Motorcycle and Dirt Get up Close and Personal.. My first attempt a riding a Dualsport

I had managed to make the his motorcycle go and stop (in the upright position). I practiced this a few times and I was feeling fairly confident I could drive it down the road and get it into second gear. Which is more clutch action and toe pulling it up. Do you now when you are excited and afraid all at once and your stomach is a massive attach of butterflies but a happy giggle is just waiting to burst forth. This is my state of mind and body as I venture forth down the road by myself to get the bike really moving at 25 mph. The wind is rushing in my helmet, the bike is vibrating between my legs and there is a loud humming in my head. I AM RIDING A MOTORCYCLE! I let that giggle out because its only me in my helmet and I am smiling ear to ear. I am really doing it. I am really riding this motorcycle. I see my husband smiling in my mirror as I ride forward. The joy is amazing. I cruise down the road in second gear and suddenly realize I have left Todd behind and now I need to find a place to turn around. The bike is heavy, doesn’t have reverse and I really haven’t learned to turn yet. I can only go forward seeking a great big wide spot to turn around at. I find a kinda small spot but it looks like there is enough room. It inclines slightly uphill but it’s the most room I can find on the side of the road to turn around. I put my blinker on start chanting to myself “I can do this, I can do this, I can do this” I start the turn, hit the dirt, have it half way around and it starts to tip over to the side. I start to lose my balance. Oh Sh*t, Oh Sh*t, I can’t drop his bike. He is going to kill me but the weight of the bike is too much and it falls over. I manage to leap off before it lands with a little puff of dirt. There it sits like an injured animal. I just stare at it and curse inside my head and then realize I need a plan. If I can get it up and back on it then all will be well. I bend over and try to lift it. I grunt, I groan and I strain way to hard and the bike doesn’t even move.

I realize that getting it back up is not going to happen and I start to stare down the road. Sending him mental messages to come and check on me because I can’t leave the bike and I can’t move the bike. Before long he comes up the road like a knight in shining Toyota truck to save me and his bike. When he pulls up he just smiles at me and says that after I didn’t come back he realized I had tried to turn around in this spot which was not the best idea. The incline was all wrong and really just an accident waiting to happen. He is really cool and say the bike is fine. He has added a crash cage to it (one of its many accessories) just for that reason so there is no harm done. I am pretty sure the crash cage was meant for him but I am relieved all the same that I didn’t hurt is baby but he assures me that is what a KLR is for. So what are you supposed to do when you get knocked off the horse, get back on it. Well I decided he could ride the motorcycle home and I would drive home. I had a brief moment of self pity and doubt (about 5 seconds) and then decided I really did need my own motorcycle. If I was going to drop something it should at least be my own…..