EJ James (Street)
Experienced
Since no one seemed to like my NGD post (I guess there aren't many Epi LP fans here.../shrug)...
New Motorcycle Day!
Over the weekend wife decided she wanted a bike of her own, again. Back in '05 she wanted one, so she took the riders safety course, then we bought her a Honda Shadow Aero 750. That bike ended up being too big as a first bike and it intimidated her to the point she gave up riding all together. We sold it a year later with less than 500 miles on it. Lesson learned.
In 2010 I surprised her with a pink 150cc Vespa styled scooter. While smaller than the Aero it had a very high center of gravity, and combined with the foot position which made it less stable than a motorcycle, it spooked her for different reasons.
This past weekend while waiting on some friends to meet us at a local Harley dealership she got a gleam in her eye when she happened across a couple of Sportsters. She sat on a few and found a couple she liked. However, having ridden bikes for 35+ years now, there's no way I'm gonna put an inexperienced rider on a torquey bike that's as unforgiving as a Sportster is. I explained the bike she was sitting on was actually more powerful than the bike she had in 2005. When she realized that she asked about the bike she rode in the safety course, a Honda Rebel CMX250. She said that bike was small and light enough that it didn't intimidate her, so we got her one.
In 2005 her learning to ride was more about me and my desires to have her along on rides with friends. Realizing that, the decision to get the 750 was based on the wrong reasons. This time it's 100% about her, and what she wants or needs to feel comfortable. I'm just stoked that she wanted to give it another try. The neighborhood we moved to in 2012 is a much more quiet place with a LOT less traffic than where we lived in 2005. Not to mention we're ~5 minutes from real "country roads", where previously it was a 30+ minute ride to get away from high traffic congestion. She actually seems more excited about this bike and riding again than she was in '05, probably due to the 'no pressure' approach I'm taking this time. Again, it's all about her this time around. I'm here to support and encourage her in whatever way she needs.
If she ever feels the need to upgrade we'll look into it. If not she'll still have this bike. If she loses interest all together again, well...my sister has been wanting to learn how to ride, so we've got the perfect learner bike in the family now. Her fiance recently bought an '06 Road King Police Model, and she eventually wants a biker of her own. This little bike won't go to waste, either way.
New Motorcycle Day!
Over the weekend wife decided she wanted a bike of her own, again. Back in '05 she wanted one, so she took the riders safety course, then we bought her a Honda Shadow Aero 750. That bike ended up being too big as a first bike and it intimidated her to the point she gave up riding all together. We sold it a year later with less than 500 miles on it. Lesson learned.
In 2010 I surprised her with a pink 150cc Vespa styled scooter. While smaller than the Aero it had a very high center of gravity, and combined with the foot position which made it less stable than a motorcycle, it spooked her for different reasons.
This past weekend while waiting on some friends to meet us at a local Harley dealership she got a gleam in her eye when she happened across a couple of Sportsters. She sat on a few and found a couple she liked. However, having ridden bikes for 35+ years now, there's no way I'm gonna put an inexperienced rider on a torquey bike that's as unforgiving as a Sportster is. I explained the bike she was sitting on was actually more powerful than the bike she had in 2005. When she realized that she asked about the bike she rode in the safety course, a Honda Rebel CMX250. She said that bike was small and light enough that it didn't intimidate her, so we got her one.
In 2005 her learning to ride was more about me and my desires to have her along on rides with friends. Realizing that, the decision to get the 750 was based on the wrong reasons. This time it's 100% about her, and what she wants or needs to feel comfortable. I'm just stoked that she wanted to give it another try. The neighborhood we moved to in 2012 is a much more quiet place with a LOT less traffic than where we lived in 2005. Not to mention we're ~5 minutes from real "country roads", where previously it was a 30+ minute ride to get away from high traffic congestion. She actually seems more excited about this bike and riding again than she was in '05, probably due to the 'no pressure' approach I'm taking this time. Again, it's all about her this time around. I'm here to support and encourage her in whatever way she needs.
If she ever feels the need to upgrade we'll look into it. If not she'll still have this bike. If she loses interest all together again, well...my sister has been wanting to learn how to ride, so we've got the perfect learner bike in the family now. Her fiance recently bought an '06 Road King Police Model, and she eventually wants a biker of her own. This little bike won't go to waste, either way.
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