Ok folks I bought this beautiful 2013 RTL so my wife and I could go out and see this beautiful country of ours together only to come to the conclusion she will not ride, are there any other folks in this site that have the same issue and how did you handle it.
Thanks in advance
I used the "stealth" method to get Linda interested. I was fresh from a divorce in riding season 2011. The ex was a rider and we put three years of high miles riding on before the split. Yes, she had her own, well decked out $6,000 plus in accessories RS, SE5. She took it with her.
Enter Linda. One of her first comments when we started the relationship. "If you think I am going to ride on that THING, then its a deal breaker." Nice start. :roflblack::roflblack: At the time, I had a 2010 RTS and a Vulcan 900 LT.
I left it at that for the first month or so, during the "getting to know you" period. I made appearances on the Spyder when we met for lunch--since we started meeting in "public" places. It took a couple months, but I finally asked Linda if she would try a two block ride in my neighborhood. I am rural, so no "dangerous" traffic to worry about.
The first ride was done in first gear and no more than 10 mph. I was extra careful at stops and turns. No torque from "g" forces for sure. We started by going around a four block square. We did that about three times. I am close to five miles of twisting road with (15 mph) curves and, once again--pretty much no traffic.
I asked if she would like to "tour" the neighborhood. She said yes. Once again, that first ride was about 10 mph. No speed up, extra easy on the curves (no "g" forces). We did the five miles front to back twice. She got to know the sounds and feel of the bike and realized that it could be good. The third time I did the course at 20 or so. Yes, I made sure the curves were at less than posted so there was no "g" forces. Then the big bravery test.
I asked her if she wanted to go out on the Glenn Hwy--attached to our loop. Two lanes, traffic moving at 65 mph. She said yes. I accelerated carefully up the ramp and made sure I would not get into a pack of traffic. We drove the Glenn for 5 miles at 60. I was extra careful to keep it in "safe" mode. She liked it so much that I had to make the run a couple more times.
That summer (2011), she was my passenger for over 10,000 seat miles. We had some great weekend drives, going all over the area and hitting most of the Roadhouses--for food. The very last month, I asked her if she would like to try driving it. We started back in the neighborhood and then the loop, and then the highway. She put about 50 miles on in the neighborhood and then we tried the highway. I was her passenger--just in case. The first five miles or so were a bit "interesting" but she learned quickly. The 10,000 seat miles did not hurt.
Fast forward to 2012. I figured this would be more fun if us two larger people had our own rides. I bought Linda a brand new 2011 on a Friday. That first weekend we drove 750 miles. Break-in oil change supposed to be at 600 on the 998's. We had to wait an additional week--so I brought it in at 1500 miles or so. Not bad for a little over a week riding for a "newbie."
Yes we are still riding together. She has put 28,000 miles on that 2011 so far. I traded my Vulcan 900 to get her the bike. This year I also bought another Vulcan 900. So for the time being--we have three rides in the garage.
Sorry for the length, but I wanted to give the full story. Hope you folks can re-think the situation a bit. :yes:
