The Early Years
I got my first motorcycle, a 2006 Honda Rebel 250, when I was 19. It was used, but less than a year old at the time, with about 600 miles.
I had never ridden a motorcycle before, and foolishly didn't take an MSF class to learn, but rather decided that I could just teach myself.
To my credit, though, I did buy a jacket, helmet, and gloves, along with the bike.
The dealership delivered the bike to my home, and I set out trying to get a feel for starting from a stop in my driveway.
I had only just learned how to drive a stick-shift car the previous year (in an old MGB), so I was still pretty new to the whole concept of
clutch control and shifting.
Eventually, I was proficient enough to start putting around the neighborhood, shifting from first to second, coming to a stop, and starting
again. After a week or two of that, I finally ventured out onto real surface streets. This was an exhilarating and honestly frightful
experience. One thing you learn immediately is that car drivers are not conditioned to really see motorcycles; you are practically invisible!
I had that Rebel for a little over a year. It got me through all sorts of weather, all sorts of trips, and all sorts of fun! Topping out
at around 75mph, it wasn't the best tool for long distances, but I did manage to drive from Oklahoma to Texas once. It was my only vehicle for a bit, after the
head gasket in my mkIII Supra blew (a common issue with the 7M-GTE engine. I even had a metal head gasket kit and new head bolts ready to install, but I didn't get to it
soon enough. My greatest automotive heartbreak!).
I sold the bike to a friend of mine and immediately replaced it with something arguably out of my league: a 1977 Honda CB750!
This was a fairly ragged example that had been cafe-racer styled on the cheap. Sloppily applied orange metallic paint on the tank with thick, black paint
on the frame, drop handle-bars, and an muffler that was practically an empty tube. I loved that thing! It was loud, fast, and had the trashy bad-boy appeal
that really attracted me (and nobody else, except my boss who had one when she lived in China, years ago). This was the machine that showed me how much
faster a motorcycle could be than even a decent sports car, and oh boy, I was absolutely not responsible enough for something like that, haha!
At this time, I still did not have my motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license, the bike was unregistered and uninsured, and
I liked going fast. So obviously, the bike got impounded. Honestly, I'm lucky that the outcome wasn't much, much worse. The cost to get it out of impound
was quite a bit more than I had paid for the bike, so I didn't bother (i.e. couldn't afford to, haha). After about 2 or 3 years, that bike was gone,
and I didn't get another for about 17 years.
Getting Back on the Saddle
A few years ago, I got the itch to get another motorcycle. I had just moved out of state to start a new job, and I wanted to treat myself.
However, I endeavored to do it right this time. I took an MSF class,
had a great time, and finally got my motorcycle endorsement. You might guess that I'd go with a third Honda, but I actually ended up with a 2022 Harley-Davidson Nightster.
This was a brand new model, though a returning name, to the Harley lineup. It featured a very modern engine, cool looks, and
a fun trick: The gas tank was under the seat to improve handling through better weight distribution. That meant that you had to unlock and flip the seat up to fill up.
It certainly got a lot of curious looks and some enthusiastic conversations at the gas station! It was a fun bike around town, but not so much on the highway. The wind
was pretty brutal, and the seating position got uncomfortable after an hour or so.
Only a few months later, I traded it in for another new Harley model, a 2023 Pan America. This was their first go at making an adventure bike,
intended to do a mix of long highways and some off-road. I loaded this butter-colored bike up with camping gear and starting hitting up the state parks around me
in Oklahoma and Arkansas. It was so much fun, riding out to some remote place, stringing up my hammock (in my opinion, more comfortable and easier than a tent setup),
and enjoying the outdoors! The Pan America is a blast to ride, and you can easily kit it out with plenty of luggage and accessories. However, it's not a bike I'd
reccommend at all! I had it suddenly cut off on me three times while riding, two of those times on the highway! There were a few other electrical gremlins, and
the navigation app it uses for displaying maps on the dash is abysmal. I saw some even more serious issues experienced by other riders online, and decided I should ditch this
thing before it blew up on me.
After a little over a year with the PanAm, I realized I did very little dirt riding, so I decided I should go with a more classic road touring bike.
At first, I tried the Harley Softail Heritage Classic, but ended up really loving the exact type of bike I used to make fun of: a full dresser. I settled on a 2024 Road Glide
Limited, an absolute behemoth! With some more recent years of riding experience under my belt, I actually found that piloting nearly 1000 pounds of motorcycle wasn't nearly as
hard as I thought it would be. Now, I'm no expert, and I'm pretty far off from being able to complete one of those crazy police riding tests, but I've got enough of a feel for
riding now that most situations are no trouble at all! The luggage capacity was a big plus, and I can even go grocery shopping on my bike now!
I really think this Road Glide is going to be a long-term bike with many miles ahead of us. That said, I really need to plan another camping trip soon
and get back out on empty roads and some revitalizing nature scenery!