If you ride a cruiser and enjoy touring, over the course of your riding life you may find yourself graduating to bigger motorcycles, the choice of machine dictated usually by the level of riding experience you have and the type of riding you do. At what point do you stop moving up, though?
Trading Up to a Dresser: Should You or Shouldnt You?
Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing bad about riding pillion on the back of a motorcycle. For many years, I used to sit behind my husband, Jonny, on his Harley-Davidson Softail Deuce, spacing out and staring at the scenery. But now that I’ve taken the leap to the rider’s seat, I’m encouraging more women to move from the back seat to actively riding their own bikes.
Reader Story: How One Woman Inspired Another to Ride
My wife, Suzanne, and I recently took the Lee Parks’ Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic offered through one of the company’s affiliates, CKS KickSTART, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. We took the class because each of us had, in our own way, reached a place where our riding was mentally “stuck,” and we needed coaching to progress.
Becoming a Better Motorcycle Rider
Next week, fellow motorcycle journalist and author Cris Sommer Simmons and her husband, Pat Simmons (guitarist for the Doobie Brothers), are riding to Milwaukee on vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycles for Harley-Davidson’s 110th anniversary celebration.
Editor’s Page: Couple Rides to Harley 110th on Vintage Bikes
With all the women riding their own motorcycles these days, passengering has taken a backseat in popularity. For some women, though, the backseat is the best seat on the road.
Passenger Friendly: Riding on the Back and Loving It!
At Women Riders Now, we encourage every person whos interested in motorcycle riding to give the drivers seat a try. After all, for every fearless rider who took naturally to the handlebars, you’ll find a formerly timid rider amazed to find herself comfortable at the controls. But whether it’s personal preference, physical limitations, or another circumstance, it’s perfectly natural for some people to feel more comfortable in the passenger seat—and we applaud you if thats your decision.
Passenger Friendly: Being an Effective Passenger and Two-Up Rider
Cliff Brown is a Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor who has seen far too many well-meaning men put safety last when choosing a motorcycle for his spouse. In this story, Cliff walks us through the critical steps and tips every husband or male partner should know before introducing his wife to the world of motorcycling.
Reader Story: So You Wanna Buy Your Wife a Bike?
“All set?” The sound of my fathers voice was muffled against the angry roar of his Honda Magna 750cc V4. Its a question Ive heard thousands of times before. I flashed a thumbs-up, my heart picking up speed as his foot pounded against the kickstand and his right hand twisted the throttle. We set off into a whole new world, a journey of the mind and soul as well as on the road itself.
Reader Story: Father-Daughter Bonding Through Motorcycling
It wasnt all that long ago that I would beg my mom to let me off her motorcycle a block before reaching my high school so as not to be spotted riding on the back. My how times have changed! Moms passion for riding was an inspiration for me, and while my days riding as a passenger are all but over, these days I get more seat time riding my own motorcycles.
Reader Story: Mom Is My Inspiration to Ride
While I was growing up in suburban New Jersey, no one in my family rode motorcycles or had any desire to know about them. My father was interested in aircraft, so he got his pilot’s license. My family was fortunate enough to be whisked away many weekends to travel somewhere in our plane: Canada for Canadian bacon, Block Island (off the coast of Rhode Island), Amish country in Pennsylvania, and many other fantastic places.
Reader Story: An Experienced Rider Takes to the Back Seat