Wife drops bike on ride

[zenwhipper]

The wife and I went out yesterday for a spin around the 'hood. I was on my FJR and she was on her SV650. She got her endorsement a few months ago and we have been easing her into riding with little sorties around the neighborhood. We came up to a 3 way stop with a slight incline. I went on through and in my mirror I could see her struggling to get the bike moving. Next thing I know she has the bike just barely above horizontal and she is trying to keep it up (valantly, bless her heart!). But, nope its not going to work, so she just sets it down gently. I swing back around, rather concerned and when I get there she is a bit shaken but fine she says.

I think it was a combination of traffic and newbie coordination issues that resulted in the issue. But- I got this uggg feeling in my gut about it all and I'm concerned that she may not be able to transition to a competent rider. Not sure why... I mean she did very well in her MSF class and she understands mechanical things and she is very stoked to be out there. She's still quite timid out there. Granted she's probably only ridden 20 miles since her endorsement.

Anybody else had this feeling or have tips for a concerned husband?

Thanks Mates.



Scott

 

[wfooshee]

They might not have mentioned in her class about rear brake until the clutch has bite when starting uphill. If she's used to just letting go of the brake and then going for gas and clutch. . . . the bike rolls backwards and she forgets what to do. Steering is a bit different that direction!

Not that I've been there or done that! (Back in the day.) :bigeyedsmiley:

 

[squeezer]

Good. She dropped the bike. It's a rite of passage. We've all done it. Part of the learning process rather than a problem. If she did well in her MSF class, she can learn to ride.

You might pass on wfooshee's tip if rolling backwards caused it. It sounds like she just needs more saddle time.

Keep the positive vibes going while she's learning.

 

[mfletch69]

When I was 15, I bought a '79 CX500 honda (heavy, liquid cooled v-twin) from an older guy who said "let me know after you lay it down...then I will ride with you".

I agree with the previous poster...right of passage. No worries. h34r:

 

[Fred W]

Anybody else have tips for a concerned husband?

Sure. Fix your signature. Linky

No need to thank me...

 

[Geezer]

If she's not talking about throwing in the towel then don't discourage her. She hasn't had enough practice to become proficient yet.

 

[FastJoyRide]

Don't know if the clutch lever on her bike is adjustable but if it is, bring it as close into the bar as you can without the clutch slipping when it's released.

In general women's hands do not have the same power as men's. Sylvia always struggled with clutch modulation on hill starts or other low speed manouvers where you don't want to fully release the clutch quickly. The MSF bikes tend to have very light clutch lever actions as compared to most street bikes and as she excelled there, you want to get her bike set-up to be as similar as possible to that.

Just a helpful suggestion!

 

[FJRMGM]

as many on this site can attest - sooner or later gravity always wins.

Keep encouraging her.

 

[ngarider]

Your first mistake was going back. You should have just left her there. Necessity being the mother of invention, she would have eventually figured out how to get the bike up and get back on the road. She would have appreciated you letting her figure this out on her own. Women need their independence.

Next, now that she's dropped it, you'll want to constantly remind her about it. That little nick on the plastic, the scratch on the bar end... make sure she doesn't forget about it. Women appreciate when you notice things, and this is a great way to show her you notice what she does!

And finally, before every ride, be sure and remind her not to 'dump it again.' Women do appreciate being reminded of expectations, and what better way to start out a ride than a constructive review of the last one?!

I can just FEEL the evil looks from all the wives who read that. :tomato2:

 

[jwilly]

Your first mistake was going back. You should have just left her there. Necessity being the mother of invention, she would have eventually figured out how to get the bike up and get back on the road. She would have appreciated you letting her figure this out on her own. Women need their independence.
Next, now that she's dropped it, you'll want to constantly remind her about it. That little nick on the plastic, the scratch on the bar end... make sure she doesn't forget about it. Women appreciate when you notice things, and this is a great way to show her you notice what she does!

And finally, before every ride, be sure and remind her not to 'dump it again.' Women do appreciate being reminded of expectations, and what better way to start out a ride than a constructive review of the last one?!

I can just FEEL the evil looks from all the wives who read that. :tomato2:

That's it, I'm calling your wife you evil man!

 

[twowheelnut]

Watched my bride low-side at 35 MPH in a left-hander. Scuffed chrome, bruised pride. A few weeks later, I checked my mirrors and she wasn't there. Gulp! Seems she dropped it at the light after stalling it due to an attempted take-off in 2nd. More scuffed chrome, further loss of pride and a new found apprehensiveness.

