I try to get her to lead for the same reasons.

I was a half bike in front to her left looking for traffic and, w/ my pipes, no way I would hear her talking to someone to her right. I talk w/ her before we head out. She'll pick it all up in time. She gets a little better each time we head out.

 

Good for Her!!! Funny story, when I bought my Wife her bike she went and got her endorsement. She wouldn't ride the bike, and I didn't push the issue. She would come home and sit on it, look at it and that was it. One day I heard it fire up, she said I'm doing this, I just kept working in the yard. She would go by slow, next couple times a little faster, then vroom blew past the house with a big smile. Can't get her off it now, even after being seriously hit/injured by a dork on another bike last year at Bikeweek.

 

That's where my wife "wants" to be. She's just a VERY cautious person by nature. She told me the other day,..."you know, once I get the hang of this, you have created a monster. I'll always want to go ride. then what will you say". lol

I don't wanna push her too much but, she does need a nudge from time to time. I keep thinking about the nursery rhyme..."slow and steady, steady and slow, that's the way we like to go". lol

 

Grats to you and your wife. Sounds like she as the right attitude about it.

My wife always ride behind. I cannot get her to ride lead. She prefers me to set the pace and were we go. She loves to ride though.

 

Congrats to your wife! For highway speeds my windshield made a huge difference for comfort and for confidence. As a wife I told my hubbie all this is new to me and sometimes just the little things you never think about on back or in a car become life threatening. I never wanted radios because 1) I like the quiet when I ride but 2) the talking is just one more distraction for me as a new rider. Last bit from my experience is that I learned the most riding alone. Please have your wives check out the queens of the road forum - lots of support there by women who have gone through the learning curve.

 

I agree slow and easy. When my wife got her FXD last year we started slow, then progressed with lots of parking lot practice to build confidence. She gained confidence quickly and now loves to go with us on the weekends and has ridden several thousand miles since last Sept.

I guess let her ride where comfortable as long as it is safe. mine likes to ride behind me. Of course if she is back there I set a pace I think is safe for her and spend too much time looking in the mirrors but as she progresses things may change.

Secret is to keep encouraging. If she can find other women riders then that helps also.

 

+1 @ trey. when she's out front it's a much better ride for me, but it's very seldom that she will do that and she's been riding for a few yrs. But you can tell the confidence is more visible. Let her lead a pac sometime if ya can.

 

Good for your wife. Mine's been riding a couple of years and actually managed lots more miles than me last year. I got 3 sistas in law that ride too. They all seem to really dig it.

 

She has a fly screen but she doesn't want to put it on. Says she likes the wind on her.

Ok but I'm only telling the one that rides, the others are into hot rods. lol

 

I got my first Harley late last July and managed to put 3,000 on in just 3 months. I was pretty proud of that...especially after he made me ride it home from Harley in Milwaukee to Oshkosh. In those 3 months I picked up a lot and now I can't wait for the snow to go away!! He usually lets me lead so he doesn't have to keep checking to make sure I am doing ok.