Happy #MotoMonday Everyone! Last week I shared about why I chose the Kawasaki Ninja 250 for my first bike. This week I wanted to share the adventure of going to purchase it! I live in CA, so there are certain laws in place to protect new riders that I had to adhere to. Even though I had passed the riders exam, I still had a Riding Permit until my license came in. This meant 3 things:
1) I could not have passengers.
2) I could not ride on the freeway.
3) I could not ride at night.
This proved a bit of a challenge since the shop that I would be buying my bike from, was about an hour south on the freeway. My friend Johnny offered to ride it back for me, but truth be told, I wanted to put the first miles on my first bike!! Thankfully, fate intervened in the form of Josh, a incredibly nice friend of Johnny’s, who I happened to meet at a lunch the same day I took my Motorcycle Safety Course. Josh was the owner of a beautiful 50th Anniversary R6 as well as a truck! He seemed genuinely excited about my learning to ride, and offered to drive down with me to pick up my bike and bring it back! I’m telling you, world’s nicest guy! I spent the whole drive down freaking out about how excited I was to finally own a bike, and the whole drive back freaking out that I owned a bike and it was in the back of the truck! While at the dealership, Josh patiently waited as I signed the papers for my baby. We grabbed lunch while they got her all prepped, including shaving down the seat to help it be even an inch closer to the ground for my short legs! When it was time to pick her up I was on cloud 9! I had brought my camera, and Josh was wonderful enough to snap photos of me as sat on my new bike for the first time before loading it into his truck. There is nothing quite like buying your first bike, and I did not stop smiling the entire drive home!
What I found so truly special about my experience to this point, is the way that riders come together to encourage and support fellow riders, no matter how new or seasoned. I had been riding on the back of my friend Danny’s bike for over a year, and we would do canyon rides with our friends Johnny and Rob. I had only just met Josh, but he joined Johnny and Rob when they came to cheer me on at my riding course. Then Josh offered his time and truck to help me get my bike home. This is just a few people sure, but it accurately represents the boundless kindness I continue to witness from the motorcycle community!
How did you get your first motorcycle home? Did you ride it yourself, have a friend ride it or maybe have it delivered? Also check back next week to hear about my first actual ride on my new Ninja!