What else can I do for her>

Ok guys, there's this young lady, a kind of friend of a friend, that does things around the house for us on occasion. She does this things not because she needs the money but because she's a friend and she's enjoys it. She's a very independent type, owns her own home, etc.

She shows up the other day to visit on a motorcycle. Unexpected to say the least. Not someone I would have thought would be interested in motorcycles. Never even heard her mention them before. She's got this little Savage 650, in good shape, good tires, etc. I check it out, other than its a Savage, which I wouldnt do anything with but move out the way to get to a real bike, it looks ok.

So I start quizzing her on this new developement. Turns out she's done the MSF course, and been thinking about a bike for a long time. Apparently some uncle or other family member has a Harley and that got her started . She's bought nice heavy boots and a decent full face helmet.

So I show her my bike and we start talking bikes, she's about as green as can be when it comes to riding, and actually looks kind of scared by the VFR.

So I show her my gear, and how it works, talk about helmets, bike maintenance ,suspension, etc. and I'm trying not to preach thinking if I go on forever her eyes will glaze over and she'll not hear a word.

I give her one of my copies of Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist and talk a bit about picking lines, focussed awareness, etc.

Then she gets on her bike and putts away so carefully it scares me.

Now I 've got to hand it to her for taking the step all on her own, and I'm not really that close to her as a friend, and maybe its been so long since I've seen such a green rider that my perspective is skewed, but I cannot get that image of her leaving so gingerly down the road out of my head.

So what else can I do , or what should I have done to help her out?

I'm such a softie for women riders

 

I think loaning her your "Code" book is a great start. She has gotten this far without your help (or knowledge for that matter). Respect her independence,reframe from giving advise unless asked. She came by to show you she's riding,let her lead......Monk

 

Send her my way BEAR.........
BTW Long time no chat.......Keep in touch bud.

 

So far so good, it's her call. Sometimes less is more. nothing worse than a brain overload. I say ask her if she'd be interested in a ride on the VFR to let her know what a real bike feels like too.

 

Hey there Buddy Bear,
I agree with what everybody says (except for Long :biggrin. She decided she wants to ride and she took steps to do it the right way by taking the course. She is just like all the rest of us, she wants and needs to experience her journey on her own, as it is completely different than anybody else's journey. I say stop thinking of her as a "female rider" and start treating her like a RIDER. She's made it this far without your help, be happy for her, celebrate with her and yes, worry about her, but worry when she's not around. She just may surprise you. She may get a VFR one day, or she may get a Harley... or maybe she'll keep the Savage forever. Whatever she does, be happy for her and be glad that there is another two-wheeled rider out there.

I agree that those Savages are not the best bikes for stopping fast or getting out of the way fast, but she really can't get herself in too much trouble with it. She sure won't wind it up too high and wheelie herself off of it!!

Next time you see her, talk about the riding she's done and when she talks about how nervous she was or mistakes she made, don't preach to her, laugh about it with her, tell your own stories... we all have 'em... none of us were perfect riders out of the box... Maybe she won't have stories like that... maybe all of hers will be great successes. Make her feel like she's a rider, not a girl on a bike.... okay?

VFRChick... OUT!!

 

Not much I can add to what's already been said. However, what does she look... Oh, nevermind.

 

Don't think too much about it.Chivarlry is dead.She is from Venus,the sky is a different color there,so are the motorcycles.It's not up to you...she will ask.Peace out

 

Great comments from all of you and thank you.

Stuka: Excellent point, perhaps I am making a skewed comparison, I dont see may riders that are as new as she. And I have not been that serious lately you monkey pimp.

Long and Knife: you pervs. heehee

Monk and Rvfr: you guys are right, she got this far, so good on her.

Vfrchick: I really am glad you responded to this, and I sort of wrote it hoping you would respond. Normally I dont think of female riders as anything other than riders, but when someone closer to you than usual takes up the sport, it can be a little more worrisome. I watch one of my daughters repeatedly crash her Helix , thankfully without serious injury, until she pretty much gave up on the idea of motorcycles. Not every daughter does that of course. Some are out there racing. Fantastic. Just not mine, wasnt what they liked. You know, with all the support and encouragement I've given my girls over the years, the truth is I guess the Dad mode kicked in this particular case and part way through my whole sermon on bike suspension I began to realize that she hadnt really asked me my opinions. You have hit the mark on one thing ....if this had been a guy we were talking about would I still be thinking about it days later? Probably not. Let the little smartass figure it out for himself ( sarcasm). I guess the over protective part of me can take comfort in the fact that a Savage isnt going to break the rear tire loose while she's out getting rid of those chicken strips.

Malcster: right on the money as usual, whatever it was you said. Haaahaa


Please , lets hear from some more from others as well

 

Well I'm not a woman but I was green to motorcycles not too long ago. I have to say from my perspective back then you did the right thing offering her as much info as you could as a friend. I'm real fortunate that I found a friend who really helped me a lot with technique.

As for her putting away so cautiously, that's a good thing, you don't want to see her trying wheelies in the 1st week. Hell, when I first got my bike I only rode it on weekends for at least a month; I just felt too uncomfortable to be riding to and from work. And when I rode on weekends I only went up to 4K rpm, cars were even honking me at times.

