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Friday, May 31 Dear VTwin Mama, So, my words of wisdom for you is to take into account the width of not only the seat but of the bike frame itself. You won't really know if the seat will help until you sit on it. The Corbin seat was a little thinner in the padding department and if I hadn't have been so excited about getting that beautiful new ride I would've realized the bike was too *wide* for my short legs (27" inseam) before I ordered the seat. I got the bike anyway and bought some cool Harley boots with about 1/2" platform and chunky high heels. It's a little better with those boots but still tricky. Next winter I'm going to see about having it lowered by a professional. At least I can console myself with the fact that the Corbin is a much nicer seat than the stock one (even though they took their sweet time making it!). Good luck to you! Jennifer Dear Jennifer, Friday, May 31 Dear VTwin Mama, Ten years later, after my divorce, I thought I would ride again. So I bought a '95 Virago 750, and I love it. It's red & cream in color and its all mine. I'm looking for a female bike club in the Chicago area -- if you know of any please let me know -- a cruiser club would be really cool. Also, is it out-dated to wear the fringe leather jackets -- are there still a lot of bikers into fringe. I'm 44 years old and I don't want to look too dated. This web site, Fox Creek Leather has a really cool fringe jacket I like. Looking forward to hearing from you. No name Dear No name but we love you
anyway, Meanwhile, check the links at the bottom of the home page and connect up with a Motor Maids, Women in the Wind or Women on Wheels chapter in your area. Tons to choose from. Also, as I mentioned in my personal email to you, my old friend Skip (nice male type) runs a site specifically for Chicago motorcyclists at http://www.chicagomotorcycleguide.com, so check that out as well. So you just go VTwin Mama sister. Your sass and class will carry you far, and for anything else, we're here for you 100%. Mama Friday, May 31 Dear VTwin Mama, When my son turned 8, he wanted to go to the local motorcycle shop for his birthday. We were just going to look. I bought my husband a 1983 Honda Silverwing 650. His mom kept harping on him about buying it until he finally told her that he didn't buy it, I did. So many people think that the man is the aggressive one when it comes to buying a motorcycle. Think again, guys. I helped him buy his 1993 Honda Shadow 1100 about 5 years ago. He surprised me last year with a 2001 Honda Shadow Spirit 750. Now, we look rather good riding down the road on our Shadows. I just goes to show, one favor brings forth another. Enjoy the attention, I do. Cindy Dear Cindy, Thursday, May 30 A couple responses for Woody who needs his family to understand his new interest in riding: I suggest that maybe, somewhere down the line, he get his wife to take the safety course just to see and feel what he is doing, know the things he learned, feel the exhilaration of the wind in your face. If she knows what he knows ( how to ride safely which the course stresses) maybe she won't be so "scared" for him! Sherry (note from Mama: excellent point made here -- even if she doesn't ride herself, or even just observes, she might feel more comfortable) I would encourage Woody to try to involve his wife and family with his new hobby. My husband, who is 5'4", and I took the MSF class. Neither of us had ever been on motorcycles before as anything except a passenger. I was the one who wanted us to get motorcycles. I dumped the bike (a Nighthawk) during the class also. My husband did much better than I did. We both love riding and realize that safety is first and foremost. You've already made your wife a promise that you'll wear a helmet and stay in areas around your neighborhood until you become more proficient. Life is full of risks, but everyone has to have a little fun. Maybe you could take your wife on short rides or maybe she might be interested in her own bike. Whether she does or not, sometimes you have to do something for yourself! Linda (note from Mama: thanks for sharing your experience -- learning new things is important in order to grow as a person and this will not always meet with immediate approval -- still, 'ya gotta do what 'ya gotta do sometimes and addressing the specific fears and concerns is a good place to start) Thursday, May 30 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Tracy, Wednesday, May 29 2002 AMA Women & Motorcycling Conference June 29-July 3 in Buckhannon, West Virginia. Log onto their site if you haven't done so already. Also, I'm looking for VTwin Mama sisters who want to share small portions of what they learn while attending the conference as I will not be able to attend this year. Mama Wednesday, May 29 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Beckie, Wednesday, May 29 More input for Tammy about rogue women who try to hitch rides with her husband and other males: I think she should have told her to start walking and told my man that the ride was over, he was now solo. Maybe if you had left her to walk she wouldn't pull that **** again. Cat I can understand what you are talking. I was just saying to my mom today that my brother's ex-girlfriend bragged about taking her bike to rallies and bugging the guys there to fix her bike for her. Mind you, dynamite was the only cure for this bike. Anyway, she was laughing about how one of the ladies was very angry because she kept bugging her husband to help her. She thought it was very funny. I thought she was pretty brazen, cuz she had just asked my husband to fix something for her. I told my mom that the ex didn't know how close she came to seeing the angry side of me!!! My husband was there to enjoy the ride, not work on her piece of junk. The whole time we were riding, she kept doing things to bring attention to herself. Tammy, if my husband had picked up someone like you were describing, I would have reacted the same way. Unfortunately, guys look at the situation as helping someone out. We look at it as an opportunistic bitch on the loose. My