How do I explain....

[ragtop69gs]

Do your best to convince her to take the MSF and buy a bike that matches her abilities. Today we went to the funeral of a 22 year old Man from the neighborhood, 2nd year rider, hit broadside at an intersection. Not his fault but you have to wonder if more experience would have made a difference.

[GAWildKat]

Mike and I lost a friend 2 yrs ago this coming November. While I feel in my heart it was her time, I think more education (she had taken a safety class in OH) and more attentive riding could have made a difference between her jumping off the bike into the ditch or hitting that SUV broadside as she did, it's a death that haunts me because that could have been me. I now wear the ICON chest armor because of that happened to her. I will do my best to find a small bike for Tatiana and we get the gear she needs.

 

I'm planning on getting a triked Burgman 650 and putting adaptive controls on it sometime between now and hell freezes over.

[Bobby G]

When my wife wanted to start riding in '07, she wanted to get right on a Sportster 1200 or Softail right out of the gate. She had some experience years ago on an ATV and a few times on a small dirt bike, but never on a road bike, and she thought she was all that and a bag of chips. So I took her to a large parking lot, make her wear really good protective gear, and put her on my slightly beat up Honda VTX 1300 cruiser to start turning some circles and figure 8's. She dropped the bike like 5 times, and finally admitted that it was a whole different experience then what she expected. I figured that the dings to the bike were worth the sacrifice of getting her to understand that doing it vs. thinking you can do it are two totally different things. She finally gave in and we got her a terrific little Honda 750 Shadow that she could handle - - she took the course, got her license, and 30,000 accident-free miles later has now graduated to the larger, heavier and more powerful '03 Softail.

 

My advice to anyone who wants to start riding is to get on a "beater" bike first, master some parking lot meneuvers, lay it down a few times, and gain some respect for what it takes to ride safely. And take the safety course!

[GAWildKat]

I almost always joke that I want to take the zuki for a spin and beg for the key, now I can lift and move that 800cc bike easily while it's off. After my 3 spills last yr during my MSF I know I don't really want to take that bike for a ride all by myself. Mike wanted to take me to the walmart parking lot last night and make me do some of the stuff we did in the MSF but it was a bit too cold. Told him when he buys me the trike I asked for then we can talk lol. I think I need training wheels.:rotf:

[twigg]

I almost always joke that I want to take the zuki for a spin and beg for the key, now I can lift and move that 800cc bike easily while it's off. After my 3 spills last yr during my MSF I know I don't really want to take that bike for a ride all by myself. Mike wanted to take me to the walmart parking lot last night and make me do some of the stuff we did in the MSF but it was a bit too cold. Told him when he buys me the trike I asked for then we can talk lol. I think I need training wheels.:rotf:

 

The big bikes are no more difficult to ride than the small ones, providing you have a decent grounding in the basic techniques.

 

When you first climb aboard everything seems massive, and heavy but all the same principles apply, and a few hours practise will have you throwing a Venture Royale into a corner with total confidence.

 

They are a little trickier at parking lot speeds, but out on the road they are just comfortable and pretty stable ... all that weight helps.

[GAWildKat]

I got spooked last year, it's hard to explain. That rebel felt too small and the sport bikes were a hair too tall. I got the whole clutch thing and the friction zone stuff, was even riding around in circles in 1st, picking my feet up. I just banged up my knee too much to keep going, with no knee pain I would have done my best to finish. However I really want to take out a bike that is someone else's, and can't get me too hurt on a closed course while wearing protective gear.

[rickardracing]

Well, my wife took her safety course, passed and still tried riding the bike like she drives the car. Result, crashed at 55 mph. Now she does not ride like that anymore, atleast when she is with me. How she rides when she is alone, I have no idea. All I can say is up her life insurance. A crotch rocket is no bike for a woman. Sorry, it is just too fast. Safety course will help, but no guarantee. It's no guarantee for any of us who ride. I know a few women that ride, one rides a bike waaaay to big for her. She can hardly maneuver it at low speeds. Bottom line, she's gonna do what she's gonna do. Unless your married, you can't put your foot down and say no, even then some men don't have the nads to say no.