Hello! My name is Marsha and I am a brand new rider. I just took the MSF course 2 weekends ago, but did not pass their evaluation.

The cone weave and tight turns from a stop were what killed me. Slow maneuvers and clutch control, man. Gah. I just did not have it consistently smooth. Going round and round in that peanut course and leaning over? So easy. Obstacle swerve? Got it. But that slow stuff? Nope. At the very least, I wasn't counseled out of class for being a danger to myself and others. Hah!
The Tuesday following class, hubs and I went out and got ourselves a 2007 S40 that I have dubbed George. Husband drove him home, of course, being that I didn't even have a permit and was NOT ready to be doing any real life driving. We've taken it to parking lots to practice. I've since gotten a little better, but I still have a lot of work ahead of me. We rode around our neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods and it felt great! I even managed to get up to a whoppin' 30 mph yesterday!
I'm looking forward to learning the mechanics of George and his one carburetor. I'm completely new to anything mechanical, so his maintenance is going to be a learning curve for me. He's been working like a champ and I want to keep him that way. My husband and I have some studying up to do! I'm very glad to be here.