I Bought A Motorcycle
By the sound of the title of this post, one might think that I am new to the world of motorcycles and motorcycle riding. This is not the case. I actually purchased my first bike probably around the turn of the century. Wow, that sounds like a long time ago. I’m talking about the century that we are in now.
I had reached the point in life where I no longer needed a second job to make ends meet, so I had time on my hands. Or so I thought. The truth is that I had two daughters who were still in school with my youngest being maybe 5 years old or so. Never-the-less, I found a Honda Shadow Spirit, did some negotiating, and before I knew it, I was the proud owner of 1100 cc’s of Japanese made, two-wheel freedom. In reality, I was about as far from free as anyone could be.
Children are demanding on one’s time. My wife works, so we weren’t able to just get on the bike and go. Then there was my mother. Mom lived a quarter of a mile from me, she was my babysitter, and most importantly, she HATED motorcycles. At the time, I really didn’t know how to ride a motorcycle. Aside from riding my neighbors Honda 125 a few times when I was 10, I had very little experience. I rode in the country and got the hang of it, then studied for and passed the test for the Mississippi Motorcycle Endorsement on my license. I would say that I rode the bike as much as I could, but there wasn’t much time available. I rode with a group to the Louisiana State Prison Rodeo at Angola. I rode to a couple of my daughter’s softball games, and I also rode the high school mascot around the gym at the pep rally on 50’s day. For the most part, though, I rode by myself.
I guess I influenced my brother-in-law to purchase a bike. He showed up with a Honda Shadow Sabre. Now what folks don’t know about my brother-in-law, is that he is the type person who, if you are walking with him to the mailbox, he has to be the first one there. This attribute is present in other aspects of his life, namely, motorized methods of conveyance. It might be cars, trucks, lawnmowers, 4-wheelers, golf carts, but for purposes of this article, motorcycles.
My brother-in-law owned a motorcycle for 28 days before he totaled it. Thankfully, he walked away with minor injuries. If my memory serves me correctly, there was some bad weather or cold weather that prevented me from riding for several weeks after that. Then, on one of those Spring Sundays when the weather warms up and is beautiful, I decided to go for a ride. I probably rode for 100 to 120 miles, and when I drove into my driveway, I thought, “I can’t remember one thing about that trip.” I was so focused on driving safely and watching for hazards, and my brother-in-law’s wreck, that I didn’t enjoy the ride at all. Plus his wreck gave my mother more ammunition in her hatred of motorcycles. She even resorted to an attempt to convince my wife that the bike would cause me to cheat on her.
So I sold the bike and promised my mother that I wouldn’t buy another motorcycle until after she was dead and gone.
Mom’s been gone now for several years. In January of 2019, I purchased a 2007 Honda VTX 1300R. I paid $1100.00 for it because it would not crank. I did some work on it, then put it in the shop for new tires and to finish up the things that I didn’t know how to do.
I brought the bike home in April and began riding around here and getting accustomed to a much heavier bike than I had previously owned. I also spent many hours watching safety videos and practicing in vacant parking lots. Then I spent time riding around with Melissa on the bike with me because riding 2 up on a bike has its own challenges.
Then, on June 1, 2019, I told Melissa that I thought I would go for a ride. She asked if she was invited and I told her that I was hoping that she would come with me. We suited up and struck out for a ride. Our ride that day took us over 300 miles. We ended up at the Windsor Ruins in Claiborne County, Mississippi, and we at lunch at the Old Country Store in Lorman, Ms, which boasts the “Best Fried Chicken in Mississippi.” We rode through many miles of the Homochitto National Forrest which includes areas in Franklin, Amite, Wilkinson, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Copiah counties in South Mississippi. We also went through parts of Marion, Walthall, Pike, and Claiborne Counties as well that day. As for the ruins, well they are a sight to behold and a site that I recommend visiting if you haven’t been. I might also mention that the remains of this once grand architectural presence will not be standing much longer. It is my understanding that steps are being taken to preserve what is left, but I would plan my visit sooner than later, even if you have to travel on 4 wheels to get there.
We made it home late that evening, tired and sore, but we were both just giddy about how much we had enjoyed the day. We discussed all that we had seen. We looked at the pictures that we had taken and began planning our next destination.
Since that unplanned trip in June, Melissa and I have logged thousands of miles on that bike, and then in September, we upgraded to new bike and have put over 6,000 miles on that bike. (more on the new bike later)
The purchase of a motorcycle has proven to be one of the best decisions ever for us. The experience of riding a motorcycle is one that has been written about and talked about since they were first invented, so I won’t try to replicate what has already been said. I can only say that the point-of-view, the smells, the feeling of a lean in a sharp curve, and everything about riding on a motorcycle defy explanation. To Melissa and me, it is about riding the bike of course, but it is also about the destinations that we have visited. The places that we have seen are places that we would not have driven to in a car.
This one day has led to many other trips that Melissa and I have been on. We invite other motorcyclists along when we can which adds to the fun. I will be writing about other trips that we have been on and my hope is that you will find reading about our adventures to be interesting and entertaining. Maybe you will be inspired to venture out and visit some of the places that the South has to offer.