Guess who likes to ride?

Guess who likes to ride?

My son-in-law, riding his Yamaha Vino, with my grandson. My grandson loves wearing his helmet – safety first! 🙂

A Good Fitting Helmet is Important

This little guy is learning about wearing a helmet even on his four wheeler!

Four wheeling in the house!

My grandson has recently updated his ride to a Piaggio MP3 250cc scooter and a new helmet! Looks like he needs to grow a bit to fit into both!

Upgrading to a 3 wheel scooter!

Okay, maybe it is his parents that bought the Piaggio MP3 250cc scooter! They picked this up for a song. Needs a few little things, but overall it was a great deal. They sent me a link to JustGottaScoot.com to learn more about this scooter. I’ve never heard or seen a Piaggio before. Check it out!

Piaggio MP3 250cc

Piaggio MP3 2500cc front view

Piaggio MP3 250cc twist and go!

Being in marketing, I love a nice logo!

Piaggio logo

Have you ever seen or heard about this scooter??

Profile of a Female Motorcyclist: Meet Paige

Delighted, that is how I felt when my next guest Paige a.k.a. @Filosoficalfish said yes to adding her story here on my blog! She lives in North Vancouver, BC and has a blog, The Philosophical Fish. Oh my it is a must see and follow! Paige has quite a good eye behind the camera. Seriously.

Paige hanging out at the Cheakamus River

How long have you been riding a motorcycle? I was on my brother’s dirt bike decades ago, and often rode on the back of his street bike. I had a couple of boyfriends with motorcycles, so I spent a lot of time riding two up. So although I’ve always been around motorcycles, I’ve only been riding my own for about four years now.

How did you learn to ride? I played in the gravel pits out at our cabin on my brother’s dirt bike many years ago, and when we travel abroad we often rent scooters to explore. But my husband encouraged me to get formal training and get my full license, so I took a week long course with the Pacific Riding School in Surrey, BC. Spending so much time on a scooter made learning a bigger bike a cake walk.

Paige on her SV650S

What was your first motorcycle? Well, if we are splitting hairs, my first motorized two-wheeler was actually an Aprilia SR50 sport scooter, and I still have it. I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of it because it’s just so much fun and so perfect for around the city streets. It’s so easy to maneuver in heavy traffic and drivers don’t have the hate-on for scooters that they do for motorcycles. Win-win! Plus it keeps me on two wheels all year round.

How many have you owned? If you include the Aprilia scooter in the count, I’m on number three now. After a year on the Aprilia I bought a Suzuki SV 650S and rode that for three seasons and put about 25,000 km on it. It was a great bike to learn on, even though I’d really wanted to start on a Ninja 250. The SV taught me a ton and it was such a wonderful torquey ride in the twisties. Nimble and fabulous and we grew together since it had so much to offer.

I traded the SV in for a Ninja Z1000 just a few months ago and already have 8500 km on the new ride. It is a major jump in power and it’s been interesting; a lot more twitchy but we’ve become good friends.

Two of my favourite toys.

Why did you want to ride a motorcycle? I didn’t. It honestly never entered my mind. Scooters were for vacation fun, and I was happy on the back of a motorcycle because we could have conversations while on the road. But getting a motorcycle of my own was a bit of a chain reaction event. I ended up with the scooter because I was trying to buy a new truck and had become frustrated with dishonest dealers. I killed two truck deals and went and bought the fastest and sportiest little 50cc scooter I could find instead. I had it derestricted and put a Leo Vince pipe on it. I can wind that little bike up to over 95 k/hr! My husband started getting misty eyed about missing riding, so I encouraged him to get a new bike. I’d been telling him to get one again, for years. But when he did, the one he chose (a Triumph ST) wasn’t terribly comfortable two-up.

He wanted me to get my Class 6 license “just in case”, so I did, with no intention of ever owning my own, and I’d clearly made that statement when I took my course in a room full of testosterone. Day one on the lot in the course and my instructor, a former supersport champ, just started laughing and pointing at me and said “YOU are sooooo getting a motorcycle!” He’d thrown pylons at my head, buckets of water in my face, and jumped on the back and pulled my helmet around and covered my eyes said he’d never seen anyone keep smiling and laughing the way I did while maintaining focus and total control.

I bought the SV two weeks later. The rest, as they say, is history, and Kirk says his plan worked magnificently.

Ninja at the top of Mt. Baker

Tell us about your riding. I commute on the scooter, it’s perfect for it. The Ninja is for pleasure and vacation riding. It’s great for a rip up the Sea to Sky or down Chuckanut Drive for fun, and with the luggage kit I now have, it’s perfect for long trips. And sometimes I get to combine the two and use it for work travel too. Can’t beat that!

