Yes! Today was the day. I successfully attended Day One of a motorcycle safety class at our Local University. If I can keep it together the rest of the week, I’ll have my motorcycle license this coming Friday.
Why would I want to do such a thing? Many people have asked me that question, and I’m still asking myself hourly. I desperately wanted to ride my own motorcycle when I was in my thirties. But my children were quite young, and while the desire was there, my mothering instinct overcame my desire for cheap motorcycle thrills. Now that I’m staring down the ginormous barrel of fifty, I still worry that I’ll get hit by a red light-running moron, leaving my babies motherless. I just have more confidence in myself as a rider/driver.
We spent this morning in the classroom, talking in small groups, discussing why we were there, and answering questions in the handbook. There were videos, too. Nothing grisly or graphic. The bikes in the video were extremely nice, and the models/actors attractive. About 35 people had signed up for the class–mostly men. A couple of scooter riders. It was a pretty tame crowd. I mean, it was a motorcycle safety class. People who don’t care about riding responsibly aren’t going to take a class. (Just like folks who take gun safety courses–they’re a risk-averse bunch.)
I’m studying more of the booklet tonight.
Tomorrow we actually get on the bikes. 125…somethings. Not very big bikes. But they have clutches and throttles and chokes and all that good stuff.
Here’s the battlefield:
Wish me luck!
awesome!!
It’s great that you let yourself be one of those people who want to learn about riding responsibly. Taking a motorcycle class is important especially that there are lots of road accidents these days and, mostly involving motorcycles. You might really want to be more knowledgeable about riding, huh? So, how was your motorcycle class? I hope it went well and you’ve learned a lot about motorcycle riding.
This is great, Laura! Well, I remember the time when my father didn’t want me to ride a motorcycle. The only time he changed his mind is when I proposed him the idea of taking motorcycle safety courses. He knew that this will certainly teach me how to ride safely and responsibly. That’s why he agreed. 🙂 Now, it is our father-daughter bonding. We drive around the city and stop by at a fast food joint whenever we feel hungry after a fun motorcycle trip! 😀
@Hannah, I’m a father of three kids, and I only have one daughter. She’s my precious darling, that’s why when she reaches the age when she’s finally allowed to drive; I would also do what your father did — to make sure that she’ll learn to ride the motorcycle safely and responsibly. 🙂
Well, fathers want the best for their children; so it’s really a great thing for fathers to enroll their children in a motorcycle safety class. It’s just their way of ensuring their child will learn the right way of riding a bike safely and responsibly.