Wife crashed twice on her first day riding!
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,750
Likes: 261
From: back home in Michigan
My wife wanted to learn to ride too. I thought better of even trying to instruct her on anything, instead opting to get her into a riding class. I would rather her learn from professional instructors on all the correct procedures rather than me showing her my way which might be improper...lol. She is a damned fine rider now.
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 512
Likes: 13
From: East Tennessee
Bought my wife a Sportster as her first bike.. MISTAKE.. I rode it home from the dealer and she was sitting on it in the drive way getting use to the controls and fell over.. bike was now even running.. We went to a large parking lot about 2 miles from the house and never had a accident in the parking lot but back in the drive way 3 more crashes coming to a stop and down shifting.. Parked the Sportster and bought her a used Honda Rebel 250.. She learned to ride and never once crashed it.. She gained a lot of confidence and learned how to steer in curves and in crowded parking lots.. That took about 10 months.. She finally got back on the Sportster and 4 years later will not give the Sportster up..
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 10,959
Likes: 2
From: Back in Oz M8
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 911
Likes: 1
From: Orem Utah
please sign her up for the Harley riders edge. you are not using your nice bike but a banged up throw away of thiers. and they teach you the basics and move you up when you are ready.
I know, I to am a wife, and never had ridden. I have one year and Sturgis under my belt ( and I too fell at riders edge)
She will be fine, she just needs some time.
I know, I to am a wife, and never had ridden. I have one year and Sturgis under my belt ( and I too fell at riders edge)
She will be fine, she just needs some time.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 318
Likes: 2
From: Fresno
The best thing for beginners is the MSF course. Most states have some sort of motorcycle training. MSF use smaller bikes (250cc) and the best thing about the course is that if you drop the bike, atleast it's not your own. Plus she'll get professional instruction by very patient intructors.
Novice
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Sounds like she is going to make a fine rider one day. My wife on the other hand went to the MSF course first and got her license. I bought her a Honda Shadow to ride on and she was doing pretty good in the parking lot. I thought she was ready for a longer ride but she wasn't ready at all. She did fine until we got to a turn and there was someone else in the other lane. Thank goodness it was a truck with a lawn trailer because she went straight into the trailer. It was the worst sound and feeling that I have ever had knowing that she could have been really hurt. She bent the crash bar and bruised her wrist and leg but she too got back on and rode it home. I am not sure I want her to ride as I don't think I am ready for her to get hurt again. She says that she would just as soon ride with me instead of on her own bike. That's ok with me and she might decide she wants to ride later but I am not going to push it. Good luck
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,626
Likes: 98
From: Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Sounds like she got the crashing part down.
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 6,502
Likes: 97
From: SW Ohio
Did much better than my wife. First time on her Nightster she drops it coming to a stop forgetting to pull the clutch back in, my fault for not telling her that part. We both take the MSF course and she got coached out cause she couldn't keep up with the rest of the class. Sorry the MSF we had didn't have much patients.
