The Scooter? It Grew Up
May 1, 2005
Never is an awfully long time. I may have thought about owning/riding a motorcycle in my youth but after losing some friends and family to motorcycle accidents, I said no way. Well, the scooter started it, and now I have a Harley Sportser 883. It is very powerful!
We found it while we were celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary. We stopped in at a cycle shop in Napa on our way to the wine train. I wanted to see what a Sportster was like as George had said a Sportster would be good for me because it is smaller than the big hawgs. The shop owner showed me this one on his bulletin board that was brand new, for sale. Well, one thing led to another and that's what I'm sitting on in the above photo. I got my permit the other day so I can ride, with restrictions. I am taking my rider class at the end of May with George. I'll take it easy since I am a brand new rider and stay off the main roads until I have had my class. I can't stay off it entirely!
As you can see, I have on my chaps, my helmet and my leather jacket. My riding boots should arrive this week to protect my feet and ankles better than mere athletic shoes. I'm also looking for a jacket with reinforced elbows.
It's not as hard to ride as I thought it might be. The shifting thing really had me nervous and I figured I would be confused and screw up, but I haven't yet. The toughest gear is first, and I remember when I learned to stick shift way back when how hard first was. I stalled out a few times, but letting out the clutch started me right back up.
I'll be careful!
