January 2nd, 2011, 06:39 AM | #1 |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
MOTM - Feb '12
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Teaching the Wife to Ride (or How to Ruin a Marriage in Three Easy Steps)
So, on my wife's birthday, I decided I would try to teach her how to ride. We went through the controls while we were off the bike, discussed clutch engagement, safety rules, etc. I got her on the bike in the driveway, did MSF-style walkies with both feet down practicing using the sweet spot in the clutch. Everything was going great.
So we moved to our street -- empty, wide, on a cul-de-sac and still under development -- perfect for learning. I told her to go ahead keep the bike in first gear at 5mph, keeping her feet on the pegs, holding slow and steady, no shifting and no turning until the cul-de-sac end. Just apply the brakes very gently before you get there. Everything was going great. I moved to the cul-de-sac and told her to come ahead towards me. She pulled perfectly. She slowed perfectly. And then, with feet dutifully still on the pegs as instructed, she stopped. The bike started to tilt, and as the world went into slow motion and I rushed forward yelling (insert slomo voice here) "puuuuuttttt yooooooouuuuuuuurrrrr ffffffffffeeeeeeeeeeeettttttttt dddddddddooooooowwwwwwwwn . . . .", her feet still dutifully on the pegs, the bike went over. Scratches to right side mirror, fairing, turn signal, foot peg and bar end slider. My tragic response, a response that will haunt me for the rest of my life: "My bike! My mirror!" Tragic because also scratched (and sprained) was my wife's right-side ankle. An anke that pulled off the peg (dutifully) a split second before the bike hit the ground, just as I was yelling at her (in slomo) to do that. Just in time to get it wedged at an odd angle. X-rays negative, possible ligament damage. She's on crutches, despite it being a 0mph tipover. The phrase "My Bike! My mirror!" will forever be infamous in my family now, will likely get me written out of my in-law's will (they, and all of my wife's extended group of friends are now also are familiar with the phrase) and certainly will mean years of penance. No one cares that it was a bone-headed 0mph crash because she didn't have the sense to put her foot down. And that last sentence can never be uttered outside of this forum. Off to go massage an ankle now.
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January 2nd, 2011, 07:15 AM | #2 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Remy
Location: Moncton
Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '04 sv650s Posts: 438
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thanks for the laugh buddy, lol..
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January 2nd, 2011, 07:26 AM | #3 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Nick
Location: Perth, Australia
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Blue Ninja 250R Posts: 37
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Your story makes me start thinking it'll be a bad idea to teach my gf how to ride. All wounds heals but the bike won't heal.
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January 2nd, 2011, 07:31 AM | #4 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Sean
Location: Mary Esther, FL
Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250 1998 HD Road King Posts: A lot.
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Teaching the wife to ride???? Bike can be fixed, wife will heal, you are screwed for life
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January 2nd, 2011, 08:04 AM | #5 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: J
Location: Oklahoma
Join Date: Sep 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2008 250R Posts: 771
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Haha. Yeah MSF course FTW. Let her drop their bikes :P . We had planned to let my GF take the course, but I wanted to let her get some time on my bike just so she could get a bit more out of the course. She ended up dropping my bike twice (no real damage) before we just let her take the course. She passed the course, though actually dropped their bike 5 times due to her small size (she is 5' tall), heh. Now, she's ridden my bike several times around parking lots and stuff without dropping it! It's funny, the instructors now use her as an example of perserverance during the course, hah.
Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to hold my tongue when she dropped mine the first time :P . Though, perhaps it was because I knew good and well that there was a good chance it would happen, heh. Sorry about having a fun day turn into an apparently pretty crappy week / month / years!
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January 2nd, 2011, 09:35 AM | #6 |
ninjette.org member
Name: John
Location: Caledonia, Ontario, Canada
Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): Honda, Buell, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha Posts: 170
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Live and learn, never ever let them ride your personal bike. Get a beater for them to drop. Then it is who cares.
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January 2nd, 2011, 09:53 AM | #7 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: gitoy
Location: rpv, ca
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January 2nd, 2011, 10:05 AM | #8 |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
MOTM - Feb '12
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Bob, you have a firm grasp of the situation, lol.
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"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake |
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January 2nd, 2011, 10:19 AM | #9 |
Professional belly dancer
Name: James
Location: Toronto
Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 1992 GSX-R 750 Posts: A lot.
