LADIES - My wife's experience

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Veda · #11 Unread post by **Veda** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 12:17 am

The novelty factor is a good point too. Whenever I see another female rider I get excited and maybe stare too. But it's more a... "Is that a girl... yes, it's a girl! ooh, another girl rider! What is she riding? What is she wearing? Will she be my friend?"

Darth Snootchie · Thu Jun 14, 2007 2:35 am

Nalian wrote:No one ever approaches her or cat-calls or anything like that..but guys will turn on the street/parking lot and watch at times.

Yeah, this is how I'd describe it. By the way, she wears a full face helmet. Her hair just hangs out from the back.

It's funny, last night we went out for another practice run for her benefit, and there was no guys around at all. She was much more comfortable, and it showed in her riding.

As an aside, it's great thing to see these large daily improvements in her riding. She's doing great, and she's asking me to take her to the twisty rural near our home this weekend. I couldn't be prouder!

MicheleZ · #13 Unread post by **MicheleZ** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 2:48 am

I can *NEVER* let my long blond hair hang out in back. I tried that twice and it tangled so badly that it took me over an hour to get all the knots out and I still had a lot of damage. I usually tuck my hair up in a buff and let the buff hang out the back of my helmet - that way my hair is covered and I don't think guys realize I am female as easily. I only have one jacket that really makes me look "female" - there seems to be a lot of female riders where I live so it isn't a big deal to see one.

Thu Jun 14, 2007 6:25 pm

I'm going out to buy a long red wig.

Seriously....When my hair was longer and the blonde curls were hanging out the back, I got a lot of smiles.
The men never did anything...just smiled...and were gone.

She will learn to ignore them.

ps...if she gets a safety vest, perhaps she could have it personalized..."Married"...written on the back.

Fri Jun 15, 2007 1:00 am

The leg humpers won't go away, but she'll learn to deal with them. Like the others mentioned it's the whole "girl on a morotcycle thing". Even I look twice when I see a girl on a bike... im like hey "Right on! another lady on a bike" It's a good thing...

Darth Snootchie · Fri Jun 15, 2007 2:37 am

blues2cruise wrote:ps...if she gets a safety vest, perhaps she could have it personalized..."Married"...written on the back.

Yep, that sounds perfect, and I think I'll tattoo it on her just in case she forgets the vest.

Loonette · Fri Jun 15, 2007 12:17 pm

I think it's nice that men still notice women. We strive so hard to be noticed for our brains, our brawn, and our accomplishments, but somewhere along the line we've somehow decided that we don't want to be noticed for the simple fact that we are indeed women, who are considered attractive to most men. Unless a woman is being denied a job or a raise based on her gender, or unless her personal safety is in jeopardy, what's the harm in a guy just checkin' her out visually? And why should a married woman be denied the simple compliment of an "ogling"? I mean, we married gals aren't the visual property of our husbands or anything! Well, at least I'm not.

This is, of course, just my little opinion. If your wife is really that worried about being noticed by men, she could try staying indoors. That would be about the only way to go totally unnoticed by members of society.

Also, one way to look at it is she's getting some extra training in the art of "distraction avoidance". It's imperative that a motorcyclist not get "thrown" by distractions that don't directly impact their ride.

Cheers,
Loonette

flw · #18 Unread post by **flw** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 12:34 pm

My wife doesn't drive, her choice, I wish she did. Anyway she dresses in gender neutral protective coat, full face helmet, Jeans but she also has short hair with no problems from other men.

Bluebabe · #19 Unread post by **Bluebabe** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:32 pm

Old thread, interesting topic, though! In our Chapter, we have Ladies' Rides. The very first time that we did, I was actually amazed at how traffic responded to us. At one 4 way stop, all of the other cars let us go by. I know it was to watch us, but it was pretty cool! It does make you feel a little odd at first, but you get used to it.

Then you realize that there are still people out there, men and women alike, that just plain ole' don't like anyone on a bike, so enjoy what you can, when you can

kawgurl · #20 Unread post by **kawgurl** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:14 am

Z (fka Sweet Tooth) wrote:The leg humpers won't go away, but she'll learn to deal with them. Like the others mentioned it's the whole "girl on a morotcycle thing". Even I look twice when I see a girl on a bike... im like hey "Right on! another lady on a bike" It's a good thing...

I'm with Sweet Tooth - if it's harmless gawking, enjoy it and just don't let it distract you from riding OR take away from your confidence! I'd say be careful with the hair, too - my hairdresser regularly chops an inch or two off every couple of weeks in the summer due to dryness. I keep mine in a ponytail and use a leave-in conditioner to help reduce the stress on it.