sugar_cookie wants to learn to ride

[bigfish_Oh]

after talking to the other gals at Inzane, I think my wife is ready. We'll get a turd to practice on,(maybe it will end their) then she can start the course. She said what can we get to not loose money on? I said any thing cheap enough !!  There are enough cheap HD's out there and people out of work to be real picky. Any older 4 cyl Honda is getting coll. and I can work on. SHE SAID "What about a CBX ? I can ride that".YES(I had 2 when we met). I said , yes, if we can get the right price. I told her another Valk makes everything easy if cheap enough. She said that I said it was too much for her, yes mine is, till your real good. Now she has to help me put 2 tractors together to sell.

She said, why can't I practice on yours? I leaned it over and told her to pick it up.(later in the discussion of buying one, I said ,Oh it was technique.)

I been trying to figure out how to have a CBX for my second bike, I'm glad it's her idea !!!

[Jess from VA]

I got my wife a 20yo Honda CM250 for $800 (corroded but fully operational).... seat was a bit tall, but as planned and expected, she dropped it five or six times and who cared?  She could not have passed MSF without the months spent on it learning the basics.  Sold it a year later for the same $800 I paid for it. Then a Honda 600VLX to Kaw 800a, to an 1100 V* custom.   Then she quit riding. 

[Walküre]

Wife's been on bikes since she bought here first one herself, at 12. Her last was a 1200 Skirtster. she sold it when she had knee replacement, 4 years ago. She just had the other one replaced this week, and has talked about riding again. She's only been on my Valk once, but had her own Wing, and rode my other wings. She doesn't like the "bulk" around the motors on the Wing-types. The skirtster was a big bike, but she never had any problems at all, so I'm looking at possibly getting an Ace Tourer - would be MY choice, riding next to a Valk. And, hopefully, in our price range.

About them dropping a bike - all her dropping was years ago, but the gal who bought her Harley, had been through the courses, and riding her husbands 650 (that they had bought for HER!!), but dropped the Skirtster the day she picked it up, at first corner she stopped at! She was pretty embarrassed. But, it happens...

About it being HER idea, for the Super Six, that's great!! Mine wouldn't like the width of the CBX, I don't think.

How can this NOT look good, next to a Valkyrie?!?



R

[Jess from VA]

That is a sweet motorcycle!    And paint.

The Jardine's have to go aren't my favorite.. 

[eric in md]

buy a old xr 100 dirt bike ride it in the yard or field .. cant hurt them..

[Walküre]

buy a old xr 100 dirt bike ride it in the yard or field .. cant hurt them..

I'm sorry, in my opinion, I don't think that's the correct way to learn. It's the way I learned, and took a long time to break the bad habits from it. As well as a lot of other people I have ridden with. And some never HAVE broken the bad habits - I don't ride with them twice...

R

[Walküre]

That is a sweet motorcycle!    And paint.

The Jardine's have to go aren't my favorite..  

I'm assuming that's the exhaust? I have seen several of them, with those, or very similar, pipes. I don't like them either. I would hope to come up with a somewhat low mileage bike, that's complete and stock. Maybe floorboards, if they aren't stock. I haven't done ANY research on the Ace, and will if we decide to go with one. I'm looking for someone WITH one, close by, the wife can look at, and maybe even ride, when her knee is better. It will probably be season-end, before we look hard, and can afford one better.

I'm glad she already knows how to ride - I think I wouldn't have the patience to teach someone, now. Years ago, yeah, not so much today.

I hope she likes it!! There are a lot of people, who's wives are quite content, to ride on back, but there are also many wives who like the same feeling we have, when handling the controls. And I will have to say, that I've NEVER met a poor female rider - I think there's something in them, that makes them strive harder, to be a GOOD rider, than most guys. Maybe it's that guys feel they are "inherently" good at riding, while women tend to learn from instruction! Just my observance.

Best of luck, and keep us posted...

R

[Dubsvalk]

As an MSF Instructor I have to recommend that she take the Basic Motorcycle Safety class.  They provide 250CC or smaller bikes to ride and give great instruction to start people riding quickly and safely.  it is there that she can decide if she wants her own bike or continue as a passenger.  That way, you don't own a bike you don't need if she decides she doesn't want to ride. 
If, after taking the class, she decides she wants to ride; any smaller Honda bike like a 750cc would be a good starter bike for her.  It can be ridden on the major roads and is still small enough to be manageable for a novice.  I hope this helps you!
Dubs

[czuch]

I say take Dubs advise.
Unlike myself, who found an ACE 1100 with the Jade and Cream paint to match the Valk.
 I thunk it would be a great wife/daughter bike.
Its done a lit of sittin.