Riding the Road: My adventures and lessons learnt on Harley Davidson

by Manoshi Mistry, Birchwood

Motorcycles always caught my fancy. Coming from a city where it was a common sight to see ladies ride Motorcycles to commute daily, the itch to learn to ride a motorcycle was really strong. All I wanted was a 100cc Bajaj Avenger or Yamaha Enticer. 

However I had to wait for a good 9 years.

I learned to ride a motorcycle at the tender young age of 46 that too on a 1200 cc Harley Davidson. Phew that was a huge start.

Since I learned to ride with a pillion I found it a huge challenge to ride and balance the bike without the weight behind.

In a city like Chennai which is very conservative, finding good company to ride was difficult.

Time and again my riding Guru Ms Sunita Kunjeer (a very senior lady rider who rides a Harley and a BMW motorcycle) told me not to look for company but to just ride. Thank God for good advice, if i had waited for company I wouldn't have been able to ride to the places where I have been to.

My mother is a fearless lady and I guess I am the way I am because I have her genes. I am today able to ride to places that I want to visit and not worry or wait for company.

Generally I am a lazy laid back person at home but when on a ride I am able to jump out of bed at 4am, gear up n ready to roll out on the scheduled time.

In 6 years I have only been able to clock 60,000 kms on the odo. The 2 years lockdown slowed down my riding schedule.

I have plenty many stories and memories tucked away in brain storage. Earned patches n pins that i have stored in a box that I plan to show my grandchildren or anyone who has the patience to listen to a rambling old lady.

On my 2012 sportster I have completed k2k (Kashmir to Kanyakumari) and 21/365 (rode and visited 21 Harley dealership within a calendar year) solo. Also did a solo tour of 4 cities of Rajasthan.

In 2021 when I turned 50 I was gifted the heritage softail by my husband. What a beauty that bike is. initially the size of the bike was absolutely overwhelming but one ride on it to the Golden Temple in Amritsar with some good buddies from Chandigarh and my fears were quashed.

This year after much deliberation decided to complete the 21/365 challenge again.

Without the support of my husband and my older daughter I don't think my dream of riding would have ever been fulfilled.

I have some great mentors who are my guides on routes and are always there to help when I'm in trouble.

Riding solo I have gained the respect of my fellow Harley riders from across the country and love from many riders who I never knew.

The wide open roads teach you many things.

Respect.

Respect the local commuters and understand these roads are their daily run you are merely a visitor.

Humility and Patience

When there are speed limits it doesn't matter if you ride a 100cc bike or a 1700 cc super bike... you are only going to reach the destination as fast as the other 100cc on the road. Sometimes when roads are really bad they reach faster than you as you are probably worried that the bottom might hit the speed breaker or you might damage your alloy wheels.

Fear

Fear the unknown that keeps my speed in limit and focus on the road all the time.

Faith in God

Prayers move mountains they say. Sometimes they warn you about unmarked speed breakers and get you from A to B in the time you scheduled and safely.

On this parting note all I can say is... You don't need to be super strong to ride a bike .. if you'll got the will.. You will Do it. Not just biking... anything in life... If you want it that bad and work towards it you will succeed.

 This picture is @ the border 


Comments

  1. SanjayMay 9, 2023 at 7:18 AM

    Well Done, Manoshi, I would say a great achievement of your lifetime. We should all learn from your experiences. God Bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnanyaMay 20, 2023 at 5:17 AM

    If you are still looking for company, I'd love to ride with you someday :D
    Though I don't have my own bike here in Chennai, could probably rent one and ride together.

    ReplyDelete

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