First Bike!
I got a motorcycle!
I haven’t been really satisfied with my commute to the city every day; it’s just about 2 hours one way, given the time to get to the train station, getting there early so I have a chance at a good seat, waiting for the train, taking the train, then traveling from the train station, not to mention it’s not super cheap.
To counter this, I decided to get a motorcycle; I can go and leave basically when I want (5 minutes late no longer means a super shitty commute), parking will be free since there’s on-street parking next to the building, and the commute will be quite a bit shorter due to splitting lanes.
(I mean, also, “motorcycle fun”, but that’s just a side benefit)
So, I took a class with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. It gives me training on how to ride a motorcycle, plus it lets me bypass the official riding test and gets me a discount on my insurance. The class was three nights of classroom work plus a couple days of riding; I got to ride the yellow beauty you see above!
After taking the class and then getting my license addendum, I went to a dealership to check out bikes. Cora found one she likes, when she eventually comes of age. She’d come with me since Shanin was out doing stuff. Of course, that meant I couldn’t ride the bike home if I bought one since I don’t have gear for her, but hey, I’ll burn that bridge when I come to it.
Eventually I narrowed it down to two bikes: a Yamaha MT-07 and the BMW F650GS. I liked the sportiness of the Yamaha, but opted for the BMW because the Yamaha kinda felt like it wanted to kill me; it’s a great bike from what I understand, but it felt more lively and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. Also, I really liked the color of the BMW!
After I purchased the bike, I drove Cora and myself home, left Cora with the neighbors, took an Uber back to the dealership, and rode my new bike home. Man, what a weird feeling to be on a motorcycle on the streets; it felt illegal for some reason! I was, obviously, very careful coming home, but I still got on Almaden Expressway which gave me a bit of a taste of acceleration and speed. Not gonna lie, I’m hooked!
Well, can’t wait to get comfy enough to try riding to work!