I started riding in my own motorcycle in June of 2002 after taking the MSF safety course given by MTII in West Palm Beach FL. 

My late husband convinced me that I should learn to ride my own...this was during his 6 months of radiation treatment for his cancer. We had already bought his Harley just before his surgery. I am very glad that I did...we didn't know how long he had, sadly it wasn't all that long.

My first bike was a 200 Harley-Davidson Sportster Hugger in White Pearl. We  bought the bike in December while living in Pennsylvania...at the same time my husband traded in his 1998 Electra-Glide for a 2003 Softail Heritage Classic. A job transfer moved us to Florida, just in time for me to learn to ride. I spent 3 months on the Hugger, about 750 miles, but never really got comfortable on it.

In August my late husband and I attended the Harley-Davidson Open Road Show in Atlanta, GA. It was the kick-off for their 100th Anniversary Celebration. While there I sat on a Harley-Davidson Low Rider (part of their Dyna line). I fell in love...low slung with a wonderful low center of gravity. While it was several hundred pounds heavier than the Sportster, it fit me better. In August we traded in my bike and took delivery on a brand new 2003 Anniversary model Low Rider.

In the 20 months I owned the Low Rider, I put 24,000 miles on it...most of it was around Florida (Daytona, Vero Beach, the Keys, etc) but there were two longer trips. The first was the 2003 Pony Express Relay for Breast Cancer. I hadn't been riding but 6 months when I signed up. It was one of the best experiences in my life. I rode the entire Eastern Trail from Orlando to New York City....via Chicago. After the closing ceremonies at Hard Rock Cafe in NYC, I headed to central northwestern Pennsylvania to see friends before starting the solo trip home.

The next long trip was my late husband's first - last - only multi-day motorcycle trip. We rode from St. Petersburg, FL area to Johnstown, PA for their annual Thunder in the Valley rally. You can read all the details and see photos here: Not So Great Trip With Some Great Moments.

My late husband had a recurrence of his cancer and it was deemed terminal. We moved to Tennessee and I sold my bike and took delivery on a new 2005 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe. This was my dream bike...made for smaller riders, it fit me without modification. This is the bike I rode when I toured the country the year after my husband passed away.

In 2007 I took another major plunge and bought a used 2007 BMW F650GS on ebay. I bought it knowing that my Harley wasn't the best bike for using in campgrounds (often dirt, gravel, grassy, uneven roads) and the BMW was a dual-sport bike, thus meant to ride in those conditions. Why was this important? Well, I had made a decision to sell my house and go full-time RVing.

Before I hit the road in late October 2007, I sold my Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe, with 32,000 miles on it, to another lady rider in Tennessee. It helped to sell to someone I knew but was still very hard to do. I traveled with the BMW until March of 2008 when I finally sold it and bought a car. (Lots of gory details in my old blog: From the Lily Pad).

Fast forward to July 2008 and I met a gentleman with a Harley-Davidson trike...built on a 1998 Electra-Glide with the Champion Sidecar conversion. I never liked riding on the back of two wheels once I learned to ride my own. I've found that the trike changes that completely and I'm very happy to ride back there...AND, once we get an EZ Clutch installed, I will learn to ride the trike as well.

You can follow along with our travels around the country, including bike trips, on the new blog 2 Taking a 5th (since we live in a 5th wheel toy hauler). We have bought a cargo trailer to pull behind the trike and plan on some extended overnight trips in the future.

Thank you for visiting "I Ride My Own" and I hope you will come back often as well as refer the site to your friends.

Keep it in the wind and ride safe!

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