We Ride is a lush PDF magazine for women interested in riding. It’ll gives you lots of (Harley-centric) information about getting
into the sport. Download and enjoy on your computer at www.harley-davidson.com/womenriders.
The special 48-page riding guide can also be picked up at any local
Harley-Davidson dealership or ordered by calling 1-800-LUV2RIDE.
I think it’s a beautiful magazine, but I must very strongly note that I disagree than any H-D featured in this magazine is a beginner’s motorcycle. Too much power and weight with too little experience can be extremely dangerous.
So practice on a beginners bike like a Honda Rebel (cruiser) or a Kawasaki Ninja (sport) or something similar. There are a lot of lists but I like Chuck Hawks’ best.
A beginning pilot would not expect to learn to fly
in an F-16 fighter or a wide body jetliner, so why do beginning
motorcyclists expect to learn to ride on a 600cc sport bike or a
heavyweight cruiser? Ideally, I would like to see beginning riders buy
a standard 125cc motorcycle for their first street bike. There is a
reason that so many Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses maintain their
aging fleets of 125cc Hondas for their entry-level classes.
Enjoy the magazine. Practice on small bikes, and then go ahead and buy your dream H-D. Be safe.
As a pilot, the examples of learning to fly in a complex aircraft and beginning motorcyclists learning to ride on big bikes are spot on.
I began my pilot training in a little Cessna 150, I don’t need my logbooks to remind me that the “N-number” was N704LD. That initial experience was so vivid and wonderful I remember it like it was last weekend, though it was over two decades ago. I still prefer to fly the low and slow airplanes over the big and complex aircraft any day of the week.
On a similar note, I continue to beg new motorcyclists to begin riding on something simple, most of the time however, they fail to listen and “learn to ride” on something far more advanced than their skills are prepared for.
A few months ago, I observed an obviously new rider fail to negotiate a low speed turn in a parking lot. As I helped lift the brand new GSXR1100 off of him I noticed that the odometer had not even passed 100 miles. It’s too bad that new riders feel the need to begin with something so complex. Especially when older riders, such as myself, prefer to ride bikes that are so simple in comparison.
Ride Well
E.T.
Hi! I love your site and appreciate the chance to post a comment! My story is featured in the new WE RIDE Harley publication for women riders Pages 3-5. I am a brand new rider at 53 (now 54) having just completed my first full riding season and 3,500 miles. I bought my first Sportster BEFORE I knew how to ride but had the good sense God gave women NOT to touch it before I took a riding course. That said, I don’t agree that Harley doesn’t have a bike for a beginner. Harley offers several bikes for beginners and I don’t feel it has anything to do with the brand’s offerings. I was one of 11 women chosen countrywide to participate in this publication and only 4 of those women had been riding over 5 years – the rest were pretty much like me. What does matter when choosing a bike whether you’re a beginner or experienced, is how it fits YOU. Taking a learn-to-ride course (doesn’t really qualify most people to ride the streets yet!), customizing the bike to FIT the rider (makes ALL the difference in the world) and of course your aggressive practice schedule in a safe environment (my local high school campus parking lots)BEFORE hitting the streets is paramount. Now, I do agree with you on one thing….I wish I had gotten a beater bike first to drop a few times instead of dropping my customized chromed-out Sportster! Those ugly scratches keep me humbled and SAFE, reminding me that the bike will teach the rider and not the opposite! And I’ll remind riders to plan for safe riding — I don’t ride during rush hour (most dangerous is when the high school kids get out of school!), keep off the expressways until your skills tell you you’re ready, don’t ride at dusk and avoid riding in groups unless you’re 100% sure of the skill of the other riders and don’t drink and ride — never, ever, ever do that. Ever. Ride safely everyone but above all, RIDE! It’s all good!