Just riding with my buddy...my wife.

[GeorgiaRoller]

I've been doing some riding with my wife on her bike the last few months. Been real nice to just get out and ride together. It's pretty cool following her and watching her ride from behind. She rides really quite well now. We just go ride out in the country and stop anywhere that interests us and try to soak it all in. Not in any hurry or rush. Just got back to the simple pleasure of riding for total enjoyment and scratching "my need to explore" itch that I always seem to have. I feel very fortunate to have a wife that seems to enjoy it just as much as I do and is always raring to go.

Here is some of what we've been seeing the past few months on two wheels.

And to stress of any kind all I have to say is this!!!.....

Life is very short... so stress less....live more....ride more... &.make the time for the things that make you happy and spend time with those that you care about.

 

[luvtoride]

Awesome as usual!

 

[Willie]

I don't see any snow...where's the snow...very nice btw!!!

Willie

 

[Matt101]

Some stunning pics there GR. Be glad when we get a break in the weather so I can get some miles in!

 

[Tyler]

Life is very short... so stress less....live more....ride more... &.make the time for the things that make you happy and spend time with those that you care about.

Ay-fricking-men, GR!! And how lucky you are to have a partner in life to share that happiness with! B)

Oh yeah... and your pictures are okay too.

 

[Top_Speed1]

Awesome!! I like seeing signs of spring, hopefully they will be coming up north soon

Very nice pics and effects, thanks for sharing.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Excellent!

 

[Fred W]

Great photos as usual GR. Very nice work, Thanks for sharing your work with us.

You do clearly have some talent there, but I suspect that you already know that...

It's also very cool that your wife likes to ride her own bike with you. I'm on the flip side, and mine is too timid to pilot her own, she only wants to ride on the back. But, she is a good pillion and willing to go about anywhere (in warmer weather) so we still get to go out and share all the cool stuff together, so it's all good.

We can always ride alone sometimes, you and I, and I do more often this time of year (that weather thing), but I feel sorry for folks whose wives don't want to share in their joy of riding one way or the other. Those people don't know what they are missing. :thumbsup:

 

[pjleduc]

Great photos as usual GR. Very nice work, Thanks for sharing your work with us. You do clearly have some talent there, but I suspect that you already know that...

It's also very cool that your wife likes to ride her own bike with you. I'm on the flip side, and mine is too timid to pilot her own, she only wants to ride on the back. But, she is a good pillion and willing to go about anywhere (in warmer weather) so we still get to go out and share all the cool stuff together, so it's all good.

We can always ride alone sometimes, you and I, and I do more often this time of year (that weather thing), but I feel sorry for folks whose wives don't want to share in their joy of riding one way or the other. Those people don't know what they are missing.

I agree. It is very nice to be able to go and enjoy this sport together.

Oh and awesome pics GR. I can't wait for spring to finally set in around here.

 

[puppychow]

Great attitude (and the right attitude to life) and of course great pictures as always and as now we have come to expect (we aren't paying you for anything less...wait...).

Love your eye for photography and your talent which then captures for us what you see with your eyes and your mind. Great stuff, love it even more so because it gives me a lot of ideas to try for myself!!

 

[101stpathfinder]

Every time I see a ride report by you, I can't wait to read it. But mostly... THE PICS!!! Pure poetry out of your lens... Unbelievable !!!

On one hand I envy you riding with your wife.

On the other hand I think I would tend to ride tense and worry. I take it that you have full confidence with her ability? Has she been riding awhile? This is NOT a sexiest question... I am asking because my wife has never piloted her own bike, and prefers to ride pillion. I can not understand this because I cannot stand to be a passenger no matter who is piloting.

I encourage her to learn- but she has no desire.

I have come to respect her decision, but not understand it. I think maybe if we came up and rode with you two, maybe it would sink in watching your wife...

Great report, thanks for sharing

The pics.... Speechless!

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Great pictures!Thanks!

 

[rogdeb]

Two big thumbs up GR

 

[Fontanaman]

Another great photo report from GR. Very nice.

 

[TripperMike]

From a purely selfish perspective, I'm glad you're posting again. It's such a pleasure to see your pics. The angles, the balance...everything.

I am one of the fortunate ones as well who's wife enjoys riding. And like you, I enjoy riding behind watching her pilot her own bike.

 

[Linc]

Wow... just as always, what beautiful pics of your area! As everyone else has mentioned, I look forward to the pics just to get me through the long winter up here!

Ditto again what has been said several times, you are blessed to have your wife not only come along with you but ENJOY the ride! My friends have always liked riding pillion, but never desired to learn how to ride their own. Made a transition last summer as a good friend who rides frequently on day trips decided to get her cycle endorsement... made me pretty excited!

After passing her course, she got the use of my SV650 for a couple months and while the riding did really get her excited... she couldn't get past the "freaking out" stage of all the traffic, intersections, and animals (kinda live up in the backwoods here) that shoot across the road. Finally came to the understanding that she would rather ride with me than take another bike, she just enjoyed it way more.

And as Pathfinder said above, I DID worry about her quite a bit knowing her new experience level and that I had encouraged her to get out and learn. She dropped the bike twice in low speed maneuvers (which I could care less about), but had she low or high sided at speed I would have felt pretty awful. Anyway, congrats to you and your wife... love both your bikes!

Oh yeah, love the ADV salute in your last pic...

 

[hppants]

Great pictures, GR - you are quite a talented photographer, inspirational really. If you care to, I'd be interested in knowing where you found those great hidden gems, especially the red house in front of the running water, and the covered bridge. I get to your neck of the woods annually, and my next trip is not too far away.

If my wife would agree to ride, I'd (We'd) buy her whatever bike she wants TODAY. Sadly, she's completely uninterested so riding has been more of a "personal time" hobby for me. Envious to be sure...

 

[Redfish Hunter]

GR, great to see a few pics from you again. Fantastic work.

I was worried when I saw you selling the Sargent seat, I am glad it was for an upgrade. The new seat looks wonderful. What is that? Who made it?

While I often wish my wife would ride with me, her methods while driving her car scare me too much to ever suggest she attempt to navigate a motorcycle. Sadly, Mrs. Redfish does not even ride pillion. In a way that is not so bad. As much as I love my wife, I would not want her tagging along on all my motorcycle trips. It is all about "escape" sometimes.

Like hppants, the bike is "personal time" for me.

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Thank you all for your kind replies!

I realize that I didn't actually post a picture of my wife so here is one from a hike we did late last fall.

Whiteside Mountain - NC

Some asked a few specific questions so I'll try to answer them. Tamara has been riding for about 8yrs or so, however it was always cruisers. She's had her sportbike 1year now and it was a big change for her to switch to that style of bike coming from riding Harleys. But like I mentioned she's really riding it well now, rides a nice pace, but she is very safety cautious and knows her limits. With 4 kids between us from ages 11 - 14 we certainly aren't footloose & fancy free. However even with us both working fulltime jobs and raising our kids together we still make time to ride whenever possible. We work hard, but we don't believe in being work-a-holics and working the best years of our lives away for some distant retirement. We try to be balanced and enjoy life along the way while still being responsible with our obligations. Me getting into photography as a side hobby the last couple years has taught me to literally slow down and smell the roses and find beauty & interesting things everywhere. I like it.

If all goes well we're gonna do a 5 day ride trip up the Appalachians in June and she's gonna ride 2up with me on that trip. Even though it's really cool for her to ride her own bike, on long multi-day trips we prefer to ride on the same bike because we can experience the trip more fully together. We can point out things & talk while we're on the bike and it's more of a intimate experience that we both enjoy.

The red building on the dam is "Stars Mill" in south Fayette county, GA. Google it to find the exact location. Very easy to find & really neat spot to stop and check out.

The custom seat is by Seth Laam. https://laamseats.com/ The first picture shown on the website is my seat.

On a personal note I've made a conscious decision to try to live life more fuller than perhaps I've done in the past. I've lost 20 lbs, I'm working out 4-5 days a week, me & Tamara just ran our first 5k race the other week and we got another one planned to run in May. I like to ride, hike, backpack, explore, travel, do nature photography & spend time with my kids. Those are the things that make me happy. I want to be in good shape & in good health so I can enjoy them as long as possible.

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive" - Harold Whitman