mum already binned the bike...

[makenzie71]

... ...

So I now wonder if I shouldn't have tried to discourage the middle-aged woman from getting on another bike...instead of realizing that if she didn't have guidance she'd just go out and buy whatever she found.  Last one she rode was an old Virago...she attacked a corner a bit to hard and tried to brake and turn simultaneously...one of tose combinations that just don't mingle well...and went down.

Last night she calls and says that the guy dropped her new used EN500 Vulcan off at the gas station up the road from her house.  so she goes up, gets on it, and starts home with a friend following her.  She had slowed down to make a turn when some numbnut passed them because they weren't moving fast enough or something.  When that car got by, which nearly hit her, she was nervous and panicky before the turn and grabbed a handful of the front brake.  Bike washed out.

She calls me and says "It's okay...bike's okay...I'm okay.  I landed on my head...didn't even get my shirt dirty."

Luckily, the guy who sold her the bike handed over a couple good helmets, too.  No jacket or anything else, though...

my mum's a squid...partial squid...

[bettingpython]

Glad she's OK

[spc]

  Friggin squids
fuckin jackass cagers

[makenzie71]

I didn't call her today to see if she'd run into or off of anything else...

[spc]

Off of??   Is that honestly a threat??  God don't tell me your mum is goin all squid stunter on ya

[makenzie71]

They have 'bar ditches" around around there...which are a lot like regular ditches, only 8ft deep and filled with jagged rocks and garbage...so "off of" is a concern.  when she wrecked that Virago she was turning away from a ditch and thought she'd pull the front brake...which stood her right back up and through her into the ditch she was trying to avoid.

[spc]

Yeah, i'm familiar with those   shaZam!!!!!!  make her get some gear quick

[makenzie71]

she hasa good helmets, good boots, and good gloves.  She's supposed to go this weekend and get a jacket.  I think that's the one thing dad managed to teach her about riding...wear gear.

[Gofer]

Umm... MSF? 

Glad she's ok though.

[makenzie71]

MSF won't do her any good, especially in her area.  when I was in Houston all the time I'd see people wlk into the MSF course with no idea how to ride and walk out of the course with no idea how to ride.

[Unnamed]

She said to you what my mom said after I got into my first crash. Tell her good luck; and if you're a good son you'd go over and train her for a few days.

[makenzie71]

750 mile and I work 90 hour weeks away from my fiance...hard to make time to do that.

Besides, she knows how to ride...she's just an idiot.

[pandy]

Glad she's ok...hopefully has learned a good lesson.... 

[natedawg120]

Glad she's ok...hopefully has learned a good lesson.... 

+1.  Its really easy to hop on a bike and not realize how much rust has built up, hopefully she takes it slow and doesn't kiss pavement anymore.

[ledfingers]

bah, this reminds me of my ex. she wanted to get a road bicycle, skinny tire-ed little thing, first couple of times she rode it she wrecked and doesn't touch it anymore. now shes talking about getting a motorcycle.  but wait, it gets better- this is a direct quote from our last conversation, "well, you were talking about getting a bigger motorcycle and turning leila (my gs's name) into a track bike. why don't you just give me leila when you get a new bike? then when i can afford to buy one i'll give it back and you can have your track bike."

[makenzie71]

I explained how rake effects her braking and to get damn used to stomping the rear.  I tried to make it clear that if she locks the rear she'll just slide a little and probably be okay, but if she locks the front she will go down...no exceptions.

She's done better, she says...