Sophomore Joanie Cunningham gets basic back-seat defense tips from Richie and Fonzie before her first "car date" with a senior boy, and then cramps her older brother's style when she and her date show up at his college "make-out" party.

What begins as a humorous escapade with a motorcycle turns into a tragic vigil for the Cunninghams and their friends. Richie purchases a motorcycle from Fonzie, but Howard angrily refuses to let him keep it, leading to a deliberately petulant tantrum from Richie to embarrass his father. But Fonzie convinces Howard that the bike is safe and Richie wears proper safety gear, so Howard reluctantly relents. Richie takes Lori Beth along one day while Fonzie is out and Chachi is repairing a truck rented by Al Potsie, and Ralph.