Motorcycling

I got my first "motorcycle" at the tender age of 9. Really that first bike was a small metal frame with a three horse Tecumseh lawn mower engine (like this). I quickly moved up the dirt bike ranks and finally at 17 got my first street bike and my 'm' endorsement.

I recently tried going without a bike for the first time. I lasted about 6 months. In late April I broke down and bought a 2008 Triumph Bonneville Black. My first brand new bike. Since then I've put about 2,200 miles on it. The only time my car has moved is to go to the store or drive the dog somewhere. That's easy in the spring/summer in Georgia though.

With gas at $4 a gallon, the 50 MPG I get on the Bonneville just makes since. When using a motorcycle as your main source of transportation, reactions from others run along several themes:

1. "I've always wanted a motorcycle" accompanied by a far off look. Usually followed by something along the lines of "my wife/girlfriend/mom won't let me" or "I just can't afford it right now."
2. The common variation of #1 is "I used to have a motorcycle," followed by excuses of having a wreck, generally losing the nerve (The Fear, a future post), starting a family, etc. This seems to happen with increased frequency since I got the "retro styled" Bonneville.
   
3. The flip side of the #1 and #2 is "My husband/boyfriend/son keeps talking about buying a motorcycle, I'm sure he would wreck and die."
4. With increasing frequency I get "what kind of gas mileage do you get on that thing?" The best one of these was actually at a stop light from a guy driving a Honda Insight.
5. Finally, you get the "aren't you scared you will wreck?" This can be accompanied by either awe or disgust.

I guess I'm lucky that I got into motorcycling early. I learned the basics on small displacement bikes in the dirt. The advantage being, I got to make the normal mistakes at low speeds and on a softer surface.

I think starting on a small bike and, if possible, in the dirt is the way to get into the sport safely. To many guys go out and buy a liter bike or big cruiser and either end up in the hospital (or worse) or scared away forever.

On the other hand, there is an unfortunate stigma with small displacement, light motorcycles. Most riders fall into the bigger is better mindset and pass this on to those new to the sport. While I was signing the papers on my Bonneville, there was a new rider there checking out a Speedmaster (already a somewhat large bike for a newbie). The salesman (having just heard the guy say it would be his first bike) immediately tried to up-sell him on a Rocket III, the biggest bike Triumph sells.

I know a lot of people who have come late to the sport and had good luck with MSF courses. Short of starting out as a kid in a field, I think this is the way to go. It's been on my list for awhile to see what it's all about. The couple times a year that someone asks me how to get started, this is the route I suggest, along with the smallest bike you can stand (I believe MSF uses Honda Rebels).

Anyway, I'm hoping that increased interest in motorcycling will be a side effect of the crazy hikes we've seen in gas prices lately. I've had several conversations with people thinking about buying a bike for the gas mileage, but haven't seen a lot of action yet. In the end, the more people on two wheels the better, in my opinion.