What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle? Take a course, have fun, stay calm. Don’t get pressured into anything. You don’t have to feel that you have to keep up to more aggressive riders, or have a bigger bike. Don’t play the numbers game, it doesn’t matter. Riding is an individual thing, even if you are in a group.  Leave the ego behind, you don’t have anything to prove to anyone. And stop over-thinking and planning, just do it. The more you think about doing it, and the more time you spend planning, the more time you waste! Maybe it will be for you, maybe it won’t be, but there is no time like the present to try.

What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle? We just returned from a nine day trip down the Washington and Oregon coastlines, and then back up through the volcano region. It was a fabulous trip full of challenging roads and incredible scenery. And just four hours after we passed through the North Cascades highway there were eight mudslides closing the road until further notice! We logged 3,456 km by the time the bikes were put to bed.

Do you belong to any motorcycle groups? Not really. I’ve never really enjoyed group riding – sometimes the dynamics become too much about egos and that tends to irritate me. So offline, no. Online, I have been active in a group that has been advocating for better motorcycle parking in Vancouver (www.mcarking.ca), but that’s about the extent of things. Mostly I ride solo or with my husband, and occasionally end up with unplanned small groups when I accidentally come across friends on the way.

Do you have a favourite riding story? So many to choose from! But I think my fave was actually on the scoot. I was waiting a a light when a guy on a big cruiser rode up next to me and looked at my scooter and puffed up and said  “Maybe you’ll graduate to one of these one day.” I smiled and said, “Why would I, my scooter gets up to 95km/hr” and costs 4 cents per km to operate. His jaw dropped and he said “That goes THAT fast?!?” I nodded, beat him off the line and left him far behind in the causeway. 🙂

Never dis my little scoot!

Never dis my little scoot!

What do you do when you’re not riding? I am so happy to do what I love. I work for the Federal Salmon Enhancement Program in British Columbia as a biologist. I work with the major salmon hatcheries to support rebuilding, conservation, and harvest opportunities for Pacific salmon. I am also involved in fish health education within the SEP program, and teach a few courses in the subject area at the University of British Columbia. Outside of work we are boaters and are switching from power to sail soon. I also love kayaking and downhill skiing, and am a hobby photographer.

Did You Name Your Ride?

Did you name your ride? I did. I named my Suzuki 650 VStrom Suzie. I know what you’re thinking … Suzuki … Suzie. Nope. I picked Suzie because that was the name of my first best friend ever. She lived across the street from me and the same age. We did everything together. True besties! That is until Suzie’s family moved away when we were in third grade. >sniff, sniff< It was natural to name my first bike after my childhood BFF!!

What about you? Did you name your ride? Is there a story behind that name? Do share!!

Bye Annette

I was sad to hear Annette Funicello died yesterday. I grew up watching the Mickey Mouse Club and later her movies. Hard to pick a fave with a lineup like, The Shaggy Dog, Babes in Toyland, or Beach Party! Classics!

Annette Funicello, 1942 – 2013

Image source unknown

My First Scooter Ride!!

Take a look at this gorgeous candy red 50 cc Vespa!

2009 Vespa 50 cc

My favorite son-in-law picked up a Vespa this past year. A real beauty in candy red! And guess who was able to ride a scooter for the first time ever … ME!!

My first scooter ride on the Vespa!

This vaycay just keeps getting better and better!

Taking hubby for a ride!

Profile of a Female Motorcyclist: Meet Scooterchick

Ladies, I’m still taking names for profiles! Leave me a comment letting me know you are interested in joining in with your story.

I found my next guest when reading Bobskoot’s blog, Riding the Wet Coast. Bobskoot met up with Scooterchick and her hubby Scootard and mentioned in his post she recently started blog, Adventures of Scooterchick. So I shot her an email and she graciously responded with her profile! My new friend Scooterchick is from BC, Canada.

How long have you been riding a scooter?  Three years

How did you learn to ride?  Self taught with the help of my patient husband “Scootard”.

What was your first scooter? Yamaha BWS 50cc

How many have you owned? Four including the one I currently own, a 250cc Bet and Win Scooter.

Why did you want to ride a scooter? Don’t want to be bothered with learning the gears, clutch, etc on a motorcycle.  Just twist and go!

Tell us about your riding. Just for pleasure with my husband.

What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride? Be patient with yourself when learning. Never get a bike because “someone” thinks you can handle it or it looks good. Do research, shop around, ask questions, wait a week or so and then make a decision. Impulse buying leads regrettable purchases, quick sales, a loss of money, and a bad taste left in your mouth from the whole experience. Get the bike that works for “you”.

