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Mentioned in the Lady Bikers Lair that I would post my first time trying to ride a bike, so here goes (it's really a funny story, really!).
I actually owned my 2000 Pearl Whit FLSTF before I could officially ride it. Been riding with friends (on the back of course) for a couple of years and when my beau got his bike, I couldn't stand it! Had to have my own and my girlfriend had an awesome 1998 FB so I followed her lead (I mean, she just looked so kewl cruisin on it)!
Signed up to take the MSF course with a great instructor but the wait was going to be three weeks before class started - agony. Convinced my boyfriend to teach me the bike basics out in our pasture. Did pretty well for the first couple of rounds and then disaster...I tried to turn too sharply, my floorboard caught a pile of dirt, and down I went! Awful. Caught the handlebar in my upper thigh and my knee dinged the tank. It hurt a bit and I still have a ding in my tank as well as my thigh! Definitely acquired a new respect for the bike!
Couple of weeks passed and took the motorcycle class. Went well and I was off again. My first ride after being officially licensed went like this:
Followed my dude on backroads. Came over a blind hill where minivan tipped into ditch. ~70 people milling around on the road. (*Please don't make me stop on this hill - whew, got waved through*). Continued on scenic windy backroads. Around a corner here comes something louder than my bike. 1 firetruck, 2 firetrucks, 3 firetrucks, 4 firetrucks and finally the ambulance. (*Ok, I didn't get blown off the curve into a ditch - bonus*). Had a corvette tailgate me, brake checked him, he backed off. Oops, dead animal, quick swerve! (*Ok, I'm in the clear, almost to my friends' house - oh ****, that's a roundabout!!). Made it through the roundabout and to my friends' place but I was shaking so bad that I had to smoke three cigarettes end to end to calm down. Oh, and I don't smoke much!!!
Two weeks later, took a four hour bike trip to Leesburg cruisin' all the way. My final test came riding with a pack of 7 other bikers. We pulled into a business and there was about a 30 degree 15 foot long incline to get into the parking lot, the girl in front of me stalled on it and I had to stop across the incline! Well I braked and held it til she cleared then gave it gas and slowly released the brake at the same time and popped up the hill just fine. Got off my bike and one of my friends was lookin at me (he's 6'5" and rides one of those Boss Hoss lookalike American King monsters) with big eyes and says "Girl, YOU ARE A BIKER!! I've seen veteren riders lose it doing that and you handled it like it was nothin'!!!"
I've been smiling ever since!
I actually owned my 2000 Pearl Whit FLSTF before I could officially ride it. Been riding with friends (on the back of course) for a couple of years and when my beau got his bike, I couldn't stand it! Had to have my own and my girlfriend had an awesome 1998 FB so I followed her lead (I mean, she just looked so kewl cruisin on it)!
Signed up to take the MSF course with a great instructor but the wait was going to be three weeks before class started - agony. Convinced my boyfriend to teach me the bike basics out in our pasture. Did pretty well for the first couple of rounds and then disaster...I tried to turn too sharply, my floorboard caught a pile of dirt, and down I went! Awful. Caught the handlebar in my upper thigh and my knee dinged the tank. It hurt a bit and I still have a ding in my tank as well as my thigh! Definitely acquired a new respect for the bike!
Couple of weeks passed and took the motorcycle class. Went well and I was off again. My first ride after being officially licensed went like this:
Followed my dude on backroads. Came over a blind hill where minivan tipped into ditch. ~70 people milling around on the road. (*Please don't make me stop on this hill - whew, got waved through*). Continued on scenic windy backroads. Around a corner here comes something louder than my bike. 1 firetruck, 2 firetrucks, 3 firetrucks, 4 firetrucks and finally the ambulance. (*Ok, I didn't get blown off the curve into a ditch - bonus*). Had a corvette tailgate me, brake checked him, he backed off. Oops, dead animal, quick swerve! (*Ok, I'm in the clear, almost to my friends' house - oh ****, that's a roundabout!!). Made it through the roundabout and to my friends' place but I was shaking so bad that I had to smoke three cigarettes end to end to calm down. Oh, and I don't smoke much!!!
Two weeks later, took a four hour bike trip to Leesburg cruisin' all the way. My final test came riding with a pack of 7 other bikers. We pulled into a business and there was about a 30 degree 15 foot long incline to get into the parking lot, the girl in front of me stalled on it and I had to stop across the incline! Well I braked and held it til she cleared then gave it gas and slowly released the brake at the same time and popped up the hill just fine. Got off my bike and one of my friends was lookin at me (he's 6'5" and rides one of those Boss Hoss lookalike American King monsters) with big eyes and says "Girl, YOU ARE A BIKER!! I've seen veteren riders lose it doing that and you handled it like it was nothin'!!!"
I've been smiling ever since!