RootBeer
By: Kayde Alexis Wissmiller
Life is about taking a chance. Once you’ve rode on the back of a bike with
someone for a while, you’ve gotten the chance to see, feel, and hear how a
bike operates. Listening to the RPM’s to change gear, how to lean into turns,
and how your driver handles traffic. All of these things may seem like no big
deal as a passenger, but if you are thinking about getting your own bike, all
of this knowledge will help you.
For most women, fear has a major impact on riding on their own bike. Fear
of picking the right bike because of weight. Fewer of not being able to use the
clutch. Multiple fears racing through their brain to trigger them not to ride. I
have had all of these fears more than once, but I’m not the kind of person that
would let that hold me back. I’ve been riding for 3 years and recently have
overcome the last of my fears: riding at night and the interstate. The best
thing I could have done for myself was taking every step at my own pace.
Usually you follow “mind of matter”, but in this case its “matter over mind”.
You just have to go for it!
Choosing your first bike is really not about appearance, it’s about comfort.
That being said, when I first saw the bike that would become mine, I thought
it was UGLY! It was in an upstairs storage room at NOHD and had two flat tires
and appeared to be brown. I let HD know I have to think about this before I
make any rash decision. Well, after seeing it out in the sunlight and realizing
it was a beautiful “ROOTBEER” color with a bunch of flakes in the paint to
make it sparkle….I was hooked! And to this day, the name has stuck. After
I seen my bike in the sunlight, I started wheeling and dealing. By the time I
signed my name on that huge stack of papers, ROOTBEER was officially mine
with a set of new white wall tires and the rider’s course.
I highly recommend taking the riders course, whether it’s with a local
Harley Davidson location or with state police. You don’t have to know how
to ride or clutch because the course teaches you from the beginning of
mounting your bike all the way to properly putting it up until your next ride.
The instructors I have met from my class and from all over where I’ve traveled
are not there to put you down. Instructors want the best experience, well
12 Thunder Roads® Magazine LA/MS Gulf Coast | July 2019 | www.thunderroadslams.com
knowledgeable, and most importantly…SAFE for when you’re out riding the
roads. The instructors take their time and really pay attention to everyone in
the class so if you need extra time to master a skill, they will pull you aside and
spend time making sure you are able to master that particular skill. I rode for
2 months before my scheduled class began. I figured, “oh this will be a piece of
cake”…I was in for a shocker because I thought I knew what it took to ride. I
learned so much from the rider’s course, so when I got my bike out for the 2nd,
1st time, I felt mentally, physically, and more comfortable on ROOTBEER and
riding on the roads. Don’t let the price of the course fool you! Well worth every
penny! Think about it….You get one shot at life, is $300 the price to stop you
from seeing where life takes you and growing old, knowing you did everything
you wanted to do in life?
I have taken my own bike to the Dallas, Texas Lonestar Rally where 95% of
the riders were men. So, I felt like on tough B**** on my own bike! Gatlinburg,
TN I rode the Dragons Tail which is 11 miles long with 318 curves, probably
the best experience anyone who owns a bike needs to make that a bucket list
priority!! I had previously ridden on the back of a bike and promised myself that
the next time I went, it would be on my own bike. I plan to hit more rallies in my
future! I collect all my coins from making change at the store, and I plan to take
a cross country ride with it all and I am stoked to rack up them miles. We have
an amazing biker community of friends. We all rally together to help each other
when a fellow biker is in need. We do poker runs, benefits, parties, etc.
Ill just finish by saying, once you’ve learned to ride, it’s an awesome feeling
that’s indescribable. It’s the freedom….ride where you want, when you want,
and no one to tell you otherwise. It’s the feeling you get from all compliments
and looks on everyone’s faces…. Check her out!! The feeling that you this bad
ass biker chick sitting above a hot, purring engine on a beautiful piece of metal.
The inspiration and feeling you get when other women or any rider starts a
conversation with you about you experience on learning to ride, to a hundred
million other questions that turns into another biker becoming you new
brother/sister in the amazing biker community!
www.thunderroadslams.com | July 2019 | Thunder Roads® Magazine LA/MS Gulf Coast
13