The Pieces are Falling Into Place

When I decided to buy a motorcycle, I sat down and thought about the type of riding I wanted to do, and what I would do to minimize the risks of riding a motorcycle as much as possible. I also thought about the other things that go along with motorcycle ownership, and whether or not I would be able to meet those obligations (i.e. maintenance, expenses, etc.) I determined that several things would have to happen in order for me to own/ride a bike, but I am happy to report that those pieces are finally falling into place. These are the requirements I set for myself in order to ride, and ride safely:

• MSF Safety Class
• Safe, Protective Riding Gear
• Health Insurance
• Bike Insurance
• New Tires for the Bike
• Registration/Title/RMV Stuff
• Motorcycle License
• Buy the Bike

Some of these things are mandatory, like registration/title/RMV stuff, and some of these are arbitrary requirements I set for myself in order to ride safely.

For example, as a self-employed writer, I haven’t had health insurance for a while. I know it’s risky, but I gambled that I’ve been healthy, and if I was injured as a result of a car accident or something along those lines, I know a good personal injury attorney. But I decided that if I was riding a bike, I can’t take a chance on getting injured and not having health insurance. Medical bills add up way too quickly, and my objective at this point in my life is to get out of debt – not get into more. So I decided that health insurance was mandatory for riding a bike. Luckily, I’ve got that resolved, and will have health insurance again as of April 1. Yay!

Safe gear is a no-brainer. As a newb, there are probably about a million things I can do wrong that would put me and the bike on the ground, and I have no desire to be sliding along the pavement at 60 MPH with nothing between my skin and the abrasive concrete but a pair of jeans that will last .5 seconds. So I require good protective gear, and I’m happy with the gear that I bought (as soon as I can fit into those Rev’It pants, darnit!) I’m definitely better equipped than most newbies, and I think my equipment is all good, above-average protective gear.

The only piece I’m missing is the FirstGear Military Spec Vest, but I’ve picked up a bunch of extra projects for this week, so I’ll have the cash for that by Friday. (And FYI, there was another high-vis vest (the Fieldsheer On Base Vest) on sale this week at NewEnough for half the price of the FirstGear vest, but I didn’t get it. The Fieldsheer vest doesn’t have as much reflective material and doesn’t look as well made as the FirstGear, and Masukomi pointed out that if I’m buying something whose whole purpose is to make me more visible, shouldn’t I get the one that will make me more visible? She’s right. I’ll pay twice the price and get the better vest.)

I’ve been a bit frustrated because a few of my clients with whom I have outstanding projects have taken quite a while to pay me, and I should have had the money to register for the MSF Safety Course weeks ago. I’ve confirmed that two checks are in the mail, though, either of which should be enough for me to register, so I’m hoping to get one of them today and register for the class like NOW. I’m getting vaguely anxious about this, because the class the first weekend of April is almost full, and that’s the one I was planning on attending, so I need the money to come yesterday. Ahh, the downsides of freelancing. But, as I said, I’m hoping to have that resolved today.

That pretty much leaves the bike and RMV stuff, and the end is finally in sight there, too! I’ve been working on a big production project that is going to buy me the bike, but as a production project, it takes a long time. I’ve only been able to work on it 2-3 hours per day due to my other workload. However, I’ve finally got it completed to a point that I can realistically say it will be finished this coming week. I was shooting for Monday, initially, but Tuesday looks more likely, and Wednesday might be realistic. Still, I’ll have the project finished up this week, and then I’ll be able to finally buy the bike!

And luckily, I’ve picked up a lot of small projects which will add up, so I should be able to buy tires, insurance, and pay the RMV stuff without any problem.

Since deciding to buy the bike, I haven’t been absolutely certain that I’d be able to make everything work. I was mostly just proceeding on faith that I’d be able to buy the bike, get health insurance, get the gear, and find the cash to register/insure the bike, etc. But the universe has rewarded my gamble (and hard work!) and the bike thing is becoming a reality! I look forward to posting next week with news that I officially own the bike!