How to convince the Wife to ride..........

[bucky]

Aerodynamics are better on an fjr than the harley type bikes. Combined braking with ABS is far better than no ABS and no combined braking, making the fjr or similiar bike much safer. Smooth inline powerful 4 cylinder. Hands down this is my favorite long haul bike over my two others, 1300 v-star yamaha and m50 suzuki, both v-twins, harley types.

My only advise would be to get a passenger backrest or the topcase. Many women (including my wife) hate to ride on the back of a bike without that backrest. They feel like they can slide off the back or side because there is nothing to give them front/back or side to side support. I got the backrest from pirates lair ($350). Pricy, great quality and comfortable and easily detachable when not needed. Wife loves it and she actually likes the hand grips for the passenger on the bike. Your sweetie will probably incremently come around to liking the fjr with time.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Maybe she needs the vibranator seat....

...now where is that link???

 

[user 213]

Spend a boat load on money and time making the bike comfortable and prefect for her. Then sell all of that stuff for half of what you paid for it because she still wont ride with ya. I am not bitter, I'm not.. well maybe a little.

BTDT :angry: Buy the FJR. If she wants to ride with you again, tell her to buy her own bike. If she's making excuses not to go for a ride with you, odds are high that she simply doesn't want to go ride with you, regardless of the bike you're on. Accept that and don't waste your time or money trying to improve the bike for her comfort.

 

[BobbyBlue]

Buy it Man ! Stand up for yoursel.....i gotta go....damn....

 

[Canadian FJR]

"How to convince the Wife to ride" :lol:

That's funny.

Canadian FJR

 

[wfooshee]

The only thing you have to do to show her it's not a sportbike is to put it next to one. It's larger, you sit more upright, and it's at least a person's weight heavier. Look at a sportbike passenger seat and look at the FJR's. The sportbike's is just a maxipad turned upside down to sit on.

But you have to be disciplined with the bike while she's on it, too. Passengers do not like the feeling of no control in high-stress maneuvering. It does not impress them that it reaches 130 MPH in less than 12 seconds. It does impress them that it's very smooth, and just enough quicker than traffic to be away from everybody else reasonably well. Back when I had an SO, I would ride much differently with her aboard than when alone. She had no idea how strong the bike was.

 

[BikerDude]

I suppose a girlfriend is not an option

My wife rides with me sometimes and now she rides her own Harley

Wife has talked about getting her own bike, but, alas this will not be for many more years....till the little one is grown a bit more, and at least in HS, doing his own thing.

I think you should get a blow up doll and put it on the FJR, tell you wife" If you don't want to ride with me on the FJR I'll find another friend to ride with" then tell her she had fun, just look at her expression on her face

Ha Ha I am going to tell the wife that one!!!! Hell I am going to show her this whole page.

Spend a boat load on money and time making the bike comfortable and prefect for her. Then sell all of that stuff for half of what you paid for it because she still wont ride with ya. I am not bitter, I'm not.. well maybe a little.

I'll take that into consideration....Wife gets a backrest, And then if she gets on and puts alot of miles on it will more money be spent.

My wife did exactly the same thing. I went from a rosd star with a comfy mustang seat to the FJR. When I brought it home she said she wouldn't ride on it. I rode it all summer, went on a couple camping trips by myself and had a great time. Now she is thinking she might ride on it but I'm not sure I want her anymore. I am pretty sure I will take her on day rides but probably won't do any overnights with her for awhile.Don

I see this happening.

Just tell her about the young girls in sports cars that ask you for a ride at stoplights...

She will never believe me!!!

Buy it Man ! Stand up for yoursel.....i gotta go....damn....

Don't worry, The Ok has been given on getting a new Bike, its up to me to decide if I want another Harley or a ST bike.

BD

 

[Doug from WI]

This will cost you just a feeeewwww dollars more, but buy the FJR, then immediately go buy a Goldwing to park next to the FJR. Problem solved.

Glad I was able to help. No charge for my advice either, this one's on me.

 

[majicmaker]

Wife does not have an issue with riding itself, its just that she is used to riding on the back of my Harley. Well the Harley is gone, and I am looking at replacing it with an FJR. For her there are 3 different types of bikes....Harleys, Jap Harley clones and Sport bikes. In her Eyes the FJR looks no different then a Sport bike, and she sees sport bikes as death traps. If I bought another Harley I know she would ride one of those....but I don't really want another Harley, I want to go the ST route for a few years.

Now whatever bike I get, she would not be riding much anyway since we now have a 2 year old. She rode B4 that.

She says she does not have an issue in me getting the FJR, but then she would not be a passenger on it.

Do I jump in anyway, and hope she gets the itch and ride eventually? Or do I kiss our 2 up riding as a thing of the past?

BD

All Good Avice Here! But, Here's my Opinion on this. If you're a Good Guy, Good Husband and Father and All the Domestic Responsibilities are taken Care of.

Buy the FJR!! :yahoo: You Deserve it and It WILL make you Happy. A Happy Husband is a Real Good thing to have around the house. :wub:

If she's not going to Ride much anyway, You can Enjoy the "ME" Time. It's Comfort Food for the Soul. Trust Me, after chasing a two year old around for long stretches of Time,

There will come a time when she's going to want to jump on that Bike with a Vengence. :crazy: Jump on It! She WILL Come around Eventually. It Won't take Long.

Happy Trails! :lol:

 

[madmike2]

There are some really good and some really funny answers in this thread!

IMO (that's what the answers are, after all), no "technical" answer will sway her. It simply won't matter because of her mind set at the moment. Her comfort level is all that will matter.

At the moment, she wouldn't consider riding it because of the value (it's a sportbike) she has placed on the bike, so she pictures a lady passenger with their knees folded up sitting on the small sport bike pillion pad. Who could blame her for NOT wanting to be part of that?

In NorCal the majority of gatherings/group rides are attended by couples on FJRs. This provides a couple of huge benefits:

First: It IS a social gathering and the ladies are more comfortable when they are not the only female. Although, there are times when there is only one couple amongst solo riders.

Second: New ladies who venture with their pilot soon find that we are NOT canyon carving, even when we enjoy a more spirited pace than the local cruisers and we enjoy finding new roads (or riding familiar roads), having a fine lunch and maybe ice cream, and truly enjoy one another.

See how the "people aspect" threads its way in this.

As with some of the other suggestions (realize this is coming from a single person), she will join you in her own time and then she will likely be converted.

But the bike that makes you own heart go "pitty-pat"! She'll become part when your joy overflows.

 

[user 6393]

yanno.....

It IS normal and healthy for spouses and s/o's to have separate interests.

So she doesn't want to be talked into riding 2up on the Feej? I bet you wouldn't want to be talked into taking up quilting???

I don't see the problem, but that's just me

Edit: when my ex got the FJR we moved to 2up from a Vmax, and he needed to go waaaaaay too fast for what I was comfy with. That is when I started to ride on my own. It was the right decision for me.

Most guys I have met since I became single have been happier that I ride my own, as they are not keen on 2up. It works

 

[Fred W]

Most guys I have met since I became single have been happier that I ride my own, as they are not keen on 2up. It works

Babs,

It all depends on who the "#2" is.

A "smaller" lady that is enthusiastic about leaning into turns can make it a hoot. (I think you'd pro'lly qualify for that)

OTOH a big heifer that sits up straight, or fights you on every turn, might get the boot.

Some of the locals that have ridden with TMJ and me have remarked that we move along smartly. I don't think that we go particularly fast but I guess for a 2-up pair we do OK. I think it's because of what I mentioned above.

Couple o' years back we were on a small (6 bike) group ride at EOM and Marty A (from PA) and his trusty pillion Sally were along with a bunch of us stags. I was so impressed at the teamwork of their 2-up riding skills that it registered in the back of my (often alcohol riddled) brain that this was clearly a skill worthy of achieving.

I'm still working on reaching the Marty and Sally standard. And we're both having a **** load of fun doing it.

Sharing the experience makes it twice as gud!

 

[BlueRidgeFJR]

Agree with the previous posts.

My experience is that every woman friend that I've had on the FJR falls in love with the bike and its overall performance. It's like a Ferrari to them that we can tour on, and that's two up! See how much she grins at the way it blows the chrome off that Harley she thought she liked whose rider braps the throttle volume control because he wants some.

Agreed 100% !! :good:

 

[RadioHowie]

I just don't understand where the problem lies....

Are you posting to

A - describe your disappointment she won't ride with you?

Or (as I'm thinking)

B - celebrating her decision to go-the-hell-away and let you ride solo?

I'm hoping it's 'B'.

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

Reader's Digest version....In high school, wife's boyfriend got drunk and high and crashed his bike, resulting in a 2-week hospital stay. Thanks, a-hole.