husband thought the ex was rather funny. I told him that I would not ride with her again. I don't want to be associated with someone like that. She's embarrassing. Try not to be angry with your husband too long. She's not worth ruining a good thing over. Just make it clear to him that this is not acceptable. I promise, he'll think twice before he does it again. Cindy While some of our sisters may not behave as honorably as others, it's no reason to get one's skirt in a knot. You might just say to this woman, "Yes, he is a hottie, isn't he?" and smile. This is non-confrontational and shows her that you do not perceive her as (pretty enough?) to be a threat and that you have complete faith in your husband. Remember that getting upset can be perceived as insecurity and that you think your husband might take her up on that. Why start a cat-fight unless your ol' man is charging admission? Personally I like my earrings in my head and the guys probably don't enjoy the arguing. I love my honey and trust him completely. He can flirt all he wants but I know wild horses (or whores as the case may be) won't drag him away. He can give all the rides he likes and I know he is enjoying the "larger backrests". I got my own bike so his is often available. Besides, I am the only female employee at the quarry we both work at and there is always teasing and flirting going on that he has learned not to get upset over so fair is fair and I wouldn't want a man to be jealous of my having male friends, that gets ugly quick! If you don't keep the dog on a tight leash, it won't pull against it and people are no different. Just be happy he's yours and give him the freedom to act respectably. It's his choice. If he's not to be swayed then all the raging estrogen in the world won't change that. Hakuna Matata. Blue skies and Laughter. Inga in Eldred, NY I am very happy to have found this site. I have been reading it for quite some time, I love it. It has given me very useful tips and insights to help me out as a beginning rider. Keep up the good work! I have to say I agree with Tammy. I am also a member of an ABATE Illinois chapter, but have yet to go to any meetings or on any of their runs. I would be very interested in knowing which chapter this was (without giving away any names or anything of course) so IF these actions were to continue to occur, I would be ready and or able to avoid the situation if necessary. I am a new rider myself and not quite ready to ride my own bike ( Kawi Vulcan 500 LTD) on poker runs and such. So for now I happily ride on the back with hubby. Just last year, we had a similar situation on one of the poker runs we were on. About 10 of us pulled into a stop together and went in to get our cards and such. While there I had to go to the restroom and in that short time it turns out there was a woman just lurking around looking for a man to ride with. I'm sure she saw us come in together and did not seem to bother her one bit to walk right up to my hubby immediately after I walked away and asked him for a ride on the back of his bike. He did not hesitate in the least to inform her that the back seat of his bike is permanently taken by his wife!!!! I had no clue as to what had went on while I was away, and one of the other female riders that was with us told me what had happened and how proud I should be of him!! And I am VERY proud of him!! To this day I do not have to worry about who may ask to ride on the back with him as he knows who sits behind him and is proud to tell whoever may ask. So you see, SOME men do know the unwritten rules of biking. Darla And now, a note from Tammy: Hi Everyone, Tuesday, May 28 Dear VTwin Mama, This did not discourage me though because I loved the leaning into and out of turns. Well, I found a 1979 Honda CM400A that was in good shape and bought it last night. I take delivery this afternoon and can't wait. It's one of Honda's old Hondamatics and yes ladies it has a short seat height (about 27') and no clutch! How can I get my wife and parents excited about my decision? I've already told my wife that I'll always wear a helmet and just cruise the neighborhood until I get good. Thanks for a great site and keep up the good work. Woody Dear Woody, I think fear is the main reaction here -- either fear that you'll hurt yourself and/or fear that this will take to much time away from your regular family commitments. Or maybe they think you're going to join a biker gang somewhere down the line?!?!?! Examine your real thoughts (challenge to learn something new? need to get away a little on your own? looking to expand your lifestyle?) on why this is important to you and try to share this with the family, but remember that only real honesty on this point is going to work. It's good that you took a Safety Class and dumping the bike in the beginning is a normal thing. Practice is the key now so keep at it. Mama Tuesday, May 28 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Tina, Tuesday, May 28 Honda Hoot (Knoxville, TN) Dear VTwin Mama, Tuesday, May 28 Dear VTwin Mama, Another thing that I do on the road... is bring or buy postcard stamps. Not only for friends and relatives, but when I stop at some attraction or interesting destination, I buy a postcard and mail to myself right then and there (most tourist attractions will mail them for you). That way when I get home, with all the confusion and sorting things out... I know exactly what day I was where by the postmark.. it sure helps when you are back home and sharing your vacation or travels with your friends or scrapbook. Its great because if will help you remember where and when you took your pictures. Thank you. Judirika Dear Judirika, Tuesday, May 28 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Linda, Friday, May 24 First, a note from me: we've covered several explosive and controversial issues here on the VTwin Mama site, but I've got to say, Tammy's letter about another women "hitching" rides with her husband and other male members of their ABATE chapter has got to top the charts in the 16 months that I've run this forum. The language of the responses and the letter Tammy wrote