My Harley Davidson Encounter

What happens when you have a city turned country girl and a Harley Davidson in the same sentence?

Since I was little I have had a fascination with motorbikes but, apart from mopeds, I have never actually ridden one. Until today.

My friend Katy is responsible for introducing me to Fair Trade fashion and she is now responsible for introducing me to Harley Davidson! That girl is like a Pandora Box - full of surprises! I was talking to her husband, John, about bikes at my birthday party and he promised me a ride on one of his babies as a birthday treat. Today was "D Day" and it was AWESOME!!! I was like a hyper kid on Christmas and I loved every minute of it!

I know this will sound like a terrible cliché, but it is incredible the sense of freedom you have on a bike. There are many reasons for that:

John's Harley Softail

1. If you have always driven cars, you definitely feel and know you are exposed to the elements and therefore in more danger of getting hurt;

2. It might have something to do with the fact that I was short of being like a dog with its head out of the window: only the tongue wagging to the wind was missing! You can also definitely feel the speed. Even at 70 you feel like you are at 120.

3. Add the fact that it was pretty much like sitting on a thunder: John's gorgeous Harley Davidson Softail roared to life like nothing I have ever seen! Every time he changed gear or sped up the thing roared like a lion. Even as a back-seat rider, it was exhilarating! Harleys are also so classy, it is extremely sexy. They demand a respect no other bike can pull. If you are a self-confessed petrol head like I am, you know exactly what I am talking about.

4. Last but definitely not least, your senses are all at full volume. As the adrenaline kicked in and I was not enclosed on the sterile interior of my car, I could smell everything and see things from a much closer perspective. The drive to Preston, somewhere I go quite often, quite literally felt like going somewhere completely unknown.

Trying on some gear

To add to my experience, John and Katy took me to the Preston Harley Davidson shop where I was glad to have a full lesson on the different types of mean and beautiful machines as well as having a nibble at the Harley Diner and playing dress up at the Clothing and Accessories store upstairs. I  was like a kid in a toy store: "Mum, mum! Look at this one! No!!! Look at that one! Mum! Can I have this? Mum, mum! I want one!!!" I did not know what to do with myself with so much excitement!

Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide

Moral of the story: I am in love with the Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide and I have added it to my Christmas List (Santa, I promise I will be a good girl this year *begs with wide puppy eyes* and, if I'm not, I promise I will be good at it). Bike riding classes are now most definitely on the cards.

I must have been a biker in another life!