When you see her again, I recommend just telling her that if she ever has any questions about motorcyles she can always feel free to ask and even invite her for a ride. And just leave it at that; don't try to pester her and try to "wear her down" with your motorcycle dogma.

Hope that helps!

 

Malcster... you are brilliant!! Love it!! :thumbsup: Who knows what it means, but somehow it DOES make sense.

As for losing chicken strips on the Savage, I have to tell you I almost did that to mine... yes, I had a Savage not that long ago. Believe it or not, in the not too distant past, I thought I was done with motorcycle riding due to health issues and I sold my 2006 FZ6 some time in 2007. Well, when gas prices went up, and I got tired of taking the bus in protest, I decided to get a bike. I bought a Savage from a guy, who I'm still friends with, and he is now my insurance agent. I rode that to work every day for a while until my prior motorcycle buddies found out I had a bike again, and kept asking me to go on long rides the Savage couldn't do because of the tank size... AND they were doing a road trip through CA, that I KNEW I had to go on, so I shopped around and got the VFR. Now I ride THAT to work everyday.

Anyway.... at one point, I met this guy who was totally macho on a Katana. We went for a ride around Lake Mead, and I followed him like a "good girl". At one point we hit some twisties, and he was going slow... I thought he was going slow for my benefit so I could keep up. So, in order to show him it was okay to go fast, I downshifted, passed him and kept going, thinking he would follow and pass me back to take the lead again. No... he hung way back, and I decided to have fun and keep going. When we finally stopped, I couldn't help but laugh at him and the look on his face. He walked over to me, told me I was crazy and said he couldn't keep up with me and didn't think he even wanted to ride with me if that's how I ride. Can you imagine being a guy on a Katana getting your ass kicked by a chick on a Savage?!! Yes, the Savage complained and I think she had a problem with the forks because she was wobbling all over, but I kept her pinned having a great time. I'm laughing all over again just typing this!! True story man!! So, Bear, don't be surprised someday if your little friend blows your doors off on the Savage while you are on the VFR!!! :thumbsup:

 

I would offer to ride with her so she can follow you and see correct lines through corners and such. You could also suggest she find a local forum where she can meet up with other women riders.

 

:rofl: Classic!

I can imagine you making that poor little single howl and headshake . Not to mention those racer like ergos the Savage is blessed with. Did you give him his package back or did you hang it over your fireplace?

 

Joey Dude said it best. Ask her to get together for a ride. Don't preach, just observe. I'm sure casual conversations at a rest stop will touch all the right subjects.

 

Another item, the great thing about going on a ride with her is that inevitably her shoulders are gonna get sore. If you play your cards right that shoulder rub will turn into a "full" body rub. :lol:

 

You said it. I only thought it. Women are right...all men are pigs. Such is the way of the universe.

 

If you are really impessed, let her ride your vfr!!
It wont be contarasending or sexist to give her a big one to ride.
If not , just go out and ride along beside her and be pleased that there are some gals there that take a interest in bikes.
Usually, it`s a HUH! men and their bikes thing!
It could be a begining of ----who know`s what!?
I wish my partner would get a bike!
So boring sat in a car together

 

As a beginner, there may be many things you can point out or share that the person does not know or just did not realize. If she seems receptive to the information and help then that is great. But if you find a point where you are offering information she already knows but wants to ignore, then that is a different story.

My first motorcycling read was Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well by David L. Hough. I really like that book. As a beginner it points out a lot of things that I did not realize, such as about edge traps, wind, etc. I think that is a great book to start after the MSF basic course.

 

^^^^^^

David Hough's books are a great idea, gotta second that!

Bear, do you have a local parking lot where the MSF classes take place?

BZ

 

Ok Bear the story goes like this op2:
My friend came on a ski trip with his girlfriend, him to study for a exam and his girlfriend ski's - so not to be bored while he was studing all day she went skiing w/ me :focus: oh yeah ok
Well turns out she rides a VFR 250 and we went out riding a few times :thumbsup: and she asked if she could try my bike out ( 87 FZ 700 )
she is 5' nothing but could touch the ground so we swapped bike for a few miles :thumbsup: and she did great.
op2::vtr2: So I let her take my FZ for the weekend while I went to race.
Then comes saturday and her boyfriend shows up screaming at me for letting her ride my bike sayn she will get killed on it - how it is too much bike for her :argue::argue2::spankme: ( I will not comment on her reaction upon hearing all of this ) anyway :focus:
during that weekend her father had followed her home thinking it was me on the bike, talked to her about her thoughts on riding bigger bike advantages and so fourth.
He must have been impressed cause for her B-day two weeks later he had picked her up a CBR 600.:thumbsup:

We did a few more rides together and I offered to let her rip my 90 GSXR 750 race bike, so off to parking lot we went and on it she got and ripped it up:thumbsup I had to catch her when she came to stop cause she could not touch the ground ) she was so excited she did her first solo wheelie.

:vtr2:

So all I can say is don't look at her as a girl rider she is a MOTORCYCLE RIDER, she did the course, got the bike and rides :thumbsup:
Offer to help her if she has any problems, offer to go out on a ride, ASK her if there is anything that you could help her with.
But always remember she is just A RIDER not a girl. Could be you get a riding partner for the summer :thumbsup::vtr2::cheersaf: