Many of my readers know, that I gave up riding last summer after my husband had an unfortunate incident with a car and the highway. It's been very difficult adjusting to my decision, but out of my love and support for him, it seemed the best thing to do at the time. Other than a couple of small rides after the accident, I sold my 'ol
girl right after my birthday, last July. The memory of that last ride
has been very bittersweet and precious and has never left the forefront of my mind.
It's been a really strange year, but I believe that all things happen
for a reason, we just may not always understand why.
May 7th, marked the one year anniversary of Harley's wreck, and he has not been on a motorcycle since... until yesterday.
It's amazing what a year can do for someone's psyche and spirit, but it's taken most of that time for his broken ribs to quit being such a bother. We thought we could get interested in camping or boating, but the fact that we both really miss the joy that riding gave us, had more to do with our choice than anything. For the last several weeks, we've started conversing and pondering over our desire to get back on the road with just two wheels under us. It's been days and days of looking, shopping, dreaming, and planning.
Well, I'm pleased to announce, that yesterday he rode his (new to us) '08 Ultra Classic Electra Glide straight from the bank and right to the Harley Davidson shop so he could get a back rest mounted and talk about future motor work. Yes, boys and girls... we're baaaaacckk!
What about me, you ask? Well, I've got my next one all picked out also. After my little test ride last Tuesday, I'm just waiting for the dude to get his replacement title in the mail so we can conclude our transaction. What am I getting, you ask? Well... I've settled my sites on a beautiful blue '04 Fat Boy. I really couldn't tell ya if the plastered grin on my face was from my excitement, or the test ride.
You see, I've always ridden with a windshield and fairing. This Fat Boy had neither. The night I went over to try it on for size, I had grabbed my half helmet instead of my three quarter helmet with the face shield. I should have know better, but I didn't think it would matter much. After all, it was just going to be a quick little ride.
I decided I needed to feel how smooth this bad boy Fat Boy felt at high speeds, so I took it up I-65 and rode the 10 miles it took to get to Prattville, before turning around. Looking down at the speedometer and realizing how smooth and steady it felt, I cranked it up to 90 m.p.h. (and prayed no po-po was around!). I was so excited at how solid it felt, I noticed myself laughing and giggling. When you laugh and giggle at 90 m.p.h. with no filter between your face and the wind, it can get pretty weird! Even though I was wearing glasses, I could feel watery tears streaming out of my eyes making a mad dash into my ear holes. The high speed wind in my face felt like a G-force of 10, causing me to have a plastered grimace that did everything but let my facial skin fly off my cheek bones. What a rush!! While blinking and laughing, I could feel my nose watering and spit flying out of the corners of my mouth. Holy cow... I'm sure those poor people driving behind me wondered where all the rain was coming from. If you ever notice a cage running windshield wipers on a clear sunny day... chances are, they are following a motorcyclist without a windshield. Buwahahahahahaha... slurp!
These next couple weeks will seem like an eternity, while I wait for all the i's to be dotted, and the t's to get crossed. But one thing is for certain...
Lady Ridesalot rides again!
Stay tuned... it's gonna get good!
Lady R