to this women contain language that is forthright and not always "so nice," but then my thought is that not everything in life is "so nice" and being politically correct doesn't always work. You'll find opinions and insights from every angle, so read on if you wish, but be prepared for direct language. These are not posted in any particular order, simply in the order that they came to me in emails, with Tammy's letter to this woman at the end. You'll also note that I am not going to add my two cents after each input, because I think there is more power in the sum of the responses that has value in helping more women over time decided for themselves how they would handle this situation if they ever come across it. Mama I think that Tammy needs to get over this. Like she said, her husband was clueless. She doesn't need to drag the other women from the club into this, or cause a division in the such a wonderful organization like ABATE because of behavior from one or two people. She just needs to hold her head high and not make a scene about it. Because after all, she is the one who is going to look bad in the long run, not the troublemakers. She needs to get her husband aside at home and let him know how she feels and then she can ask him to take the backseat off !!! It's just as easy for him to put it back on when they decide to go on a ride together. Needless to say, with my own bike I have no need to ride two up anymore. But, the rule was made long ago with my hubby, "no female rides on the back without MY permission." That way the message is clear and we have never had a problem with strays....That's my tirade Judirika I couldn't help but respond to the letter you posted in the latest News Letter regarding some trashy *** woman putting her *** on the back of a bike that belongs to another woman's husband and his WIFE or Girlfriend, whatever the case may be! Shoot that chick is better than I am is all I can say, not only would I have been pissed I would have cleaned the spokes on the wheels with her ***! In the first place, when you ride on the back of a bike your rubbing up against the dude in the front and if that dude isn't yours to rub against then what the **** are you doing there? And HE not seeing why SHE is pissed! come on Mister, would you like it if your Ole Lady gave some guy a ride with him rubbing all against her or if she took a ride with another guy and rubbed up against him? In MY opinion he shoulda let the ***** WALK! And if it had been me caught some slut on the back of my Ole Man's bike (which he knows damn well better than to even try!) she wouldn't be able to walk much less ride! HrlyLady in Maryland I sense that there is more going on in your ABATE chapter than this officer hitches rides on Poker Runs. This was a group activity for a specific purpose, it is not like he took off with her for a day of bar-hopping? Did she not go her own way after the ride, did he not come home to you? What would have done if the roles were reversed? I asked my self, what would I have done? Nothing!!! If something like that upset as much as it upset you, maybe you need to talk with your husband. Would you have been as upset, if the other women in the group didn't start stirring the pot, so to speak. Life is much to short, riding seasons are much too short, don't let this episode start to creep into non-riding times. Talk it out, get over it, and ride on!!!! Bert I am also a member of ABATE here in Republic, PA. I have been a member for over 10yrs. I just got my license last August and ride my own now. The very minute my seat was empty the trailer trash were surrounding my husband like a bunch of vultures. Since my husband is Road Captain he had some crazy idea he was obligated to take anyone along who wanted to ride that day. He really doesn't see how these type of women work. He is just a good ol' guy (that's the reason I married him). We had one time it happened that I had to work and joined the in the middle of the run on my bike. I very politely went to her and told her she needed to find her own way home! She wouldn't be riding with my husband and not in MY seat.! She looked like the fool, not me. It is clearly understood now no one rides in my seat but me. I did gain the respect I deserved and it hasn't happened again with anyone else. PA. Debbie G. I can totally understand why you would have a problem with this other "lady" (and those quotations are definitely deliberate)... but really, if your husband (in his typical male oblivion) was just being nice... then what does it matter what that low class "lady" was attempting. You are the one who gets to go home with him in the end. If you let people make a big deal of it (i.e., allowing your sisters to demote her) you just reveal your own insecurities. If you take the high and confident road - i.e., first telling your husband that you think its wonderful that he is such a sweet guy, and you are embarrassed that the sisters in your organization made such a big deal because they don't understand what a trusting and strong relationship you have - and then telling your sisters that they don't need to demote her... if she is such a low class woman that would do that, then whatever. You don't need to waste your time with her. You are way better than that. You are so above her that by being completely unthreatened by her you will come out on top... I think this is also a good role to play as an example to the other women around you. Women can be so jealous and catty. By reacting to tramps like this, you just give them power. By being so above her and unthreatened by her, you diminish her power and in the end she just looks like a desperate fool who is clawing at getting a fraction of what you already have earned. I hope this makes sense - Be strong sista. E. You need to address this with your husband. He can make the mistake once but not again. I wouldn't blow this out of proportion as long as he knows how you feel. Take my word for it...I've been married 32 years to the same guy. He has ridden other girls but only when he knew I would approve. And I'm not into that kinky stuff! Would your husband feel the same