Get Your Motorcycle License

Have you always wanted to hit the road on two wheels? Experience the joy and the freedom of sun and wind and power? Then it's time to get your license, baby!

I just spent four days in a course sponsored by a local community college. I have to say I expected to be the only woman in a group of twenty-something guys but I was very wrong. There were 12 of us in the class, six men and six women. The oldest was a woman in her sixties and the youngest was a girl of 16.

The first two days were spent in the classroom learning motorcycle basics: parts of the bike, what to wear, safety rules, etc. The second two days were spent on the range (a.k.a. parking lot) on a Honda Nighthawk. We started VERY slowly. In fact, we sat on the bikes, turned them on then "walked" them across the parking lot. Over the next two days we gained speed, learned to control the clutch & throttle (in the handgrips), learned to shift gears (left foot), mastered turns (NOT like turning on a bicycle), and stopping. At the end, we took the written and driving tests and earned a certificate for an new "M class" license. I'll admit that there were times when this class pushed my comfort zone - a lot. I'd just get used to weaving through cones and suddenly we were gearing up (literally) for swerving around an obstacle. But isn't expanding your comfort zone what adventure is all about?

To find a motorcycle class in your neck of the woods, contact a dealership in your area. You can find a local dealer here: Honda, Harley-Davidson, BMW, Yamaha.

Photo courtesy of American Honda

updated 1/14/2012