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Riding since I was a kid, had a LOT of different bikes...First FJ1200 though.

Started by Seanable, October 24, 2020, 10:56:03 AM

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Millietant

Quote from: Ted Schefelbein on November 25, 2020, 04:28:03 PM
My wife is terrified of my motorcycle. She will ride with me to the end of the county road, to smell the wildflowers, or to count the baby turkeys or deer. That, is it. If I want company and want to ride further, I have to take my Chinese neighbor lady. Her husband is completely disabled and he encourages her to have outings and friends to break up the time spent caring for him. We are all adults, nothing funny goes on. Susie participates in our English bicycle club doings as well. Colombian wife to left, Chinese neighbor (aping for camera) to right, son in background at the ABCE all British cycling event in September.



But, it is kinda' funny for my wife to tell me, when I walk in the door from work, that she called Susie, and told her to come down for a motorcycle ride with me.

I figured out I married the right girl a long time ago....

Ted

My Profile picture is the one that really convinced me I'd made the right choice.



But then there's also this one...taken when we went away for a "dirty weekend"  :sarcastic:



And this one, my favourite of Liz with our youngest, Ryan, with their 2 Fazer's  :good2:



Dean

'89 FJ 1200 3CV - owned from new.
'89 FJ 1200 3CV - no engine, tank, seat....parts bike for the future.
'88 FJ 1200 3CV - complete runner 2024 resto project
'88 FJ 1200 3CV - became a race bike, no longer with us.
'86 FJ 1200 1TX - sold to my boss to finance the '89 3CV I still own.

Ted Schefelbein

You have more motorcycles and kids then I do. Bravo!

My wife has a brother, still in Bogota, and his only transportation was the bus, or a motorcycle. Of late, he is legislated to use a bicycle a few times a month. But, years ago, he crashed his little motorcycle while my wife was a passenger, and my wife suffered a broken collarbone. The civilian bikes I saw when I was last there tend to be 100-200CC street bikes, and are used hard. The cops rode 600 enduros.

Cracking the throttle on the FJ literally scares her. I didn't creat the problem, never crashed with her on board, but, I live with it. The same thing happens when I stomp the throttle on a freeway entrance ramp in the '67 Oldsmobile 442, and the secondary side of the carbs open up and the cam comes into the RPM range it likes.  

So, my son and I do that when she isn't around. Same thing when Susie is on the back of the FJ.

Ted
I am an analog man, trapped in a digital parallel reality.


1989 FJ 1200

Millietant

Get her to ride a small off road bike in a safe environment (maybe a Honda CF 100, or start off with a small automatic gearbox off-roader). My brother has recently bought an Oset electric tails bike, which is perfect for beginners as it can be limited in speed almost infinitely.

We've had a number of "scared" friends who we've introduced to motorcycling through either small bikes (we had a CRF 100, XLR125 copy and a CRF 230 in the garage) on our local off-road track (Motocross practice track), or through off-road riding schools where they start on 100's or 125's in an indoor, controlled environment. Over here, they're relatively inexpensive as an introduction and they usually remove the fear and add a taste for more riding - from what I've seen, it's even cheaper in the USA.

It can take a while to progress to road riding - some never make it - but it will make each one a better, more confident and more comfortable passenger, even if they never ride themselves. BUT as a rider, the most important thing is to ride in a manner that makes your passenger feel safe and secure  :good2:

When I first met Liz, I was due to go to the Le Mans 24 hr bike race with a bunch of friends. Liz had been put off motorbikes and being a pillion by a dangerous-riding previous previous boyfriend and said she definitely would not be coming with me.

When we met my friends to make the trip arrangements, a young, pretty, blonde girl, who had been with me on trips before said "if nobody's coming with you, will you take me?".....I replied "why not" and then Liz shouted "how can you take her when I'll be on the bike with you".....

That was a bit of a shock to me as I was sure she was afraid of bikes and definitely wouldn't come - alongside which we'd only been together for a couple of weeks, so I hadn't ruled out that it wasn't a permanent relationship a time that point.

