The Mrs on 2 wheels!

[Bend-it]

Hey hey... Just got my wife on 2 wheels on Saturday (and what a stunner of a day it was!!). Got the 50cc scooter :scooter: out, and taught Mrs it how to accelerate, brake etc and sent her off down the road.

After afew time around the block, she was grinning from ear to ear! Haha! Another motorcycle convert! :clap: Maybe one day we'll get her on a real bike...

Str8 Jacket> How was it for you getting started biking? How did you start? Mrs it is quite small and let's say, has a healthy sense of self-preservation, unlike most bikers... ;) :devil2:

[Sniper]

Good on ya mate. MissSniper decided to jump on bikes after seeing how well I went, now she is just about better than me. Reminder, never let her get a faster bike than you.

[Bend-it]

Yeah, power to weight ratio and all that eh? Nothing at all to do with better skill!

[Str8 Jacket]

Str8 Jacket> How was it for you getting started biking? How did you start? Jess is quite small and let's say, has a healthy sense of self-preservation, unlike most bikers... ;) :devil2:

Well as a kid I always rode round the farm and my old man used to take me and my lil bro in the side car just about everywhere....
Then a couple of years ago I went out with a guy who rode so I spent a bit of time as a pillion, he was a fast rider and often pulled wheelies etc while I was on the back, I loved it and to be honest when we split I realised I miss the thrill of riding alot more than him. I had started thinking about getting into riding my own bike but as I hadn't ever driven a car on the road I was a bit nervous.
So I did a learn to ride course through Roadsafe (andrew? Templeton) and sat my Basic handling on the day which I passed. My first bike was a GN and it took me awhile to get used to riding on the road with other cars but I just kept at it...
If she really wants to ride then she should just do it, with a bit of help and ecouragement from you and possibly other KBers she'll be fine! GET HER OUT THERE!!!

[Bend-it]

If she really wants to ride then she should just do it, with a bit of help and ecouragement from you and possibly other KBers she'll be fine! GET HER OUT THERE!!!

Yeah, that's the thing, ya see? I want her to ride more that she herself wants to actually! But she enjoyed Saturday, so that's a start eh? :hug: Just so I can have someone to share the ecitement with ya know? It's like most friends either don't know about bikes, don't WANT to know or think I'm crazy!

Well, their loss! :blah:

[Str8 Jacket]

Yeah, that's the thing, ya see? I want her to ride more that she herself wants to actually! But she enjoyed Saturday, so that's a start eh? :hug: Just so I can have someone to share the ecitement with ya know? It's like most friends either don't know about bikes, don't WANT to know or think I'm crazy!

Well, their loss! :blah:

I can understand what your saying, but whatever you dont push her! Otherwise she'll just be scared and wont enjoy it at all. If she wants to ride she will...
As for the encouragement thing, just make some new mates by coming out on rides and meeting more KBers! You'll always have your other mates, but theres always room for more, right?!!

[klingon]

How about encouraging her to get some girlie friends with bikes? IMO it can be quite intimidating when biking is seen as a 'bloke' thing, but when she meets some women who are into it she'll be able to see that it's perfectly normal for women to ride.

Maybe get her on here and/or attend some KB events where you know there will be gals as well as guys?

And point out to her when you see women riding. "Hey did you see that curvaceous woman in the sexy leathers..." ok, maybe that's a bad idea... :oi-grr:

[Fishy]

I taught my missus to ride on my Fireblade....

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=25934

[Rosie]

I'm fairly small (5'4"), new to riding and have a very healthy sense of self preservation.

I started learning on a friend's KRR150, and now I've got my own. It's a good little bike, pretty light, I can put my feet on the ground easily. It's fairly user friendly at low speeds, even if you accidentally blip the throttle, but at 100km/h I sit in 4th gear, so I'm not likely to outgrow it any time soon.
I was pretty timid when I started out, riding around back roads at ridiculously slow speeds, and practising turning, stopping, starting etc in a school playground. Once I got my own bike and my licence I started going for longer rides and braving the inner city (of Rotorua :laugh: )

I think the most important thing for a timid newbie rider is to start off somewhere where you aren't going to encounter much traffic, or other potentially tricky situations and let her learn at her own pace. I found lots of short practise sessions ( < 1hr) were good when I was starting out. The basic handling skills training courses are very good, apparently. And soon I'll be finding out if trackdays are the brilliant learning opportunity I'm told they are.

Clint (aka Mr Rosie) has been really good with me learning. At first he would explain the controls etc, and watch me practising slow speed handling, then we progressed to riding on the road together. I generally go in front, and he follows me at a respectful distance. I ride at the speed I want, and I can decide when I want to take a break.

He's fairly restrained with unsolicited advice, unless I am quite obviously having trouble with something, normally I'll ask about things I am having trouble with, and we'll discuss how I might handle situations better etc. But unless asked, he's unlikely to say anything about my riding other than "you're doing really well".

