After 20 hours of intensive instruction and hands on training exercises, I passed the motorcycle road test. Riding a motorcycle is even more fun than I expected. There was a lot to learn, and I have a lot more still to learn before becoming a novice rider. It will take time before I feel proficient.

Now that I know more about the physics of motorcycles, I have reversed my stance on toting passengers. Before the course, I had hoped that after a year of real riding I might take a passenger on a short ride. OK, that someone would be a cute girl. After talking with four instructors with collectively fifty years of experience and only one accident among them, though, the choice is clear: Avoid taking passengers on a motorcycle, unless they have training to be one.

Extra weight on board can drastically affect the balance of the bike. Oh, that passenger may be gorgeous, but if they lean the wrong way, or at a bad spot, it’s possible the bike goes toppling. A sweet nothing whispered in the rider’s ear might just be the last thing either of them hear.

And that means no more riding.