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Friday, May 30 Dear VTwin Mama, Now, is it just me or is the point of taking a course so I can get to learn, get pointers/criticism, and practice those things? I am a little confused about the role of this class. I felt they were rushing me. That pretty much leaves me to my own devices so I was wondering if you can give me some advice on how to properly balance (at low speeds)? Please please any help would be GREATLY appreciated! (There is hope for me right?) Thank you very very much and have a great day. Marisol (a little disappointed but still determined) Dear Marisol, Even if you can ride a bicycle, having the power of the motorcycle beneath you might have been difficult right off the bat in terms of balance. So please, don't give up yet -- if this is something you truly wish to learn, then stick with it. My suggestion is to find a private tutor who can school you on a very small bike (even an automatic 50cc putt-putt bike would fit the bill here) so that you can get use to balance and the power of a bike. Or, you might contact a local chapter of a woman's riding organization (links are at the bottom of this home page) and see if they can help you find someone appropriate. Readers, any other suggestions? Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Friday, May 30 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Debbie, Top Friday, May 30 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Chibi99, That said, there is site that may provide you with more clues. It's the Short Bikers (!) site. If you look at the FAQs, you'll find charts and opinions from other "petites" who have found solutions. Other than that, I would visit dealer showrooms, start sitting on bikes and inquire about lowering kits that will get your feet flat on the ground. Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Friday, May 30 More for Steve whose boots are too big to shift gears easily: Yes this is a common problem. I guess Honda figures we all ride with sneakers. A Honda Shadow 600 was my first bike, and since I have large feet I wear men's boots, and I definitely had a problem with the toe shifter. A heel/toe shifter would be a good solution, but the ones made for the Honda are chintzy, unless Steve really can look at it before he buys it. I started with that solution, but my husband finally just adapted an oil can spout to "raise" the footpeg about a half inch higher. It worked for as long as I had the bike (about 1500 miles), it was my "learning" bike. I have a friend who still has her Shadow 600 but her feet are small so she doesn't have a problem. Tell Steve to ask his dealer if there are any newer solutions out there. By the way, I am now riding (and loving) a 2002 Indian Spirit, I've put on 3000 miles since September. (My husband has a 2002 Indian Chief). And we're off to Americade this week (first time). Keep the sunny side up!! Claire (note from Mama: thanks for sharing your insights and have a great time at your first Americade!) I also had the problem of my HD "Biker"Boots not fitting under the toe shifter. As luck would have it, my heritage has the heel toe shifter. But..... being a pretty new rider (about 1000 miles on a V-Star, and about 500 on the Heritage), lifting your foot up to use the heel shifter is probably not a good idea. My hubby (who has 35 years experience) saw me shifting with my heel and didn't like it. The distance between the toe shifter and the peg is usually adjustable. Just follow the linkage up and there should be an adjustable rod to pull up the shifter. Good luck!! Paula (note from Mama: this sounds like the simplest solution to try first!) Thursday, May 29 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Lorraine, Side-by-side riding in the same lane is usually only done "in town." When a group comes to a stop and plans to make a turn, the two lead people who are side-by-side begin the turn together while strictly maintaining their lane position. Sometimes one will "gun" ahead a little of the other, but still must maintain exact position in the lane so as to not goof up the other side partner. Very experienced riders will sometimes cruise at high speeds side-by-side, but truly this is for the very experienced only, and even then it's not recommended for any real length of time (maybe to catch up in order to signal someone or something similar). New riders should never ride side-by-side. Not until they can maintain their left or right position in a single lane without crossing into the other portion of the lane, no matter what they are doing. For more info on all sorts of riding situations, etc., you might want to consider purchasing a copy of Proficient Motorcycling -- an excellent book that covers tons of stuff like this. Check out my Books/Mag page for places to buy (like Amazon, etc.). Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Thursday, May 29 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear DLB, First, have you taken a motorcycle riding course? Check out the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization that teaches the basics on a 250cc bike, with courses available all over the U.S. Then, visit every dealer that you can in your area and start looking at bikes. Keep a notepad handy to jot down thoughts. Yes, you are allowed to just sit on the bikes to get a beginning feel for them. Check the stretch of your arms to the handlebar controls (too much? too cramped?) and your leg position (same thing). With your height, you should have no problem placing your feet flat on the ground when you sit on the bike -- a real biggee for overall control of the bike when starting, stopping, etc. Look for a bike in the mid-range of power, probably around 600-750cc, but don't limit your investigation -- check out the smaller and larger cc bikes at the same time. If you've made good notes, then you can check local ads for bikes of the type you liked. This can be a cheaper way to get started until you have some miles under your belt and can make a more informed decision. I apologize that I can't name a specific make/model for you -- but there are just too many individual variables that characterize you and what's going to feel right. This is true of any new rider, so don't feel alone! Last, but definitely not least, get in contact with a women's riding organization in your area. Links at the bottom of the page will get you in touch with the top "clubs." These women can provide the support that is so useful to beginning riders. Good luck and hope to see you on the road soon! Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Thursday, May 29 Dear VTwin Mama, I cannot do this job. You must take the engine apart, seat off, gas tank off (how the hay do you do that, it's not in the manual) and then the job beings. Just to replace a bad gasket!!!!! I found some local wrenches who will do the work for about $20 less an hour than Harley. Angela Kosar Dear Angela, Top Thursday, May 29 For Willy who is figuring out the shifting of gears: I wonder if Willy is thinking that you can shift from 4th to 1st with one down-stroke of your foot. If I want to downshift real quick, I pull my clutch in and take the gears down one at a time. I can leave the clutch in the whole time, but I have to shift down through each gear before getting to where I want it. I understand what VTwin Mama is saying, that in most cases you shift down as you are coming to a rolling stop, but occasionally, there is a need to stop a little quicker, then take your gears down to where you should be. One pull on the clutch and several down shifts works for me. Hope that helps. Michele (note from Mama: of course it does, as it is a much clearer answer than my original thoughts. The point being that every "click" of the shifter represents one gear level and no more!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Thursday, May 29 For Steve whose boots are too big to shift gears easily: The Honda Shadow 600 was my first bike and I had the exact same problem. I noticed the problem before I purchased the bike and made the adjustment a condition of the sale. The shifter is extremely easy to adjust and can be done in minutes. If you bought your bike new, take it back to the salesman -- he/she can (and should) adjust it for free. If you bought it used, go to your local Honda dealership. It would be a crime to charge for such an easy adjustment. I no longer have that bike or I would consult it to give you detailed instruction on how to make the adjustment yourself (and I'm not even mechanically inclined -- that's how easy it is!). But since I haven't had that bike in over a year, I don't want to give you vague instructions. Good luck! Jennifer (note from Mama: boy, I was making this more complicated than necessary by suggesting a heel/toe shifter replacement. Thanks for sharing your insights!) Steve P. wrote about having problems with not having enough room to shift with some new boots. I have a 1200 Sportster and I bought some new boots and found I had no room to shift. The shift lever is attached to a slotted shaft. Just loosen the set screw and take the shifter off and put back on lower or higher. Sometimes I throw my old boots on and have to adjust the shifter. Only takes a sec. Cindy (note from Mama: well that seems simple enough -- and worth checking out on his model bike -- thanks for sharing.) Wednesday, May 28 For Steve whose boots are proving to be too big for the shifter: We women with smaller feet and/or using thicker boots so we can reach the ground might have a problem with the room for shifting. I had a problem with the boot I was wearing that the shifter was to high and I had to take my foot off the peg to shift. I kept missing shifts. I talked to the service manager about my problem and they bent the shifter down. Now I have new boots and can't get my foot under the shifter so we bent the shifter back up. Try that first. Cheryl (note from Mama: that sounds like a reasonable first step!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Wednesday, May 28 For D. who is wondering if jumping from a 250cc to a 600cc bike is too much: This is in response to D., who was wondering if the Shadow VLX would be a good bike to start out on. I started on a Shadow VLX and had no trouble whatsoever. Many people buy this as a first bike because it's easy to handle, easy to control, low to the ground, and you won't outgrow it soon like you would a 250cc bike. She also asked about the Shadow Spirit. Someone asked the same question in one of the Shadow forums that I read about the difference between the Shadow VLX and the Shadow Spirit. Many people responded that there is not much difference between the two, despite the Spirit having a 750cc engine and the VLX having a 600cc engine, there is only a 4-6 horsepower difference between them. If she feels more comfortable on the Spirit, she should be able to handle the small increase in power with no problem. I have to say, one nice thing about Hondas is that they are very smooth - the clutch is easy, the brakes don't grab, everything is very easy to control. I had an old Suzuki 450 that had the clutch of death - you know, let it out and there's nothing, nothing, then all of a sudden, EVERYTHING and you were flying off at warp speed. My Shadow is just the opposite, just let the clutch out, bike starts moving smoothly, even if you pop the clutch, the engine just stalls, it doesn't buck like a bronco when it happens and throw you off balance. I think even just for that fact it is a perfect bike for a beginner. Robyn Cubakovic (note from Mama: I'm sold! Thanks for the specific comparisons and benefit of your knowledge!) Thats just what I did, I took the class on a 250 and moved up to my Honda VLX 600. It was great, take is slow and practice what you learn in class over again on the 600 just like you started with the 250. Good luck Angie (note from Mama: affirmation is always good!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Wednesday, May 28 I ride a 800 Intruder and have over 50,000 miles on the bike. I am not sure what engine guard I bought but I mounted my highway pegs on the outside of the bars with no problem. I don't think my guards are narrow in fact they seem about right. My bike (knock on wood) has never been down but they seem to look like they would work great. And with the pegs on the outside there is even more protection. You do have to be careful with your left leg if you are wearing rain gear and put you leg on the highway pegs attached to the engine guards as you can (done that) melt the rain gear to the left pipe. I have even melted rain hear to the right pipe as I put my foot on the ground. Added note: My first thought to Christina was get the suggested engine guards and put the highway pegs on the outside. You will have to be careful with rain gear on the left side due to the hot pipe. Soon after buying my bike I melted my rain gear on the pipe. NOW after dropping my 800 on a slow parking lot turn I have another suggestion. With the suggested engine guards there really is no protection and handle bars or windshield will be damaged or like me I broke off a foot peg. Look for wider engine guards. You can still put your highway pegs on the inside or outside. You will still have to watch your rain gear on the left pipe. I tried to find a guard for that pipe but no luck. Good luck. Cheryl (note from Mama: ahhh, the voice of "been there, now I've done that" comes through! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.) Share Your ThoughtsTop Wednesday, May 28 For Running Deer whose new bike is great, the seat is comfy but it needs to be lowered: I too have a Custom 1200 Sportster and I needed to be a little lower and closer to the handlebars. Also, my bike has forward controls. It was suggested to me to check out Corbin (seats) and I called and talked to them a few times over the winter. When I was ready to order I provided them via fax information on the seat high of the bike and my leg inseam, they inputted that and came up with a Close Gunfighter seat for me with flames in the color of my bike. It worked great and did not involve lowering the bike. A friend of mine lowered his Sportster and felt the bike was too stiff, that is why I did not want to lower it. I love the seat, one thing that happened is that the seat ended where the frame ends, exposing the oil tank, my leg rested on the tank and it got pretty hot, I took a suggestion from another VTwin Mama and put on a tank cover. Now I am so happy and think my bike is so hot . Angela K. (note from Mama: watch out -- AK is rolling pretty and comfy this year! She'll be screaming some miles this season!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Wednesday, May 28 Following the general thread on hot tanks and leg ouchies: I don't personally have an issue with
the tank being too hot as the model's Harley I ride don't give me a
problem (could be that I'm also 5' 7"). However, if memory serves me
I've seen athletes who sometimes wear these kind of skin pads that they
can pull up their legs and position in a different area of the leg to
protect it from scraps and such. Top Wednesday, May 28 For Bruce who is trying to replace the clutch lever: In order to replace
the clutch lever and make it easy to do so you need to loosen the adjuster
on the clutch cable. This will provide the slack for you to gain enough
free play in order to remove the lever and do whatever you wish to do. Top Wednesday, May 28 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Nikki, Top Tuesday, May 27 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Kelly, Top Tuesday, May 27 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Steve, Top Tuesday, May 27 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Jody, Top Friday, May 23 Dear VTwin Mama, Not sure what to do with it next, my instructor wants to try and get it shown elsewhere and possibly sold. Maybe I should drag it to Americade, lol, it does get the point across rather graphically! What do you think? I'd love to hear feedback, it was half my final grade.
Inga (note from Mama: wow! Readers, any ideas on selling this art piece?) Share Your ThoughtsTop Friday, May 23 Dear VTwin Mama, It happened once when I came to the traffic light at the 3rd gear, I held on to the clutch and stepped down the gear on the way to the very bottom. I thought it was already the first gear. But it turned out that it only shifted one gear down. So my bike stalled when I released the clutch. It was a really scary experience. Do I really need to release the clutch each time after I shift one gear? Or is this a problem with my bike? Willy Dear Willy, Top Thursday, May 22 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Awesome Texas Woman, Top Wednesday, May 21 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Christina, And wouldn't you know it, the Suzuki Owner's Club website is being revamped so they are not up and running right now. Hmmmm. Ok, why not visit the UK (British) site for Suzuki Owner's? They've got a discussion board and a technical question area. Looks busy and up-to-date, so I would try posting your question there! Unless of course one of the VTwin Mama readers has a brilliant idea. Anyone?! Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Wednesday, May 21 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear John, If this doesn't help, consider calling the company that you bought the new grips from -- most places have an 800# or online customer service email address. Even if you bought them from a dealer, it's the manufacturer you want to get a hold of. Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Wednesday, May 21 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Angela, Bring your repair manual with you -- if it turns out to be a relatively simple thing, have them point out the section in the manual and then you can ascertain whether you want to try to fix it yourself or not. Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Tuesday, May 20 Dear VTwin Mama, Anyway, the bike was pretty -- purple -- and I could flat foot it so I bought it. Well, I wasn't really ready to be on my own. I dropped it three times and became afraid to ride. Sooooo, with all of 185 miles on it, I sold it. But, I really wanted to ride. Sooooo, I bought a Honda GL1500 trike. NOW, I'm flyin! I go everywhere, in all kinds of traffic, to all kinds of events. And although a lot of people have made snide remarks about my training wheels, I am just as happy as a pig in poop! I just want everybody to know not to give up!! There are a lot of alternatives and you CAN RIDE TOO! Thanks for addressing all kinds of mama's out there. P.S. YOU GO GIRLS!! Gloria Dear Gloria, Top Tuesday, May 20 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear BB, You might want to check out the Bikes at Cost website. This will give you insight on what dealers are actually paying for the bikes and then can see what kind of markup the dealer you went to is adding. This might be a great bargaining chip! I'm sorry, but I haven't a clue about the dealers in Florida. If any FL readers want to share a particularly good (or bad) dealer, chime in! Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Tuesday, May 20 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Running Deer, I can appreciate that you don't want to get rid of a seat that has proven it is comfortable, but in the end you might need to consider going to Corbin for a new seat. Many VTwin Mama sisters have noted that this was an excellent solution. Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Tuesday, May 20 For Pamela whose oil tank is burning her leg: If you check the website, I sent an e-mail about a month ago and someone suggested putting a tank cover on the oil tank. Well after asking a lot of questions, I did it and it works. I put a Corbin seat on my HD Sport and the nose of the seat is narrow, exposing the oil tank and my leg rested on it and boy oh boy did I get burnt. Now with the oil tank cover, it gets warm but nothing and I mean nothing like it was. The tank cover was $67 and Mothers Day came up so that is what I asked for. Angela Kosar (note from Mama: yahoo -- a solution that worked!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Monday, May 19 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Beck, So I did what I advise all my readers. When trying something new, practice some where you feel comfortable. So I took the BMW out on the road for a good stretch of straight riding to make sure I had the feel of shifting and braking without having to move my feet. Then, and only then, did I take it up a stretch of road that's twisty (and even then I took it easy to learn how responsive the throttle was, etc.) and make sure I could find the rear brake! So I think the answer to your question is no, it's not hard, but like anything else, practice is still the key! The bigger question for you will be whether those forward controls will be a comfortable leg position for longer hauls, and only time can tell. I'll be riding the BMW over the next month before I take it on a road trip of over 1000 miles to make sure I'm ready to handle all situations comfortably. So, even though I've been riding since 1979, this is STILL a NEW BIKE for ME and practice is still the only answer for a safe, comfortable transition. Have at 'er! The jury is still out on whether ultimately I'll like the controls beneath better than my forward controls. Hmmmm. Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Monday, May 19 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Lizzy, Top Monday, May 19 Dear VTwin Mama, P.S. Is there much of a difference between a Honda VLX 600 and a Honda Shadow Spirit? I ask because I felt more comfortable on a Spirit but think I should start out on a smaller cc bike like the VLX. Thank you again VTwin Mama. D. Dear D., At your height, the 600 VLX should not be too big a bike for you to handle, or the Spirit for that matter. Here's the big clue: when you sit on either of these bikes, are your feet flat on the ground? This is an ABSOLUTE requirement for good riding. If you can't bring that bike to a stop with your feel firmly planted on terra firma, you'll never have full control of that bike. If it starts leaning on you a bit (for what ever reason, like the ground is slightly slanted where you stop or park, etc.), you need to have your foot solid on the ground to handle it. Also, how does the weight of the bike feel to you? Check your arm and leg positions -- too stretched out or too cramped? Either is no good. As to the transition from a 250cc to ANY higher cc bike -- don't let the extra power fool you. ALL bikes have plenty of power to get you into trouble really quickly if you're not paying attention! That's not meant to scare you, but merely to point out that learning about the power of a bike is a matter of practice in a safe environment where there are little or no distractions. When you take that course, pay special attention to the learning sequence that is used to make you familiar with riding. Then, when you get that bigger bike, learn to ride it EXACTLY the same way and you should be fine! Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Monday, May 19 For Momma B who is having some challenges with beginning riding: I only started riding 7 months ago, after turning 50. Before that I was my husband's passenger on his HD Heritage Classic. I took the Safety class as I didn't want him teaching me. With my new motorcycle endorsement I started on 1985 Honda Shadow 500cc. Rode that for 3 months having a blast, and then upgraded to an HD Dyna Low Rider. What an awesome machine! Unfortunately, the bike was difficult for me in slow turns, U turns and in parking lots. It was just too heavy. I'm 5' 4", 125 lbs so not a big person. I did drop it in a parking lot that was slanted and I did not compensate. Thank God for engine guards! No damage to the fabulous paint job and logo. I got back on and rode for 3 more weeks but was very shook up and leery of those turns and parking lots. I was not about to give up after working so hard to gain those riding skills. I finally decided to rent an HD Sportster 883 Hugger for a day at our HD dealer. What a difference in maneuverability! More like the Shadow but much more powerful. I sold the Low Rider and got a 2000 HD 883 Hugger. It's the best bike for me. So, Momma B, don't give up! Barbara Crumley (note from Mama: more and more I'm publishing letters from women who first choices in bike didn't exactly meet their needs, but by sticking with it to discover better solutions they are enjoying the riding experience. Good points made here!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Monday, May 19 For Snoma who is working up the courage to get on the highway: I started riding at age 44, and I rode a Honda Shadow 600. I rode my bike on local roads for my first season (2,000 miles). I live in NJ and traffic can be pretty hectic in rush hour. I rode 2 lane and 4 lane (two in each direction) roads. After 1 year I practiced taking the highway for 1 exit only on the 600. Getting her to 70 and keeping it there, I was not comfortable. I have now moved up to a bigger bike and am ok on the highway. I wanted to let you know that as a new rider, get comfortable on the local roads first where you can ride the speed limit and a little above. Riding is a skill, the more you do it, the better you get, so get going Snoma. Angela Kosar (note from Mama: there's nothing like practical first-hand advice from someone who has more recently passed that milestone!) I'd like to comment on Snoma's fear of the freeway. I did just what Petra suggested and went early Sunday morning. My HD 883 Sportster Hugger did pretty good going up to 50-60 and kicking into 5th gear was smoother. I try to stay in the center lane, not to fast, not too slow and watch people's blind spots. Let the speeders pass you and poky folks on the right. The freeway is great to get somewhere fast but actually I enjoy a slower ride on surface streets to be on the bike longer! Good luck Snoma! Barbara Crumley in Chandler, AZ (note from Mama: while I enjoy putting down the back roads a lot more than highway cruising overall, it's simply a skill that must be learned 'cause there are times you'll just need to get from Point A to Point B in a hurry!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Monday, May 19 For Jude who is height challenged and is trying to stay away from "tippy toes": I agree with the lowering kit...or try to find one that's already been lowered. I'm 5'8 with a 30 inch inseam, and found even the Hugger top heavy. . . just didn't feel comfortable on it. Sat on a Yamaha 650 Classic that was awful sweet. . . sure felt comfortable and well balanced. No Name (note from Mama: so many solutions!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Saturday, May 17 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Pamela, Top Saturday, May 17 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear JR, Top Saturday, May 17 For Billy who cruises regularly but isn't meeting anyone: Put on your Sponge Bob shorts and invite a woman to Chuckie Cheese! It'll show you at least have a sense of humor! Viki(note from Mama: can you believe I had to do a Google search to see what these were?!?!?! Hilarious. Thanks for the laugh!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Thursday, May 15 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Angela, Top Thursday, May 15 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Laurie, Roger noted that he's working on putting together something for older bikes that don't have comm systems available which would include some sort of ear piece, but couldn't give me a definite date when it would be ready for market. Monitor the J&M site or call 1-800-358-0881 for the latest. By the by, since we've been getting more questions about bikes and comm systems, I created a new page specifically for this subject! Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Thursday, May 15 Dear VTwin Mama, The guy comes out and looks at the bags and said "nice bags" and looked at the rear signal lights and said "those are going to break" I said "no", he said "well maybe not, buy it looks like its going to break" ..... three days later, it breaks! I called J&P and was proudly told, I was the first person to buy this product (sucker) after much thinking, I decided to return the bags and opt for Harley bags because the Sportster vibrates so much, I feel Harley knows their bikes better. J&P were so kind in taking the bags back and very professional. They are a worthy company. Sad to the pretty, roomy, bag go. Angela Dear Angela, Top Tuesday, May 13 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Liz, Top Tuesday, May 13 Dear VTwin Mama, But I am also a little apprehensive on trying main highways. I only live a few miles from a stretch of the old 66 highway in Oklahoma and really want to try it. Can you give me any advice on working thru my fear of driving on a real road? I guess I'm also a little intimidated when I see other women riding much larger bikes than mine, but I knew I had to start out small, I'm only 5'2'' and the Rebel felt so comfortable to me (and I sat on many a bike when I went looking). Thanks so much. Snoma Dear Snoma, Yes, there are many women riding bigger bikes -- but keep in mind that many opted to start out on a smaller bike such as yours to get good practice time in before deciding what bigger bike was going to make sense for them. The bottom line is that in order to advance your riding skills, you'll need to get your first "go" at a highway sometime -- just do it smart and you'll be ok! Every challenge in life has a bit of the "fear factor" in it -- but that's what makes it worth accomplishing your goal, so go for it! Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Tuesday, May 13 For Jude who is height challenged and is trying to stay away from "tippy toes": I put a Corbin Close Gunfighter seat on my Harley Sport and it brought me 2 down and 2 forward. Call them and see if they can help. The seat costs about $300 -- much less than lowering. I have heard when lowering the bike it makes it stiffer. Angela Kosar (note from Mama: thanks for this alternative solution that worked for you! Corbin be reached by calling 1-800-538-7035 or going to their website at www.corbin.com.) Share Your ThoughtsTop Tuesday, May 13 For Billy who cruises regularly but isn't meeting anyone: Hubby says chances are he's a real dog. Even so, a little common courtesy and a little less cave-man ought to do the trick. Women like bikes, women also like dangerous men (but only for a short time). We're all looking for that special someone with sticking power, to be our rocks when the going gets rough. (I feel like I'm telling our secrets here). . . Traci (note from Mama: secrets, no -- common sense, yes! Still, not everyone has a clue!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Tuesday, May 13 Dear VTwin Mama, If there is a shop near you that sells Harleys, Ducati's and AMP Clutches I was wondering if you could ask one of the shop staff to test an AMP Clutch on a Duke for me. Will be good for the shop also as then they can tell customers that the clutch will fit Duke's as well. The problem that I anticipate and that AMP does not mention is that Ducati's have much thinner clutch levers than Harleys! Any help that you can offer will be much appreciated. Thanks Mate. Regards Kevin and Terri in Australia Dear Kevin and Terri, Bottom line is that it would be chancy and pricey to order this product for the Duke and try to find a custom shop that could alter the lever to work for Terri. Hmmm. . . readers, any thoughts? Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Monday, May 12 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Tim, My suggestion? Call a local independent bike shop. They might be able to help. Or, you might appeal to Walter Kern, a retired engineer who runs a big motorcycle forum at http://motorcycles.about.com/mbiopage.htm. He might know where you could find what you're looking for. I'm hoping someone reading this will have a clue as to where to get something like this, or maybe even know of a more technical site that could help. Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Monday, May 12 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Jude, If that bike you found is used, then talk to the local Harley dealer about the cost to put a lowering kit on it, and how much lower it will bring the bike. That might just do it for you. Same question if it's a new bike you're thinking of getting. Some of Harley's models have lower seats right off the bat, but are more powerful and expensive bikes. Would this be an option for you? And do you have to buy a Harley? There are lots of great "metric" bikes out that fit shorter riders nicely. Check my Cool Links page for websites that cater to the short rider and learn what bikes they like the most. Also, check for a motorcycle show in your area so that you can see a lot of models all at once -- Motorcycleevents.com has a good listing. Good luck in your hunt! Mama Share Your ThoughtsTop Friday, May 9 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear
Kiara, Top Friday, May 9 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear
Betty, Top Thursday, May 8 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear
Miguel, Top Thursday, May 8 For Momma B who is having some challenges with beginning riding: When I was reading Momma B's letter, I was struck by her statement that she was afraid if she got a smaller bike, she wouldn't like it. I was very lucky to have a "two bike" period of overlap. I kept my Honda Rebel 250 for about a month after bringing home the Moto Guzzi California Stone 1100. I rode the big bike around for a few weeks and then decided I was finally ready to take a passenger (I'd only been riding a few months total). So, I hopped back on the Rebel to tote my boyfriend around for the first time, and it was so FUN! The little Rebel had less power, but it was so light and maneuverable! I zipped all around the parking lot, waiting for my boyfriend to turn up for his ride. After riding the big bike, the Rebel was such a breeze. I even practiced my cone weaving and turns (which were SO TRICKY in the MSF class), and they were simple. It was neat to be able to suddenly ride REALLY WELL (when not long previously, even the Rebel had been a challenge). Anyway, my point is that if Momma B could find a little, inexpensive motorcycle to ride for a short time (maybe without giving up her nice Shadow), she might have a lot of fun, in addition to building her confidence. I certainly prefer my bigger Stone, but I'd take any opportunity to ride a small bike for the pure pleasure of it. Marina (note from Mama: good points here from the voice of experience!) Share Your ThoughtsTop Thursday, May 8 Dear VTwin Mama, I really did have a somewhat tense time that time when I
had worked on the bars. The main issue like I had mentioned was indeed
when I had to deal with the side cover for that clutch cable thing. The
thing that kind of helped me was that at one time a long time ago I had a
boy friend who was into Harley's and was a great mechanic as well and I
used to watch him and well, I just wanted to be close to him as much as I
could. I would guess that that had a lot to do with my trying to
accomplish this task in the first place. Seeing someone handle things like
this before and seeing how easy it could be I just had to try. And besides
that I had most of my money at the time in the Harley's I had and didn't
have much left over to pay the dealer to put it on. |