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#LadyRiderProblems

Started by mysho22, April 10, 2017, 03:25:35 PM

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mysho22

I recorded video with the Handsome Asians Motorcycle Club this week (peep it when its out  ;) ) with some other ladies to discuss what kind of issues lady riders come across in the motorcycle community, and I was curious if other ladies have the same or similar issues. For example, I tried to buy new handlebars this past week and was told my boyfriend should order them for me, or order them online for me, or put them on my bike for me like I can't do it on my own. I'm also constantly congratulated for simple tasks, like being told, "Wow, you ride??" or, "You have your own bike? I thought you rode on his!!" And of course, the classic, "Oh, you have a scooter?"

Ladies, or anyone with a similar story, let me share your pain and groan with you. What's your biggest Lady Rider problem?
Of the Motorcycles and Misfits podcast

ShowBizWolf

Hmm... let me see. Well I will say this... back when I had long hair, guys were more inclined to look at me disbelievingly/funny/condescendingly when it I'd go into a store like Auto Zone or whatever... or when I'd park somewhere and get out of my customized Spirit or the beautiful Valiant I used to own. But ever since I cut my hair short and (well TBH I've always dressed like a guy) this kind of thing rarely happens to me anymore.

The thing that still could happen has to do with online stuff (and it hasn't really happened too much on this forum thankfully) ...but if I ever and I mean EVER make a mistake or ask a question, it's like... put under a 10000x power microscope and dissected to the billionth degree simply because I'm female. But I read other things that guys post or ask or mess up and I'm like wow... nobody jumped all over his sh*t but if that was me... whoooo boy I'd be made fun of and picked on until the cows came home smh

I'm hoping maybe this thread will get a few more replies but truthfully there aren't many chickies on here... pandy, where you at girl?

Oh oh here's one I almost forgot about. When I tell people the size of my bike, and I get the reaction of, "So when are you gonna get a REAL bike?" or "Pfff... 500... that's so small..." like I don't know what I have or what I bought when I bought it. Got my GS 5 years ago and the honeymoon still isn't over :kiss3:
Superbike bars, '04 GSXR headlight & cowl, DRZ signals, 1/2" fork brace, 'Busa fender, stainless exhaust & brake lines, belly pan, LED dash & brake bulbs, 140/80 rear hoop, F tail lens, SV650 shock, Bandit400 hugger, aluminum heel guards & pegs, fork preload adjusters, .75 SonicSprings, heated grips

Watcher

I will say that the women students I teach mostly seem to come into class with this attitude that they can't ride.  A lot of them get dragged into it by their boyfriends, some are truly interested in riding and come there with an escort, and few rarely are there alone, but a majority of them make it seem like they have zero confidence in anything they're doing, like they aren't even sure if they want to be there.

Usually by day two the thrill has worn off to a "it's not so scary after all" more relaxed demeaner, and many times the women outperform the men.  I've noticed if a couple is there together, even if the guy has been riding before, he'll tend to score higher on the eval (it's like golf, lower is better).
"The point of a journey is not to arrive..."

-Neil Peart

ShowBizWolf

I'm trying to think back to when I took the safety course 4 years ago... I think there were 3 other females besides me in a class of 10. IIRC one didn't pass the written portion, one kept falling down during the riding portion and then target fixated and went crashing into the grass and one seemed to be too scared and she just gave up.

Only 6 of the 10 total people in the class passed and got their license at the end (yours truly included :woohoo:) but I got to see first-hand the fear and also I think they got more and more intimidated as the class went on because at least a handful of us had riding experience already and we were making simple things look super easy (cuz well yeah they are once you've been riding for a bit).
Superbike bars, '04 GSXR headlight & cowl, DRZ signals, 1/2" fork brace, 'Busa fender, stainless exhaust & brake lines, belly pan, LED dash & brake bulbs, 140/80 rear hoop, F tail lens, SV650 shock, Bandit400 hugger, aluminum heel guards & pegs, fork preload adjusters, .75 SonicSprings, heated grips

dominickbuff

when i took the msf corse i have never been on a motorcycle before and it was very stressful but i learned alot but i didn't drop like a few of the cocky people did lol

mysho22

My MSF (or whatever the new equivalent is- Total Control now I think?) had only 3 females, and I only know of myself and one other who actually got our permits (Under 21 means permit time, ugh). The whole "I can't ride" idea is something I've noticed about a lot of women. I had it before I started riding, and other females I know who have showed interest still have this. I wonder how much of it is our own organic idea versus what is taught to us? A friend of mine I'm trying to get into riding told me her boyfriend at the time told her she couldn't do it and she would die, and her parents have been completely unsupportive as well.
I lucked into a group of people who encouraged me to ride, but I have family who are still very against the idea of me riding even though they themselves rode in the past.
Of the Motorcycles and Misfits podcast

Watcher

Quote from: mysho22 on April 11, 2017, 01:54:11 PM
My MSF (or whatever the new equivalent is- Total Control now I think?)

