“Everybody, at some point in their life, has fallen down and not felt like getting back up, but you have to, no matter how difficult it is.” – Charlie Hunnam
If Jax Teller says it, it must be true! (Those that know me well know that I LOVE Jax Teller from Son’s Of Anarchy! *gush*)
As funny as it is that I used a Son’s quote, it’s actually very appropriate for this story…
As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband and I bought Harley’s. It’s been a life-long dream of his (his family is full of Harley enthusiasts) and I’m always up for something new! So we found a cheaper, smaller bike for me since I have little-to-no experience riding; while HE bought a bigger much more expensive bike. We both took our temps test together and scheduled a 16 hour rider’s safety course together too.
The safety course was paramount for me because I had ZERO riding experience and also had never driven (well successfully driven) a standard before – and NEWS FLASH, motorcycles are standards! So although my husband was bored for the first ½ of the class, I was VERY pleased to see that they took everything very slow and made it idiot proof. 🙂 The class provided small, low CC bikes for us to ride. This was fortunate because I was the 1st person (not the last) to drop my bike. I didn’t “crash” per se but I was turning very slow and it just kind of tipped over…I was embarrassed but got back on.
Lucky for me, I not only improved significantly from the start-to-end of the class, but I was by far the least serious crash. One guy was just being wild, did a wheelie and landed on his head. Another lady fell over during the final test to pass the class and failed!
Well, OBVIOUSLY when I got home after the class was complete I wanted to try riding MY bike. So we took it to a parking lot, practiced and I drove it home. On the hill up our driveway I parked it and it tipped over… CRAP! My husband was right behind me in our car and got out to help me pick it up. It was SOO much heavier than the practice bikes. Something I mentally noted! Later that week we practiced picking up the bike with it laying in the yard. Genius idea!
The next week my husband took me to a different parking lot to practice on my bike. This time I was practicing turning and I saw a patch of gravel in my path… so I decided turning was a bad idea and that I would continue straight and attempt to stop. That didn’t work. I hit a curb, my bike and me flew in the air and landed in the grass. WHOOPS! I got right back on though until my husband noticed that I had bent my rim.
My leg was a little bruised but I kept getting back on. I decided that I needed to take it slower from the beginning with MY motorcycle to get to know it better. So I practiced and practiced and finally drove it home, up the driveway with no “whoops” or “crap”! I’m still learning and I’m going to continue to be cautious and self-aware of my skill level. I will not; however, let disappointment, embarrassment, or a couple of bruises stop me. Some might call it bull-headed but I bet my pal Jax would be on the same page!
