How It All Started

Many months ago, my boyfriend told me that he wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle and get his license. I was okay with that, so I did a lot of research to find out what was involved in getting a Virginia Class M endorsement and what classes were available. I planned to get him a class as a Christmas gift, but it soon became a matter of budgeting so it did not happen at that time. Weeks later at the local motorcycle show someone mentioned that they also offer classes at the community college, which proved to be much more affordable. When I told him what I had learned about that class, he said that it was cheap enough for both of us to take it, and he would like it very much if we did it together.


Well, I really hadn't intended to get my own license or even to be riding by myself. I figured I would just sit on the back of his bike, enjoying the scenery without much adieu. However, since I've never been one to pass up the chance to have an adventure, I went ahead and registered both of us. I figured it couldn't be that hard, since I had taken a few rides on someone's moped before. Little did I know that riding a motorcycle was a totally different experience. I later realized that it might be more challenging than I'd expected when my boyfriend mentioned something about shifting gears. Let's just say I've only ever driven an automatic transmission vehicle, so I've never had the... pleasure of shifting gears.

So, at the beginning of April 2012 we took the two-day Motorcycle Safety Foundation class at the local community college. It was definitely one of the most challenging experiences I've ever had, and felt completely incompetent for most of those two days. I really didn't think I was going to pass, as I did not grasp the concept of shifting gears until about an hour before the road skills test on the second day. I also kept prematurely braking during the quick-stop lesson, which I managed not to do during the road skills test. In fact, in trying not to stop too early I managed to surpass the stop point before applying the brakes! Despite my shortcomings, I still managed to (barely) pass the road skills test and after successfully passing the written test I was issued the necessary documents to obtain my Class M license at the DMV. I was qualified to ride a very small motorcycle within the confines of an empty parking lot!

The next step was to find myself a motorcycle I could handle...