Bert’s Blog

Until my husband purchase a Harley Davidson in December 2006, I had never been on a motorcycle in my life!  This was a new adventure for us, and I was a little unsure about the whole thing.  I had no intention of riding a motorcycle, rather I wanted to be an educated passenger.  So I enrolled in a Rider’s Edge class in March of 2007.  The next month, we rode with our American Eagle HOG group on their annual outing to the Hill Country in Central Texas.  The wildflowers were spectacular, and the roads were smooth and curvy.  This was our first big trip with the chapter, and I met so many women who were passengers, and even more who were riding their own Harley’s.  From Sportsters, to Low Riders, Softails & Road Kings, these women were enjoying the freedom & adventure of riding.  It was on this trip that I decided that I wanted to ride too!  After modifying our Softail to better fit my size, I began practicing in vacant parking lots. Then a few weeks were spent circling our neighborhood, and I was ready to venture out into the real world.  My confidence slowly grew with every minute of seat time, but I had this nagging fear rattling inside my brain.  How could I ever become as skillful as the other riders in our group?  They all looked so comfortable & perfect on their bikes.  AND, if I ever dropped my bike in public, how would I pick it up?  What if I hurt myself, or someone else?  And how would I get over the embarrassment??  This fear kept nagging at me, and then, one evening, this fear came to face me head on.

My husband and I were riding to our Harley dealership for one of the Wednesday night dinner rides.  We had been members for 8 months, and I had been riding on my own for about 7 weeks.  When we arrived at the dealership, I observed that there was a large group already gathered.  The riders were milling around in the parking lot while some were inside the shop, waiting for word that ride was to begin.   My husband pulled into the parking lot first, made a nice sweeping turn, and parked his Ultra Classic in line with the other bikes.  Feeling each set of eyes on me, I too, made a nice sweeping turn.  The next thing that I remember is that my sweeping turn was too sharp, my grip on the hand break was too hard, and I was going down in front of about 30 people!  I jumped off the bike, and it landed hard on the left engine guard.  My husband quickly got off his bike & ran to my aide.  People who witnessed the drop ran over to help, and more were flooding out from inside the dealership.  As I stood up and attempted to compose myself, I realized that by letting this fear consume me, I had made it a reality.  I sheepishly scanned the group that had gathered around me (which was growing by the second), and saw that a few of the guys were up-righting my bike.  As my humiliation started to escalate, what happened next nearly took my breath away.  One of the Ladies of Harley came up and gave me a huge hug saying that she was so proud of me.  Then one of the men told me that he neglected to put his side stand down at a gas station.  Men and women riders alike proceeded to tell me that they have dropped their bikes!  No one was more surprised at these confessions than I was.   Listening to their stories, I understood that I was part of a very special group of folks.   Riding is an adventure, and you never know what direction it will take you.  They all love to ride, and they didn’t want me to give up over this incident.  The message I received in those few moments have stuck with me, and have provided me with the greatest encouragement of all.

Thankfully, the only thing that was injured that evening was my pride.  I dropped my bike in public, and survived the humiliation. Yes, the windshield is a bit scratched up, but I can live with it.  My wonderful husband continues to encourage me with every ride, and I strive to match him curve for curve.  I have also found that I draw a great amount of power from my Ladies of Harley group at the American Eagle HD dealership.  I actually have gotten to the point that I look forward to sitting on the seat of my Softail. And the rides are starting to be more fun than fearful.

Less than one year later, I rode on my Softtail during our chapter’s Wildflower Ride to the Hill County, logging nearly 700 miles in one weekend.  My husband feels that I have earned a new windshield with this accomplishment, but I am not ready to take him up on this.  The scratches on my windshield are a reminder of how far I have come.  Through encouragement and determination, I am still learning the skills needed to be the best rider that I can be.  I take pride knowing that my new group of friends have accepted my failure, and continue to encourage and support me with each ride.  I have also learned that no rider is perfect, only human.

Every day brings a new adventure if you embrace the day in the right way. Focus on the positives, and watch your attitude and energy level respond. Think about all the things to be thankful for every day. I woke up on the right side of the dirt; I have a loving wife, two great kids who have two great spouses; a smart and cool grandson; my health; a successful full-time career; a successful part-time career; a great Harley hobby; an extended AEHOG family that will do anything for you, food in my stomach; a roof over my head; the ability to enjoy life; and the lists goes on. I am not suggesting that you just ignore the negatives; just do not dwell on them. Take the positive energy you have to see how you can eliminate the negatives in your life.

As my father likes to say, we all have the same 24 hours in every day. How we use them will determine what we become. Everything happens for a reason. Everything that you are presented with in life is an opportunity to grow. Get out of your comfort zone once a day. Push yourself. You may be surprised what can change. What you do with these events will determine how your life turns out. Today, I just felt a bit philosophical. Make the most of today, and tomorrow, and the next day.