I learned to ride on an old '69 Yamaha 650 back in March of 1974. I was in the Navy, stationed at NAS North Island in San Diego. I was required to take a Motorcycle Safety course on the base, in order to be able to ride on the base. At the time, I did not own my own motorcycle, but I borrowed and rode the Yamaha a fair amount, as well as a Kawasaki 400, a Kawasaki 650, an old Harley Sportster, and a few others for the three years I was in California. In September of 1974, I took the California MC Driving skills test and passed. I used the Kawasaki 400 to take the California DMV test.
My first bike was a Honda 360 CB that I purchased used in 1977. I rode that for three years.
Subsequent motorcycles I have owned: Honda 450, Honda Magna 700, Honda Magna 1100.
My current motorcycle is a 1998 Honda Valkyrie Tourer.
I have used my motorcycle to commute to work, and I prefer to travel by motorcycle whenever I can. I estimate that I have averaged between 8K and 10K miles per year, since I began to ride. So that calculates out to be about 232K to 300K lifetime miles that I've ridden.
My current mileage on my Valkyrie as of April 2004 is 82K and counting.
I purchased my Valkyrie in July of 1998. I was told by the salesman that the Valkyrie engine would last at least 200K miles. Upon hearing that, I committed myself to finding out if this were true.
Since 1987, I have done the Ramapo 500 Run every year, except for 2000. In 2000, it poured buckets for days, so I opted to sit it out.
In July 2002, I joined the Motor Maids. I had thought about joining this club in the past because it is the oldest women's motorcycle club in the US. But I knew very little about the women who were members, until I attended the AMA's Women & Motorcycling Conference in 2002. It was at this event that I had the privilege of witnessing Jan Barrett, then current President of the Motor Maids, ride the BattleTrax course. I was impressed with how well she "flicked" her GoldWing through the hairpin turns of the course.
In June of 2003, I attended one of Larry Grodsky's Stayin' Safe Training Tours. What a blast! It was a two day tour through the tight twisties of the Shenandoah Mountains. The first day it poured buckets. At breakfast, during our pre-ride chat, one of the other students asked Larry if we still do the tour even in the rain. Larry just looked at him. And I looked at the other six guys and one woman, and none of us were about to bail out. So we road the first day of training in the rain. Who said you can't learn something new on every ride? There were no "mishaps" or "adrenaline moments" and everyone had a solidly enjoyable ride.
Later that month, I attended the Mid-Atlantic Women's Motorcycle Rally held in Gettysburg, PA. I had always wanted to tour the Gettysburg area and took advantage of the Rally's accommodations to do just that. The rally was fun, but I like to ride when I go on a trip. So I wasn't around for too many of the activities. However, I found some great back roads to and from Gettysburg and all around the area.
PennDot MSF update - Basic Rider Course, Valley Forge, PA May 2002 - BRC Instructor Certification
PennDot MSF update - Basic Rider Course, Valley Forge, PA March 2003 - BRC Instructor Update
Other Training taken:
Shenandoah/Blue Ridge Training Tour with Stayin' Safe Motorcycle Training given by Larry Grodsky - June of 2003. This tour was not only alot of fun, but also added greatly to my cornering proficiency. Highly recommended for those who think there's no more to be learned about cornering their motorcycles in the twisties, (especially while riding in the rain!).
I have ridden in rain, in very cold weather, in very hot weather, in very thick fog, and at night.
I have ridden in California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Rhode Island, and DC.
I have ridden in the mountains, in the cities (including, LA, San Diego, Jacksonville, Orlando, Philadelphia, Knoxville, and NYC), and in parades.
I have ridden on gravel, on really bad roads, on mud, over metal grated bridges (as well as other types of bridges), over sand (carefully!), on grass, through puddles, in high winds, in terrible rush hour traffic, and I have ridden on many poor roads while in bad weather.
I have ridden alone, with a passenger (I learned to ride with my "instructor" sitting on the back with me), with a small group of bikes (5 to 10), and in very large groups (over 300 bikes).
I have attended many runs and riding events (especially these past five years).
I have attended all of the Women's Motorcycle Festivals held by Gin Shear and Sue Slate, Women's Motorcyclist Foundation (founders of the Pony Express Rides for Cancer), during the years 1984 through 1996.
Side note - I have no pins, rods, screws, or other metal parts attaching any of my bones together. In other words, I do not have "mishaps" as a rule..... And I attribute this to the diligent application of my brain and the motorcycle safety training that I have repeated taken throughout my riding career.
It is riding that helps me to properly prioritize the importance of issues in my life. The ever present risk involved in riding helps me to filter out the unimportant things, and appreciate what is now. It helps me to focus on the positive things in my life, and puts the negative things into a context that is more readily workable. Riding helps me appreciate that fact that I have four working limbs, that I can see, that I can walk, that I can move through space at will. When I ride, I feel truly in control of my life, for a change. No matter what the other drivers do on the road, I am able to anticipate them (because of proper training), and I am able to respond to insure I do not try to occupy a space that is already filled. I am rarely surprised by the erratic behavior of other drivers on the road. When I ride, it is probably the only time I feel that I have a "psychic" ability to predict the next 4 seconds and take appropriate actions. And the resulting feeling is one of harmony in motion on the road. Even heavy traffic no longer seems aggravating. Instead, it becomes a challenging way to learn to flow with the environment. And many times I see other drivers look at me with wistfulness and I know that they would probably rather be where I am. I am very thankful that I am on my bike, and not sitting in a car wishing I was on my bike.
I have been riding since 1974, and I can honestly say that I have never had a "bad" ride. I have had many "interesting" rides, but all were enjoyable and challenging. I have a deep appreciation for the risks involved in riding, and I believe that sound riding skills and constant risk assessment can provide for a very enjoyable and safe ride. And if you cannot already tell from this short riding history, riding my motorcycle is my life.
I will be riding until I can no longer ride safely. (Only then I will retire my helmet.)
