It all started when…

Motorcycles have always intrigued me but they were always a pipe dream, just out of reach. My Dad had motorcycles back in the 60’s and 70’s. Him and his buddies would fly around the logging roads of Quilcene astride Trail 90’s and other little 2 stroke bikes exploring the forest around them for as long as the light or the gas held out. He had an affinity for British bikes and bought BSAs and Triumphs but sold his last one shortly after starting his family. Growing up in rural Western Washington, I knew a lot of kids who had dirt bikes but my mom being the worrier she is(Hi Mom! Look no hands!) never would allow any of us kids the freedom of a motor and 2 wheels. It wasn’t until high school that my older brother, serving in the Army, bought a bike. It was brand new, a Honda Shadow. The stock exhaust note left a lot to be desired but to me, it was incredible. I couldn’t believe he had done it, he bought a motorcycle despite our Mom’s furious protests! It finally dawned on me, adults with the means to do so can defy their mothers and ride motorcycles. Suddenly that pipe dream didn’t seem so far fetched.

My friend Pete already had a bike, Tony had sold his a few years back and missed it dearly and Dan had last ridden a decade ago but wanted to get back in. It was the winter of 2019 and I asked my wife one day if she would mind if I went and signed up for a motorcycle safety course. Her only stipulation was that she got to take it too. She now admits that a small part of her was hoping that my worrying nature(thanks Mom!) would override my desire once I knew that she was going to be out there with me. We got signed up and I have to admit I was the guy in the class that had researched, read, watched online videos and studied for this thing like it was my job. Fortunately there was already a couple of “Know it all” types in our class so that saved my wife the embarrassment of sitting next to the teachers pet. Our class had a huge failure rate, nearly fifty percent! One know it all, a young kid, didn’t show up for day two after getting reprimanded for not listening on day one. A couple ladies dumped their bikes during drills and one guy crashed during the straight line stop test. My poor wife tipped over during the ninety degree right turn from a stop. From inside my helmet a couple positions behind her waiting for my turn I hear this young girls voice from behind me, “Your wife’s a bitch!” Excuse me? “That right’s a bitch!” Oh yeah, it sure is high school girl. It sure is.

Fast forward a few weeks and the sun is shining and that new motorcycle endorsement is burning a hole in my pocket. I’ve been looking online for weeks, maybe even months at this point and I’m going back and forth between two schools of thought, new or used? New would be great, get exactly what I want, no one has abused it yet, factory warranty, dealer support but also a high price tag and am I really confident I won’t at least tip it over a time or two? Used has its own set of pro’s, way cheaper, maybe get some nice upgrades someone already took care of for me, and if there’s already a ding or scratch when I knock it over in my driveway, then maybe I won’t notice the new ones as much right? I still hadn’t decided for certain when I came across my bike online at a car dealership in Tacoma. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t the right Triumph, it was A Triumph. It didn’t matter that it was older than I wanted, it had less than 1,000 miles a year put on it. Its my favorite color and its within my budget. I took my little utility trailer and picked it up the next weekend. Listen, I live on the west side of the Puget Sound. My first ride on this new to me, used bike, was not going to include the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

I just renewed my tabs for the first time. This first year has flown by. I’m starting this blog because I know my wife is tired of hearing me talk about my bike, my rides, where I want to go next. She’s gotten used to hearing “Motorcycle Stuff” whenever she asks what I’m looking at on my phone, what I’m texting about with Pete, Tony or Dan. She, by the way, decided that she doesn’t want a bike of her own. She took the class to see if it was really something she wanted to do. She’s glad she did it, she feels more comfortable with me doing it, and more comfortable being a passenger with that understanding of what I’m doing in front of her.

Stop by again soon. I have some rides to write up and much more in the tank for this season. If you have some ideas of your own on places I should go, roads I need to take or any other suggestions let me know by dropping a comment.