if you gave a ride to another guy or rode with another guy on his bike for some reason? These type of girls will get away with this only if the guys let them...and many welcome it! Just be sure your guy doesn't. Be firm and factual in your discussion of the situation. Trust is a must! Be glad you don't have to depend on any man to give you a ride. Chris I got tense just reading the letter from the woman who found another woman on the back of hubby's bike. I wouldn't like it either! And I wonder if men really are a clueless as they claim to be. I know my partner would not take kindly to my hauling some other guy around on the back of my bike. Do they really have no clue that this behavior is inappropriate? I think not! I just believe they do these things hoping they will get away with it. Am I bitter? Possibly. But you can't be with a guy for years without his gleaning something about propriety...... Annie I read your message to the group twice and thought I would respond. This is just the way I feel but I don't understand why your ABATE group would demote this women. Your husband should have said "no". He had control of the situation and he chose to let the women ride with him. I never have understood the concept of when a husband or wife or significant other goes out on their partner, the partner blames it on the other party that their partner went out with. The husband, wife, significant other has control over his/her actions and needs to take responsibility over it. Don't lower yourself to that woman's level, but instead tell your husband how you feel about him giving the women a ride and move on with your head held high. You are with your husband, not the women, let her know you have a strong marriage by your actions and spend your energy on more positive issues. That women is not worth you wasting your energy with. The ABATE chapter you are a member of will probably not elect this person the next time her leadership position comes up anyway from the sounds of your letter. Julie Ouch! what a dilemma. As a woman who recently got her own cycle I would be pretty peeved to see another woman on the back of my man's ride. Unless of course she asked ME if I minded. Men are clueless so he should only be responsible for a very small portion of the blame. She, on the other hand, needs a lesson in etiquette. I would consider it a slap in the face. Unfortunately I'm not the greatest in snappy comebacks but I can pull out the bitch when I need to. I'd use one of Petra's lines since my approach would probably end in a cat fight (if the other party had the guts!) : ) Good luck with this problem. If she can be ousted from the group or even suspended for this riding season it might teach her a lesson. Jennifer Many moons ago, my husband & I belonged to a riding (horse) club. We had one member who couldn't keep her paws off anything male. He & I went to a club meeting one evening, found our seats and were just horsing around (pun intended) with some of the other members. I got up to get coffee or something and when I came back (I was gone at least a nanosecond), she was sitting in his lap! This was NOT a good move on her part. She saw me and said something to the effect of "well, I couldn't sit in your seat, 'cuz your coat was in it." Like you, Mama, I try to handle things with a bit of humor, but surprisingly enough, humor failed me at this very moment. I simply walked over to her, took her ever so gently by the lapels of her coat, and lifted her fat butt off his lap. Think I said something like "sorry sweetie, that seat's taken." I had no more trouble with her. Also I DID have a little chat with him when we left the meeting. I know he'd meant me no harm ... he just has trouble telling folks what he thinks ... but somehow he's managed in that sort of situation ever since then. Men do seem to pick up on the lessons, but they need to be taught! :-) So Tammy, just make sure you explain in simple, easy to understand terms to him exactly how this made you feel. If he's a good guy, and it sounds like he is, he'll figure it out and avoid the situation again. Barb I think you showed admirable restraint in not running her down in the middle of the road! I agree that this was not only in very poor taste on her part, but quite obviously a calculated move meant to stroll further down the primrose path, with your husband in tow!! As long as you are sure that your husband is completely clueless about her ulterior motives, then I say the blame rests entirely on her shoulders--er, butt. No use getting mad at the man, poor thing, who hasn't the foggiest idea of what's really going on behind his behind. So I'd say confront the ***** and make it very plain that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, that if she can't durn well ride her own bike then she can just plan on coming to the events in her cage, 'cause other women's menfolk are off limits. HOW RUDE! Surely, a group of women set up against one woman ought to be able to come up with all kinds of creative ways to get the point across. Maybe a garage sale toy Harley to ride on or something of that nature, and a cute little Ken doll to go with it so she'd have a man of her own to play with. Sometimes it's a lot of fun to be a little vindictive, especially to such a deserving target. Have fun with it! Peaches And now the letter that Tammy wrote to this woman: Dear VTwin Mama, xxxx (name deleted just 'cause): It's women like you who give biking
women a bad name. You showed me a great disrespect climbing on the
back of Sam's bike. He only gave you a ride because it was obvious
that no one else was going to, and after all, he is a nice guy and he
didn't know it would piss me off. However, I take it very personal
that you would violate a silent code among women who bike. And don't
even tell me that you didn't know! In my opinion, and all the other women
who came up to me at the run, you should have your nasty fucking legs
super glued together so you can't do this again to any other woman.
Consider your self lucky you left the run early. None of them could
believe I did nothing to you, however, they had their own ideas in store.
