Two-Wheel'n Fun!

Allison & Brian (almost) licensed to ride

Allison and I never dreamed of doing what we did this past weekend: we participated in a class sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) on how to ride motorcycles.

I actually thought about buying a motorcycle after I graduated from college, but never carried through on my desire, out of fear of killing myself on one. However, my desire to learn how to ride was never laid to rest. Allison never thought she'd ever learn how to ride a motorcycle, but when she found out I was posed with the opportunity to do so, she didn't want to get left behind and courageously decided to join me. With a lot of help from a friend, we got into a MSF class with the chance to satisfy my desire to learn how to ride.

We didn't know what to expect going into the class. I had only been on the back of a motorcycle once before and Allison had never been on one. Ever. Our class was held over a Saturday and a Sunday, from 9:30am-5pm, out in San Bernardino County. Our instructor was really funny, nice and informative. He did a great job in teaching us important ways to ride a motorcycle and to be aware of our surroundings when riding.

Our days consisted of spending the morning in a classroom in lecture, watching videos and working through a workbook. Our afternoons were spent out on the bikes applying what we learned. At first, I was incredibly nervous about being on a bike. During the first hour, I had to occasionally remind myself to breathe and calm down or else I wasn't going to enjoy myself and possibly do something dangerous. Thankfully, I was able to calm down and enjoy every moment on the bike.

We learned different procedures on how to get situated on a bike, turning, quick stopping and emergency swerving. We started with "power walking" the bike (using some throttle and walking the bike while seated on it) to eventually changing gears during a turn, coming to quick stops and more. Every exercise was a lot of fun and our teachers were both encouraging and helpful in correcting our techniques. The MSF has a great track record of training its students to be safe motorcyclists. Successful completion of the MSF driving test (administered at the end of the course) not only allows for the student to waive the driving portion of the DMV test, leaving only the written portion to be completed, but also lowers their motorcycle insurance premium. At the end of the day, we all took the driving test and passed! It was a great feeling to pass a test on a brand new skill.

We both were surprised at how much we enjoyed riding motorcycles. I loved leaning into a turn, rolling on the throttle (accelerating), hearing the engine wind higher, and cruising out of the turn. I loved learning different techniques that would help us be safer and more confident motorcyclists (should we ever decide to own ones). The class dispelled some of the fear I had before and replaced it with confidence that I could-with a lot of practice-be a good motorcyclist who enjoys riding and avoids serious accidents. We highly recommend this class to people who have never ridden and want to learn how to do so, and to those who have been riding for a long time but have never received any formal training. The MSF course can help to make the most seasoned a better, safer rider with a lower insurance premium.

We are so thankful to our friends, Silvio and Jessie, who gave us the opportunity to experience a whole new world on the road, enjoyed on only two wheels.

Allison & Brian with the MSF's Honda 259 Nighthawks