Total Control is just an alternative school that does more advanced techniques.  The MSF is still the primary instructing and licensing agency in the USA.
"The point of a journey is not to arrive..."

-Neil Peart

yamahonkawazuki

Forgive me if i ruffle a few feathers, i dont mean to offend AT ALL   ! , lady riders we dont see too many of ( specially aroundd here) when i see one i dont say whoa you can ride? ill be damned ! , i put gender aside . if i say  anything its about the bike. as far as a lady wrench turner, that ive got alot of respect for. most parents dont teach their daughters to work on a car. i had located a garage once staffed by women. took my vehicle there without reservation. i believe if people as a whole would be a bit more open minded, wed not have a need for threads like this. but numberswise, the ladies are in a smaller percentage here. icve seen a few women staffing the local partshauses. and more often then not they know more than their male counterparts lol.
Aaron
Jan 14 2010 0310 I miss you mom
Vielen dank Patrick. Vielen dank
".
A proud Mormon
"if you come in with the bottom of your cast black,
neither one of us will be happy"- Alan Silverman MD

Joolstacho

Yes we WANT more female riders! The more the better.
However, there's a modern trend where people tend to put bad treatment down to their gender. Maybe it's not because you are female, it's very easy to have a knee-jerk reaction and blame it on sexism. Of course that exists (but it exists in the other direction too, but that is rarely acknowledged in the media -stick your head up and it will soon be cut off!)
Plenty of newbie male riders have the piss taken out of them when they've displayed lack of experience, - they can't put it down to being male.
Beam me up Scottie....

qcbaker

#9
There's no denying that motorcycling is a very male-dominated activity. The overwhelming majority of riders are men, most racers and other pro riders are men, etc. So, its unsurprising that with that comes some unconscious gender biases (guys being surprised women ride/wrench, guys over-praising or over-criticizing women riders, etc.) and maybe even some outright sexism (like you experienced when trying to buy handlebars, mysho). I mean, even some of motorcycling's colloquialisms are a little sexist when you think about it (saying "riding b*tch" when referring to a passenger is one that comes to mind).

I think if more there were more women in the riding community, some of the biases would eventually fade since it would be just a normal for a woman to ride as it is for a man to ride. But, "how do you get more women riding?" is a question I'm not sure anyone (even marketing execs) has a concrete answer for. :dunno_black:

mysho22

This thread took a different path than I thought it would, but a turned to a very good point. There just aren't a ton of female riders. While I agree if there were more a lot of the motorcycle colloquialisms and over-congratulations/criticisms would die down, I feel like the opposite is very true. If we really want more female riders, encouraging women to ride and assuming any woman with a helmet rode over on her own (as a form of encouragement, as well as most would assume a male had ridden on his own) is the first step a lot of riders need to take. Changing the language as well, like referring to having a passenger as "riding two-up" or similar, rather than "riding b****" like is more common.
Female gear is also a very big problem, as many companies just "pink it and shrink it" - meaning they take men's gear, add pink, and make it a bit smaller rather than truly designing it for the female body and the differences bodies have. Female gear either doesn't fit, is bright pink, or is expensive and doesn't support women of lower incomes (especially college students in my experience). There is nothing wrong with the color pink, but when it is the only option for a large assortment of women it can be frustrating.
If women are brought into riding communities that obviously support the idea of them riding, they'll be more likely to take it up than if they are brought into a community that uses their gender as an insult.
Of the Motorcycles and Misfits podcast

ShowBizWolf

Haha "pink it and shrink it" that's a good way to explain it!!! :icon_lol: :icon_lol: :icon_lol:

I've never bought women's gear. None of it ever appealed to me and you're right, there is a LOT more selection if you search for men's jackets, boots, pants etc. The only "gear" I have that's women's is my freeze-out base layer pants... cuz my mom bought 'em for me and wanted me to have at least a little bit of pink in my wardrobe somewhere LOL
Superbike bars, '04 GSXR headlight & cowl, DRZ signals, 1/2" fork brace, 'Busa fender, stainless exhaust & brake lines, belly pan, LED dash & brake bulbs, 140/80 rear hoop, F tail lens, SV650 shock, Bandit400 hugger, aluminum heel guards & pegs, fork preload adjusters, .75 SonicSprings, heated grips

barry905

I have always assumed that any lady wearing the gear is also the pilot. That may just be optimism on my part: I'm also biased because both my wife and my elder daughter ride. To me, there is no fun  being the pillion  on a bike, it's far more fun to be the rider, so that's what anyone should do. Around here I think I've seen more riders than passengers (I've never actually counted), and most of the passengers are on Gold Wings. The vast majority of ladies are riders.
Back on bikes and loving it.

mysho22

Quote from: ShowBizWolf on April 12, 2017, 08:37:12 PM
Haha "pink it and shrink it" that's a good way to explain it!!! :icon_lol: :icon_lol: :icon_lol:

I've never bought women's gear. None of it ever appealed to me

That's a great way to get around it for some body types, but for some women that's not really an option. I wore a men's jacket (I got for free) for a few months when I was on my boyfriend's bike until I could get a female one, but it was ill-fitting to the point it was unsafe. The collar was too high (this was just annoying), the bust was too small, the waist too large, the hips too small, the collar to bottom was too small, and the arms were too large around and too long. Wearing gear that is too large can make so that if you do end up going off the bike, this extra leather (or whatever) can catch on the rode, and suddenly you're not sliding but rolling. The tightness is uncomfortable and can be distracting while riding, when you should be paying attention to other things (ie the road). It took me months of searching to find a jacket in my price range that fit and wasn't either pink or ugly to all hell (this part is important too. I have to want to wear it every time I ride or I'll end up not wearing it and being unsafe). It shouldn't have taken me this long, especially when female riders are such a fast growing group, and have just as much need for gear as male riders.

Quote from: barry905 on April 13, 2017, 02:15:22 AM
I have always assumed that any lady wearing the gear is also the pilot.


Around here I think I've seen more riders than passengers (I've never actually counted), and most of the passengers are on Gold Wings. The vast majority of ladies are riders.

Great!! I'm glad to hear that. A lot of riders don't, and I feel even this little assumption over and over again can give a general idea that women can't do this, or aren't "suppose to".

Maybe this is more of an issue in my area. In my part of California, and other parts of California I've visited, there is a passenger on every 5th or so bike it seems. It's very common, and especially in the summer months booty shorts and tank tops are common as well. (But this isn't necessarily due to lack of women's gear, but probably lack of understanding from the passenger of what the risks involved are.)
Of the Motorcycles and Misfits podcast

Watcher

#14
Quote from: barry905 on April 13, 2017, 02:15:22 AM
To me, there is no fun  being the pillion  on a bike, it's far more fun to be the rider, so that's what anyone should do.

While I don't disagree, you can have a lot of fun on the pillion as long as you trust the pilot, they trust you, and actually try to have fun with it.

I rode as a passenger last year, I was going to check out a new bike and since I knew the seller we were just going to ride around for the evening.  My friend Matt was going to take me (I didn't have any transportation at the time) and he wanted to ride along so I had to be the 2nd up.


He actually commented that he never felt his FZ07 corner so well, a passenger that knows how to lean can actually be an asset in some ways.
Plus we were connected over Bluetooth and I was able to point out stuff to him.  Potential dangers, I could check his blind-spot, cool scenery, etc.


Plus, in the spirit of having fun with it, a driver along the way noticed we were both guys and started joking about "Aspen" and what might happen that evening so I started making inappropriate hand gestures and blowing kisses and stuff, LMAO!
He's yelling at me, "Don't do that!  People will get the wrong idea!"
I'm yelling back "Hey!  One distinct job of the pillion is to look the part, I'm just fulfilling my half of the bargain!"
"You SOB!  You can walk home!"
"Not if I buy that bike!"

:laugh:
"The point of a journey is not to arrive..."

-Neil Peart

Suzi Q

When I first glanced at this, I thought it read "#lazyriderproblems" and I got all excited but, now that I'm here, I realize that I don't belong.  :dunno_black:

Also, chick riders rock!
Deals on Amsoil if you want it. PM me for details.

qcbaker


ShowBizWolf

Superbike bars, '04 GSXR headlight & cowl, DRZ signals, 1/2" fork brace, 'Busa fender, stainless exhaust & brake lines, belly pan, LED dash & brake bulbs, 140/80 rear hoop, F tail lens, SV650 shock, Bandit400 hugger, aluminum heel guards & pegs, fork preload adjusters, .75 SonicSprings, heated grips

Joolstacho

Recently was at a major motorcycle meeting, and hooked up with a mate from interstate who roadraces a Beemer kneeler outfit.
After one session he came in and we stood around chatting about the bike, his lines etc. As we were doing this, his passenger (swinger) made an amazing display of wrangling herself and her more than ample hooters out of her leathers, wow! After some minutes like that she then proceeded to pour herself back into the leathers like a calisthenics exercise. We boys enjoyed the display behind our sunglasses. Sexiness isn't always sexism. Girls?
Beam me up Scottie....

ShowBizWolf

uh.. well.. haha I'm still hung up on the leathers and hooters part  :oops:  :icon_rolleyes:  ;)  :angel:
Superbike bars, '04 GSXR headlight & cowl, DRZ signals, 1/2" fork brace, 'Busa fender, stainless exhaust & brake lines, belly pan, LED dash & brake bulbs, 140/80 rear hoop, F tail lens, SV650 shock, Bandit400 hugger, aluminum heel guards & pegs, fork preload adjusters, .75 SonicSprings, heated grips

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