Author: myironhorsejourney

Shortly after I purchased my bike we started hearing rumors at work about an early retirement package coming.  Again this was all rumors, nothing was announced.  I started manifesting that I would be retiring with a package.  Most packages in the past you had to be at least 55 years of age and so many years of service to equal 85.  I’m not going to be 55 until December of this year.  I started telling my coworker that we were retiring with a package.  Every day I would go and point at her then me and say “you and me are retiring ” and then put two thumbs up.  We would both laugh!  Then I would say “tweet, tweet” and move my arms; as I was flying.  I was going to go south for the winter, I was going to be a snowbird!

I know that the more you dream about something and do things to work on those dreams it helps put them into motion.  So one night after work I went to the local AAA office and picked up all kinds of maps and RV camping site maps.  This would really help me visualize what I would be doing “when” I retire.

 

Mid May I rode my bike to a funeral, it was about a 40 minute ride.  I still hadn’t ridden the bike a whole lot, I was under a 1,000 miles.  I was in the parking lot trying to maneuver it into a parking spot, when a couple of cars came in by me so I was trying to hurry to get out of their way.  I turned the wheel a little too much, and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold it up so I set it down.  An older gentlemen that was in one of the cars helped me lift the bike up, and his words to me were “wow that’s a heavy bike”.  All the way home I kept thinking and wondering did I go to big?  When riding I don’t have a problem, it’s just when going extremely slow or from a stopped position that it’s heavy to move around.

My friends were good, they said everyone goes down at some point.  It’s just a matter of when.  Which is true, I’ve got that behind me now…

This spring the weather really affected my arthritis, that was one of my issues when I set the bike down.  I decided to have acupuncture done to see if that would help aliviate any of the pain and stiffness.  It’s taken a few sessions, but my wrists are pain free.

Another thing I did was get a personal trainer, knowing that getting my body physically stronger would also help with my confidence and with moving the bike around.

Going on this trip and being on the motorcycle everyday, I know I need to stay physically fit.  Sitting all day can cause issues with the back if I don’t do stretches and exercise.

The internet is a great resource to find information right at our fingertips.   After I  questioned my bike I researched on utube picking up and maneuvering bikes.  An article I was reading said to Google Police Rodeos and watch how they maneuver slowly around a course.  They say it’s not the size of the bike or the size of the person.  It’s learning to control the break, clutch and throttle to work together.

 

 

First I would like to say that I am not a writer by any stretch, I am writing from the heart about my journey.

For the past couple of years I have wanted to upgrade my motorcycle to a Harley.  I would go into the local dealership and look at all the different bikes trying to figure out which one would work best for what I wanted.  Did I want to retro a bike with all the different things I wanted (faring, hard bags that locked) or did I want to get a bike with them already.  If I got them already on the bike it would mean either a Road King, Street Glide or Road Glide.  These were all big bikes, could I handle that size bike?  I really liked the Street Glide and everything it offered.  I wouldn’t have to add anything!  I then started looking a what other women were riding, and I started seeing more and more riding the Street Glide and a few on the Road Glide.  I then made up my on a Street Glide, that way I wouldn’t have to hassle with adding the faring, or handbags, it would already have them.

While at my local dealership the 2016 shipment was in, and I fell in love with the special paint for that year.  It was Hard Candy Black and Gold Flake.  I decided I needed to do a vision board.  This time I went onto my computer and found a picture of the bike I wanted, in the color I wanted.  I printed it off and added it to my board.  I also went into the dealership often and would sit on the bike and tell my friends that this is my new bike, it’s coming home with me!

On February 22, 2017 I stopped by the dealership again and they still had my bike!  I ended up talking to the sales person and before you know it, I was in buying the bike!  Woo Hoo!  I couldn’t believe it, it was finally mine!  It still didn’t seem real, until I had it delivered to my house.

 

I didn’t cover it for a while as it was nice seeing it every time I came or went from the house.  Now to wait for the snow to go away and the sand to get washed off the roads so I could go out for a ride.  Seemed like a very long spring…

While waiting to ride, I heated the garage a couple of times so I could sit out there and learn all the controls. They are completely different from my Suzuki Boulevard.  The other big difference is the weight, a good 100 lbs. heavier.

This spring in Maine has been rainy and cold, it was killing me to not be able to get out on my new bike.  Finally one night after work it was nice out, the sun was out and fairly warm.  I went out by myself and did some of the back roads in the area.  Wow does this bike ride nice.  I was a little worried that it would take some time to get use to the faring, but I didn’t even notice it.  While I was out, an eagle flew over head and around me.  Love it!  The eagle stands for new beginnings – hmmmm