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Probably should've started her off on a bicycle
"it's like this...but with a motor..." |
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January 2nd, 2011, 11:19 AM | #10 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
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January 2nd, 2011, 11:19 AM | #11 |
seeking twisties
Name: Bill
Location: Houston, TX
Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): '07 Ninja 650R, '09 250R special edition Posts: 199
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I'm sorry to hear about that Floyd. You definitely said the wrong thing. But hopefully she'll forgive you for it and someday one of you can say "My bike, my mirror!" and the two of you start laughing.
**If I get married and my wife wants to learn how to ride, she's taking the MSF course.
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Bill Last futzed with by wild-bill; January 2nd, 2011 at 11:27 AM. Reason: Added the last sentence. |
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January 2nd, 2011, 05:37 PM | #12 |
ninjette.org member
Name: KT
Location: Left Coast
Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1 of them Big Four Posts: 84
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lol, thx for the laugh, definitely gonna get **** for the rest of your life tho
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January 2nd, 2011, 06:54 PM | #13 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: addy126
Location: Tx
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OMG! Really its worth it and cheaper for everybody if you just pay the MSF people. You'll still have a wife, still have an unblemished bike and still have your sanity if you use them.
"Familiarity breeds contempt"... never give a member of the family "motor" training.. it ain't worth it. |
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January 2nd, 2011, 07:00 PM | #14 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Marc
Location: Crawfordville, Florida
Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Suzuki S50, 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250F, 1990 Honda PC800, 2000 Yamaha TW200 Posts: 848
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Never try to teach your wife, your friend, your mother, your son or daughter, how to ride a motorcycle. Pay a professional, let them take the MSF course and learn it right, from the certified instructor in a controlled setting. And it's their bike that gets dropped.
If you try and teach them, you will never come out a winner, and neither will they. |
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January 2nd, 2011, 07:01 PM | #15 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much.
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Floyd - is their organized MSF (or similar) training available in Barbados?
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Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered) |
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January 2nd, 2011, 09:06 PM | #16 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Dre
Location: DMV
Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Ninja 300, 2008 ZX6, 2011 Ninja 1000 Posts: 622
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I went through the same thing with my mother. Taught her how to ride. I can't think of a more stressful situation. Seeing your loved one on the thing you love. Hoping and praying that your loved one doesn't get hurt, while hoping and praying that the thing you love doesn't get damaged. Sigh... I didn't have gray hairs before then.
I had a similar situation with her. When she came to a stop, she would quickly put her feet down. We had a long talk about putting her feet down early and leaving her feet down for a few seconds when starting to move. Hopefully your wife will get the courage to try again. Or maybe not, depending on how you feel about the situation. |
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January 3rd, 2011, 03:57 AM | #17 | |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
MOTM - Feb '12
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Quote:
On the bright side, anklegate has squashed all need for training -- my wife is now firmly back in the "this sh*t is too dangerous" camp.
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"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake |
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January 3rd, 2011, 05:36 AM | #18 |
Ninja chick
Name: Allyson
Location: Athens, GA
Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 Posts: A lot.
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I'm on the other end of this as my hubby taught me to ride. :-) Poor wife! lol! Great story to start a Monday!
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January 3rd, 2011, 06:14 AM | #19 |
ninjette.org member
Name: John
Location: Caledonia, Ontario, Canada
Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): Honda, Buell, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha Posts: 170
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Get her a scooter for island hopping. One less thing to think about with changing gears.
Some can't walk and chew gum at the same time! |
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January 3rd, 2011, 06:27 AM | #20 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Nate
Location: west virginia
Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Honda CBR600RR Posts: 633
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lol ah the married life... lol
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"Riding a motorcycle is like playing sports, not everyone is cut out for it." - WVNinja |
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January 3rd, 2011, 06:34 AM | #21 |
IC2(SW)
Name: Kerry
Location: Pensacola
Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): . Posts: A lot.
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January 3rd, 2011, 12:25 PM | #22 |
Motorcyclist
Name: James
Location: Maryland
Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Ninja 300 ABS Posts: A lot.
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Sorry to hear that.
