licensed to ride

It's been a bit of a quiet fascination of mine for some time now... the motorcycle.

Pursuing that interest when you're younger could be viewed as irresponsible.  Pursuing that interest when you're a father of four at my age could be viewed as a mid-life crisis... AND irresponsible.  Pursuing that interest when you're a son of my mother... well, she's not fond of the idea! (As I would not be crazy about my kids doing the same.)

Now, before we get too far into this post, let me clarify: I did NOT buy a motorcycle...

Yet.

Actually, I haven't decided about the idea of owning one.  Part of me wants one, part of me isn't sure.  I have no prior experience with one.  I do have the advantage of many years of operating a manual transmission... I've driven many stick shift vehicles, clutching with my foot, shifting with my hand... but, a bike clutches with the hand and shifts with the foot... what?

My fascination is not so much with the big, bad Harley.  Don't get me wrong, there are a BUNCH of nice Harley's around, but I fell in love with the Triumph Bonneville while actually watching... a chick flick, of all things!  (How's that for biker image?)  A number of years ago, I was watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with Jen.  In this movie, Matthew McConaughey plays Benjamin Barry, an advertising executive who rides a sweet Triumph Bonneville.  Yeah, I could see myself on that.  If I ever actually bought a motorcycle, though,  it likely wouldn't be a Triumph.  While not as pricey as a Harley, they hold decent value and are a little pricey for, well... me.

Triumph Bonneville

Being the introverted and homebody-type person that I am, my wife sometimes tells me I need to get out more... make a few more guy friends, develop some more interests, etc.  Recently, when this subject came up, I said, "Interests?  How about if I buy a motorcycle?"  That wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

However, since I carry a now-unused commercial driver license, I have thought about expanding my license and getting the motorcycle endorsement... even if it's just to say I did it.  I am licensed to drive 4 wheels and 18 wheels.  Why not 2 wheels?

A few months back, I started looking into what was involved with getting a motorcycle endorsement.  If you own a bike, it was a matter of passing a written test to get a motorcycle permit, then taking your bike to the state testing center and passing the riding skills test.  But, there was a second option... the same written test to get the permit, then a 16 hour Basic Rider Course by Motorcycle Ohio.  The course is $50 to enroll and involved 4 hours of classroom instruction (usually Thursday evenings) and 12 hours (6 on Saturday, 6 on Sunday) of riding  and skills lessons on the motorcycle range with class-supplied motorcycles (and even helmets, if you don't own your own).  Successfully passing the class waives the riding skills test (it was part of the class) and nets you the motorcycle license endorsement.

Really?  Seems like a bit of a bargain... for fifty bucks I can learn the basics of motorcycle riding and safety... and, the state supplies the motorcycle?  I can have a little fun, learn something new, and earn the license at the end of the class!

I looked at the class schedule and there were a few weekends open in September.  I checked with Jen and compared the family schedule with the class schedule and this past weekend was open on both.  So, a few weeks ago, on a bit of a whim, I went to the DMV on a Saturday morning, passed the written test and earned my motorcycle temporary permit (though I had never really so much as sat on a bike).  I then came home and enrolled in the Basic Rider Course for September 13 and 14.  I paid my $50 online... too cheap to back out now!

I showed up Thursday evening and was a bit intimidated to learn that 8 out of 10 of the students either already owned a bike or had some experience with one. Only myself and another female student admitted to having zero prior experience.  Once on the bikes on Saturday, though, I learned that classroom talk was cheaper than I took it to be.  A few of the students were pretty proficient, but the majority, bike owners or not, were not any better off than I.

Honda Rebel 250

The bikes supplied were all smaller bikes which were beginner-friendly. Most were Honda Rebel 250's, which is a cruiser style that just about anyone can comfortably flat-foot when stopped.

Honda Nighthawk 250

There were a couple of Honda Nighthawk 250's, which was my pick going into the range on Saturday morning. The Nighthawk series is a standard style bike that more closely resembles the Triumph Bonneville. The Nighthawk 250 sits a little taller than the Rebel, but, being a 250, is still a smaller bike.

Yamaha TW200

The third bike option for the class was a multi-purpose (essentially a street-legal dirt bike) Yamaha TW200. I was not too excited about the Yamaha, but one of the instructors recommended it because I have longer legs. I sat on the three different bikes, and it was, indeed, a comfortable fit. I took her advice and chose the Yamaha.

The riding range portion of the class started at the very basics... how to start a motorcycle.  It then progressed gradually over two days from there to riding through various training obstacle courses, involving acceleration and shifting, cone weaves, corners, emergency stops, swerves, and tight space figure eights.  I started off pretty shaky, but progressively built confidence.  The Yamaha proved to be a fun and nimble little bike.

The class finished with a skills evaluation, which is where we had the opportunity to earn the DMV skills test waiver for the motorcycle license endorsement.  The test involved three course runs, which demostrated the riding techniques we learned.  The first was a tight space figure eight, followed by accelerating and shifting out of the figure eight into a straightaway with a swerve at the end.  The second course was a controlled emergency stop and downshift from 15-20 mph.  The third was a 90 degree curve, followed by an acceleration straightaway into proper setup and navigating a 135 degree curve. 

To pass the test, we could have no more than 20 points deducted from our riding score.  Newb, or not, I managed to tie for the highest score in the class, missing a perfect score by only a one point deduction from my course riding score.  The other rider I tied scores with was one of the more experienced riders in the class (who was also riding the other Yamaha TW200, incidently).

I still don't know if I'll ever buy a bike, but I had fun learning the basics and earning the license... kind of a bucket list thing.

 

Just for fun, my buddy, Father of Five did some quick Photoshop magic!