Profile of a Female Motorcyclist Meet Susan

My next guest stopped by the blog and left a comment so I asked her to join us. Ladies, please let me know if you are interested in joining in with your story! I try to reach out, but I feel I’ve missed a few of you. Don’t think you have nothing to add, you have a unique story to tell from your point of view. Do share. Here you go, Profile of a Female Motorcyclist Meet Susan!

Here with another story filled with wisdom and her experience is Susan!

Profile of a Female Motorcyclist Meet Susan

How long have you been riding a motorcycle?

I started a little late, I was 51 when I got my first bike and it’s been seven great years. My how time flies when you’re having fun! Funny, today I can’t remember a time when I didn’t ride a motorcycle.

How did you learn to ride?

Well it’s a pretty long story. My husband took on the job of teaching me to ride. However, it was my daughter Rebecca that got the fire burning in me. She decided that she didn’t want to take the MSF course alone, so she begged, pleaded with me to take the course with her. After sleeping on it for quite a few days and everyday her begging me, I decided that I would take the course with her. Reasoning that, we’d be using their bikes (important because I was sure I’d wrecked the bike) and surely nobody over 25 or so would be taking the course,  so if I made a complete fool of myself nobody would remember me anyway. And besides I owed her one for taking the boring Notary class with me a few months before. First day on the course, once I got the hang of riding, I was hooked.

What was your first motorcycle?

My first motorcycle was a 2006 Yamaha FZ6, a cute little naked sports bike.  Good thing that it was naked (no fairings) because I must have tipped that thing over at a standstill at least 10 times.

How many have you owned?

I’ve owned four bikes in those short seven years. First was an FZ6, next I moved on to the FZ1. Then I bought a Yamaha Road Star Warrior for touring. I loved that bike it was so beautiful and had a great sounding engine, but unfortunately it wasn’t comfortable for touring so I sold it. Later I bought a 2004 Suzuki GSXR 750 for the track and had some great times with it. I’ve settled on just the FZ1, it’s a great all around bike with enough power and great distance comfort.

Why did you want to ride a motorcycle?

Before I took the MSF course, I’d been having some health issues and was beginning to feel like things were coming to an end and that I was going to be stuck on my couch without ever trying some things that may be out there.  Riding took my mind off of my problems; it became my passion. I wanted to ride as well as possible. Learn the ins and outs of proficient motorcycle riding. I bought the book Proficient Motorcycling by David L. Hough and decided that I wanted to be that kind of rider. So every day when I go out for a ride, at the end of the ride I assess my riding, what did I do well, what mistakes I made, how can I keep from making them again; and what do I need to work on next time. Every ride is a learning experience. It’s a never-ending riding lesson.

Tell us about your riding.

It’s always a pleasure to ride, no matter whether I’m commuting, on vacation, or racing. So I ride for all those things. Anytime I throw my leg over the bike, it’s a great feeling and I know I’m in for an adventure. The smells, the sights, the people you meet, it’s all part of riding. There’s a connection to things around me that I don’t experience at any other time. Riding never fails to puts a smile on my face.

What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle?

To women who ride I would say never let down you guard. Riding a motorcycle takes all your attention all the time. Relax, enjoy, but never take anything for granted. You never know when a cager may decide to turn into your path, or a deer decides to commit suicide, or a truck gets a flat tire around the next bend.  Always ride defensively.

To anyone thinking of riding DON’T start, unless you’re willing to let it draw you in and become an obsession, take all your time, your money and provide you with a lifetime of memories burned into the back of your brain and stories to take you through your rocking chair years.

What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle?

I’ve done quite a few long trips. My favorite was San Jose to Las Vegas to Zion National Park to Page, AZ to Monument Valley to Grand Canyon, to through Mojave National Preserve and back to San Jose. We rode about 1,900 miles 10 days in all sorts of weather, hot, cold, windy, rainy, foggy, hail and snow all in that one trip. It was a great adventure.

Do you belong to any motorcycle groups?

I belong to a local online riding group.

What do you do when you’re not riding?

I work at a Commercial Real Estate office as an office manager.  I’m a wife, mother and grandmother.  I help care for my aging mother too. Thanks to a motorcycle riding friendly work and home family I can always squeeze in a ride. My kids are never surprised when I show up to a family function on a motorcycle. In fact sometimes they’re surprised when I show up in a car.