I’ve been enjoying reading the ‘Bikes that made me’ series on Revzilla.com, where Revzilla staff members tell the tales of motorcycles that have had the biggest impact on their motorcycling lives. In keeping with that spirit, I’ve decided to share some of my experiences here, and where else to start than at the beginning.
I did not grow up on motorcycles, never rode a dirt bike as a kid, and did not have anyone in my family that rode. I didn’t really have any interest in motorcycles. That changed in 2007.
It’s hard to remember what drove me to want a motorcycle 14 years ago. The fact that gas prices rose above $3 a gallon for the first time had a small part of it. Perhaps the fact that I had just turned 30 led to an early mid-life crisis, but all I remember is I decided I wanted to try riding a motorcycle. So the search began and in the early spring of 2008, I had found a 2004 Honda Shadow VLX 600, with less than 3,000 miles on it. Having never ridden a motorcycle and not having anyone that could ride it home for me, I borrowed a trailer and brought it home having never ridden it.
I still remember spending hours just easing out the clutch and duck walking the bike out of my garage and into my driveway, backing it up and repeating that exercise over and over. After a couple days, I was brave enough to leave my driveway and road it about 1/4 of a mile down my street before deciding to make a u-turn and head back home, where I learned first hand the dangers of target fixation as I watched the curb I was approaching as I bumped right into it. Crossing off the ‘drop the bike’ milestone from my to-do list, luckily only damaging a $30 turn signal, I rode the bike back home and decided that was enough until I would complete my MSF Basic Rider Course a couple weeks later.
Once passing the course and getting my license, I slowly started venturing further and further away from home on rides. Thirty minute rides became 3 hours rides, which eventually turned into all day rides around southern PA and into Maryland. I commuted back and forth to work and loved the feeling of being on two wheels.
Still not having any friends or immediate family that rode motorcycles, my adventures were always on my own and I did not mind that at all. Part of the appeal was the opportunity to be on my own, on an empty back road with just my thoughts and the world passing me by.
As my rides started taking my to the interstates, I knew I was going to want something bigger that could more easily keep up with 65mph traffic and not get blown around in the wind as much.
I rode that little Honda Shadow for one year, putting about 7,000 miles on it (all in day trips, no overnight trips yet) before I moved on to my next bike. And that will be a tale for my next chapter.