Congratulations! You’ve decided it was time to tackle the challenge and enjoy riding a motorcycle. You understand the risks involved in the sport and you are willing to accept them for the freedom and the fun of riding. You struggled at times, but you persevered, and now you’ve learned to ride. You’ve overcome the seemingly impossible tasks of using both hands and both feet at the same time, all doing different things. Maybe you took a rider course to help you learn.

Whatever your method of learning, you’ve got to feel good about succeeding in gaining the skills to ride. The feeling of being in control of your own motorcycle can be exhilarating. You’ve worked hard at mastering the motorcycle’s controls and have every right to relish your accomplishments. Now you may face one of your toughest challenges.

"While they can be your greatest support group, the people you ride with often are unwittingly your toughest challenge as well."

It’s not the bike you’re riding, in spite of the days it doesn’t seem to want to communicate or cooperate with you. It’s not the road you ride on, even though the changes in road surface and the stuff on top of it can create interesting situations. It’s not the traffic sharing the road with you, although other vehicles create their own challenges.

The people you ride with may well be the biggest obstacle to your continued growth as a rider. While they can be your greatest support group, they often are unwittingly your toughest challenge as well. They don’t mean to be. In fact they are normally excited about the fact that you are riding and they want to share the fun with you.

Unfortunately they may not remember what it was like 200 years ago when they first started riding. They have long forgotten their struggles as a new rider and just ride as they normally ride . You try to keep up, but you find it increasingly more challenging. Or perhaps you watch them maneuver their bike with a smoothness gained from years of experience and you feel that you should be able to do the same thing.

In either situation, you may find yourself outside your comfort zone. The fun meter reading drops drastically when you are not in your comfort zone. You’ve got to remember why you started riding. It was for the fun of it. To keep it fun, ride your own bike. Ride it in a way that keeps you in your comfort zone so you can enjoy the ride.

Your friends really want to share the fun of riding with you. Let them know how you’re feeling. If you’re uncomfortable, share your concerns and see what can be done to help you enjoy the ride. It’s up to you to make sure they don’t inadvertently steal your fun. Keep riding your own bike.

Ride Smart! Ride Safe!