What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your scooter? Rode from British Columbia, Canada to Portland, Oregon

Do you belong to any motorcycle/scooter groups? Off or online? Yes

Do you have a favorite riding story?  Check it out on AdvRider.

What do you do when you’re not riding? Spending time overseeing a ministry, Global Impact Ministries Centers and spending time with my husband, “Scootard”. We also own a business, Timely Toner.

Scooterchick and Scootard

21st Annual International Motorcycle & Scooter Ride to Work Day

Ride to Work Day June 18, 2012

For more information: http://www.ridetowork.org/

 

Profile of a Female Motorcyclist: Meet Juju

I am so pleased my next guest stopped by the blog and left a comment! Another female motorcyclist to profile!! I’d like you to meet Juju from the Florida panhandle and she is on Twitter @Juju821.

How long have you been riding a motorcycle? Scooter since 1980, motorcycle since 2006.

How did you learn to ride? With the scooter, I just hopped on and figured it out. You know—you think you can do anything when you’re in your 20s. But when I wanted to get started on a motorcycle, I took the basic riders’ course at the local Harley Davidson shop, at the tender age of 53. Then my husband picked up where that left off, since, as they say in the class, this qualifies you to ride your bike in a parking lot. So there was lots of practice afterwards until I felt comfortable.

What was your first motorcycle? A used Suzuki 800 Intruder. It was 13 years old when I got it, and it was a great first bike for me.

How many have you owned? Two, including the trike I have now, plus the Garelli scooter when I was in college.

Why did you want to ride a motorcycle? My husband and I rode his Kawasaki together when we were dating, but then we didn’t ride much after we got married, bought a house, etc. Then in the late 90s, he got another bike, and he was having SUCH a great time riding. But as we’d gotten older and grown into our own personalities more, we found that neither of us wanted me riding pillion behind him. But I told him that if he was going to ride as much as he wanted to, I was going to have to be involved somehow. By the time I’d finished the basic riders’ course and got the motorcycle endorsement on my license, he had hunted down the Suzuki for me to buy.

Tell us about your riding. Pretty much everything but racing.

I commute to my teaching job at a small state university on my trike whenever the weather allows—my students seem to love it that I ride, though I’m not sure why. Maybe just the novelty of it.

We do a lot of day rides: Sunday brunch rides, beach rides, rides to dinner, rides to visit friends.

But my favorite is our now-annual ride to the Blue Ridge Mountains in June for the Trike Talk Rally, sponsored by TrikeTalk.com. Of course, it’s mostly trikes, and it has grown in its five years from a handful of trike-riding friends meeting for lunch to a four-day event attended by several hundred riders. We do allow a few token two-wheelers for diversity’s sake. 🙂 There doesn’t seem to be a bad road to ride in that area. We like the Tail of the Dragon for a fun challenge, and the Blue Ridge Parkway of course is gorgeous. My favorite road in that area, though, is the Cherohala Skyway, and I’d ride it every day if I could. There’s also the Foothills Parkway, Sweetwater Road, and as I said, I don’t think there’s a bad road for riding in that part of the country. The four days of rides and the fellowship with other riders cannot be beat, and it’s become a highlight of our summer activities.

What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle? I think you could not do better than to take the basic riders’ course sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Spouses can be great teachers, but they can’t always be as objective, unbiased, or patient as a rider coach can be.

And be of good cheer! When I was in the course, I thought, “Clutch, shift, friction zone, head and eyes, rear brake, front brake, watch out for nutty drivers…There’s no way I’ll be able to remember all this, AND enjoy myself out on the road.” But you know what? I did learn it—and now I love it. Just be willing to put in some good practice time even after the class is over.

Another thing: if you EVER decide that you want a trike, don’t let anyone tell you it’s not a “real” motorcycle. So, what, it doesn’t have a motor, or it’s not a “cycle”? Just laugh in their face and ride off to have fun on your trike.

What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle? Last year, we extended our trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains, riding on up the Blue Ridge Parkway into Virginia, to celebrate our 30^th wedding anniversary. For an occasion like that, some people go to Paris, some go to Rome, but not the Youngs—we took a motorcycle trip! Between getting there, all the riding we did on the gorgeous, twisty mountain roads, and getting home, we covered roughly 2500 miles. We visited with old and new friends, discovered the North Carolina wine country, scaled the upper reaches of the Blue Ridge, and were treated to some of the best scenic views east of the Mississippi River. What a ride!!!

