Jason and I, both love to ride. It started with both of us way back when we each lived at home as teenagers. Obviously I like to say that I started riding before Jason, but that’s only because I’m older than he is. In actuality, he’s been riding a lot longer and a lot more than I have. He’s also extremely better skilled than I am, but we won’t tell him that, so shhhhhhh, just hush it! 🙂
I’m gonna give you my learn to ride story and then tell you about Blaze. Jason’s still at work, so I’ll go first and let him write about himself and Serenity (his bike) at his own leisure.
This photo was taken by a friend on the day I bought my bike. It’s a 2015 Harley Davidson XG500 (HD Street 500). It’s also one of the pictures I had on my dating profile that almost made Jason swipe past me. He didn’t want a girlfriend that had her own bike. That meant that she would be too independent and not enough backseat riding, according to him. Ha! Can you believe it? Me, independent? Yes I am, but not hyper-independent, there’s a difference… Self reliant, self sufficient, feisty, determined, assertive, energetic, spunky, lively… all yes! But also extremely sensitive and vulnerable. I think he might have changed his perspective on independent women now, but we’ll have to see what he says about that. I wish I had more pictures of my bike, but I lost a lot of them when I lost my phone on a ride (yep I did that).
So anyway, back when I was a teenager I learned to drive a Honda 650 motorcycle. My dad had been an avid motorcyclist when he was younger and used to ride with my mom, but after being in a couple of serious accidents, either he or my mom decided that they weren’t going to ride anymore. So when my dad found out that I had been driving, he took my boyfriend (aka my late husband) aside and gave him the kind of lecture that you listen to if you want to keep your girlfriend. After that I wasn’t allowed to drive it anymore. I remember hearing the “F” word come out of my dad’s mouth for the first time ever and I became a backseat rider after that. We were allowed to drive cars, trucks, four wheelers, three wheelers, dirt bikes, tractors and whatever else he approved of, just not a two wheeled motorcycle on the street. So in reality, I have been riding longer than Jason, but only briefly. Fast forward several years, and I decided it was time for me to drive one again, so I took a MSF course and got my endorsement. (Photos from top left to bottom: my dad, my mom, and my late husband on the motorcycle I learned to drive as a teenager.)
Because it was an older bike with around 9k miles on it, I wanted to personalize it to make it my own. The previous owner supplied the service records and had just had it checked out, but it needed a new tire. I had a new tire installed and removed the seat. I replaced it with a Saddlemen Full Fender Solo Seat. I removed the metal ammo boxes and replaced them with a set of throwover saddlebags. The headlight was pretty dim and I was concerned about being seen, so I also replaced it. I replaced all of the foot pegs and pedals, valve stem caps, and screws & fasteners with ones that matched my “independent” personality. I touched up all of the paint scuffs and scratches, added a tool bag, phone mount & windscreen. Later, Jason added a set of bluetooth speakers since it didn’t have a radio. I loved this bike. Yep you heard that right… as in past tense. Oh, and I also bought two helmets, gloves and riding pants. I always wear a helmet when I’m riding solo and when riding on interstates or highways as a passenger with Jason also.
The helmet in the photo is a more expensive one that I bought from Harley Davidson. It proved to be too heavy, giving me helmet neck so I bought a second one that I wear more often because it’s lighter. Helmet neck is a thing. Who knew? Did you? So back to the past tense love of my bike. I still love Blaze (that’s what I named him, because isn’t he a hottie…) but I haven’t been able to ride for months. Harley Davidson no longer manufactures parts for these bikes, so finding them is nearly impossible. Jason used to take me on long destination rides on the weekends, so I could get some riding time in on my own. On my very last solo ride, my bike started idling high and running rough. Jason attempted to repair it himself but couldn’t find parts, so we towed it in to a motorcycle repair shop. They were also unable to find parts. I subscribed to several forums and was able to find the part numbers needed so we independently ordered them through Harley Davidson. Those parts are now on backorder with the possibility of never arriving. So in the meantime, my bike just sits there looking all sexy all by himself and Jason gets his wish of having a girlfriend that doesn’t ride. 🙁 What do you all think? Did he deliberately sabotage Blaze?
Ride safe,
Val
The items below were mentioned in the above blog. You can also view more items in our Shop page.
Disclaimer: This site contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, we may earn from qualifying purchases. This means we may receive a commission if you click on a link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.