[Mrs Busa Pete]

I got my aprilia last week because i wanted to be able to go for rides with pete and not be the pillion NO LAUGHING he took me down the road to a straight bit of road it took me about 5 min to get bike moving i thought i would stay in 1st gear for a while i went down road but was very narrow so i stopped the bike and tryed to push bike back but lost my balance:Oops: pete was at the other end of road so a guy from one of the houses came out and lifted bike up for me i rode back to pete and i told him that was enought for tonight and i would just ride bike up to daughters house and put it away. Up the road i go get to here drive way stop the bike because i have not quite manged turning fudge i did it again pete came up the road in the car and i was on the road with bike on top of me.pete has to lower rear suspespion so that my feet can reach the ground better and i will keep going i also think i will do the course that rosie has done.

[Nicksta]

I'm pretty short too.. 5'4"....
FXR150 is perfect for me... and is easy to learn on.....
my tip: get her on the back... once she goes for a ride, it will be hard to get her off... thats what happened to me... and now i ride myself and love it...
yay.. another chick convert!!!

[MidnightMike]

Teach her wheelies too :headbang:

[Insanity_rules]

Mrs Insanity rules is a keen pillion, get Mrs it on the back of yours and we should all go for a ride. That would be fun. What are ya like with a pillion?

[Wasp]

I'll come too only problem is I need a pillion.

Volunteers to be Mrs Wasp?

[Insanity_rules]

I'll come too only problem is I need a pillion.

Volunteers to be Mrs Wasp?

Park that bad boy bike of yours up in the middle of town and I'm sure you won't be short of takers.

[Wasp]

Oh soo true, still i thought it best to offer here first.

p.s. check the vtz starting problems thread.

[Back Fire]

[QUOTE=Nicksta]I'm pretty short too.. 5'4"....
[QUOTE]

I thought you were 5'3"?

[Nicksta]

[QUOTE=Nicksta]I'm pretty short too.. 5'4"....
[QUOTE]

I thought you were 5'3"?

true.. must have been a typo....
i am short... all you need to know... :)

[Back Fire]

true.. must have been a typo....
i am short... all you need to know... :)

only just...

[Bend-it]

Hey, thanks heaps all!! Will definitely take it on board... I'm still on my L, and have pillioned Mrs It in Asia on 110cc bikes, but not here. So Insanity_Rules, you might have to wait afew months while I work my way up the graduated pain in the bum licensing scheme...

The Fxr150 or KR150 might be the way to go, but going out and buying a bike for her now might be premature, methinks... will just keep her riding the scooter and pillion-ing first, and like you said, meet up with some bikess-es eh...

Actually, I think the REAL problem is that I don't have a big enough bike to get her learning on! Spare the busa for a weekend Mrs Pete? ;)

Nicksta> Yeah, Mrs It's about 5'3

[Mrs Busa Pete]

Actually, I think the REAL problem is that I don't have a big enough bike to get her learning on! Spare the busa for a weekend Mrs Pete? ;)

Nicksta> Yeah, Mrs It's about 5'3
I don't know about that but the aprilia could be a good one if you can reach the ground without hitting like i do.

[Insanity_rules]

Hey, thanks heaps all!! Will definitely take it on board... I'm still on my L, and have pillioned Mrs It in Asia on 110cc bikes, but not here. So Insanity_Rules, you might have to wait afew months while I work my way up the graduated pain in the bum licensing scheme...

The Fxr150 or KR150 might be the way to go, but going out and buying a bike for her now might be premature, methinks... will just keep her riding the scooter and pillion-ing first, and like you said, meet up with some bikess-es eh...

Actually, I think the REAL problem is that I don't have a big enough bike to get her learning on! Spare the busa for a weekend Mrs Pete? ;)

Nicksta> Yeah, Mrs It's about 5'3

If she's not of the tall persuasion a 250 Honda might me a good first scoot. I'm only 5'8 and easily get both feet flat on the VTZ. Have owned a VT250F and was the same. Plus being a twin the got some very entertaining down low power without getting into much trouble. If ya want a go on mine to check it out, ya more than welcome.

[Bend-it]

If ya want a go on mine to check it out, ya more than welcome.

Yeah, when the time is right... I think it'll freak her out teaching her to ride a 250 now. Like str8jkt says... take it slow... ;) What time you gonna be at Sawyer's? I'll probablybe there about 12noon. Might see you there and you can meet Mrs It too!

[Str8 Jacket]

Might see you there and you can meet Mrs It too!

lol, nice nickname for he missus! :lol:

[SDU]

She won't freak if its not a torquey 250. Maybe she'll be happier on a 4 stroke trail bike/a cruiser/ a GN250. I'm just a little over 5 foot and have had a Gn250, have an XT250 and they are easy learners & commuters bikes nothing too scary there. The XT is great fun dirt riding. Nearly all off my bikes have been lowered. Take her tyre kicking around a few bike shops & see if she likes anything & try siting on a few. In the meantime the scooter will encourage her to take the learners test hopefully.
Hey as the others say don't push her & take her to meet some other women on wheels. It'll happen naturally that grin factor gets most in the end.

[Cajun]

Most 250's are alot lower than the bigger bikes, but my wife is only about 5'4ish and she current owns a gsxr1000.

Just cause the bike is touch tall, those things are minial can be worked around

She had a vtr1000f, before that which we had lowed which we ended up doing with the gsxr1000 as well.

[JimO]

i taught my wife then my girlfreind to ride 28 years ago on a rd200 now she rides to work while i drive the truck:mad: