Motorcycle mama

Finally did it.

For years I've wanted to learn to ride a motorcycle. Heck, Mark has ridden for ever and although I am an excellent passenger, I want to go solo.

A new outfit was the perfect fit: Westside Motorcycle Academy.

The classroom section was the day I landed from Chicago. Despite feeling a bit ill, I went.

For three hours, we went through the handbook and I only missed two out of 50 questions on the test.

Learning to ride was over two days, five hours a day. The 1st day was miserable. Rain rain and more rain. If I was starting to feel better, that put me in reverse.

The bikes were, to be expected, crappy and in 2 days, I was on at least 3 bikes due to bike failure, non-starts, and complaining students. One guy was crying that he was too tall for his bike for so for some reason, they took the bike from the smallest person (and only girl) in class.

The test after the second day I thought I breezed. Wrong. I heard the instructor say to keep all the cones on your inside, so I did. She was wrong and I "went off the cliff" i.e, past the faded yellow marks. I had the option of returning that night to retest and I did and passed. This time the instructor (someone different) actually walked her class through the obstacle. Uh yeah, that would have been helpful.

There was another student from my class who had to retest but he did not pass. What a bummer.

Here are the bikes we rode. Kinda reminded me of being in Cambodia. Just needed a family of four on one of those things.

The bike I rode the 2nd day. The first day, I was on a Honda Virago with twice the engine power.

Now all I need to do is take the written test at the DMV.