Ladies - Mama Riders

[Loonette]

Definitely! Especially since I had had some people put the notion in my head that I wouldn't be a responsible parent by taking on an activity that was inherently more risky. But I also developed qualms about my kids seeing their mom not seeking out her dreams in life. My passions in life were squashed when I was a child, and I don't want that to be the case for my kids. I want to model to them that they can have a happy, full life.

I'm a believer that I can't tell which thing will take me out of this life. I'm not going to back off from a good time while I'm here. I try to make wise choices for myself, and the rest will work out as it should.

Cheers,
Loonette

[Henriettaah]

Ahh bless yer Loonette, thats just the thing I was looking for!

[Loonette]

[Lion_Lady]

Wow! I just found this thread. Yup. I'm a mom - son 13 and daughter 15.

I've been riding for almost 3 years. I am the first in the family - took the MSF on my own, with hubby's support, in October '02.

Hubby started riding last year. His father, a minister!, rode a motorcycle when he lived at home, so I didn't have to deal with convincing hubby it wasn't an automatic death/dismemberment sentence.

I've now ridden over 16,000 miles (8900 this year). We're heading to Tennessee Walking Horse Country next month for our 20th anniversary - to the BMW Riders Assoc. Rally - about 800 miles each way. How cool is that?

I HAVE crashed (my fault). And I never once considered NOT getting back on. The key is to ride like you're invisible and to keep my skills as up to date and as I possibly can.

The most important part of my riding as a mom is: ATGATT. Because not wearing gear means the difference between picking myself and the bike up and riding home, and needing a ride in an ambulance, if I go down.

P

[Ladymx]

Go Mom's Go!!!

I hope I feel the say way when ever I have kids.

[SheRidesABeemer]

Are there any female members of the forum out there who are mothers? When did you start to ride - pre or post motherhood?

Hi there, I'm an experienced rider, just new here. My daughter and I can be seen riding around New England. She's 10, she's been on the back for about a year, since she could reach the pegs. When she was 5, I bought a side car rig for her. But that was not very fun riding for Mom. She thinks we look very cool together, and she's right.

Me and the kiddo head home from a camping trip, early October.

[Loonette]

What a great pic, SheRidesABeemer. My son is about to turn 10 (daughter just turned 8 ) - in the Spring we'll be looking into getting them geared up and on the back of the bikes. They really want it now - two years ago my daughter wasn't too keen on the idea because it meant putting her claustrophobic mind into a full-face helmet. She's seems to be over it now. I just think it's a great way to spend time as a family. By the time our kids are young teens, we'd like to have them prepared enough to go on a long trip with us.

Thanks for sharing such a positive image!

Cheers,
Loonette

[jmillheiser]

Where did you find full leathers in a kid size?

Im guessing your daughter wants a Beemer of her own when shes old enough

[Digginit]

I'm a mom too. My son is 8, and he got a Yamaha TTR-90 this summer. I ride a '92 Dyna Wide Glide.

I have some misgivings about riding, but I also skydive and I have more misgivings about that I continue to do both, though skydiving definitely takes a back seat to other things....like work and being a mom. I also think it's important for my son to see me doing things that I enjoy. I also just fininshed medical school this year and am a new resident. So I guess my life is full right now. No room for any more activities....

digginit!

[Lion_Lady]

Gotta share:

Okay, the sun was shining, not too cold out, no place to BE...

After our recent 1600 mile trip to Tennessee and back I've grown to trust my own bike handling abilities to be able to take a pillion. So, I asked my son if he wants to go for a spin. It took him a couple minutes to decide, YES!

He's 13, tiny for his age (76 lbs - about the size of most 8 or 9 year olds) and an amazing athlete. We've got gear for him, he's been on the back of hubby's SV650 but nothing since.

After a quick run down on the basics - foot position, leaning with me, feet on pegs, etc. We gear up. I roll Gryndl to the bottom of the driveway, start her up, get myself settled, and give him the okay to climb on. He's up and seated and wraps his arms around me and just rests there.

We head out on an uneventful loop along the quiet two lanes near our house. I find that I'm more confident if I go ahead and put both feet down at stops with him on board. I realize from the way I feel his helmet between my shoulder blades that he can only look to the side with his arms around me... I pull off and ask him if he'd rather use the hand grips beside his seat.

He shifts his hands and we move again. Now I have to work harder at smooth shifting and braking so we dont' smack helmets, but Matt is so light, my bike doesn't seem to handle noticably different (I bet I carried close to 75 lbs of gear on our trip to TN).

Finally, we return to the driveway and Matt is grinning ear to ear, "When can we do that again, Mom?"

P