Women & Dual Sport Riding

Women & Motorcycles

I know there are people who see me on a motorcycle, especially a dirt bike with my gear and helmet, at a riding area where there are ‘way more men than women and wonder “just what does she think she’s doing!” Since I’ve never worried much about what people thought when I was younger, it certainly doesn’t bother me now.

My first experience with a motorcycle involved a street bike, a 250 Harley Sprint, and my teacher was another woman, a co-worker of mine, whose husband had taught her to ride. Sharon and I were a lot alike as far as our inclination to step outside the boundaries of what was considered acceptable behavior or pursuits for females so even though women riders were definitely in the minority, learning to ride seemed perfectly natural.

I was in my early 20s when my first “official” ride on a street bike occurred. It was the dead of winter after dark with snow & ice on the ground (the streets were clear) and the temperature was somewhere in the range of 10 degrees above zero. The question of sanity, or lack of it, probably comes to mind! Her husband worked second shift, so he wasn’t able to join us though I’m not sure he would have considering the extreme cold. After putting about 15 miles on the bikes, we headed back to their house to thaw out. (Oh, the joys of being young and foolish!) In spite of the numbing cold, the ride was the starting point of my life-long infatuation with bikes.

I’m a firm believer, thanks to my dad’s influence, that anyone, male or female, is capable of doing anything he or she sets their mind to if they want to do it badly enough. Being raised pretty much as a tomboy obviously helped with my mindset that very little was beyond my reach, but it’s my feeling any woman who thinks she might enjoy learning to ride shouldn’t hesitate to give it a try. That feeling is strengthened even more if a partner (whether boyfriend, husband, or significant other) is encouraging her participation. Even if it isn’t encouraged, she should still give it a try. And if there isn’t anyone in her life, check at a bike shop, find out where to sign up for a riding course, and get a license.

While my first experience with bikes involved street riding, more years back than I care to think about, approximately 12 years ago I got my first taste of off-road riding and loved it. My first dirt bike was a used, cantankerous 200 Yamaha XT that my husband, Bill, worked on and cursed, worked on and cursed, worked on…well, you get the picture. (As a side note, my teacher was Sharon, his late wife, and our mutual interest in bikes was one of the things that ultimately brought he and I together.)

After owning bikes off and on over the years, each one a bit bigger than the last, I now ride an 1100 Honda Gold Wing and a street legal 225 Yamaha TT-R. Bill has a 1500 Honda GL and a street legal 400 Suzuki DRZ. In fact between us we own over a dozen bikes, including 2 spare dirt bikes. We have debated at times which type we’d keep if it came down to choosing between street or off-road. Even though it would be a difficult choice, I believe the dual sports would win out. While we’ve taken several long road trips on the big bikes and have enjoyed the chance to see different country, the smaller bikes have a definite appeal. In spite of the fact the smaller ones are obviously not conducive to spending long hours in the saddle comfortably, their capability in handling just about any type of off-road terrain is indisputable in comparison to the big bikes. Their versatility has afforded us the opportunity to go places and see things open only to those willing to leave the highways and interstates behind and take routes only the more adventurous tackle.

I was introduced to off road riding along a stretch of river between south Wichita and Derby and while there were places along it that seemed pretty challenging to me in the beginner stage, looking back, most of it was pretty mild. Of course, that’s the one thing about off road, or dual sport, riding that’s hard to classify. Easy, moderate, or difficult, just like beauty, is definitely in the eye of the beholder. The more riding done and experience gained has a definite bearing on the appearance of a trail and what would be ranked as easy by experienced riders could seem more than a little intimidating to an inexperienced or novice rider.

We haul our dual sport bikes to places in Kansas (our home state), Colorado, Oklahoma, and Missouri and have encountered a variety of trails. They range from easily negotiable to narrow single track littered with tree roots, rocks of varying sizes, and switchbacks in the case of steep terrain. We ride trails ranging from reasonably flat to several thousand feet high. In places, they’re narrow and challenging, but the feeling of accomplishment after mastering a particularly difficult trail is unbelievable.

Do I need help occasionally when the trail becomes overly rough? Sure, I have my moments when even my resolve isn’t quite strong enough to make it through, but I’ve seen instances where even guys needed help. Have I taken falls? Absolutely (so do guys)! But most of the time the only thing hurt is my pride (MUCH more painful than any injury!). When riding with my husband & son, Steve, do they sometimes pass up really rough looking trails on my account? Yep, but they don’t seem to mind and if we’re going to be in an area for a few days, I occasionally stay in camp and give them the chance to ride without me. While there are a few trails in riding areas we travel to that I very likely won’t ever attempt to ride, I’m satisfied with my ability to tackle the ones I do.

Last year we added another state to our list of riding places as the result of a great dual sport ride known as the “Fall Color Tour.” It’s held during the first weekend of November in Arkansas and the ride organizer is a gentleman by the name of R.L. Lemke. My husband, son, and I signed up for the Tour and welcomed the opportunity to explore new riding ground. Last year’s ride was headquartered out of Clarksville and areas northwest and southeast of town were involved.

There were 2 sections the first day listed as more difficult that were alternative routes for riders who wanted to take on something a bit more challenging. We opted for those sections and didn’t have any trouble with them. As with anything, of course, easy or difficult is judged solely by the individual involved and their level of experience.

The weather was gorgeous, almost too hot to ride comfortably in full gear, but certainly preferable to dealing with cold & wet conditions. We covered approximately 140 miles the first day and were more than ready to get back to the motel. A dinner was being held that evening at Wiederkehr Village several miles south & west of the ride headquarters and we had just enough time to clean up, change clothes, lock up the bikes and head out.

The meal was great and various companies had supplied numerous items for the drawing held afterwards. RL encouraged everyone to participate in Sunday’s ride and promised no one would be disappointed in the route. Since our plans already included staying a couple of extra days after the Tour ended, we definitely planned to ride the second day of the Tour.

That Sunday began very similar to the day before, with the temperature reaching the same range of 70 to 80. Almost too warm, but still preferable to cold & wet. This time, directions sent us south and then east of town, the first few miles involving blacktop, but we soon found ourselves on mostly single-track trails that were everything that had been promised.

The route took us to the highest point in Arkansas, Magazine Mountain, and after taking time to enjoy the view from the overlooks, we were soon on our way back toward Clarksville. We saw some beautiful scenery and had a great time.

By the way, even though I’m in my late 50s, I have every intention of riding as long as I possibly can and my husband, who’s only a couple of years older, feels the same way. One saying I totally agree with is that age is a state of mind. Something I heard a few years ago that I especially like was “We don’t quit doing things because we get old, we get old because we quit doing things!” Since you’re not getting any younger, learn to ride motorcycles and start having some real fun!!