That same year, our son, Chris, also known as Dup (rhymes with soup), bought a motorcycle. He went to the Town and Country Sport Center over in Cement City at highways 12 and 127 about 17 miles from here. They are primarily a Harley-Davidson dealership, but also sell other bikes and off-road vehicles. He bought a brand new 750 cc Honda Shadow. He had never ridden a motorcycle before, so he took the riders safety course that Town and Country offers. He passed the class, took the DMV test and got his motorcycle endorsement on his drivers license.
That Summer, he put on over 1,000 miles without leaving Hillsdale County. Last Summer, I can only recall him riding it a few times. This Summer, he only took it out once or twice by the 4th of July. I was tired of looking at it sitting there, waiting to be ridden, so I asked him why he didn’t ride anymore. He explained that he was working during the day and was spending time with his friends at night and he was not confident riding a bike in the dark because his night vision isn’t perfect. It was all about safety.
I asked him if he’s mind if I rode it. We could work out who drives what vehicle. As long as there were enough vehicles to go around for the three of us, we’d all be happy and mobile. He agreed to the proposition and recommended that I take the Rider’s Edge New Rider Course. I called for the details and signed up to learn all about motorcycle safety.
It’s a 4 day course that starts on Thursday night. There were 12 students in my class, 4 guys and 8 women. Two of the guys were under 25, the youngest woman was 38! I was surprised that half of the class appeared to be over 50–and most were female.
The first 2 nights were just classroom stuff–the parts of a bike and the location of the controls started things off. That was accompanied by many videos. The videos were all about riding techniques and safety. We had reading assignments and were encouraged to answer all of the questions in the workbook. By Saturday morning we were prepared to embark on what would be the first solo motorcycle ride for almost all of us.
Town and Country owns a nearby property that includes a huge garage and an enormous parking lot. For safety and protection we were required to dress so that no skin was exposed. Everyone wore over-the-ankle boots, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, gloves, and a helmet. We met there early Saturday morning for a full day of hands on experience. An unexpected torrential rain put a real damper on the morning, but after an hour or so of waiting, it was finally safe enough to begin.
Behind the building were 12 identical 500 cc Buell Blast motorcycles that Town and Country provided for us to learn our riding skills. They all had the same controls and all the parts were in the same spot, so the instructors just had to go over things once.
We began by starting the bikes and finding neutral. Most bikes have manual transmissions controlled by the left foot. Neutral is between 1st and 2nd gear–which seems weird until it’s time to ride. That’s exactly where neutral needs to be. Our first task was to ride about 100 yards in a straight line and turn around without letting our feet touch the ground. We would wait for everyone to complete that task before doing it all over again in the opposite direction. When we mastered that, we added a shift into 2nd gear followed by a down shift back to 1st gear. These seemingly simple tasks were building the foundation for good habits and safe techniques.
Before long, we were making tight u-turns, figure 8’s, swerving, cornering, and making speed stops. Our first day lasted about 8 hours and we worked on many techniques, but only put on about 5 miles and we never left the parking lot.
The 2nd day of riding was spent honing our skills and practicing the maneuvers that would be required to pass the road test. We put on about twice as many miles and got the bike up to third gear for the first time, but we still didn’t leave the parking lot.
At the end of the day, one-by-one we took the road test. The test was relatively easy, because we had been practicing for two days on the actual test track. There were no surprises, except that parts of the test were timed. I am proud to say that our entire class passed the test. The only thing left to do was to take a written test at the DMV and pay for the motorcycle endorsement.
The very next day, I went to the DMV and took the written multiple choice test. The one I got wrong was about the speed at which protective eyewear was required–25, 30, 35, or 40? I guessed wrong, but I always wear protective eyewear, so it really wouldn’t affect me.
I have had my license for over a month now. I made a commitment to myself to ride every day this summer. For me, a legitimate ride is 2 miles, and I have achieved the minimum every day, so far. I have ridden at night a few times and also in the rain. Every so often, I will go to the local high school and practice low speed tight turns, cornering, and swerving in their parking lot.
I am trying to become a good, safe rider. I have logged over 800 miles already and have not been more than 5 miles out of the county. I have tipped over on gravel several times, but I have not yet dumped the bike at speed. I do not go stupid crazy fast and am always on the lookout for critters on our rural roads. I am waiting for the day when Lori thinks I have the skills to add a rider. I’m not there yet, but I look forward to the day when I am. If not, I’ll just have to get her to take the course and get another bike so she can ride, too.
As the innkeeper the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville Michigan, I generally have some time to ride the motorcycle at midday when peeps are gone, traffic is light, and the weather is good, so I do. I carry a backpack when I need to pick up a few things at the store. I ride to meetings and lunch dates. Sometimes, I just ride to enjoy the day, or to get my 2 miles in, rain or shine.
I have found that people who ride motorcycles are nice sociable folks who enjoy nature and look foreward to meeting other bikers. Many of them only take the opportunity to ride on weekends. I hope to get more bikers to stay at our B&B and maybe join them on a local ride. In addition to our new asphalt parking lot, we have a cement pad, ideal for parking motorcycles.
Mike Venturini – Innkeeper
“Life is good in Jonesville”