Motorcycling for Dummies

Believe it or not, this book actually exists! Chelsea was kind enough to buy it for Rob for Christmas. After reading the book and asking as many people as possible for advice, we embarked on a shopping adventure to get the gear we needed to become motorcycling "smart". Rob found it pretty easy to find helmet, gloves, boots, pants and jacket. Options were black, black, black and black. Of course, the gear for me was a little more difficult. After much agonizing over fit, style, brand and color (every hue under the sun!) I finally made the necessary decisions and - voila - we looked like we know how to ride.

The next step was to try out the ride with me on the back. Rob had already taken all the driving lessons and had quite a few hours under his belt as a solo rider. Having a passenger is different. Rob was kind enough to tell me that my light weight really had no impact on his ability to handle the bike. However, there was no hiding the fact that he had to make some adjustments to some doo-dad or other on the bike - presumably to adjust the suspension or something. Whatever! I look great in my gear!

After several day-trips, we embarked on our first overnight trip. We had purchased a great suitcase that slides on to my back rest, in preparation for our 12 day trip to Oregon. So we packed it as though we were gone for an extended time and headed out to the mountains. Surprisingly there was very little problem with the suitcase and, yes, everything we needed fit!

We've added a small gps and a speaker system to our helmets. We have figured out what our gas mileage is. Rob has become a whiz at stops, starts, parking, and handling curves. We've even ridden in the rain.

We're ready to start our trip to Oregon...only 12 more sleeps...