Welcome to my motorcycle journey!
When the price of gas approached $5 a gallon in 2007, conversations about better gas mileage were common. I started noticing advertisements for scooters that got 100 miles to the gallon. These didn’t look like the “mopeds” I remembered from the 1980s.
Mountain biking helped me develop a love for fun on two wheels. I had mostly ignored motorbikes until now, but maybe it was worth considering a 100-mpg scooter.
It didn’t take long for my girls to notice my interest and they quickly said “No way!” to me on a scooter.
“It would be embarrassing (for us). You gotta get a real motorcycle,” they said.
Well, ok, twist my arm. My wife was happy to stop at just “no way”. But I looked a little further into the world of motorcycles and where they could take me.
Being kinda thrifty, I looked at small and cheap motorcycles first. The Honda Rebel popped up early in my search, but after standing beside one with my mountain bike and seeing how small it actually was, I knew I would need something bigger. The Rebel was only half the height of my bicycle. My 6’2” frame would need more motorcycle than that!
My years of backcountry hiking, paddling, and mountain biking drew me more toward the adventurous side of the motorcycle world. Inspiring stories of people riding dual-sport motorcycles across the country and even around the world piqued my interest. That inspiration struck a chord with my psyche. I wanted a motorcycle that could take me to work at 50 mpg and also take me to remote, far-away places for adventure!
I now knew I wanted a tall, off-road-capable motorcycle. With my search narrowed, I started to notice bikes like this everywhere – on the road, in yards, and in parking lots.
Driving home from work on the beltline around Raleigh, I saw a motorcycle up ahead that somewhat fit my target description. As I drove past it I tried to read the model name on the fairing: V-Storm.
I looked it up when I got home and learned it was actually spelled V-Strom. Made by Suzuki. “V” for the V-twin engine design, and “Strom” from the German word for “flow”. Funny name for a Japanese bike, but ok.
The more I read about the Suzuki V-Strom, the better it sounded. The smaller 650cc version was often mentioned as one of the best values in the loosely defined world of “dual-sport” / “adventure tourer” motorcycles. The V-Strom was described as best suited for 70% highway and maybe 30% off-road use. That mix sounded like my potential riding style.
When I visited the local Suzuki shop and actually sat on a V-Strom, the gas tank and fairing on the front end seemed huge and awkward. Compared to the skinny mountain bikes I had been riding for years, that was not surprising. But destiny and mild obsession kept me interested. My tight-wad tendencies led me to look for a used V-Strom. It wasn’t long before I found one nearby. I didn’t have the same impression when I sat on it. Everything seemed proportional and fit me just right.
Somehow I convinced my wife to agree to my buying that used 2006 model V-Strom. That was in June 2008. I was such a newbie I had the seller ride it to my house and park it in my garage. I drove him to my bank, paid him the money, and then took him home. When I got back, I had a big, red, shiny, 400-pound motorcycle of my own in the garage, and I hadn’t ridden a motorized two-wheeler in 30 years!
Apparently, I like the adventure of learning to do something all by myself. Those first few rides around the neighborhood were scary and thrilling all at the same time. So were the milestones of taking my first ride out onto busy roads, the first time I got up to 55 mph, the first ride out of the county, and the first ride out of the state. These simple milestones took several months to reach. Climbing up this learning curve was not an overnight process.
Despite thinking of myself as adventurous, I really, really didn’t want to have a wreck. A few extra thrills and fun were not worth hurting me or damaging the bike. These fears and my cautious approach developed me into a very conservative rider. I follow the ATGATT philosophy – All The Gear, All The Time. Helmet, armored jacket and pants, boots, and gloves. I ride cautiously and constantly look out for the idiots on the road (they are everywhere!)
By September, I had built up enough skill and confidence to ride out to the Uwharrie National Forest to hike some trails. I then stopped at the Pisgah Covered Bridge in Randolph County, before I rode on up to Greensboro and visited a friend. I headed back home through Burlington. This 252-mile route was my first long moto ride.
I just signed up to take the Motorcycle Safety Class at the community college next month. That should help with building more riding skills and techniques!
So that’s where I am now on my moto journey. There are definitely more moto adventures ahead!
(A version of this post was originally shared at https://risingstrom.wordpress.com/2008/12/23/hello-world/, where I also posted some moto trip reports from 2009. Those posts are being migrated to this site.)
See more posts with this tag:
