santa Fe Harley-Davidson this September. We had two great instructors...Thank you Bill Kennedy and Katherine Pond...and was hooked.

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, you won’t recognize me (or Kim) out there as we are covered up in protective gear. We both have AND wear, full-face Arai Helmets, gloves, jackets with armor, riding boots, chaps, etc. The thought of skin grafts, facial reconstruction, or a head-injury does not appeal to either one of us. I read something that says it best in response to people who ride w/o protective gear saying “it’s too hot”...”would you rather sit in a hot room or have a belt-sander driven across your forearm”? As for me, I’ll take the hot room thank you very much! SO, next time you’re out in your “cage”, that’s a car in motorcycle-speak, pay attention to those bikers out there and give us plenty of room.