Meant to Be

by Linda Klein
(Baltimore, Maryland)

I have ridden on the back of my husbands bike for years, a Kawasaki Vulcan 1500. I always wanted to ride my own bike, though. I'm barely even 5'2", so I knew I didn't want to learn on his bike. Nonetheless, whenever I would see a women rider I would get that wishful feeling that maybe someday...

I am a nurse, and an anesthesiologist I work with has a motorcycle and one day we were talking about riding. He didn't know I always wanted my own bike, but mentioned that a nurse he knows is selling her bike for half the cost and it was barely used! (turns out she chickened out once she got it and never rode it outside of a parking lot). And it was a Kawasaki Vulcan (best part) 500! Perfect for my first bike. My 21 year old suddenly got the urge to own a bike, so he came home that same weekend with a great deal..a Kawasaki Vulcan 800! I immediately signed up for the Harley Davidson new rider class with my Dad. He always wanted to learn to ride too. The class was great and I learned so much. I passed the test the first time around, and have been riding ever since.

I know if it wasn't for that nurse selling her bike, and the conversation I had with the doctor, I still would be looking longingly at other women riders. I needed the circumstances to be just right, for everything to fall into place. I feel like I was meant to ride!