There was one guy you asked that had his wife standing right there.
You are stupid enough doing this sorta of thing as it is, but right
in front of her was major stupid. What a dumb cunt. I realize you have absolutely no
standards and that nothing I say will change your future action. I'm
just thankful there are more women that have respect for other women and
ones like you are far and few between. I feel like you owe me an apology for
the disrespect you showed me for putting your nasty fucking cunt in my
seat. However, I don't expect one, nor do I want you saying anything
to me! See you at the next ABATE meeting!!! Have a nice
fucking day! Tammy Dear Tammy, Nope, I don't have a Pysch major, but what I do have is the knowledge that comes from riding a really long time and the belief that if you share how you feel, that someone will benefit from those insights. That's why I started this site and that's why it will be around for a long time. You matter! Mama Thursday, May 23 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Wannabe, Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Cindy, And yes, this site promotes well-being among all women riders, no matter what style of bike, make or model. We're non-demoninational! So jump right in with your questions, responses or observations. It's the fuel that powers this site. Mama Wednesday, May 22 Dear VTwin Mama, We put on a Poker Run every year for the man that started this ABATE chapter. He died in a car accident 10 years ago and the money goes to his children. Anyway, the 10th annual was held a few weeks ago and I had to work part of the day, so I met up with them at the next to the last stop. I was horrified to see my husband pull up to the stop with another woman on the back of his bike. All the other women in the group, except the **** that was on his bike, were as pissed as I was. He just didn't get that I was mad. He used to ride some 20 years ago, but without a significant other, so he just didn't realize it was such a big deal. He did not hang with her at the stops, so that was an indication to me that he saw it as just giving her a ride. However, she knows exactly what she is doing. She and her ****** friends do this at about every ride. They go around and ask other guys there if they can ride with them. Not caring if the guy has a woman at home or not. They normally get turned down, but my husband thought since she held an ABATE office, then he would be nice enough to let her ride. WHATEVER!!! I hit the roof. I was so mad I could barely ride my own bike home! At least 10 other women at the ride came up to me and voiced their opinion of this ****, and I was so livid that I couldn't think straight. Total disrespect for another female in my book. She put her nasty ******* butt in my seat and I cannot get past it, as yet. Like I said, she makes a habit of this action. Thoughts? Tammy in Illinois Dear Tammy, Perhaps humor would be useful in this situation -- and I don't necessarily mean the tee-hee-hee stuff, but more like, "Get your cotton-picking white trash butt away from my hubby (tee hee hee)," or maybe, "My hubby is soooo clueless, he thinks he's just being nice, but if you keep pushing it, I'll show you what not-so-nice is really all about (tee hee hee)," or . . . shoot, I'm a single VTwin Mama and don't really have the reality clue here. Any thoughts on this VTwin Mama sisters? Mama Wednesday, May 22 Dear VTwin Mama, Tuesday, May 21 Dear VTwin Mama, And if anybody lives in the Scranton, PA area -- I'd love to ride with a few VTwin Mamas! I do ride with my boyfriend but he doesn't have the time to go on a lot of rides. Thanks again. Debbie tigerdrusso@netscape.net Dear Debbie, Tuesday, May 21 Dear VTwin Mama, We bought the MotoComm model #MC-551's that we use with our GMRS hand held radios. We bought a set of 2 watt GMRS radios from Target (Memorex MK two-way Radio #MK1995) at our local Target store. You can look them up on Target's web site: http://www.target.com and search in the electronics/two-way radio section. We get about 2 +/- miles range on these radios. They work well. Prior to getting these GMRS radios we used a pair of FRS radios with the MotoComm. GMRS has a slightly better range due to higher power output. The headphone mounted speakers give us lots of sound and sound comes in on both sides of your head but does not block important sounds like horns and sirens. We use them with foam earplugs in and still get plenty of sound. The microphone mounts right in front of your chin and does not pick up much road noise in our full face helmets. The PTT switch Velcro's onto the left hand grip where it is very convenient while riding. We bought a couple of handlebar pouches from Radio Shack for FRS radios (made for bicycles) that Velcro to the handlebars and the radio slips into the pouch. The radio is held in place by an elastic strap. The whole set up works great and costs about $100 per bike for the radio and the headset system. We use small Velcro straps from a hardware store to secure wires to the bars. There is a coil cord to the helmet. The helmet has a short lead that you attach the coiled cord to. Your full faced helmet needs to have recesses to place the VERY thin speakers into. When you get on the bike you hook up to the cord. When you dismount you (hopefully) remember to disconnect. If you don't remember to disconnect, the cord will quickly remind you (ask my Husband why he sometimes feels like a bungee jumper). If you want to use a portable CB radio to talk to bikers riding CB equipped GoldWings, a Midland, Cherokee or Cobra CB walkie talkies will plug right in instead of your FRS or GMRS radio. My Husband is a licensed Amateur Radio (ham) operator and has used his Radio Shack and Yaesu amateur radios on his bike when I'm not riding with him. He has carried on a conversation with someone through an Amateur Radio repeater system 300 miles away while riding on the