Wild Motorcycle Tales - Safe riding is no Accident Page 2

Wild Motorcycle Tales

Safe riding is no Accident

Page 2

He said that the bike had been modified by Sonny Barger, which meant nothing to me at the time. I didn't have $4,000 so I asked him if he would consider a trade. I had an old Remington 870 twelve gauge that I used to duck hunt with when I lived in Minnesota, and a black powder .50 cal flintlock for hunting deer. He said he would settle for the $3000 and those two guns. I'm sure he thought he got the better deal, which maybe he did.

But in reality, the Harley was a great starter bike. It was plain enough that it didn't matter what I did to it while I was learning to ride, but special enough that I didn't mind riding it.

The next day, we transferred the title into my name, and he loaded the bike into the back of his truck to tow it to Casa Grande. He followed behind me the entire way and dropped it off at my apartment. I put a cover over it and was the proud new owner of a leaky old Harley Sportster.

I signed up for a T.E.A.M. motorcycle training class hosted on the following weekend, which was one day of lecture and testing, and the following day we would ride motorcycles provided for us and then be given a pass/fail for licensing.

The other unappealing option was to be tested by the DMV, which supposedly had a strict examination that had a low passing rate. I decided to pay my $100 for the T.E.A.M examination, which was money well spent.

The week prior to the training class, I tested my bike out on the back roads of Casa Grande. I can not express how invaluable this experience was, since there was little to no traffic on the back roads. This is what a beginning biker needs, so it's just him, the bike, the road and few if any other distractions.

Let me tell you, the first time you put a motorcycle in gear and pull out onto a road, you truly are a bad ass. You are taking your life into your own hands, and you are maybe the most exposed and vulnerable you will ever be. If you have any fear whatsoever of death, you better come to grips with it before you go out riding, because if you hit a dog, or if someone in a car doesn't see you and hits you while you are doing 40 mph, you might very well be at the end of the rainbow.

These things go through your mind the first time you push the starter button and feel the engine rumbling beneath you, and believe me, I felt all that while I was out testing the Harley for the first few rides.

I like to tell people that I strapped on a big set of balls before going out, and figuratively I did. I've met people since who can not overcome the fear of being snuffed out in one big fiery crash, so they only drive cars and view riding with a mix of fear and admiration.

My first time riding, I knew the Reaper was on my back seat, and I said screw it, let's go! That's what it takes to get started riding at mid life, and if you don't have that spirit, I'd say, do yourself a favor and stay in the cage.

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