Rider Magazine, November 2019 cover.

When I read Mark Tuttle?s One Track Mind article last month entitled ?Open Their Eyes,? I could not help but remember my friends suggesting that I should begin riding at the age of 50 during the midst of a terrible divorce. I had never ridden any motorcycle other than small dirt bikes on a handful of occasions. In addition to Mark?s suggestion about talking to the neighbor or friend that may have a casual interest, I?d like to also suggest mentioning the benefits of motorcycling to anyone going through a life changing event, such as a divorce. Riding allowed me to partially escape the pain of not seeing my children and to fill my lonely days with adventure, and opened my world to new friends. If you cannot attend the motorcycle shows referenced in Mark?s article, you could gently ?push? the idea by offering to take a beginner motorcycle course with your friend. Seven years after my first ride, I am now on my fifth motorcycle and I ride more than ten thousand miles a year. Where would I be but for my friends? gentle but forceful persuasion" I could not imagine my life today without riding.
Fran Murrman, Greensburg, Pennsylvania

Rider safety is the primary reason I am a religious reader of Rider. Decades ago, I took the most significant step in rider safety when I admitted to myself that riding is a dangerous sport, so I should do all I could to reduce that risk. Now, after four MSF courses and at...