My Love For Bikes
Well, here I sit, remembering the great ride Hubby and I had today. It was beautiful today, 60F and not a cloud in the sky. We just came back from a 70 mile ride to Snoqualmie Falls, Wa. I can't help but wonder what took me so long to have a bike again.. !!??
I grew up in West Germany. Lived there until I was 18 years of age. I started out riding a little scooter that would barley go 25 mph. I suppose thats how I got to enjoy the feeling of riding. Soon I got tired of the slow going. I talked my Mom ( to her dispair) into letting me have a 50cc Motorcycle (In Germany you can not drive a car until you are 18 years old, but can however take your drivers licence to drive a small motorcycle, 50cc-100cc).
Soon I found myself asking around for a bike for sale and found one too.. a Hercules 50cc. All excided I made my licence and tried to ride this strange thing. I was having a hard time controlling the bike with every turn that I seemed to make.. It was very simular to what we call a crotch rocket here. Stubborn as I was, I was determind to learn how to ride. Needless to say, within a few months of riding, I hit a Volkswagen Bug that made a U-turn in front of me and did not see me. I hit my head on the door ( helmet on and the shield flying off) and broke my front teeth off. Finding out that the frame was history ( it was bend) I took the money from the insurance and soon found a Honda 50cc in the paper.
My cousin had a Honda 50cc, blue in color just like the one I was buying. He helped me fix the lights, the signals and everything else that wouldn't work, except the engine. I soon found out that this bike had a few bugs. Coming home one day, the trottle got stuck and I was determind to make it into the driveway. Well, sort of... we missed the driveway by a few feet, went up on the lawn and soon I found myself rolling ( bike on the lawn..) in front of my front door.. !! Neighbors laughing at the great entertainment, I got up and checked my bike..no damage...peewww.
We had a few more spells in the months to come, like the time I hit the gravel at 45 mph and slammed on my brakes !!! Oh boy.. the bike slid slideways, pinned me underneath. I have a few scars from that one too..
Overall I loved that little bike. It got me places, was dependable and fun to ride.
With lots of other guys riding as well, I soon found myself the only girl riding a bike in our little town.
I met my husband ( who was in the army at the time) soon after that. We both rode that little bike everywhere, sober and not so sober at times. One day I ask him to get cigarettes while I took a bath. Within 30 minutes he was back...police in tow !!??
They had stoped him and were just checking. An american soldier driving a german motorcycle with no registration ?? Hmmm...
When we married and moved to this country, I had to sell my little dependable bike and leave it behind... Years later I found out that the engine had froze up, the new owner had failed to add oil..
I soon tried to talk my Husband into bying another bike, but soon learned that one of the children was on the way. So, I stayed home, had kids and tried to forget about riding a bike. Needless to say, everytime I saw or heard a bike go by, the old memories seemed to sneak back. Last summer I spend 2 weeks in germany visiting my sister and family. I still have some very dear friends that I stay in touch with, even after almost 23 years. To make a long story short, I had a couple of Harley rides that made me decide I WAS going to have a bike again.
When I returned from my trip, I told my husband that I was going to ride again. He of course was not to keen on the idea, but soon realized that I was VERY serious this time. We spend the next week looking at bikes and went from dealer to dealer. I sat on my present bike and was sold on the spot. Everything was right, the color, the height and the weight ( So I thought...). I bought the Suzuki Intruder 800cc and Hubby the 1400cc.
Now I needed to make my licence in this country....easy right ? Driving around a parking lot doing all these fancy turns on a bike I wasn't used to was far from easy for me, but I make it, somehow.....
Also I needed to learn how to ride this big bike. Quite different from a little honda 50cc....oh boy.. 400 lbs different..! I soon found out that the kickstand needs to be in place before you can put weight on it... falling over in the driveway once again, I will have scars from this one too. I also learned that these types of bikes are a little cold blooded since they are liquid cooled. Taking off before the bike is warmed up, is NOT a good idea. Braking my foot and being layed up for 1 month last sept I will remember that one too..
I suppose maybe I'm not done having scars and being hurt. No one knows that. But riding again after all these years has taught me that no matter how much time goes by, you will always have it in your blood to ride a bike.There is nothing like having a bike ride, wind in your face and the feeling of freedom. It is like they say "good for the soul".
I get some strange looks from people riding a bike. There is not that many women in this state that ride, I suppose. But, I smile and think to myself " Yeah, I ride and I love every minute of it too". And maybe someday I will have a Honda again, who knows ? For now, this bike rides like a dream and I will have it for quite a while. Who knows, maybe I will have more then one bike someday...
I can't wait for spring and summer taking the day and riding wherever it takes us. Packing a map and maybe an overnight bag and of we go....
We have plans to go to Montana this summer, I think about how great it would be to ride thru those mountains with nothing but country around us...
I look forward to meeting new people and sharing stories about riding and places to go. For now, I'm enjoying life, this bike, riding whenever I can and have the time.
Yeah, I'm a biker and always will be and love every minute of it. I sit here and wonder, what took me so long to have a bike again !! ??
"Written in Spring, 1999"
Pictures and copyright: Carmen Adams, 1999
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