Motorcycle
I did a thing and bought my first motorcycle. To be honest though, I wouldn’t really call it a motorcycle because it is tiny! I bought a Honda Grom; it is a small 125cc minimoto. It is hilariously fun to ride and not at all intimidating.
I have been wanting a motorcycle for a while now and I finally took the plunge. I was originally going to purchase a Honda Navi because of its cheap price, ease of use, and of its size. Well, availability for these things wasn’t on my side. Everywhere I went, there was zero stock. I could have put a deposit on one, but dealers were charging upwards of $3,500 on an $1,800 motorcycle. No thanks for me!
This led me down a path of reading a lot about motorcycles, their styles, sizes, etc. I was pretty dead set on a Honda, and I was even more set on something small. This led me to the Honda Grom. It is bigger than the Navi; it has a manual transmission, and it is much faster. The whole shifting thing was my biggest hesitation with this bike, but I figured since I could drive a manual car, I would be fine.
Well, I was wrong! It was definitely different from a manual car. I kept stalling it out on acceleration. I had to relearn because on a motorcycle; you operate the clutch with your hand and you shift with your foot. Eventually, though, everything clicked together, and I mastered it. Feathering the clutch helped me a ton!
Cruising on this thing has been amazing. I have ridden places I would never have visited before. You feel more in tune with the environment you are riding in because you are outside, unlike a car. Going through peaks and valleys, I could feel the temperature changing. I could smell the air change when I passed by bodies of water. It is quite an outstanding feeling.
Motorcycling is fun, and I highly recommend it to everyone if you can get your hands on a bike for cheap. Honda Groms are cheap, they are pretty capable, and they are hilariously enjoyable to ride.