I think it would be a good Idea for situations likes this... to go out and find a old Honda XR 80 or 100cc
drive it around the fields for a couple of months,,, then the fundamentals are down, etc...
you cant kill them little hondas,, plus you then could resell or give it to kids or grandkids

 

Go to a class and just observe. If it's her cup of tea then go on to the next step NEVER pressuring her. I had two female instructors and 9 out of 12 were women. The only dork was a guy in $500 Shoie helmet who laid it over and cracked the cases. He barely passed. All ladies passed!!! Hell, I would have paid them double!

 

Don't worry about the fact that she has never driven a manual transmission. A buddy of mine rode bikes scince he was 12 (now 38) and he still can't drive a car with a manual transmission.
Your wife will do fine, just tell her to relax, she will get the "feel"

 

i ama 51 year old man. i was the oldest person in our class of 12. i took the course with zero experience. i took it seriously and did well. I never could do the figure 8 in the box. and no body did everything right. the instructor kept the class on track but relaxed. the most valuable thing i found about the course was that it leaves no doubt in your own mindwhether you are able to safely ride or not. i promise that by the middle of the first day most concerns and fears will be layed to rest. our instructor spent a little extra time with the folks that had not used a clutch before. no big deal.by themiddle of day 2 i was positive that i could dothis. i bought my bike last june and now have 10,000 miles and many of the best hours of my life to remember.
ride safe

 

 

I say GO FOR IT!!!! I had never really ridden before I got my Fatboy. We had a minibike as kids, and I put in a few hours last fall on our POS practice Honda, but that's it. I was determined to get the bike I wanted, learn to ride it & never look back. So far, so good!!

Took the MSF course (thru ABATE) on Easter weekend in 25 degrees, 25 mph wind blowing the snow into our faces, and passed in spite of being so farking cold I couldn't squeeze the clutch! Miserable, but terribly gratifying. Instructors were excellent. Very patient and informative. And MANY of the riders - male or female - were absolute beginners.

Since then, I got my break-in miles done, got my endorsement, had my bike in for her 1000 mile service, and loved all the raised eyebrows from the service guys that I had gotten the 1000 so quickly! (Actually I was at 1150 before they could get me in.... Heehee.)

Anyway... Man! I sure hope she goes for it! There's no describing how great it feels... not only to ride, but to hear my OM BRAG about the fact that I have my own bike, and ride the hell out of it! I love it that he's so proud of me. I love it that I'M so proud of me!

Please feel free tohave your wife PM me for furtherencouragement!!

 

Thanks for all the great posts everyone! I've passed everything along to her and have also given her the URL for the forum so she can register and access them herself.

 

Bruef, I am a new lady rider. Just took the course last week. I have had a lot of encourgement, from the folks, on this forum with some great advice. I can only say for her "to go at her own speed". I wish my husband had gone out and bought a bike that I could practice on instead of a new Sportster. I don't think I would have been as nervous about dropping it but to each their own. If she needs anything give her my name and maybe we can help each other dealing with the uneasiness...

 

What the heck, we have all been there at some time in our riding carreers. The best part is that she wants to ride her own. Get her to check out www.vtwinmama.com- a lady rider site that offers encouragement and solutions to new female riders and lets them know they are not alone in the process of learning. tell her to be patient with herself and take baby steps . If she has access to a bicycle get her on it and practice making circles and figure eights to get acquainted with balancing on 2 wheels and steering. Good luck!