More Practice

Today we went to practice some more on the motorcycles. This is our last weekend before we take the safety course, so I really wanted to take the opportunity to get as much practice in as possible. P. was able to go with me today. We went over to meet my mom and her boyfriend at their place. Last weekend I practiced on the Honda they have. Since P. and I both were going, they decided to take the Honda and my mom's Sportster (which is a Harley-Davidson). She hadn't really ridden the Sportster before today. Since P. is so tall, the Honda was much too small for him to ride on...it's really even too small for me, and he's almost a foot taller.

So we went to meet my mom and her boyfriend, and they rode the two bikes over to the parking lot where we were practicing. My mom has her Motorcycle Permit, which means she can operate one on the road as long as she doesn't have a passenger. We followed them to try to make sure no other traffic got close to them. Mom still isn't comfortable riding in heavy traffic yet, which is certainly understandable. We made it over to our empty parking lot and got ready to ride. Since the plan was for P. to ride the Sportster since it's bigger than the Harley, my mom had to ride it first. It was only fair that she get the chance to ride her bike before anybody else. So she took it for a couple of trips around the parking lot. She looks really good on that bike...it's the perfect size for her. She said it definitely felt different from the Honda.

After my mom took the Sportster for a spin, P. got on it and I got on the Honda. V. (my mom's boyfriend) asked if I needed any sort of refresher, and I told him I thought I remembered from last weekend. I started it up, put it in gear, and took off. It felt so good to be able to ride around, knowing I remembered what he had taught me a week ago. I wasn't nearly as nervous as before. So I practiced for a while, and P. practiced on the Sportster. After a while I decided to take a break and drink some water and relax.

V. asked if I was taking a break, and asked my permission to ride the kids on the Honda. They were ready this week. Last weekend they wore shorts and sandals, and V. wouldn't let them ride because he told them they needed to be wearing long pants and good shoes. Today they made sure to put on long pants and their tennis shoes because "V. said we could ride." So I told him it was fine to ride them around the parking lot. When A. got on the back of that bike with him, though (she rode first), a part of me just wanted to yank her off of there and tell her she wasn't allowed to ride on the back of a bike until she was 30! She LOVED it! J. was next, and he loved it too. My only regret is that my camera wasn't working. I had it with me, and even had my memory card in it (unlike last weekend), but my battery was dead! GRRRR!

After V. rode the kids, P. brought the Sportster back over. My mom rode it around a couple more times, and V. wanted me to try it out. So I did. Oh. My. Goodness. When I started it up, I could just feel the power. Then when I took off on it, I was hooked for sure! It may sound crazy, since it's a bigger and heavier motorcycle, but it's actually easier to ride than the Honda. I felt much more stable. I can't explain it, really, but it's just so fun!!

P. was watching as I was riding my mom's Sportster this evening, and he told V. that I was actually almost too tall for that bike. Almost, but not quite. The motorcycle he bought me is a Sportster, but it's an older model (1981 - my mom's is a 2003), and it's bigger. I can't wait till he gets it fixed up and I can try it out.

OK, I know, I'm gushing! I can't help it. This is the first time I've really been this excited about anything for a while. I think one of the best things about this is that it's something that P. and I can enjoy together, and teach our kids to enjoy it too as they get older.