Gearing Up My First Time
Honestly, grabbing those BMW keys felt unreal. Always loved the look of those German machines, you know? But actually owning one? Nope. Total leap of faith. Spent an hour just staring at it in the garage like “Okay buddy, don’t embarrass me today.” Felt like sitting on a fancy park bench made of metal. Took me three tries just to fire it up without stalling – total disaster at first. My neighbor probably thought I was learning Morse code with the starter.
Finally got it rolling down my street, palms sweaty. That first real twist of the throttle? Holy cow. Smooth power, just pushed me forward without screaming. Different beast from my old bike, which rattled like a toolbox. Had to relearn how much muscle it needed leaning into corners – almost ran straight into Mrs. Henderson’s hedge! Took half the morning just feeling comfortable stopping and starting without looking like a drunk penguin.
Essential Stuff I Figured Out (The Hard Way)
Riding these bikes ain’t cheap, and forgetting stuff bites you. Learned fast:
- Check your suspension before you leave. Mine felt like riding a pogo stick over gravel until I tweaked it. Youtube saved my spine.
- Weather changes quick up here. Packed light, froze my knees off when clouds rolled in. Took shelter under a leaky bridge eating a squished protein bar – glamorous!
- Listen to that engine click-clack. Heard a weird little rattle I almost ignored. Pulled over, found a loose chain guard just flapping around. Crisis avoided.
Honestly thought I was being careful packing. Turned out I brought exactly two useful things: my phone and dumb luck.
That Unexpected Trail Magic
Started easy on forest service roads near the cabin. Was getting cocky – bike felt great! Decided to push onto this rocky climb marked “difficult.” Bad idea. Foot slipped on wet stone, bike leaned way over. Scrambled like a crab, boots grinding dirt. Somehow muscled it upright, heart trying to punch out of my chest. This ain’t no Harley; you manhandle this thing when it tips. Took five minutes just breathing deep behind some trees.
But pushing through? Found this hidden clearing up top. Mountain views slapped me silly. Sat on a cold rock, engine ticking down, just grinning like an idiot. That moment? Pure gold. Worth every scraped knuckle.
Thing Nobody Tells You
Gotta be real. That big German price tag stings. Found myself sitting there staring at the invoice like “Did I really need this?” Makes you feel kinda stupid sometimes, you know? Takes ages just breaking the damn thing in right too. All these little rituals, checking stuff constantly… feels like babysitting a fussy millionaire. And honestly? Part of me wonders if that neighbor secretly judges my mid-life crisis parked in the driveway.
This whole trip happened ’cause everything went sideways last year. Lost the job. Lost the… well, other things. Felt like crawling into a hole. That first ride back was raw. Just wind hitting my face, concentrating hard, couldn’t think about anything else. Two wheels kept moving when everything else stopped. Still does. Feels good doing something just for me.
Heading back down was all cold air hitting my neck and this quiet hum underneath me. That smooth power just connecting you to the road. Pulled into the driveway covered in dirt, exhausted, and stupidly happy. Definitely doing this again next weekend. Maybe find a trail that doesn’t try to kill me this time.
