Posts Tagged ‘women motorcyclists’

Not Everyone Is Cut Out To Ride Motorcycles

Monday, December 4th, 2023

Rider training not only helps you learn to ride, it can weed out those who really don’t belong on a motorcycle.

There is a quote I used at the end of one of these posts that reads, “The only thing better than a motorcycle is a woman riding one.” There have been others as well in a similar vein. Yes, I love seeing women riding.

That said, not everyone–man or woman–is really cut out to ride.

For instance, my wife Judy is OK with riding behind me but only because she trusts me. The only time I’ve been able to get her on a bike on her own was when I was test riding an electric scooter. We went over to the parking lot of the local elementary school and she got on and tentatively twisted the throttle. She was unsteady at first but in a couple minutes she was doing figure 8s and had the biggest grin on her face.

But that was it. She had no desire to do it again and never has.

Someone a bit more game was Davey. Long before I ever even met Judy I was seeing a woman named Davey. Davey enjoyed riding on the bike with me–my CB750, the only bike I had at that time–and decided maybe she’d like to try it on her own.

She signed up for a Beginning Rider course up at Front Range Community College, in Westminster, close to where I was then living. I knew she was doing it and I knew how long the class runs so I was surprised in mid-afternoon when she appeared at my door, rushed in, and hugged me and cried. Things had not gone well.

Of course, the first part of the class is in the classroom and that went fine. But then, after lunch, they went out to the course and she mounted the little 250cc bike they use in these classes. I don’t know how long it took but somewhere along the way she rode the thing right into a curb and was sent sprawling on the grass. She got up, said not a word to the instructor or anyone else, ran to her car, and drove straight to my house.

What I had not thought about, and I’m not sure if she had or not, was that she drove a car with an automatic transmission. She had never driven a stick, so not only was she trying to learn to ride a motorcycle, she was trying at the same time to learn to use a clutch and to shift gears. Yow! That would be a challenge for anyone!

So yeah, if you want to ride motorcycles you really should probably know how to shift gears beforehand. Although there are some bikes these days where shifting is not necessary. But most scooters don’t have gears either, so there is that option. But, if we’re honest with ourselves, some people just really ought not to get on a motorized two-wheeler more powerful than an e-bike. It’s just true.

Biker Quote for Today

I’m that crazy biker chick that everybody warned you about.

Good-Bye Covid, Big Riding Season Ahead

Monday, March 20th, 2023

There is a lot of riding going on this summer.

Covid is not gone but the world is moving on and we’ll just live with it. Which is to say, after two years of not a lot of motorcycle rallies or events going on, it’s all back now. I’ve been much busier recently updating and adding events to my Rides and Rallies page and I’m a little blown away by all the many events already announced. And we’re not even into the season yet.

Let’s just look at a few.

All the racing events are back on the calendar. You’ve got a series of vintage motocross races set. And of course the big one, Monster Energy 2023 Supercross. Plus, the Motorcycle Roadracing Association is planning a full series of events, too.

The annual Molly-Dharma Run is set for June 11. This event raises money for animal shelters and is always one of the most popular poker runs in the state.

One I haven’t seen before is the Southwest Quest – Women’s Moto Retreat. This event, in June, is a focus for women riders.

In July the Christian Motorcyclists Association is having its big gathering in Hotchkiss. And shortly after that the BMW Motorcycle Club of Colorado is having its annual Top O the Rockies Rally just down the road in Paonia.

In August the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally returns, and it’s a good one. Then there are a couple one-off things going on in September. The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum, in Colorado Springs, is having a 30-year anniversary celebration and that coincides with a Colorado stop-over by the Motorcycle Cannonball event, which runs from coast to coast on really old machines every two years.

Those are just some highlights. There will be plenty of poker runs and fundraisers planned by a wide range of organizations. Basically, any time you’re looking for something to do on your bike you’re likely to find something going on. So get out there and ride.

