Hitting 150KM/H on the highway with the sun shining, while feeling the wind sneak up between your sleeves and brushing against your motor bike gear, that’s the sensation you get when you think of adding a motor bike to your automotive collection!
Well, it took me almost three winters to finally make the decision and turn one of my lifetime dreams to reality. I seriously thought that I would never own a motorbike. I guess I let the fear stop me rather than push me. “Let the fear drive you to do the things you would want to do, rather than stop you” that is my humble insight on life!
There is no other way of finding out what you like except by trying it out first.
Honestly you cannot compare riding motorbike to riding any other vehicle. Riding a motorbike is a whole different feeling. The whole process of riding my first bike was one of my favorite life experiences.
It’s in this case where peer pressure is actually considered to be a good thing, and thankfully I have great friends! So, peer pressure was a huge factor to getting my first motorbike.
Not to mention that I took over about 100 scooter rides in three different countries for three summers until I came down to the decision of finally copping my first bike.
Before you buy your first bike though, you have to keep these factors in mind:
1. Take a few rides on a scooter, and by few I mean over 90 days of riding.
2. Don’t hesitate to select the bike you desire, based on your budget, of course.
3. Sign up at Tri-Star for 10-12 bike riding lessons. Tri-Star is a driving school, plus they have a great selection of motorbikes for sale.
4. Make an appointment for the “Try” test, go on the test day and don’t be scared. While it’s easy to think that you should get a Wasta, try not to. Keep trying until you pass it. Good luck!
5. Finally, you can now buy your own bike, a 700 cc is a great first bike. If not, you can also find second-hand bikes for sale on websites like 4sale or q8car. If you are going for the second- hand option, make sure the bike has low mileage, around 10,000 KM or less. Get it inspected first, buy it and…
6. Congratulations! Welcome to the club!
The next step would be to find the right safety gear and accessories for your bike. Leather outfits with safety paddings are highly recommended, you need to make sure you are taking the right precautions. Think about it, the only technique you need to master is to DRIVE SLOW & ENJOY THE RIDE! Every other technique is easy to handle.
Speed limits are high in Kuwait’s roads and highways, so you need to be careful all the time. Listen to “Drive slow” by Kanye West featuring Paul Wall & GLC for all the hip-hop and Rhythm’n’Blues fans out there and you will get the hint. I cannot recommend this track enough. Kuwait had a record of 70,000 road accidents in 2017 alone but thankfully this rate has dropped in 2019. Okay, I say this to make you guys feel better, nevertheless you should be careful, wear a helmet and all the required safety gear and again (DRIVE SLOW).
Personally, I always catch myself speeding every now and then, but I always remind myself to enjoy the ride and just cruise. It’s worth it if you want to keep having the pleasure and the luxury of a nice ride on a cool sunny day.
In my humble opinion I think everyone should try to have the experience to ride a motor bike at least once in their life, even if you are not the one riding, just hop on one behind someone. Remember, it is the only way you will ever find out if you’re a ‘rida’ or not!
