I promise we didn’t get another car… sort of 😉

This may come as a surprise, but we’ve picked up a wild new hobby — and yes, #booktok may have had something to do with it. I got the crazy idea to learn how to ride a motorcycle! Nathan was immediately on board, and just like that, we were deep in research mode: bikes, training courses, licenses, the whole thing.

While there are local classes that provide access to a bike, gear, and 100% satisfy the license requirements, I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t be successful in a 3-day course. I liked the idea of taking my time, learning on “my bike” and not feeling the pressure of a class or instructor. Thankfully, we found some amazing online resources, and we were able to set up our own training course and practice at our own speed.

In Arizona, you can get a motorcycle learner’s permit by passing the written test, just like a car. That lets you ride during the day, in good weather, and under a certain speed. We took a day or two to study the AZ Motorcycle Operator Manual (digital copy) and easily passed on our first try!

We also picked up a few other things, like armored jackets and gloves, and quickly learned that gear will be an endless wish list 🤦‍♀️.

Last on the beginner requirements, we needed a bike! This turned out to be a little more of a challenge with our competing desires.

One of the big reasons Nathan wanted to learn how to ride was to essentially go off-roading, but on a bike. We already had the electric pedal bikes, but a motorcycle would allow you to go farther and carry more gear. We quickly found that ADV riding was a very popular choice and had its own subculture.

ADV bikes are built with more ground clearance for the off-road trails, similar to dirt bikes but not quite as tall, and they are street legal. This presented a little bit of a challenge, as I wanted to be able to comfortably reach the ground while I was learning.

We didn’t want anything too crazy, knowing that it would likely be dropped and be used for street training more than anything else. We found a used Kawasaki Eliminator, which is more of a street cruiser. It fit me perfectly, but was a little small for Nathan, so we knew it wouldn’t be his permanent bike.

Now that we had our basic gear, it was time to start training! During our research, we found two resources that helped tremendously.

First, @DanDanTheFireman (YouTube) has training videos and training courses we leveraged to get some of the basics down. He also does a lot of video reviews, helping explain what mistakes riders make and how to fix them.

Second, MSF or Motorcycle Safety Foundation is the gold standard across the country for training standards. The majority of states, AZ included, use MSF to create their motorcycle written and driving tests. They have practice drills online to help build your comfort level with different maneuvers (website).

Last, and ultimately, the key to passing the test itself was using the AZ MVD Test Instructions (two-wheel version or three-wheel).

It quickly became a hindrance to only use the KLE for practicing, so Nathan continued researching and watching out for the bike he wanted. Lucky for him, there were some great deals on 2025 models, and he was able to get the bike he wanted – 2025 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450!

I personally think this looks closer to a cruiser than a traditional ADV bike, but it is a great ADV starter bike with easy and cheap parts to change and upgrade. Nathan has already upgraded the seat, windshield, added cruise control, and I am sure other things I have forgotten.

Unfortunately for me, Nathan loved his new bike and was even more comfortable, which meant he was ready to take his test within a week or so.

I was not. It wasn’t going terribly, just much much slower. It was also becoming apparent that it would take a LONG time before I would be comfortable going off-road. After 4-ish weeks of practice, I was feeling comfortable with my feet off the ground and in 1st gear, but I was so not ready to start actually driving.

One of the things we saw while shopping was actually a three-wheel trike. Definitely unusual for the normal biker crowd, but they are growing in popularity because it makes it more accessible for people like me who want more stability or those who may have strength or disability issues with a traditional two-wheeler.

After a lot of planning and thinking on my part, I relented and decided that if I didn’t want to hold Nathan back, I would need to start with something else. So we said goodbye to the Eliminator and traded it in on a 2025 Can-am Canyon, which is designed to go off-road.

While I still want to try and learn on a two-wheeler at some point, the Canyon has been a perfect choice! It also makes riding two-up possible, so we don’t always have to take both bikes if we don’t want to.

With a better bike setup, it was time to finish our training and get our motorcycle endorsements!

We practiced for another 1-2 weeks, and during that time, Nathan became an official biker… by dropping his bike 😜.

Thankfully, it turned out to be very minor, and he could easily replace the bent clutch bar. Also, it really is kind of required to fit in, so he just got it over with!

After that, we were ready to take our driving test! Nathan passed on his first try, of course, but I did not.

Unfortunately, the trike ended up being just different enough that it was hard to figure out the distance for the cones and how the test would actually play out. We took new measurements and practiced over the weekend, and went back days later, and I passed with flying colors!

In between practicing and new bikes, we both picked up a full set of gear, including ADV jackets, pants, boots, the whole nine yards!

So, we are officially motorcyclists now! It has truly been a lot of fun, and I can’t wait until we can get more into the motocamping side of things. We have a lot of new ideas, and now we just need the time to do it!