Once you swing your leg over, straddling the thing, and place your feet on those high stirrups that make your knees bend way up and legs spread way out around the leather-clad figure in front of you, you're committed. When you're sitting like that, your body is unguarded and open - your body feels ready - and so you accept it and turn yourself over to it.

I screamed once with my eyes closed and hanging on tight, arms locked around the soft padded leather. But after that I wanted only to see. The world moving by on the wind. It played as a mirror image of itself in the movie projected onto the shine of Clark's black helmet. I saw his head turning left and right taking note of traffic positions. His body shifted beneath me and within my arms. I held tight, at first nervous of falling off the back, just nervous in general. And then not so much and I let go a little, splaying my fingers out on the sack resting on top of the gas tank. We ate lunch and I was glad for it to end so I could get back on for another ride. And then I didn't want it to stop; I wanted to ride on and on moving through the world so exposed and so fast, leaning so far over on the corners. Oh, so much power there. The cool air leaking in through the small gap between the visor and the helmet. All that wind brushing into and around me. It was exhilarating and a challenge. I can see the challenge and I know it's just my kind of thing. If I can be the passenger, I would love being the driver. I see leaning into the tank, observing the positions of obstacles all around, the wind pushing hard and the sun shining on the wide pavement, and me punching through it all.

I didn't expect to like it so much so quickly. But I'm glad I do.