interstate at 65-75 mph. If you have any questions, let me know! E-mail me at: utahshadowriders@charter.net MaryAnn - Southern Utah VTwin Mama Dear MaryAnn, Monday, May 20 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Newbie, All American bikes are essentially the same! The key has a slot, usually on the left side. The gas cock is usually there also and has three positions, on -- off -- reserve. Check that it is on. Check that the bike is in neutral (usually an indicator light on a control panel will show this when you turn the key, or, climb on the bike before its running and if its in neutral you'll be able to easily move the bike forward or backward a bit. If it is in gear, it ain't going nowhere). Then hit a start switch which could be on the right side handlebar control set or in the center somewhere. Take a deep breath when approaching the bike and ask the owner to go over the controls with you and any other points of interest (oil dipstick check, etc.). There is no shame in walking up to a strange bike and verbally reviewing all of these things -- it shows respect. Just don't do it an apologetic way -- but simply indicate that you're not familiar with this model and you would like to make sure before you start the test ride! Good luck and happy hunting. Mama Monday, May 20 Dear VTwin Mama,
We left the Rock Island County fairgrounds in Illinois, crossed the Mississippi River and landed at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, IA. It takes approximately 30 minutes to cross, but it took a little more than an hour for all bikers to get started and finished. We had traffic stopped at every intersection with police from 4 cities and 1 county helping at the major intersections. We had motorists out of their cars and people on blankets in yards watching the parade of bikes. What an event! Why did we do this? To help drivers of all vehicles be aware that we are out there. If we have helped save one life, because someone took the time to check the mirror twice, or didn't gun their way through an intersection, or follow too aggressively behind a cyclist, then the reason for the ride was accomplished. It was to show that cyclists are people, good people, maybe your banker, your favorite chef, or next door neighbor. Keep the shiny side up! Michele Dear Michele, Friday, May 17 Here's input for Kat who had a question on bike-to-bike communication systems: Hi Mama! First of all, thanks so much for posting my question about women riders in my area! I've been contacted by a few very nice women and hopefully we'll be able to organize a nice little "estrogen run" as my SO calls it. *big grin* I did want to respond to Kat's question about bike to bike intercoms. My parents had a really good set that worked well for them and I will try to find out what it was, but let me tell you why they don't use them anymore -- they are actually illegal in some states. My father's close friend is a state trooper and advised him they are illegal in our state (Massachusetts). Before you buy them, check the laws in your state to see if they are legal. I will try to find out which set they had. Hand signals are a great alternative. Everyone in our riding group knows the signals Mama has provided in the link and they work very well. Another one we use often is pointing to the eye and then to the side of the road. Most of us wear contact lenses, get dust in them, and need to pull over when we can't see through our tears! Happy riding! CJ Some people use the Chatterbox brand of communications but then you can only talk to people who have Chatterbox. Also some styles of this brand have a small box, about the size of a floppy disk attached to your helmet. I recommend a CB then you can talk to a lot more people if you want to including the emergency channel, 9 and weather stations. You can buy small CB radios that would fit into a tank bag with speakers attached to your handlebars. But I recommend a handle bar mounted system. It has a much smaller "box" which is an attachment device for the boom mic and speakers inside your helmet. There is a cable with a quick connect/disconnect to the radio from your helmet and a cable that goes to a push to talk button attached to your left grip. It all sounds complicated but really isn't and the radio disconnects from the bike in seconds. Try looking at j&mcorp.com or sierra-mc.com. Only draw back is they are kind of pricey but they are a neat set up if you don't have a big touring bike. Having one would have saved a BIG argument with my ex and I one time. I find it is very handy to have just for warnings on the road like rocks, pot hole or deer, to give directions to bikes that got separated at a stop light, "look at the view," lots of uses and fun. Cheryl I have some experience with the bike to bike communicators that Kat had asked about. My husband and I rode together for quite a while and just decided it would be nice to be able to say hey look at that. We had started out wanting to be able to talk to each other for the scenery, but more than once weve been able to use these to warn each other about situations on the rode before the other sees it. He rides to the front and left track, I like the staggered right which gets me into some of the gravel that spills out of the country driveways around here. Hes let me know more than once about gravel in time for me to move to the left track. And I see things like deer long before he does and give him a heads up. A couple of weeks ago we were riding in our staggered positions on a fairly busy road when his engine just suddenly died, there was a driveway to the right and he said watch it, I have to pull over I was able to stay out of his cross over and turn into the driveway with him safely. He wouldnt have been able to use hand signals cause they were busy controlling a dead bike at 50mph. I had done a ton of research on the different brands, how they worked and pricing. What I