Christmas 2007

Santa was good to me...

It was time for a new car. My 2001 GMC Jimmy has been very good to me but at 94,000 miles it was time for something new. I am commuting 40 miles to work each way and I needed something comfortable and feul efficient. After looking at several dealerships I decided on the Volkswagen Jetta SE. Ok, I actually had my mind made up before I started looking but thought I should look anyway.

So here it is, my new car on Christmas morning

My brother and I travelled to New Mexico to spend the holidays at my parents. The trip took about 12 hours which was pretty good time considering that during the trip we ran out of gas and I got a speeding ticket!

I was one of 250 citations that evening on the I-40 between the Arizona border and Texas. They clocked me at 82 in a 65 zone. I didn't know it was a 65 zone! The officer was nice enough to say I was only going 75, which reduced the ticket from $115 to $65. "Merry Christmas" he says as he hands me the ticket!

How I chose the KYMCO Venox

There is a lot of debate about whether a new rider should start off with a small bike or start with something larger. Some people say that a smaller bike is safer until you get used to handling a motorcycle. Others say you need something lasrger so you can get out of the way when needed.

I chose to go with a smaller bike. My original thought was the Honda Rebel. Of course I turned to the internet to research more information. Everything I read said the Honda Rebel was a great, reliable bike. I even checked it out at my local Honda dealer.

One of my resources was a forum called http://www.beginnerbikers.org/.

Here are some of my posts...

http://www.beginnerbikers.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4864

http://www.beginnerbikers.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4935

http://www.beginnerbikers.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5013

Then I came across the KYMCO Venox. The bike really appealed to me but it was relatively unknown. I asked about it in the forum and was introduced to another forum called http://alternativecruisers.com/. Found a lot of useful information and made some good friends.

Here are some of my posts...

http://www.alternativecruisers.com/index.php?topic=819.0

http://www.alternativecruisers.com/index.php?topic=838.0

http://www.alternativecruisers.com/index.php?topic=1186.0

http://www.alternativecruisers.com/index.php?topic=1224.0

http://www.alternativecruisers.com/index.php?topic=1338.0

http://www.alternativecruisers.com/index.php?topic=987.0

Then I was invited to http://www.prideinwhatyouride.com/ and am currently a moderator at that site. I won't list all my topics because there are just too many.

http://www.prideinwhatyouride.com/ is an awesome forum for anyone looking for information on KYMCO, Hyosung or UM. We also have several members with other bikes that provide a lot of useful information to motorcycling in general.

It was with the help of my friends on the forums and their advice that led me to choose the KYMCO Venox. It has been almost two years since i purchased my bike and it has been an incredible experience. I coudn't have asked for a better bike.

My love of motorcycles definately came from my family.

My Dad rode a motorcycle back before my time. I'm not sure why or when he stopped riding. However, I do remember going for a little ride with Dad when I was little.

Since then I never really gave much thought to motorcycles until my brother decided to get one. He was young, 16! What is he nuts?? He's going to kill himself!

Well, he's 20 now and still riding.

After he had a couple years of experience under his belt, I finally let him take me for a ride. What a thrill! He was very careful, because, I will admit, I was scared.

Since then we have had the opportunity to ride together on occasion. We don't live too close to eachother, which is a pity. He has helped me change the oil, adjust the suspension, lube and adjust the chain. It's nice to know I can contact the little bro when I need assistance.

The Begining... March, 2006

What!?! A Motorcycle!?! Are you crazy!?! You're going to kill yourself!!!
Yes, that's the typical reaction I receive when I announce my intentions to family and friends. Including my husband. But you know, sometimes a girls' gotta do what a girls' gotta do and this girl is getting a bike.
WHY!?! What possesed you to want to get a bike???
Good question. I'm not quite sure when it happened, but I got bit by the bug. Probably happened when I got on the back of my brothers bike and we went for a little ride. I started thinking, I can do this. This would be fun. So I looked into it, researching sites, talking to people, looking into different bikes. I started out wanting a Harley Sportster but soon came to the conclusion that that would not be a good place to start. I needed to start small. That's when I found the Honda Rebel. Cute little bike, lightweight, easy to handle. Everyone said it's a great starter bike and you can't go wrong with a Honda. Then I came across a relatively unknown bike called the VENOX made by Kymco. The what made by who?? Like I said it's not very well know, at least not here in the U.S. Not Yet. But before I made a decison on a bike, I needed to take the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course. GREAT COURSE! I highly recommend it to anyone starting out or getting back into riding if it's been a while. I went from a complete novice that didn't even know where the clutch was, to riding a bike pretty comfortably. I'm not saying I'm a pro. Far from it, I don't think I'm even ready to attempt this in traffic. However, I can shift, turn, stop, etc. But beyond that, taking the course made me very aware of what's going on around me. I even drive my car differently.
I have to brag a little, I did really well and passed with flying colors. I took the course on the Honda Rebel and was happy I got that bike. I realized after 8 hours on the Rebel that it was not the right bike for me. Once I passed the course they let me take a ride on the Venox. What a bike! It felt soooo good! I was going around the track, swerving through the cones and I was in heaven. It was very liberating... very empowering.... I was sold. I was definately getting a bike, the Venox, and nothing was stopping me now.