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5 Posts
Well, after getting tired of riding on the back of my bike, my wife decided she wanted to ride her own bike. I can't say I blame her, I'd rather not sit on the backside of a bike 
Anyhow, I love her very much and I worry about her skills, size and physical ability on a bike.
I made her take the MSF course before I would let her try to ride a bike... I ended up taking the MSF course with her and found it to be a good learning experience.
During the course she rode a Honda Nighthawk 250 and liked the size but not the looks. I tried to convince her to get a 250 to learn on like a rebel or the nighthawk. Both are very light and easy to control. She was hell bent on getting a sport bike!.
2 days after completing the course she found a 02' Ducati Monster 620 Dark i.e. and made up her mind that it was the bike for her.
First on the agenda for me was making sure the bike was safe for her.
My Wife is about 5'1", curvy and has a short reach.
I have lowered the bike about as far as it will go and had the seat shaved. She can now get both balls of her feet down. I also installed some ASV adjustable levers (she could barely reach the clutch lever!) I also ordered some "city" handlebars for her but I'm still waiting for them.
After all of the modifications I rode it over to a large empty parking lot to let her practice on it. She was riding very slow and did ok. After hitting the parking lot session, I hopped on my bike and took her for her first ride on residential streets around our house. As I followed her I noticed that she seems very nervous and rides a little too slow (about 5-10mph BELOW the speed limit) and she dropped her bike coming out of a parking lot (target fixation). It was really low speed so she didn’t get hurt at all and the bike didn't suffer any major damage, minor scrapes on the bar-ends and frame sliders.
She "says" she feels confident but from my point of view, she isn't. She wants to start riding for real but I am still concerned about her skill level.
What I would like to do is pickup some of those cones they used for the MSF course and setup a practice course some what like the MSF did for working on her basic skills on her new bike. Anyone know where I can buy some?
Some of the things I have been wondering about and would like to ask the advice of you ladies out there:
1) When you were learning to ride, what obstacles/challenges did you overcome to become the rider you are today?
Skills, techniques you had to work on the most and what helped you deal with them.
2) Did you feel better riding with your husband/significant other or with other people?
I feel that it might be better for someone else to act as a mentor for her while she is still learning. I have a feeling she might take instruction better from someone else.
3) Do you prefer riding with other woman or with your S.O.?
4) Are there any schools that pickup where MSF left off?
MSF is great for theory but you never go over 15mph or so in a parking lot and does not quite equate into street riding.
5) Like I said, my wife is short and “curvy” and I’m trying to find some suitable riding pants for her with her short legs and curvy hips. Who makes good safety equipment for someone who does not fit into the stereotypical size 4 dress? Would leather chaps suffice?
Any advice you gals can give me would be appreciated! Any tips or suggestions that you can give to help me make sure that I can bring my wife up to speed in a safe enjoyable manner.
Thanks in advance!
Anyhow, I love her very much and I worry about her skills, size and physical ability on a bike.
I made her take the MSF course before I would let her try to ride a bike... I ended up taking the MSF course with her and found it to be a good learning experience.
During the course she rode a Honda Nighthawk 250 and liked the size but not the looks. I tried to convince her to get a 250 to learn on like a rebel or the nighthawk. Both are very light and easy to control. She was hell bent on getting a sport bike!.
2 days after completing the course she found a 02' Ducati Monster 620 Dark i.e. and made up her mind that it was the bike for her.
First on the agenda for me was making sure the bike was safe for her.
My Wife is about 5'1", curvy and has a short reach.
I have lowered the bike about as far as it will go and had the seat shaved. She can now get both balls of her feet down. I also installed some ASV adjustable levers (she could barely reach the clutch lever!) I also ordered some "city" handlebars for her but I'm still waiting for them.
After all of the modifications I rode it over to a large empty parking lot to let her practice on it. She was riding very slow and did ok. After hitting the parking lot session, I hopped on my bike and took her for her first ride on residential streets around our house. As I followed her I noticed that she seems very nervous and rides a little too slow (about 5-10mph BELOW the speed limit) and she dropped her bike coming out of a parking lot (target fixation). It was really low speed so she didn’t get hurt at all and the bike didn't suffer any major damage, minor scrapes on the bar-ends and frame sliders.
She "says" she feels confident but from my point of view, she isn't. She wants to start riding for real but I am still concerned about her skill level.
What I would like to do is pickup some of those cones they used for the MSF course and setup a practice course some what like the MSF did for working on her basic skills on her new bike. Anyone know where I can buy some?
Some of the things I have been wondering about and would like to ask the advice of you ladies out there:
1) When you were learning to ride, what obstacles/challenges did you overcome to become the rider you are today?
Skills, techniques you had to work on the most and what helped you deal with them.
2) Did you feel better riding with your husband/significant other or with other people?
I feel that it might be better for someone else to act as a mentor for her while she is still learning. I have a feeling she might take instruction better from someone else.
3) Do you prefer riding with other woman or with your S.O.?
4) Are there any schools that pickup where MSF left off?
MSF is great for theory but you never go over 15mph or so in a parking lot and does not quite equate into street riding.
5) Like I said, my wife is short and “curvy” and I’m trying to find some suitable riding pants for her with her short legs and curvy hips. Who makes good safety equipment for someone who does not fit into the stereotypical size 4 dress? Would leather chaps suffice?
Any advice you gals can give me would be appreciated! Any tips or suggestions that you can give to help me make sure that I can bring my wife up to speed in a safe enjoyable manner.
Thanks in advance!