Hi, I’m Karen, probably the newest rider among the
Renegades. I am the personification of the saying ‘better late than never’
since I was over 50 when I got my MC endorsement.
After a 25 year hiatus from being a motorcycle passenger, a
trip to Louden, N.H. on the back of a Suzuki SV650 in 2009 reminded me how much
I enjoyed being on a motorcycle. And it finally dawned on me that I could move
to the ‘front seat’ and ride whenever I wanted to. I signed up for the MSF Beginning
Rider’s Course in 2010 as a birthday present to myself. I was the only woman
and more than twice the age of 80% of the students in the class, but it didn’t
matter. Two weeks after passing the class and getting my MC endorsement, I
found my 2008 Honda NightHawk on Craigslist. Two months after that, I’d logged
2000+ miles and I haven’t looked back since.
As a teenager, I rode horses and now I experience much the
same thrill on my motorcycle (except it doesn’t have a mind of its’ own!). Out in
the air, I am in the moment, completely involved in getting from point A to
point B. I feel the temperature change when I turn onto a shaded road, smell
the grass that just got mowed, the cigar in the car in front of me at the light
or the skunk that got frightened a moment ago. I see a flock of birds launch
from the hayfield on my left or the groundhog nibbling grass at the roadside.
I might sometimes wonder why I waited so long, but am so
very grateful that I didn’t wait too long.
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