Mom, Dad Wants a Motorcycle!

It’s a tale as old as time, some call it a “mid-life crisis” others call it “he’s lost his mind,” but for most of us men, there comes a time when we want to either relive some of our youth or want what we could never have.

For me it was the former, having grown up around motorcycles, and having one as my first mode of transportation through my early twenties, motorcycles held a fun and youthful memory in my life.

When I moved to the central coast of California I found myself less in need of a car for my day-to-day transportation and ended up picking a freeway legal scooter to get around. At $100 each time I filled up my SUV, the $6 pump visits that the scooter now offered made my wallet feel good and the feeling of the wind all around me on the open road, rekindled that desire from way back when.

After Shannon and I moved in together I decided that I wanted to get a real bike. I started scouring craigslist and after a few months I found one that was a great deal and everything I was looking for. Since I forgot to share this information with Shannon I rather nonchalantly showed her the picture of the 1000cc Aprilia Caponord and asked, “what do you think of that?”

She said, “nice” and I proceeded to let her know what a good deal it was. This is what us guys call, “planting the seed.” However surprisingly this is about as far as I had to go with the whole convincing stage, you see, she had ridden on the scooter with me a number of times and really enjoyed the experience as well. Plus, she knew I really wanted it and it made her feel good to be a part of that.

Now the problem really lied with her friends, relatives, social media acquaintances etc. It seems everyone and their brother has a story of some awful, tragic accident with a sister’s, cousins, uncle’s, friend.

Here’s the things she heard:

• Those are dangerous!
• You have kids!
• This person died!
• I don’t know…
• You better be careful!
• I can’t believe you let him talk you into that!
• It’s not you I worry about it’s those crazies on the road…

The thing is everyone has a valid point. All of these things could occur and I’m sure everyone also knows someone who has been hurt or killed in an auto accident as well. The big difference for me though is that I am no longer, as Taylor Swift would put it, “22.” I actually value life now, and ride more like I’m 82.

It’s not about speed, or riding crazy, it’s about enjoying nature, the scenery, and being a part of all of the life around me.

So, Shannon and I have been able to enjoy the motorcycle together. We take rides up the coast and pack the bike with camping gear giving us the ability to pull off at any of the many campsites up and down the cost.

For us it has been a good bonding experience when we don’t have kids, and though we don’t get to enjoy it as often as we would like, when we do, it is always a great experience.

So guys here is a list of reasons to tell your significant other why getting a motorcycle is a good idea:

• Honey you will look amazing in leather pants!
• With helmets on, you won’t have to hear my babbling till we get there…
• Darling it’s romantic; you can hug me for hours straight!
• With the money we save on gas you can get that new ____ you’ve been wanting…
• The internet says it will be great bonding for our relationship!

Good luck my friends!