OK I'll admit it, I think I'm having a mid-life crisis......... I must be because I've bought a motorbike. I stopped riding in 1981 when I passed my driving test, and I thought I had seen the last of 2 wheeled transport. However last year my brother bought a bike, took his test and passed, and seeing him on his Ducati stirred something inside me.....
A few months ago I was walking through Ashford's shopping centre when I noticed that the local motorcycle training centre, Dexterity, had a display. I picked up a leaflet out of curiosity and saw that they offered 1 hour 'taster' sessions for a small sum. These enabled people to see if they still enjoyed or wanted to take up biking. So I booked one thinking it will be enough to satisfy my craving. It wasn't. I booked my CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) straight after and then went to the local bike shop and bought a helmet, jacket & gloves.
A few weeks later I was riding around a school playground with 3 others performing U turns, slaloms and right/left hand manouvres. Then it was onto the roads for a 2 hour ride. Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the fittest person in the world, and when I arrived home that evening I was absolutely cream crackered. My shoulders ached like hell and all I wanted to do was jump in the bath, then bed!
This didn't put me off though, and now the only problem is finding the time to go out on the bike. Once I've built up enough confidence and experience I will definitely take the test, even though it involves 3 tests - theory, off-road practical and on-road ride. Sometimes I wish I had taken it in 1981.
As for the mid life crisis, well I haven't bought a sports car ......................yet!
