It was 15 years ago when I was NOT having a midlife crisis when all I wanted was a holiday on a Harley with nothing but a toothbrush in one pocket and a change of knickers in the other. My forthieth birthday came and went and with it the notion of such a holiday becoming only a good yarn for dinner partys. My fiftieth came, along with extra weight, failing eyesight and a lot less confidence but I ended up with our neighbours old Kawasaki EL250 with the encouragement of the man in my life. I was wrapped. I did a Top Rider course and rode around the town not game enough to venture out on the highway much. About the same time our son bought a dirt bike and a few months up the track wanted to get rid of it. It had hardly been used but he couldn't sell it. It was my husband (bless his soul) who suggested that to get rid of our boys bike why don't I trade his and mine in on a bigger and better one for me? We where driving back from a visiting a friend up north at the time and I couldn't think of a reason why I should. I got a fit of the Too's Disease; too fat, too old, too blind, costs too much! That put that idea to rest.
Back in our office our manager had received an email from her daughter who was training for the winter Olympics. Her letter was full of her busy days training and what it was like to go tearing down a mountain at 160k's head first with nothing but a thin board between you and the ice! She finished her email with her signature, 'If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space."
After reading the account I grabbed my husbands hand and said, 'Come on, we are going.'
'Where are we going?' he asked.
'Around to Honda, where else!'
I knew what I wanted straight up. I had my heart set on a CB750 from my early days of dreaming but they didn't make them anymore. The Shadow VT750 was an option but, oh my ...it was so big! I'd never ride it.
I went and upgraded my licence within the week and was back down at Honda test driving the VT750. To my surprise I could handle it better than the smaller bike and so the deal was done. Two bikes and some cash and I took possesion of my pride and joy. It took me a while to really get some miles up. I did a round trip Townsville -Herveys Range-Charters Towers, Mackay and back for a weekend but that was about it for longish journeys, however in my head I was putting together my first Big Ride. I'd Google maps every night counting the kilometres for every different way you could go to Melbourne and back. I always wondered if I'd really do it; if it would only be a dream that never gave birth, when one morning on the 'no shit chanel' I saw the story of Gaby Kennard the first woman to fly solo around the world. With regular inspiration from 'The Long Way Round' and Netriders online I thought to myself, 'I only want to ride down the highway. It can't be that hard,' and so in January 2008 I set off with an overnight bag carrying less than 10 kilos of clothes and a laptop. That's it in the photo! A bit more than the original plan but not much! The speedo read around 5000k's when I left. When I pulled up in our drive a month later it was 14500k's. I had done 8500k's round trip...alone. I have to say that I had the time of my life. It has etched a memory that will still be a part of me in my next life I reckon! Smile? Like last weeks division 1 lotto winner!
Back in our office our manager had received an email from her daughter who was training for the winter Olympics. Her letter was full of her busy days training and what it was like to go tearing down a mountain at 160k's head first with nothing but a thin board between you and the ice! She finished her email with her signature, 'If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space."
After reading the account I grabbed my husbands hand and said, 'Come on, we are going.'
'Where are we going?' he asked.
'Around to Honda, where else!'
I knew what I wanted straight up. I had my heart set on a CB750 from my early days of dreaming but they didn't make them anymore. The Shadow VT750 was an option but, oh my ...it was so big! I'd never ride it.
I went and upgraded my licence within the week and was back down at Honda test driving the VT750. To my surprise I could handle it better than the smaller bike and so the deal was done. Two bikes and some cash and I took possesion of my pride and joy. It took me a while to really get some miles up. I did a round trip Townsville -Herveys Range-Charters Towers, Mackay and back for a weekend but that was about it for longish journeys, however in my head I was putting together my first Big Ride. I'd Google maps every night counting the kilometres for every different way you could go to Melbourne and back. I always wondered if I'd really do it; if it would only be a dream that never gave birth, when one morning on the 'no shit chanel' I saw the story of Gaby Kennard the first woman to fly solo around the world. With regular inspiration from 'The Long Way Round' and Netriders online I thought to myself, 'I only want to ride down the highway. It can't be that hard,' and so in January 2008 I set off with an overnight bag carrying less than 10 kilos of clothes and a laptop. That's it in the photo! A bit more than the original plan but not much! The speedo read around 5000k's when I left. When I pulled up in our drive a month later it was 14500k's. I had done 8500k's round trip...alone. I have to say that I had the time of my life. It has etched a memory that will still be a part of me in my next life I reckon! Smile? Like last weeks division 1 lotto winner!
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