Riding Partners: Who Wants To Get Their Girlfriend to Ride A Motorcycle?

Over the years I have been asked by many men for ideas on how they can “get” their wife or girlfriend to ride a motorcycle. This always strikes me as a funny question. I say that because I feel that if a person wanted to ride a motorcycle, they would know this on their own. They don’t need anyone to “get them” to do it. Encouraging or guiding someone who has an interest is one thing but convincing would absolutely be a dirty word in this scenario.

Now that I have the benefit of some experience, my perception about what it really means to ride with your loved one has changed over the years. Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. I keep coming back to the same question:

Is the idea of riding with your loved one overly romanticized?

The Fuzzmops at Crater Lake - June 2008

The Fuzzmops at Crater Lake - June 2008

5 What Ifs and Questions:

  • How do you think you would handle riding with a loved one who rides too fast/too slow?
  • What if it turns out that your partner doesn’t ride like you do – that you don’t “click” on two wheels?
  • For better or worse – What if your partner rode just like you?  Ex. Maybe you’re an excessive speeder or you sometimes make dicey passes.
  • Could you suspend worrying about your loved one as you watch them ride?
  • What if you thought your partner was a danger to themselves and others?

Let’s hear what you have to say!

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

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11 Responses

  1. fuzzygalore says:

    Riding Partners: Who Wants To Get Their Girlfriend to Ride A Motorcycle?: Over the years I have bee.. http://bit.ly/2QhFy0
    #motorcycle

  2. univox says:

    The most uncomfortable and stressful experience I’ve ever had on 2 wheels was riding with my complete neophyte of a rider ex girlfriend. I neither talked her into it or out of it figuring it’s a decision best left to her own devices but sometimes wonder if I should have went for the latter.

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      What do you think she would have said if you told her that maybe riding wasn’t right for her or that maybe she should seek some additional skill-building training?

  3. CrudMop says:

    Simple reality – not everyone SHOULD ride a motorcycle, whether they want to or not. There are plenty of riders who made the choice to ride that should really reconsider, so forcing it on someone who is flimflamming or not sure about it is a bad idea.

  4. univox says:

    I gave her a stern warning before she bought a bike that you ride for yourself, not for anybody else and tried to make that as clear as possible. I understood that feeling of “OMG I’m gonna get a bike and ride with my friends, it’s gonna be so fun”, it’s temporary at best and at worse gets people hurt.

    Good possibility she would have gotten frightened and dropped it like a bad habit if I told her flat out that she wasn’t fit for riding. She was back and forth on riding long before I met her though so I can’t say for sure.

    I encouraged her to take the MSF course but it always seemed to fall on deaf ears. It’s not fool proof but it’s a step in the right direction towards being a safe rider. You can’t instill your own values on someone else though, at least not directly.

  5. soth says:

    In response to all of your very interesting questions…

    I wouldn’t want to be riding with my homegirl whether she was faster than me, slower than me or rode a similar pace.

    Why?

    Knowing what I know about riding and how much is out of our control even though we like to think otherwise. I wouldn’t enjoy myself at all cause I’d be worried all the time. Not that I don’t worry about my friends – I do,but it’s not that same.

  6. OG says:

    I don’t pine away wishing that certain a someone would ride, though I could always see some of the appeal. Seems likely that it’s better to meet someone that already rides rather than cajole someone into it. Even with my daughter, I waited for her to come to me and ask about riding off road knowing that forcing it on her was a recipe for disaster. To say that I have never worried about her while we were ripping through some of the gnarly stuff would be a lie but in the end, she and I have a great time, time we’d not get otherwise.
    I recently had a chance to go for a first ride with a friend on the west coast. It was fantastic as she’s a good rider; fast and smooth, we fell into a cadence that felt instantly natural. We’re just friends so it’s not the same the same as riding with your girlfriend but I came away truly understanding the attraction. It’s fun to ride with one other person you like and trust. It adds something to the experience which given my solo rider attitude is saying a lot.

  7. biker ted says:

    It is never a good idea to try and push someone into something they don’t want to do. If however your partner shows an interest, by all means encourage them, I would strongly recommend that they get professional training as opposed to picking up your bad habits. Also teaching a partner can lead to arguments. Many times when Ian’s father tried to teach his mother to drive there were tears and she would get out the car and walk home.

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      @BikerTed
      Oh you are soooo right. The baggage that comes along with a relationship can really be a detriment to learning to ride. Learn from a professional!

      Bad habits, eh? I don’t know what you mean. I have none of those! 😉

  8. Deker9 says:

    I think its great. However it is really hard to watch when a dangerous scenario presents itself. I love when we can have a conversation that starts ” remember the time when we were on that ride……..”. It’s great to be able to share some of my greatest memories with her. Now if she just wanted to do the long miles I love. 🙂

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      Hey Dek! Fancy seeing you here 🙂

      I’m with you – i love having someone to share the experience with, to talk about the day, to relive the beautiful things you saw. But – as you say, when a dangerous scenario presents itself, it is enough to make you mental.

      The Mrs. is still fairly new to riding, right? I’m sure that you two will be burning up the byways in no time. All it takes is one good trip to light that fire~

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