I tought my wife to ride motorcycles last year, started her out on my small trail bike, a Honda CRF100 in the same fashion with controls, etc. That was about 8 hours of training total over 3 different days with lots of conversations in between, once she had that down I moved her onto our Yamaha YSR50 and the street (a parking lot), after 4 hours there moved her onto the Ninja 250 and did training rides there for about another 4 hours in total. I stopped her a lot, tested skills and knowledge we discussed frequentlyu and went over and over the info until she was bored with it... all in the name of safety which she couldn't argue. After all of that she was confident but I made her do the MSF course anyway (sucks you don't have one local). She has been riding a while now and loves it. I just hope that your wife heals fine and gets back on the bike again one day. |
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January 3rd, 2011, 01:14 PM | #23 |
Love Rival
Name: Brian
Location: Western PA
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250r Posts: 449
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When my wife and married (12 years ago) I was young and foolish. In the first year I tried to teach my wife to:
- Ski - Drive a standard transmission - Rock Climb - Drink Alcohol - Eat Sashimi Sadly, she has never returned to any of these pursuits - for reasons you have plainly illustrated.
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“Comparison is the thief of joy.” -Dwight Edwards |
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January 3rd, 2011, 02:01 PM | #24 |
I hate driving...
Name: S
Location: SW Ohio
Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 13 Triumph Street Triple R, 09 Ninja 250r (Sold 4/20/12) Posts: A lot.
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lmao nice story. That is exactly why I won't teach anyone, since if they mess up they will blame me for it.
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09 ninja 2fiddy SE Driving slow things fast |
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January 3rd, 2011, 02:07 PM | #25 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Carolyn
Location: San Carlos, CA
Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250, 2002 Yamaha XT225 Posts: 597
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All at once? I think I see the problem!
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January 3rd, 2011, 03:52 PM | #26 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Travis
Location: Warwick, RI
Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.
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HA HA That is a classic mistake. I have learned that nothing is as important as a wife. So no mater what is broken, you first check that she is not. Good luck buddy.
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Addicted to anything that has an engine and rolls. |
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January 3rd, 2011, 06:11 PM | #27 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Kevin
Location: Athens
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I grew up riding three wheelers and dirt bikes. These skills have been a tremendous help on the street. I think everyone should have dirt bike experience FIRST to at least get the basics down and some riding time. I have taught 2 of my gf's to ride and one other chick who was just a friend. One went to large dual sports the other to Goldwings- I think I did pretty good.
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"Rudeness is a weak persons attempt at strength." |
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January 3rd, 2011, 06:43 PM | #28 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Xtian
Location: Artesia, California
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250r SE Posts: 98
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I guess you'll be wearing this for a while
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January 4th, 2011, 01:08 PM | #29 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Kayla
Location: Wisconsin
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Posts: 206
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Quote:
My boyfriend taught me how to drive manual....it wasn't a pretty process, but we made it through....he let me hop on his bike one day (2004 600cc cbr) needless to say I was too short and could barely touch the ground....i let out the clutch and went forward about 2 feet before i grabbed the brake due to fear of going too fast...didn't pull the clutch back in so it shut off and jerked me forward....almost fell over, but luckily he caught it....don't want to imagine what would have happened if it had fallen....
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January 4th, 2011, 01:31 PM | #30 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Ken
Location: Indio, CA
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Kawasaki EX250 "Yoshi", '99 Kawasaki Concours "Grace", '06 Concours "Belle", '06 Yamaha YZF600R "Slick" Posts: A lot.
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I taught my wife and two daughters some basic riding skills before their MSF class. My wife has driven stick for years, so the clutch is not a mystery to her, but our girls had no idea. My thought was to at least have them familiar with the basics of engaging the clutch smoothly and stopping safely before the class, that way they wouldn't be distracted with the extreme basics during the course. However, we used my wife's first bike, which is a small used cruiser, specifically chosen to not break any hearts when it got dropped.
It all ended well with no bruised bodies or bruised egos. I could claim that my skill and knowledge got us all through it, but there's no way I'm going to say that luck was not a factor.
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< ATGATT > Sweat you can wipe off, Road rash you can't. HEY!! Unregistered!! Does your bike have a name? |
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January 4th, 2011, 02:52 PM | #31 |
Love Rival
Name: Brian
Location: Western PA
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250r Posts: 449
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Oh - no doubt. That one was totally on me. In all honesty, she's re-engaged rock climbing and skiing.
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“Comparison is the thief of joy.” -Dwight Edwards |
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January 4th, 2011, 03:27 PM | #32 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Bill
Location: Tampa Fl
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 250 Ninja Posts: 180
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Very funny post. Tell your wife she's a dumb ass then run like hell. LOL
Bill PS Please don't follow my advice! |
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