February 27, 2009I told my parents this morning that I was taking the MSF course. Jess didn't tell her parents until she'd been riding her own bike for 6 months. Their response? A long pause, then, “Your father and I are going to have to call you back.”
Their apprehension has turned to pride over the years though, as she's turned a past-time into a thriving career - going from the back of a bike, to a rider, to an editor of a national motorcycle magazine, to a coach - in addition to her current position at the Motorcycle Industry Council.
When I told my mom I was doing the course, she thought it'd be a great, life-expanding experience for me.
My dad on the other hand gave an pained pause and sighed, “Oh, Dear…You know, your cousin Howard (Judy’s husband) showed up at their daughter’s bat mitzvah with his arm in a sling. He was wearing a helmet, but he still broke his arm. I just don’t know why people ride.”
Oh, dad. Thanks for the encouragement.
I’m not really that nervous about tomorrow, but I wasn’t able to get new boots yet. You’re required to wear something that covers your ankles and the only thing I have are some old used cowboy boots. They don’t recommend them as they don’t have much traction on the soles. But I tried Payless and they didn’t have anything that fit me. I’ll run out tomorrow and grab something quick and cheap. Real moto boots start at around $100 and I’m not ready to make that investment. They supply helmets and gloves, but Jess got me some hi-tech super cool riding gloves for me as a present. That was super sweet of her. She really wants me to enjoy the experience. They’re tight like ski boots are on your feet. I’m not sure if they’re supposed to be that tight, but they’re XL and I’m don’t know if they come in a larger size.
We were going to take a few minutes to sit on my roommate’s bike so I could familiarize myself with all the controls, but our time together is so limited we didn’t get a chance to do that.
I’ll be coming in tomorrow cold as can be. Hopefully, I’ll represent.
It's gotta be safer than a road bicycle, right? No pedals to attach your feet to:)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice your family doesn't have any motorcycle deaths to point to. I'd get a much harsher reaction for sure.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, David. My mom took this course when she was in her late 50's. She's now 62 and tooling around the US with my step-dad on their His-n-Hers Harleys. They love it.
ReplyDeleteHey Avivala,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you've had a motorcycle death in your family. I'm so sorry about that. I don't in any way mean to make light of things like that. I talk about it a bit in the post-script in #8.