Anyway, long story short......i didn't take the younger blonde, I took Liz, I rode carefully and considerately (on my 86 1TX) and when we got home, I made sure some friends with a riding school had Liz booked in for proper training............she loved the holiday to Le Mans, the cameraderie of riding with a group of like minded bikers (7 bikes and 12 people), the atmosphere of the races and the freedom of being on a bike. Shortly after, she asked me to find her a suitable bike to use on the roads to make sure she could learn to ride safely, alongside the lessons she was getting at the bike school. I found an old Suzuki GSX 250 (28 bhp 4 stroke twin) that I refurbished, which was perfect (it could hit 90 mph, had 6 gears, but was sluggish enough not to be scary).

After gaining her confidence and passing her test, she rode the GSX for about a year (riding with me and my friends on YZF's, Fireblade's, GSXR's, ZXR's etc), getting used to screaming up and down the gears and gaining confidence in corners. After our wedding, she wanted a bigger bike and she eventually agreed to a bike I'd wanted anyway, a VF750 F (Interceptor), which she still loves - and then in 2003, the FZ1 which she describes as "perfect".

It was a long journey, but Liz eventually became so enthralled with motorcycle riding that she became a motorcycle instructor and our youngest Ryan, learned to ride at the training school where she worked.

Stick with it Ted...engage, encourage and facilitate, without forcing....and I do believe your wife could become a convert.

2 years ago, there were 11 bikes in my garage...now there are only 5......3 of which are Liz's :rofl:
Dean

'89 FJ 1200 3CV - owned from new.
'89 FJ 1200 3CV - no engine, tank, seat....parts bike for the future.
'88 FJ 1200 3CV - complete runner 2024 resto project
'88 FJ 1200 3CV - became a race bike, no longer with us.
'86 FJ 1200 1TX - sold to my boss to finance the '89 3CV I still own.

Pat Conlon

1) Free Owners Manual download: https://tinyurl.com/fmsz7hk9
2) Don't store your FJ with E10 fuel https://tinyurl.com/3cjrfct5
3) Replace your old stock rubber brake lines.
4) Important items for the '84-87 FJ's:
Safety wire: https://tinyurl.com/99zp8ufh
Fuel line: https://tinyurl.com/bdff9bf3

Ted Schefelbein

Teaching my Wife to DRIVE a motorcycle would be like teaching my cat astrophysics. It took my Wife 7 attempts to pass the road portion of the Minnesota driving test. I taught my wife to drive, but, it cost me a solid decade of living, breathing life, and I would NEVER advise anyone to try that. I tried to teach her, and her Peruvian friend how to drive a manual transmission car, that was a complete no-go. Any of you would jump at the chance to take my 442 out for a blast, but, there is no chance my wife would do the same. I've asked about a thousand times.
My Wife didn't learn to drive until her mid 40s. The military won't attempt to teach you anything at that age, with good reason.
To be fair, my Chinese neighbor lady has no, none, zero interest in learning to operate the motorcycle. But, she is all over a ride on a sunny day.

You pick your battles, carefully, after 15 years of being married, and being 60 years old.

Ted
I am an analog man, trapped in a digital parallel reality.


1989 FJ 1200

Millietant

Ha Ha Ted, at 60 and after almost 30 years of marriage I've learned to avoid battles at all cost. The most damaging part of them is winning........you're never forgiven  :sarcastic: :sarcastic:

It's absolutely fantastic that your son joins you. I'll bet having him with you as a "partner in crime" is one of the things you love most about life these days.  :good2:
Dean

'89 FJ 1200 3CV - owned from new.
'89 FJ 1200 3CV - no engine, tank, seat....parts bike for the future.
'88 FJ 1200 3CV - complete runner 2024 resto project
'88 FJ 1200 3CV - became a race bike, no longer with us.
'86 FJ 1200 1TX - sold to my boss to finance the '89 3CV I still own.

Ted Schefelbein

Yea, but.....

He is at the age where he is choosing to spend some time with friends, over me. I knew it was coming. On Friday, I asked if he wanted to go pheasant hunting with me, and the answer was no.

The dog and I went alone. First time he has declined that particular invitation.

School is from home, he has plenty of distractions and screens that were the stuff of dreams when I was a kid.

I lost a cousin on Tuesday, I'm sure my demeanor was a bit pensive this weekend. I think I'm going to buy him some sort of enduro bike this summer, he can't ride on the street just yet, but, he needs to get riding.

My Dad didn't do that for me. He wanted me to own any broken bones I got, myself.

I did.

Ted
I am an analog man, trapped in a digital parallel reality.


1989 FJ 1200