came up with was Maxon SX49. One radio runs about $50 retail (but I bought the pair on Ebay for $30) They are voice activated, so no buttons to push when you want to say something and have a quarter mile range, which is plenty of distance. The only catch with these is that they come with a head set that there is no way itll fit on your head and under a helmet (we wear full face). So with a number of trials and errors we finally modified them enough to work well for us. I took the speaker out of its case along with the microphone/ antenna assemble removing the head set completely. Ran the whole works between the hard outer shell of the helmet and the padding inside with the mic taped to the inside of the chin part of the helmet, letting the cord and radio part of the unit hang down out of the helmet. You can then turn it on/off, adjust volume and how sensitive you want the voice activated (sometimes wind noise or pipes can turn it on and your partner gets to hear you rev your engine) then stuff the radio portion of the unit in your pocket or use the belt clip. After that I was STILL having problems hearing him, so I removed the speaker and soldered on a plan ol ear piece from a radio head set the kind you just put in your ear, so I have to put the ear piece in before I put on the helmet it makes it a bit of a trick when ya first start to use it but I now hear clearly everything my husband says. Not to mention every once in a while you get to hear some ones baby monitor or telephone conversation on the same frequency as the 49dbs. Which is good for some giggles as you ride. I really cant recommend being able to communicate highly enough for those that ride together all the time. Because its just another tool for being safe while riding AND just being able to say hey look at that. Ride Safe HammerLady@ShinnySidUp.com
Dear VTwin Mama, Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Bruce and Beckie, Wednesday, May 15 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Bert, Tuesday, May 14 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear April, http://www.ibmwr.org/otech/pickup.html but this one is in fun because if I remember correctly, it's a German site, written partially in English and the gal is in a minishirt and heels ! ! ! http://rover.mainz.netsurf.de/~uschla/bikefrauen.html Never be caught with your bike down again! Mama Tuesday, May 14 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Kat, About intercom systems that is! So we'll see if any of the VTwin Mama sisters have an opinion. Meanwhile, I think hand signals work just dandy and here's a site that details signals for the majority of situations you'll probably find yourself in: http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~libssd/fehr/handsignals.html That's all folks! Mama Tuesday, May 14 Dear VTwin Mama, On top of that, he (my hubby) wanted to show out (smoke the tires or something), and it got away from him and he laid it down in the friends driveway. Well you ladies can just guess my reaction. Needless to say....his lesson was learned the hard way and it is understood that only I can give permission to someone to sit on or ride my bike. Those guys would have never dreamed of doing that if it had been my husband's bike. That attitude definitely pi$$es me off! Ok, I'm calm again! lol Sharon Dear Sharon, Monday, May 13 Dear VTwin Mama, A book I HIGHLY recommend for learning EVERYTHING about motorcycling and learning it correctly the first time, is: "Proficient Motorcycling - The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well", by David L. Hough. I have a copy and and LOVE it. Beckie Mauler (Honda Magna VF700cc) (note from Mama: looks like David's book is a winner!) Monday, May 13 Dear VTwin Mama, Curves come natural to me, corners need work, but I am soooo EXCITED!!! Can't wait for the MSF course so I can feel more confident with stopping. Thanks for your support!!! I am now officially a VTwin Mama! Joyce Dear Joyce, Yes, you're officially a VTwin Mama -- so you just keep trying and remember, despite the minor ickies that will still happen from time to time, you know that practice and resolve to learn are the keys to your ultimate success. Any new riders reading this, take heart and understand that "talking it out" does have it's benefits and we're here to listen! And here's a message from Beckie to Joyce: Good for you learning to ride at age 45! I too am a "late bloomer," learning to kayak, rollerblade, scuba dive, drive a snow mobile, and relearning to ride a motorcycle. My son thinks I'm having a "mid-life crisis!" Silly boy! Congratulations, Beckie M. Mama Friday, May 10 Dear VTwin Mama, I have a question about bike etiquette. Yesterday I got the bike out and had it sitting in the drive way ready to go and went inside to get ready for a ride. I heard someone pull in the driveway and looked out to see my husband's cousin on his tractor preparing to plant corn. Being in the buff I couldn't walk go outside to meet him. To my amazement he got on my bike and turned on the key and blew the horn. I hit the roof!! I didn't know I had become that attached to my bike yet, but I felt like going out there and knocking him off of it. I don't know where it was instilled in me, perhaps as a kid when my cousins road their bikes to family get-togethers, but I have always been of the mind that a person does not touch or sit or do anything to another's bike without asking first. Is this like a universal understanding? I haven't experienced anyone in our community of riders that would bring this up, so I'm putting it out there for the other readers to see what their reaction would be if someone just climbed on their bike and started messin'. What's your thoughts! Love the site. Tammy in Illinois Dear Tammy, Friday, May 10 Dear VTwin Mama, There are heavy touring bikes, like the Goldwings, Sports touring bikes, like the Bandit, Cruisers, like the Vulcans, Intruders, and