I just wanna!

by Mary
(East Bay, CA)

Motorcycles had always scared me. Plus it didn't help knowing that my aunt died of a motorcycle crash at the tender age of 19. There did not seem to be any reason why someone would want to forgo the protection of a car for the vulnerability of two wheels. It seemed like a different world, filled with beer guzzlers and handlebar mustaches.

That is until my boyfriend took me for a ride. I was ambivalent at first, but I always vowed to try new things at least once. And it helped that I trusted him completely. He showed me the romance of the open road you never experience in a car. You feel the wind, and you smell the air. Cornering in a twisty mountain road gives you more of a relationship with the road you're on than you would ever have with a car.

As soon as finances permitted, I wanted my own bike (that was only a couple of weeks ago, so I'm still a newbie). I wanted to understand for myself the love and drive to ride that he had. I try and master many other skills and hobbies, and riding was a skill I wanted under my belt.

I just didn't know how damned fun it would be.