I couldn't take my anxiousness for her riding, so I sold her VLX and bought a Wing so she could pillion in style. Seems she just couldn't grasp the concept of focus needed for riding: "Ooooooh, the color of that flower would look great on the sofa pillo..." Crunch.

 

[luvtoride]

I can just FEEL the evil looks from all the wives who read that.

:bye: Hehehe... not only wives! :bye:

But, on topic. As stated above, it's a right of passage. I remember when I had my first bike, I dropped it at least twice. Once, I pulled into my driveway & dismounted. I COMPLETELY forgot to put the side stand down. Yeah, that lump on my shin from the gas tank took well over 2 years to go away.

2nd... thought I was well past doing that. After all, I'm experienced now, right? Here I am leaving the parking garage at work... round and round to the bottom.... when the car in front of me jammed on his brakes. Since we were just piddling forward at 1/2 MPH, my feet were on the ground so, I in turn jammed my brake... THE FRONT BRAKE while the bars were turned. Guess what my lesson was that day?

She'll be fine. That's gonna' happen. Let her get more road experience. I am sure that, if she is as you have explained, she'll get it. Give her time... not discouragement.

Heidi

 

[rushes]

I would try to find someone who'd loan you their kids 100 to 150cc 4 stroke playbike and find a nice open off road area. She'll be able to practice all the clutch, throttle, and brake control with out having to worry about concrete and cars.

 

[zenwhipper]

Anybody else have tips for a concerned husband?

Sure. Fix your signature. Linky

No need to thank me...

Ahhh, ok thanks for the info. Sig adjusted.

Scott

 

[keithaba]

****, if she's anything like me, she's only got 2 more drops to go before she's broken the bike in!

 

[artistonFJR]

I'm seriously waiting on the Honda DN01 (it's the concept bike that has a thread around here somewhere... it's beautiful, and automatic... my wife gets one of those from me when they hit the showroom floor. (OK, maybe it's kinda for me too... but she has to think it's hers)

C

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

My wife has dropped her Ninja 500 four times, all from a dead stop. Sometimes I wonder how this could be, since it's a very light bike. The SV650 is way more top heavy IMHO but just like any other bike, once you get to the point of no return on the lean angle, the only thing to do is let 'er down as gently as possible. Is your wife open to maybe investing in a lighter bike like a 250 or similar to the one she used in her MSF class? She may feel more confident once she has more saddle time on a lighter bike while learning/practicing starts and stops both on a lean and incline.........one of my wifes drops was at an incline WITH the pavement leaning to the right......she braked, put her left foot down "as usual" and viola- the bike fell to the right!

I am not immune to gravity either. Dropped my FJR while backing out of my shed in the early morning going down a slight decline from the ramp......grass was wet with dew and down she went! Have her watch "Long Way Down" where Ewan Mcgregor's wife decides to join him on his trip to South Africa. She had never ridden before, but took a course and went along for a part of the ride........she drops it a bunch but is persistent........may find it a little inspiring! "Long Way 'Round" was an awesome DVD set, highly recommended even if you aren't into dual-sport or off-road riding.

 

[madmike2]

1.) Rite of passage. Now THAT'S our of the way!

2.) You might begin each ride at a parking lot. A 10 minute refresher on starting ans stopping techniques and a couple of figure eights might help her maintain confidence.

3.) Until she has mastered the starting and stopping, you might want to keep her on "flat ground". Sometimes the things WE do automatically aren't so "simple" for new riders.

An uphill start on sloped roadway is a handful for a new rider. A lot of mental input and physical technique to master.

As an encouragement, it isn't HER, it is the technique and habit she hasn't yet learned and absorbed.

 

[Jazzzzz]

I could see my wife doing the same thing, and I could also see her becoming frustrated if I tried to help her or give hints to improve her technique, just like I would be. I also know exactly how worried I'd be if my wife were a new rider. Hell, she was worried when I started riding, and who wouldn't be?

I don't have any hints to get around the situation that other people haven't already provided, but I were in your shoes I would emphasize an attitude of encouragement rather than turning into mother hen every time your wife throws a leg over. Remind her that yes, she needs to concentrate, but she also needs to relax. After being rear-ended and nearly run over last year, I had to tell myself that same thing two or three times every ride.