V-stars, and sport bikes and you can "tour" on all of them. Find a bike that fits you and your riding style and enjoy. But touring is not, "long and fast." Slow down and enjoy the road and what it says to you. Cheryl Dear Cheryl, To this day I prefer rambling the back roads at 35mph, drinking in the scenery and marveling at the wonders of nature. Sure, sometimes you go fast from Point A to B for a reason, but I'm still in favor of the slow easy ride. Cheryl, your answer said it clearly and thanks for taking the time to share your insights. Mama Thursday, May 9 I have most of my payables set up to be paid thru my bank thru the internet. You can post date the payments, and set up multiple times of an item to be paid. You can visit an internet cafe while on travel and check your account balance. For bills that can't be paid that way, you could sign some chqs payable to the known supplier and leave them with a trusted person to take care of. Hope this helps. Knees in the breeze, and ride safe. Denny If you have online banking you can do one of two things get a laptop and you can pay your bills anywhere you can get a phone line most motels have setups for laptops or online banking allows you to schedule all your bills and pays them on the dates you setup.....hope this helps. LadyHD (Mary) Well, even though I have yet to embark on a long bike trek, I have traveled frequently and have friends that do likewise. In these days of internet access, electronic payments, etc there are many options. As Mama suggested, having the bills deducted from your checking is one, another is to have them charged to a credit card, leaving only 1 bill to have to worry about. (plus, depending on the card, you can even accumulate air miles, points towards discounts, etc) Then just mail a check at the necessary time, or, my preference, log on and do an electronic transfer. Internet access is easy to find almost everywhere these days. Good luck and safe riding! Becky Get rid of ALL your credit cards but two. Use only one for gas, food, repairs, clothes--everything. Everybody takes VISA now so there is no reason to have several gas and department store cards. Use the second card as a back-up if the 1st card doesn't work, is lost or stolen. Get both of them from your bank. The bank will draft the minimum payment for you if you set it up with them. Also, about all utilities--gas, water, electric, telephone--have automatic draft. All I write checks for now are for donations. Problem solved, now let's get back on another trip across country! Diddy I used to travel every week Monday thru Friday for work.... I was able to pay everything on line. I signed up w/my credit card companies to notify me when my payment was due and they sent me an email and I would go on-line and pay. If you don't carry a laptop w/you (and really while on my motorcycle I can live without everything but lip balm, water, cell phone and pistol) a lot of the public libraries have internet access. So log on once or twice a week and take care of business! Good Luck to Bobbye while travelin' ... I'm jealous. This work thing is really cutting into my personal time! Pnlp (Paula) If you have Internet access and do your banking online you can schedule payments to be made on any date you choose. Annie Most banks have electronic banking. You could try this if you know your account numbers and how much is due on each bill. I travel a lot and most people I know use this form of banking. Radbikers Wednesday, May 8 Women's Riding Summit (Orlando) Dear VTwin Mama, Wednesday, May 8 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Excited One, Two of the most popular models for touring are Goldwings and Aspencades. But don't forget, you can "tour" on just about any bike if it's the right bike for you. That means it's comfortable for you to handle and offers good seating, leg room with variable positions, etc., it can work. I've "toured" on a Kawi 750, Honda Shadow 750 and my current HD Superglide. What I found important in touring is to set realistic mileage for each day's riding -- otherwise, no matter what bike you have, if you're trying to do to much in one day, it isn't going to be any fun! Mama Wednesday, May 8 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Jeramie, Tuesday, May 7 Dear VTwin Mama, Tuesday, May 7 Dear VTwin Mama, Tuesday, May 7 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Anna, Monday, May 6 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Bobbye, Monday, May 6 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Joyce, WHO CARES ! ! ! ! We're here sister and glad you found us! And boy, do I hear you on that whole throttle thing -- I scared myself good a few times in the beginning, and I was in neutral! It just goes to show you, practice is your friend. But seriously (or something closely approximating it), with the bike off, practice squeezing the brake while you roll your wrist back and downwards. This will pull the palm of that hand in a backward motion which is the de-throttle (if that's a word) movement. It's not an exaggerated movement, but rather concentrating on what the rest of your hand is doing while you're squeezing. Oh, that sounded slightly steamy. And then practice with the bike (in neutral first), as I assume you actually would like to go somewhere at some point in time! Tons of luck and if any VTwin Mama sisters have anything to say, well . . . let 'er rip! Mama (P.S. Sorry to hear about your SO's illness -- my heartfelt sympathy.) Monday, May 6 Dear VTwin Mama, More for Collett: The 800cc is probably fine. Get your bike lowered. I replaced 11inch shocks with 9 inch ones and lowered the front fork on my Low Rider and it made all the difference in the world. Changes the center of gravity and makes it easy to control the bike especially in slow, stop/start situations. AKelleyK (note from Mama: more yahoo!) |
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