Beginner Bikes: The Beginning

My palms are a bit sweaty as I begin and, wanting to stay focused, I remember the time that I rode my first Harley-Davidson. I am not a beginner in the truest sense of the word, have ridden for more than 20 years, but am by no means a seasoned rider either. Having lived a somewhat nomadic life, I have only owned bikes for short periods of time and have gone years without one at all. For this reason I was extremely nervous the first time I threw my leg over the smooth leather saddle of one of America's classic Harley-Davidson's. It was just an 883, considered by some to be more "piglet" like than "hog", but it belonged to my sister-in-law's boyfriend and I had a fear of dropping the bike that only a beginner can understand. Fortunately, all went well. I gently twisted the throttle a few times, tapped to make sure I was in first and, gradually releasing the clutch, off I went. The feeling came right back to me, and I didn't even hesitate when reaching the turn at the end of his dirt driveway.

I can only hope that my attempts here are as successful. I have never before written professionally, nor would I be considered this site's "editor" if not for the death of my client and friend, Tom Andrews. Beginner Bikes is the realization of his dream.

Tom, an avid motorcyclist and accomplished writer, approached me in December of 2000 and asked if I could help him publish on the Internet, a collection of motorcycle reviews and resourceful links. It was his desire, which I share, to provide the new and returning rider a valuable resource on the Internet the likes of which he had been unable to find. He regularly visited respected sites like Motorcycle Daily.com and Motorcycle Online, but felt a need for something more.

We spent hundreds of hours that winter reviewing site design, editing bike summaries, compiling statistics, and all the while shared a great excitement about what we were going to provide the world. Yes, we had high aspirations then. Tom was currently living in Rome as a Fellow at the American Academy of Arts and Letters and would provide from there, full-length tests of many of Europe's more popular beginner bikes and scooters. I would stay here in Michigan and maintain the site, conduct the businesses operations and, weather permitting, ride a bike every once and a while. Looking back I suspect that we had succumbed to the "dot com" fantasy that was infecting so many in our country at the time. "Manufacturers will be happy to subsidize the sites costs in exchange for logo placement and links. Third party part suppliers will buy advertising space. Visitors may even be willing to subscribe to the site at some point." These were just a few of our many misconceptions, and it is only with the help of our site's few contributors and wonderful community that we have survived at all. Although Beginner Bikes had already received rave reviews from industry leaders and publication editors, it was facing a bleak future - one that was made even darker with Tom's passing in 2001. We had already stopped communicating as frequently as we had been, and I was nearly certain that the site would die with him.

Not wanting it to end however, I decided to try the addition of a message board and with that, the site was reborn. There exists at Beginner Bikes, a community of new and experienced riders the likes of which I have not met before. They have helped one another for more than a year now with issues ranging from those as common as chain lubrication to the more difficult to answer like "Am I too old to begin riding again". They've inspired, consoled and argued with one another. They have encouraged to ride, men and women that would still only be thinking about it.

It is the same community that has inspired me to make this site work. We have struggled recently with unexpected bandwidth use and escalating hosting costs, and it will not be easy. My wife and I assume the financial burden of the site personally and money is tight. I also lack the experience as a rider, or writer, that Tom had and can only offer my opinion. It is however one of some value. I have ridden motorcycles and scooters since the age of 14, ranging from Honda's cute 'ole Trail 70 "mini-bike" to the more exotic Interceptor VF500. All of the bikes I've owned and those that I hope to are considered beginner bikes, and I've made most of the mistakes that plague new riders. I've laid 'em down sideways and let 'em fall over, I've dropped them, stalled them, and crashed them. I wear the scars to this day from one accident. More than anything however, I respect them. It is for this reason, more than any other, that I feel qualified enough to share with all of you what information I am able to gather and provide here at Beginner Bikes.

Upcoming full-length tests include the MZ Black Panther, the Buell Blast, and the Kawasaki Ninja 500. I've also solicited from some of our more regular visitors, reviews of bikes that they own or have ridden. In addition, we will be adding a new section to the site entitled: "Putting Her On The Road: A Beginner's Journal" in which I will detail my efforts to restore, license, and insure my 1972 Suzuki 250 Hustler. It should be fun reading, and yet another opportunity to provide our readers an online resource unlike any on the Net. That is why we're here after all, and will be for years.

I hope that you will all keep coming back.

Please take a moment and rate this editorial.