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Biking :
Miscellaneous
Wyrd Motorcycling Part 4 - July to December 1996
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Katie comes home
I was proud of myself when I chose, sourced and purchased my Virago, Katie, all by myself. I
chose based on the size and power of the bike, and whether it had an electric
starter(!), but also on the attitude of the dealers I rang up. Some
hummed and hahed, saying that a 535 was too big;
some didn't have both the 250 and the 535 for me to compare; some said I'd be fine. I
eventually went to Flitwick Motorcycles where the salesman Saul told me that a 250 was way too
small, I'd want something bigger within weeks, and I'd do great on a 535. I did. I got to play
in the supermarket, and he made the sale there and then. He later became yet another biker in
my life, a friend during the lonely and rather bizarre months before I emigrated to California
in August 1997. Saul let me know that Boris finally found a stable home with an adult
commuter after a stint being a learner bike, and he also bought Katie back at a better price
than any other dealer. (I found out that she had gone to a part-time
female biker, so I assume that was a good home...)
He had empathy: knowing that I was upset about
the parting without feeling sorry for me, he made the transaction as
simple and easy as possible. He understood what the bike had meant to me.
Chapters old and new
Katie came home and marked yet another turning point: the real beginning of the end for my
marriage. Increasingly upset by criticism and a failure to recognise all that I'd achieved, the
Virago became my faithful companion in a way that I was missing from my partner. I took
delivery of the bike alone, making the first ride a ritual, putting on the leathers just so,
having everything in place: the importance of such rituals should
never be underestimated, for they mark things which feel fundamentally and
personallyimportant: nobody else will recognise this, so it's up to the
individual to recognise it. The memory also gives a
useful reference point and ego booster when your energy's at a low ebb... Though that
first ride was only 10 miles and fraught with mistakes, it was all mine: Katie was one
of the few things I'd ever done just for me. I arrived back moments
before Chris and his friend got back from a hiking trip, was still admiring the gleaming chrome and
achievement when they came back. And only I was on the insurance.
At this time, another chapter came to an end: my association with my tutor finished, coming to
a natural end. He had taught me a great deal about believing in myself and my skills, had
supported me through a near miss and interview with the police afterwards (not my fault, not
his fault, but I was pretty shocked); had even recommended me a bike shop to sit on a 500cc
Kawasaki, knowing that I could indeed ride a
larger bike: but it was time to move on. I was on my own.
While Chris never acknowledged my achievement, never said anything
good about my riding, Don, Tom, Graham and Tony all recognised what I had
pulled off. And, most importantly, I recognised it too.
Ten days after buying Katie, I flew to California for my first manic ten-day visit. Don and I
hit it off immensely; the potential of the future was there for us. It was a magical,
motorcycling, crazy tour for which I still feel immensely privileged, and marked the birth of a
very new life for me. Though it's been a rough ride, I don't regret it one bit.
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Part 2 |
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Part 4 |
Part 5
Biking :
Miscellaneous
Wyrd Motorcycling Part 4 - July
to December 1996
This page created 12 Oct 1996
Last update 30 Apr 2007
© 1996-2007 White Raven
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