I have had 1 lesson on my Suzuki and that was the weekend before I had to go to Kentucky. I haven’t felt much like learning lately, but tomorrow all that changes. I am now willing to try and concentrate on my new learning adventure and I’m a little concerned that I may have burned up too many brain cells of late to comprehend everything I’ll need to know to be able to shift properly.

My first lesson left me a little shook up because I have never been very coordinated and could never multitask in my life. When letting the clutch out slowly and trying to give a little gas at the same time I managed to almost do a wheelie, but that was after the thing just out and out kept dying on me my first few attempts.

I told Bill if I couldn’t even manage to get the thing rolling at least a few feet I would never learn to shift anything. After about 20 minutes trying over and over I finally managed to ride around the school parking lot in first gear and keep the dang thing balanced, now that part was fun, but since I’ve been gone I will need a refresher lesson on the first part I learned.

I keep telling myself that I can do anything that I put my mind to and I know I can because I want that satisfaction of knowing I did it. I told Bill that I need training wheels so I can learn the gears easier, but I don’t know if they make anything like that. If I feel like I wont be able to grasp the technique of shifting then I’ll simply get an automatic.

Of course if I take the safety course on a scooter then I will only be able to operate an automatic motorcycle or scooter and I so want to learn to ride a real motorcycle so I can be a “real” biker. I would still be able to follow Bill on the freeway or highway at speeds up to 65 with an automatic and for me it’s all about feeling free and enjoying the ride.

Bill says it’s fun with all the shifting, but I’m starting to wonder if I want to burn up the few brain cells I have left with all the concentration and alertness I will be expected to exhibit to stay safe and keep others around me safe at the same time. Maybe I should just leave the learning of gear shifting to the younger real biker chicks and settle for an automatic so I can just enjoy my ride.