QuestionHi Christine,
First off, thank you for volunteering here at all experts (I too am a fellow volunteer here). Ok...into the nitty gritty....
When I was a young girl my cousin (a passenger) was killed when thrown from a motorcycle and hitting a tree head first. She was unfortunately not wearing a helmet. As you can suspect this encouraged a lot of anxiety in our family about the motorcycle sport. For years I grew up thinking bikes were death machines. Now as an adult I can clearly see that all vehicles have the same potential for tragedy when circumstances provide.
My fiance grew up watching his father race bikes in 24 hour endurance classes. Naturally, he is all consumed with bikes! He has tried to persuade me to get my own bike. I acknowledged his will and said I would try to overcome my fears and perhaps maybe I will pilot my own bike... perhaps.
Before getting on his bike (then a VFR Interceptor) I got myself some protective gear - a helmet(DOT approved...a Shoei), a Joe Rocket mesh Jacket with pads, and some durable protective sportbike gloves that cover my wrists and provide extra protection for my knuckles.
Eventually I built up the courage to be his passenger. He took it slowly for me and since has always been considerate of my fears and taken each ride with me gently. Long story short he totaled his VFR in a poorly lit parking lot(no injuries) and has moved up to a 98 R1, which he has since seen the side of a cliff once and accumulated a few traffic tickets. While not intentional, his mishaps have left me still nervous.
I have now acquired a pair of puma sportbike boots. I have also attended 1 day of a 2 day motor cycle safety course. (I chickened out of the second day which was to be the actual riding day).
Unfortunately I am still scared of bikes. My fears have lessoned over time in someways, but as I have heard and seen some horror stories of people smeared on the pavement I am still feeling unsafe.
My fiance has recently told me I am not as safe as a passenger as I would be if I were riding my own bike and we were out riding as a pair. So he has set out on a quest to do some research on the matter of safety. I am writing you in hopes that you can provide us with some safety tips and maybe some techniques that neither of us might have thought of.
Again, thank you for your time, I appreciate it!
AnswerTrinity - Based on your history, I certainly do understand your fear of motorcycles, and I applaud your intentions to learn more and try to overcome your anxiety.
First, (and I hope not to be offensive to your fiance) I think it might be beneficial if your fiance took the MSF course WITH you. His history of mishaps is a bit concerning. I have ridden with many, many man over the years, and sometimes it seems as though they feel a need to do a little "show-boating" and prove their manliness while riding. I think that riding safely is much more impressive.
I strongly urge you to try the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course again, or maybe there is a private motorcycle course in your area. A private course would probably provide you with some more intensive help, and better bikes on which to learn. Then, get a used motorcycle that "fits" you, but not a 250 cc. I would start out on a 500 - 750cc, used Honda, Yamaha, etc, which you can probably pick up for less than $1500.00.
Practice in parking lots and on roads with little traffic. Take it slow, and develop confidence.
Also, make sure that you ENJOY riding. If you don't like the experience of riding your own motorcycle, then it won't be something that you look forward to.
Looking back to when I was a beginner, each ride was almost a "white-knuckle" experience. But as I gained experience, and confidence, I began to realize that I could ride just as well as any man.
I hope I have been helpful. Just make sure that you get the right instruction, practice on a good used bike, and make sure that you like the experience of riding!
Christine
http://www.her-motorcycle.com
