Saturday, April 5, 2008

My First Post

Hi to all who found my page while searching for Lady bikers or Lady Harley riders! I've found a lot of inspiration and useful information in the blogs and websites of adventurous and courageous women and feel I have some encouragement of my own to offer. I will also be linking to the pages of some great sites posted by other women.



At 47, I decided I wanted to learn to ride a motorcycle...the impetus for that came from my Florida friend Paula, who had inherited a beautiful old Triumph Bonneville and at the same age as I was, felt she should learn to ride it. So we got together and put the poor Bonneville through a couple of rough days with us falling and crying, and getting each other back up and on the bike until we got past our great fear of falling...and then we pretty much stopped dropping the bike and started to learn to ride. She was a much faster, more fearless learner than I was. I drive my own truck for a living and have driven for 30 years...I felt completely and overwhelmingly exposed on a motorcycle.

Here's a bit of advice about buying your first bike-Get the bike that fits you, whether it is a Harley, Honda, Yama-Zuki...whatever...don't make the mistake I made and buy one because it's pretty or exactly the right color...or you think you won't be intimidated by its size (my biggest mistake)...lol...Go to a Motorcycle Safety class, get a feel for what a motorcycle actually does, and then decide before you buy what kind of bike you need. I'm a big tall woman and I bought a gorgeous yellow Harley 1200 Sportster that never fit me, no matter what I did to modify it, moving the controls, etc. I bought it because I thought a smaller, lighter bike would be easier. I kept her for six months and took a real beating trading her in on my '07 Road King that I love and fits me perfectly. I'm not hardcore Harley, though...as a woman I believe you need the bike that is right for you and I have ridden some awesome Hondas and Kawasakis since learning to ride. Believe me, a woman riding a motorcycle gets enough positive attention and it's really never about the bike...it's about you.