Who is the Antirider Rider?

Recently, the question came up about the origin of the blog name so I must give credit where it’s due.  It all started when Jason nicknamed me the Antirider Rider because despite my many motorcycle activities, I really like riding pillion (which most people can’t understand).  However, it got me thinking I should do a little history about me, my motorcycles, and how I became the Antirider Rider.

Ten years ago, Charlotte looked very different than it does today.  Back then I didn’t really have any friends who rode or even had much interest in bikes but I’d always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle.  A college professor strongly suggested that I take the MSF and after a few tries, I finally got a spot in the MSF class at my local community college.  Yeah, that’s me rolling around in the parking lot on the edge of downtown in squidly gear and a borrowed helmet.

They assigned me a little Suzuki GZ 125 and off I went putting around in circles.  Ironically what plagued me ten years still plagues me today (in fact just this past weekend) and I ended up failing the MSF for dropping my bike.  Really, who in the world fails the MSF?  Well, that person would be me and I was devastated.  My college professor promised me that after I took the MSF, I would get the riding “bug” and never want to stop.  Boy was he was right!  So despite not getting the license waiver, I marched (or more slowly waited for hours on end) to my local DMV and got a motorcycle permit.  In my state, the only restriction of a permit was not carrying passengers which was fine by me.  I wasn’t planning on doing that anytime soon. 

With a permit in hand, I was ready to buy my first set of two wheels but funds were tight so my choices were limited. I picked up a local Auto Trader and looked for the cheapest bike in the book.  This is what I found for a whopping $375.

Believe it or not, I had to borrow the money and eventually sell my beautiful Ibanez 12 string guitar to make up the difference.  None of it mattered because I was the proud owner of my very own two wheels.  Amazingly, it didn’t take much to get the classic KZ up and running.  One day, I asked my mechanic friend who rides to take it out for a test spin.  He came back and said it needed a lot of work including new brakes.  He parked in the lot by my apartment and gave me back the keys.  A few days later, the bike disappeared and my friend said if someone tried to ride it, they probably rode into a ditch because it wasn’t the most stable bike. 

However before it was stolen, I managed to haul around campus on two wheels and drop it down a hill, drop it behind a building, and countless other times.  It was quite a learning experience although maybe it’s the opposite, I didn’t learn a thing because I still drop my bike all of the time.  My beloved first bike was gone and I was left with no insurance money because even the insurance company wouldn’t cover something of such little value (except for sentimental to me).

Surprise surprise that I got a photo before it grew legs and walked away.  Here it is in all it’s glory with a dinged up tank, missing engine cover and all. 

It took a bit but I finally stumbled across what would be the best starter bike ever, my 1993 Honda Nighthawk 250.  I went to negotiate the deal and brought along my cousin who is a mechanic but knows nothing of bikes.  I knew better than to go alone though.  We show up and just like the story of my life, it turns out the seller is friends with my cousin’s wife and on and on so everyone knows everyone else.  The guy ends up giving me a bang up deal although the poor bike was being stored outside and had to be jumpstarted off a car.  I didn’t care because after a test ride, I knew it was for me.

I was so proud of my nice reliable Honda that ended up being the most shared bike in history.  This bike became it’s own MSF course but it always started right up and never had any mechanical issues beyond the usual maintenance.  It did take a a nice long hiatus in the middle of my living room while my personal life had some detours.  Eventually it found it’s way back out and took me to countless bike nights at Mac’s and Quaker Steak and all along the streets of Charlotte.  After eight wonderful years, the Honda finally found a new home although I’d consider it still in the family.

As I was looking through old photos, I ran across a pic from when I drove the school’s Legends Car.  It’s motorcycle related because they use a motorcycle engine and it’s one thing I couldn’t drop : )  I remember spinning out in the middle of the track and pushing the clutch in as instructed.  Then I sat and waited and waited and waited because I couldn’t push the start button when I was strapped in the five point harness.  That was a blast!

That brings us up to date in the motorcycle timeline of my life.  Somewhere along the way, I took the MSF again and actually passed so yes, I have a real motorcycle endorsement.  I’m down one bike since the Honda is officially gone.  The Suzuki’s are my bike of choice on the road and track and the Yamaha XT is my darling dual sport.  As for why I started the blog, I was a blogger briefly on another site.  I then created this blog because I started taking more photos and needed a way to share.  Folks started asking me to post up photos faster and faster so I felt more responsibility to get things done in a timely manner.  I eventually bought my own domain name and server space and thus, the Antirider Rider blog was born.  Of course, a lot of my activities revolved around two wheels so it was only natural the theme would become motorcycles although I do sometimes use it as an outlet for personal thoughts as well. 

To recap, they call me the Antirider Rider because I have a lot of bikes and I’m very involved in the two wheeled community but at the end of the day, put me on the pillion and I’m just as happy.  As long as I’m having fun, I’m okay if no one else understands it  : ) 

Thanks again for reading my blog and if you have any other questions, post up and I just might answer them – and that includes you Mike P!