Do you belong to any motorcycle groups? TrikeTalk.com is currently the only riders’ group to which I belong, but it is the best. I’d encourage anyone who is interested in trikes, either as a current rider or a potential one, to visit the site and have a look around. It’s one of the most friendly and supportive Internet sites I know.

Do you have a favorite riding story? It’s a short one, but a good one! Last summer, we had stopped overnight to visit the lovely Sheldon Vineyards in North Carolina. We’d toured the winery and had the most delicious and graciously but simply served dinner at the vineyard restaurant, overlooking the chef’s huge and copious garden and behind that, of course, the vineyards. Full of delicious local wine and melt-in-your-mouth veal porterhouse accompanied by the chef’s fresh greens, we wandered back to our bikes for the short ride back to our hotel.

But a storm was clearly in the offing—we could smell the rain already. So instead of rooting around in my trunk for our helmets, we just saddled up and headed out. We virtually flew back along the narrow country road (only a couple of miles), hoping we wouldn’t get caught by either the approaching storm clouds, and hoping we wouldn’t get caught

What do you do when you’re not riding? I teach English at the University of West Florida in the Florida panhandle, I read a lot, spend time with my husband and our dog, travel as much as I possibly can, and love to bicycle, 50-90 miles a week. Yes—it’s all about the wheels!

Juju and her trike!

P.S. Ladies I’m still taking names for profiles! Just leave a comment letting me know you would like to join in on the fun.

Profile of a Female Motorcyclist: Meet Brenda

Staying with the international theme we are heading down under to the outback of New South Wales, Australia! My next guest Brenda lives there with her husband, is 41 years old, doesn’t have a Twitter account, but has started blogging a diary of her thoughts, trials, and tribulations while learning to ride her bike, The White Shadow Diary. Welcome Brenda!

How long have you been riding a motorcycle? Five months

How did you learn to ride? I learned to ride with the assistance of my wonderful husband after having ridden a scooter for about 18 months commuting to work. There is no rider training available close to the outback town where I live in so I never had to do the compulsory training that is needed to get your learners permit. I am going to travel and do the training to get my full license even though I also don’t legally have to do it. That’s happening in a couple of days. I’m so excited! I believe the training is necessary and it annoys me that there’s none available here.

What was your first motorcycle? Honda Shadow VT400c

Brenda

How many have you owned? One, and one scooter

Why did you want to ride a motorcycle? I had wanted to ride since I was about 8 years old and my big brother got his first motorbike, when I got to about 16 yo. I talked a mate into teaching me to ride his bike, I got on, let go of the clutch and hit the throttle, took that baby bike over the curb and dropped her in the dirt. I felt so bad about it, I didn’t do much damage, just a bent clutch and a few scratches, if I remember correctly. But I decided that I was just too short and small to ride a bike. So I made do with getting on the back with anyone who would let me for the next 20 years or so. It was my husband who really gave me the courage to give it a go, he could never see any reason anyone can’t do anything they want to do. So I bought my scooter at age 39 and loved it. It wasn’t enough though so after about a year of that I decided a bike was a must! Why? Because I love riding! And because I love my husband and want to share everything with him, I talked him into buying his first bike about in 25 years. I know he’s glad I did.

Tell us about your riding. I commute to work most days, and drag my husband out for rides on weekends whenever I can.

What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle? There is nothing you can’t do if you really want to do it. Go with your gut feeling and get the bike you like, don’t let anyone else tell you what is right for you, only you can know that.

What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle? The longest trip so far is only about 450 km, but I did get to ride round a race track that day so that was exciting (even if I was going noob slow round the hairpins). My husband and I are planning to do a big trip in three weeks, to Queensland and round the place when we get up there, approximately 1000 km each way plus whatever we end up doing while we’re up there.

Do you belong to any motorcycle groups? I am a member of the Shadow Riders Australia. I found them though their forum, they are a small group (about 200 members) of shadow riders who are located all across Australia, so I’ve only ridden with two people so far. But I get to pick their brains often on the forums. I’ve never ridden with a large group of people, I dont think I’d like to, though I love riding with my husband.

Do you have a favorite riding story? Gee every day I go for a ride is a favorite riding story, it’s still all so shiny and exciting to me. So no nothing really stands out but I have plenty of riding ahead of me to gather up those stories.

What do you do when you’re not riding? I’m a nurse and I work at the blood bank, the people I meet every day are all wonderful selfless people who are giving the ultimate for others, their blood. It makes work a wonderful thing for me. Other than that I’m a bit of a loner and just love curling up with a good book, watching a good movie or going out for a good meal with my husband.

Brenda says, ” the reason I have no hair, is because I shaved it off in a fund raising event to raise money for kids with leukeamia and their families. I’m not a skin head normally :)”