One step at a time

Got my new bike in the garage, and it's insured, but not licensed yet. Well, neither am I, but first things first.

Tomorrow I'll to go to the Secretary of State to transfer the title and get the bike registered. Supposed to do that within 15 days of the sale. I wonder what happens if I don't ...

And here's something I didn't know -- I'll pay sales tax when I get it registered. That's a chunk of change when you're talking about a sale worth several thousand dollars.

So even though I don't have a cycle endorsement on my driver's license yet, I can buy and license a motorcycle. That's empowering.

But I cannot insure it in my own name without that endorsement, since I can't legally drive it. So for now it's on my husband's policy with Progressive. You know -- Progressive's commercials have that perky saleswoman in the headband? Love her or hate her, Progressive is the best company for motorcyclists; everybody says so. Heck, even my auto insurance agent at AAA suggested I get another quote when I called him first. What was I thinking? I forgot we already have a motorcycle policy with Progressive. And with good reason: AAA quoted me a price twice as much.

It was so easy, too. I called the 800-number and a friendly woman on the phone chatted with me about my new Honda while she filled in the relevant details. Good choice for a first bike, she assured me. Bike people are so friendly!

And here's something else I didn't know: Motorcycle insurance is not no-fault, and you don't get coverage for injuries incurred in a collision -- that's what my AAA agent told me. If you get hurt, he said, you'll need your Blue Cross to take care of it. That's nice if you HAVE Blue Cross. Guess what happens to those who aren't so fortunate.

The creepiest part of thinking this through is that just today we heard about a cyclist in his 50s who was seriously injured going through an intersection in West Bloomfield. Apparently, someone ran a red light. Of course, the driver of the automobile that hit him wasn't hurt.

I find myself hoping that biker was the one in the wrong, cuz it makes me feel safer. We choose not to think about the danger, because if we did, we might never do anything at all. So it helps to think the other guy's at fault. That won't happen to ME.

I could choose never to ride my new bike, but I'm committed. The best thing I can do is be prepared. And that means taking the motorcycle safety course, in which I'm already enrolled. Once I do -- and pass it -- I can call up Progressive and tell them I have been PROPERLY trained. They give you a discount for that.

So I'm taking this one step at a time. I have the bike to practice on when I'm ready, and in the meantime, I'm doing my homework, preparing my mind to be a safer motorcycle driver.

Which bike's right for me? Part II

Well, maybe I jumped the gun, but within one day of going out to "just get an idea" what kind of bike I might want, I BOUGHT one.

And it is SWEET -- the bike of my dreams. Cherry red, wide classic fenders, with lots of chrome, already outfitted with a windshield and bags, and driven only on Sundays by a little old lady from Pasadena.

LOL -- just kiddin', Kathy!

But seriously, the lady who owned the bike took really good care of her. Never rode her in the rain. Kept her in the garage and tucked her in with a blanket and pillow at night. She has only 3528 miles on her. I can hardly wait to get it on the road.

But I have to. I don't have my cycle endorsement yet. :(

I'm taking the basic motorcycle safety course next month, and I'm terribly impatient. It doesn't help that I had to insure it in my husband's name, temporarily, and he'll get to ride her home before I do. *pout* He is just itching to get his butt on MY saddle.

The Harley salesman we met Saturday, Hank Taylor at American Harley-Davidson & Buell in Ann Arbor, sent me a nice follow-up email. I felt a little bit bad telling him that I'd already bought another bike. But heck, for about the same price, I got hundreds of dollars' worth of extra-cool modifications that make me drool. What else could I do?

The weirdest thing -- or should I say the real sign this was the right thing to do -- is that I had set aside money in my savings account to buy a new car someday when mine craps out. And the amount I had saved for the last several months was EXACTLY what the lady was asking for her Honda Shadow.

If that ain't providence, what is?

Which bike's right for me? Part I

Today we went out looking at bikes -- get an idea what might be right for my first bike.

My husband has a Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1600; comfortable for the two of us traveling on freeways or back roads. But this summer, I hope to travel in tandem with him on his Nomad, and me on my ... starter bike.

I'm not even thinking about highway riding yet. Just a little cruiser I can get comfortable with and stick some miles in my back pocket.

We've been looking on the Internet for a while, but since I really have no experience, I needed to get a feel for different bikes. I love the look of big, chromed, fat-fendered, dressed bikes with big bags. Oh, yes -- I AM a woman with baggage. Just ask my husband.

But all of that adds weight. And while I'm no 90-pound weakling, I doubt I could lift that Kaaw if I dumped it.

My thought was to get something with a low center of gravity, so it won't feel too heavy to handle, but not too big. Maybe something in the range of 500 cc to 750 cc. Too heavy or too high powered, it might run away from me. Too light and I'll be worn out fighting the wind.

I want to travel this summer -- spend weekends riding wherever I can get to in an afternoon, just seeing where the road takes us.

So we visited several dealerships, looking at new and used bikes. On the Net, I thought I liked the Kawasaki Vulcan 550, but once I tipped it upright and pushed its weight on the showroom floor, I saw it was heavier than I'd expected. I started considering the Honda Shadow 750 and -- to my surprise -- the Suzuki Boulevard S50, which was really light despite an 800 cc engine. The Shadow had something I like -- the Spirit is a sportster like others I looked at, but the Aero has classic fat fenders like the bigger bikes.

"How much experience do you have?" the salesmen asked when I said I'm looking for a starter bike. "None," I replied flatly. The conversation generally ended with a friendly, "When you take your rider safety course, come back and see us."

We owned a Yamaha V-Star 650 a few years ago, and that proved too lightweight for the two of us, but could be just right for me solo, we thought. I changed my mind in comparison to the other bikes I tried today.

And even more surprising, since I never really considered a Harley, I liked a used 883L Sportster. The L stands for low, and it maneuvers easily under 5 mph.

A friendly guy named Road Dog showed it to us. He has a thick, wavy ponytail falling down to his knees -- Don't you just hate guys with better hair than yours? He said he wasn't a salesman, but he'd be happy to show me something I could handle.

He started up the 883 right there in the showroom, but the patented HD rumble didn't seem so overwhelming coming out of that sweet little ride. I told him nobody else today had started the bikes up for me. "Then how do you know if it runs or not?" he said.

Hmm... faith?

He introduced us to one of the salesmen, who took his time with us and urged us to put a down payment on the bike if we were serious. But I haven't made up my mind yet. The gas tank on the 883 only handles 3.3 gallons of fuel, meaning we'd probably have to stop every 90 miles or so.

The bikes we've looked at ranged from around three grand to $7,000. That's not counting tax, options and delivery, if you buy new. It's a lot to consider.

But the one thing that's most important is something I can't determine in a showroom. How will it feel scooting down the road?

Honda Shadow Aero









Honda Shadow Spirit

Suzuki Boulevard S50











Harley-Davidson Sportster 883L

Welcome to my blog

Fifteen years ago I felt like one of the pioneers on the Web, writing HTML code for my own website and loudly proclaiming the New Media.
But something changed as I moved toward my middle years. My colleagues passed me in both lanes on the Information Highway.
But no more. Today I embark on two journeys -- one online, and one on the road.
This blog will focus on my journey as a middle-aged woman learning to ride her OWN motorcycle for the first time.
I have a lot of fears about it -- but it feels like the right time to do it, and I hope to share my agonies and joys with you, and I hope you'll share yours with me.
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News: Michigan Lawmakers vote to drop helmet requirement for riders 21 and older.  What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Would you wear a helmet if it weren't required?