Yes, I Laid It Down

Now that I’m “street legal” I’m motorcycle shopping for the TRADEOFFS ROAD TRIP.

Here’s a little video of me doing the “quick stop” exercise in this past weekend’s course.

Tamela’s “Quick Stop” from TamelaRich on Vimeo.

Let the shopping begin

Yesterday I drove a sweet Triumph Bonneville.  I felt sort of like I’d moved from a Shetland pony to a Thoroughbred race horse in the course of a weekend. I’m no gearhead, but even I know that 865cc means a LOT of engine.

It didn’t necessarily get off to a great start. Pulling out of the dealership, the ultra-responsive throttle on that big engine got ahead of me and, horrors, I laid it down.

Dealing with adversity

You can judge a person pretty well by the way they deal with adversity. Having survived childbirth, teenagers, three tours of duty in corporate America and closing down an unprofitable business, I’ve had plenty of experience. I picked the bike up (by myself, all 495 pounds of it), apologized for the lapse and waited for the berating to begin. Thankfully it was not forthcoming.

The owner of the dealership was concerned about me and shrugged off the broken clutch handle. Nary a raised eyebrow. He pushed the bike back to the shop, got a technician to replace the handle, and off we went for my test drive. This bodes well — if I buy the Bonnie it will definitely be from Mark Engle.

What I like about the Bonnie: it’s a bike I can grow into without growing out of. I like the sweet purr of the engine — don’t try to sell me something that grumbles or whines. Both my feet touch the ground when I’m astride. I know I can pick it up by myself (!) and it’s pretty. There, I said it, “it’s pretty.”

I’m also planning to test drive a BMW G650, a CAN-AM Spyder and a Suzuki V-Strom 650.

Any other suggestions out there, bikers? Remember, I’ve got a 28″ inseam and a cruiser is bad for my back. It’ll have to be a standard or touring bike.