Late Rider

Late Rider: advice for women who would ride

By Deanna Peters


At thirty-eight, inspired by two retired men on Gold Wings, I decided I would ride a motorcycle. In their black leathers they looked anything but retired. That, I thought, is what retirement should look like.
Ten years later, at 48, I got my first bike. Metallic blue, fringed leather coming out of the handle bars, a fat seat, and small enough so I could plant my feet on the ground, the Suzuki GZ 250 grabbed my heart and pulled me on board. It was love at first sight, and the thing I loved most was the fact that I wasn't afraid of it.
I decided on the Suzuki by going to all the different motorcycle dealers and sitting on their "little" bikes. I talked a lot to people who rode. A lot of men thought I should just jump right on a Harley, but Harley doesn't make a bike for beginners, at least in my opinion--well, not beginners like me. After listening to lots of horror stories by women who tried to ride the big bikes their husbands or boyfriends bought for them without success, I decided a lot of women probably were a lot like me.
I take a long time to sort things out. I weight all the angles. I think about what scares me, what excites me, and what risks I'm willing to take. Because I rode behind someone for years, I already had a love of motorcycles, but during that time, someone gave me a 650 Honda that was so tall when I sat on it the tips of my toes were the only thing holding the bike up. Knowing nothing about how to ride, my first try wasn't very successful. I got it going, headed down the road until I came to a stop sign. I stopped okay, but I couldn't hold it up because I couldn't plant my feet and the bike tipped right over. I heard similar stories by a lot of different women only their bikes were a lot bigger.
At 120 pounds, with no direction from anyone about how to get the bike back up if something like this happened, there was no way I could see to pick it back up. So, it lay there until someone helped me right it and, embarrassed, I rode it home, parked it in the garage and never got on it again. Like the women I had listened to, I went back to riding behind someone. I still had a longing to ride my own bike, but it wasn't until I sat on the Suzuki that I knew I would.
Even before I bought the bike, I went to the DMV and took the computerized test for a beginner's permit. I got the book, studied it haphazardly, and promptly failed the test the first time. I just studied harder and passed it the second.
Then, I poured over Craigslist until I found the Suzuki I had fallen in love with at the dealership. I bought it and started to ride. I rode on short five mile and under rides, I rode with groups: Hondas, and Harley's and Yamahas. A few bikers made fun of my "little" bike, but most were really supportive, happy to give me advice and tips on how to improve my riding. As a whole, most bikers are really more than happy to welcome another rider into their tribe. Many riders, came up to talk and look at my bike and were surprised to learn it was only a 250. It didn't look little, and it had a big heart.
For the first year, it was a perfect bike. It cornered easily, and if I tipped it over, which I did (once, in the driveway) I could easily right it again. The second year, though, I began to understand the people who in the beginning told me, "Once you start to ride, you're going to want to ride with the big dogs."
Although my little bike could do the speed limit almost everywhere, hills became a problem...well, okay, the Sierras aren't really "hills". I'd have to shift way down, and I'd fall behind on the uphill. Although the other riders were more than gracious, I knew I was holding them back. And, frankly, it was pretty hard work keeping up. Forget it if there was any kind of wind, which anyone from Nevada knows happens three or four days a week.
I didn't know how hard my little bike was to ride until I purchased a 650 Yamaha V-star Classic, which I still ride. In fact I bought two of the same bike, so if one is ever in the garage, I can keep on riding.
For those ladies out there who have always wanted to ride, but don't really know how to get started, I have four suggestions: One, scope out bikes and talk to people who ride. Two, get your learner's permit and three: ride, baby, ride. The fourth and probably most important thing is to take a safety class. Most colleges offer them on weekends for very little money considering the invaluable information you take away. And, most of them have bikes (250's) in all makes and models for you to ride while you're taking the class. That way you don't even have to buy a bike first. You can try it out and see what you think. At the classes, you ride for two eight hour days, and at the end of that time, you have your motorcycle license and a lot of valuable experience, including how to right a big bike if you tip it over.