Girls, Get on Those Bikes! Gas Prices Demand It

I am a motorcycle lover. I don't mean being on the back of the bike holding onto my man. I am in control of my bike, and more women should try handling a bike. Don't be afraid. Or be afraid, but do it anyway! It feels so good to get past a fearful event, and learning anything new can be scary. Now is the time to step up with gas prices going ever higher and showing no signs of going back down. I am sure you have looked at other women riders and wondered if you could do that. Have you wondered if you could handle the bike and not fall or look stupid doing it? Or do you resign yourself to be comfortable on the back so you can look cute and wear sexy clothes? Get a sense of pride and power that comes with having your own bike. Start out slowly. Here's an account of what I did.

My husband purchased a Honda Rebel 250 for me to try. He didn't own a bike but thought that if I liked it, he could buy one! Gas mileage is about 70 miles to a gallon. Try to beat that! I decided to sign up for a weekend motorcycle class before I created any bad habits that I would have to fix later. I found a class located at a local Harley store called MSF Rider Course. The cost for this type of class is about $250.00. I started riding in a parking lot or just around my block so I would know how to shift gears before I took the class. I didn't want the pressure of the whole class waiting on me if I happened to be the only one who had never shifted before. So I practiced every night for about 30 minutes for 2 weeks before the class. I got the hang of it ok although I wasn't smooth by any means. Then I started the class.

Unfortunately, we students couldn't use our own bikes. Some places do allow you to use your own, so look for that if you don't want to use a bike from the instructor. The bikes for the class were Harley's Buell 500cc's. The temperature here in sunny Pensacola, Florida, was about 35 degrees. Granted, it was December, but even that's cold for this area. To top it off, it was raining cats and dogs. I get cold easily, and before noon I couldn't feel my fingers or toes. I couldn't stop shivering!