Biker Quote for Today

It does not matter how slow you ride as long as you do not stop.

Accidents Do Happen

Monday, December 24th, 2018
motorcycles on mountain road

Getting up in the hills is even better when you can get off the pavement.

We were doing some dual sport riding on a rough dirt road above Boulder, Ron, Jacque, and me, when Ron got to thinking something was wrong. He was in the lead, I was second, and he hadn’t seen Jacque in his mirror for too long. We stopped to let her catch up.

This was Jacque’s first time on dirt, so it was natural that she should take it easy, even possibly take a tumble. Taking a tumble is usually no big deal when you’re dirt-biking; I probably dumped the bike three times the first time I ever did it.

Ron didn’t wait too long to head back to find her. I sat there for maybe five minutes more and then I headed back, too. Along the way I encountered a mountain biker who called out to me that Ron had asked him to tell me to come on back.

Jacque didn’t just take a tumble, she was hurt. Thanks to target fixation, she had gone right into a deep rut she wanted to avoid, and then the skid plate on the underside of her bike caught on a protruding rock. She lost it and her momentum threw her against a boulder, with her knee taking the main force of the impact. Jacque was in serious pain.

Fortunately, we were on this particular road because it’s close to where Ron lives, so he headed to his place to get help. I stayed with Jacque to do whatever I could for her. Now, I’ve never had any first aid training, so I wasn’t the best guy to have there, but Jacque is a nurse, so she called the shots. First she swung around so she could lie back on the ground and elevate her injured leg on the boulder. I pulled out my sweatshirt to give her something under her head.

Figuring that a distraction from her pain would be a good thing, I started jabbering. I’m normally a pretty quiet guy but I just started telling her stories, not apropos of anything. After a few minutes she interrupted me.

“Do you know first aid?”

“No, not really.”

“OK, well, I’m going into shock and I may pass out. If I do, here’s what you need to do.”

And she gave me instructions. I listened carefully. There’s something about “I’m going into shock and I may pass out” that really gets your attention.

Then I went back to jabbering and telling stories.

It all ended well. Ron got back and he got Jacque to the hospital. It had seemed likely that there were broken bones, but the X-rays said no. And then, talk about getting right back on the horse after falling off, Ron told me a couple weeks later that Jacque was doing fine and had gone out and bought herself a new dual sport bike. It turns out that she was having the absolute time of her life, right up until she met Mr. Boulder.

As for me, I’m thinking first aid training might be a good idea.

Biker Quote for Today

Here’s to the women who make other women wish they could ride, too.

More and More, That’s a Woman on That Bike

Monday, September 8th, 2008

If, like me, you’re a guy, you may not be aware what a large group of women riders there is out there. Believe me, though, they know. And they’re in touch with each other.

It’s not until you wander into some community page that your eyes open. This happened for me recently when I got a link exchange request from Kristen at VaVaVroom, a website where they sell “motorcycle clothing and gear for her.” Not being female, and my wife having all the gear she needs, I wasn’t much interested in the main part of the site but they have a link for “Community” where they say “The VaVaVroom Community Pages are a great resource for women riders (including those of you who ride two-up) to connect, learn what’s going on in the industry, find out about upcoming events, meet other women riders and unearth whatever you may need to enhance your overall riding experience.”

Going one step deeper for “Links,” when I clicked there it hit me. Here were links for a whole world of organizations I didn’t know existed. These included, to name just a few:

Plus a whole lot more, including some that are relevant for bikers of either sex.

Now, I’m not naive, I’ve known that there are plenty of women riders out there, and especially at Sturgis in 2006, I saw more women on bikes of their own than I had ever seen before. I just didn’t realize the size and extent of the group.

All I can say is, that’s great! More power to all of you. It seems like more often than not it is women who say “But motorcycles are so dangerous.” The more women who ride and know the true nature of the experience the better for all of us.

Biker Quote for Today

You’re a lucky guy if your woman rides her own.