My wife rode with me a couple of times for short rides early in our relationship.....early 1980s. I told her that I would never guilt her into getting on the bike, and that I wouldn't want a frightened passenger, either. Three years ago, she decided she wanted to get back on a bike (as a passenger), and we bought the FJR, with factory top box. Since returning to motorcycling, she loves to go for rides, though not as often as I do.

As far as riding technique and pace, I ride almost the same as I do solo, with the exception of braking. With her on the back, my corner entries are a lot slower, using early downshifting and as little braking as possible. But once the corner is started, I go almost the same speed as when I'm alone. We've even touched a peg a couple of times. What a woman....not ONCE have I felt her tighten up or fight a corner. I never notice her back there, except for the occasional "Woo-Hoo!" from behind me. Physically, me: 6'3", 215 lb, Her: 5'4", 130 lb. I know physical size can make a difference in how the bike handles, and this is not meant to be judgemental, just to show a reference point.

What a girl. Twenty-five or more years away from biking, and she's a perfect passenger. I'm a lucky boy.

As far as all the other comments....right on. Many smart people here, and many astute remarks. Stay patient, she'll come around.

 

[Stephen]

I believe you meant to say "Harley clones made in Japan".

 

[rocketdoc]

My wife, Kay, doesn't ride that often as pillion, but when we do, like today, with late October perfect riding day, great scenery, great food, sharing it together on the bike....well it really doesn't get much better. Just ask once in a while and it all works out, the best of both worlds. Enjoy!

 

[TomInPA]

When I met my bride it was over 33 years ago on a bike. She rode then, she won't ride now. Refuses citing knee problems, and discomfort never realized. I ride anyway. It's a sad thing not to share this passion with the person I share everything. I hope it changes, but meanwhile, it's a good day to ride, and I do.

This summer I traveled 7500 miles on a cross-country trip and met her in Pittsburgh to visit our daughter and relatives. She flew, I rode. Same thing last year. I have rode 20K miles since the first of the year. So many places and events that she has no part of. I can't imagine being so stubborn. I even took up Argentine Tango and do the things that she loves, but she won't share motorcycling or skiing. I can live with it, and maybe I have a better time having this part of my life apart. It makes me sad, but not following my heart would be worse.

 

[majicmaker]

When I met my bride it was over 33 years ago on a bike. She rode then, she won't ride now. Refuses citing knee problems, and discomfort never realized. I ride anyway. It's a sad thing not to share this passion with the person I share everything. I hope it changes, but meanwhile, it's a good day to ride, and I do.

This summer I traveled 7500 miles on a cross-country trip and met her in Pittsburgh to visit our daughter and relatives. She flew, I rode. Same thing last year. I have rode 20K miles since the first of the year. So many places and events that she has no part of. I can't imagine being so stubborn. I even took up Argentine Tango and do the things that she loves, but she won't share motorcycling or skiing. I can live with it, and maybe I have a better time having this part of my life apart. It makes me sad, but not following my heart would be worse.

Tom,

When they aren't into it, it lessens the Fun that YOU are having. Then you have Two people who aren't enjoying a Wonderful Ride for what it is.

There is Much to be Said about the ability to Twist that Throttle and Point the Bike in any direction you want to go and have it be All About You!

If All is Good at Home with everything else then I'd Say Don't look a Gift Horse in the Mouth and Enjoy the Solitude with the FJR who is More than Happy

to go Anywhere you Take her. I spent many many years in that mode and I can tell you from first hand experience that my FJR Loves it when it's just me sitting

on it with a Great Big Smile on My Face! Happy Trails!

 

[zip]

I really miss having my wife along when I ride. I know she would enjoy it; the scenery and my other riding friends in particular (all of you!). But she's never been on my bike. And I've never lobbied.

We, too, have young children; 5 and 7. There is some risk with us riding together, and I appreciate that. I can't imagine leaving the kids parent-less were something tragic to happen, and you cannot deny that it could, with greater possibility than many other pursuits. But I've had each of kids on the bike for short rides, my sister, and other family friends. I really admire those of you who get to ride two-up with spouse (Fred W and Joann are favorites and great riders!)

The other challenge I'd have anyways... I'm 6'4" and Mrs. Zip is 6' tall, and of stout, German descent. She'd probably prefer to ride on her own someday instead of riding with me. That'd be cool, too. But it'll likely be some years until the kids get older. And who knows: we might be in our Golden (Wing) years by then.

Meanwhile, I'll simply be jealous of those of you who've got independent rider wives, or the size 2, 5'6" or smaller pillions!