Women, Motorcycles and the Facts of Life, aka The Fledgling Albatross by Autumn Birt (Part 2 of 3)

Was I nervous? Yes, but maybe not for the reasons you think. How could I not be nervous when something you had waited so long to do was finally scheduled and before you? How could you not be nervous when the person you love wants to share a passion with you, but first you have to pass the test. Adam had assured me his course had been mostly women and the average was about my age: early 30s. He would give me hints and advice about the course: having to do a figure eight in a box the size of a parking space, mechanical problems on well used bikes, that it would be a mix of classroom and riding. Still, despite all of my interest, I had only ever ridden on the back of a bike twice and not knowing how to even start a bike made me nervous. Heck, I could change the serpentine belt of my jeep when I met Adam, but he had to show me how to start the lawn tractor. I have still never actually mowed the lawn. I'm a very confused Tom boy.
So, riding a motorcycle was just something I innately wanted to do. My desperate looks, as well as his desire to share, finally led Adam and I one afternoon deep into the woods on a logging trail. I had a helmet by this point and borrowed his jacket (I like being one size smaller than him! I can borrow his clothes but mine look too small on him.). He showed me how to start the bike, the emergency shut off switch, throttle control, the clutch and shifting. Now all of our cars are manual transmission, so the idea of shifting wasn't new. Just the idea of being in control of the motorcycle.
I can only imagine the faith he had that I wouldn't crash his bike, only a few months old at this point, and damage it. We played on the road for a few hours, both learning a few lessons. I discovered that when learning to turn you need a wide space and if things go wrong like the throttle sticking, pull the clutch in! I also learned that his bike was rather high and any drop in the road surface on one side will cause me to fall over when I put my foot down. I dropped the bike twice. Adam on the other hand learned that motorcycle boots are not comfortable for walking after spouses on your motorcycle.