On Becoming A Biker Babe

One day about 10 years ago, my DH announced that he was getting a motorcycle.  Bob rode a lot when he was younger and wanted to get back into it.  So I said "yeah, right, whatever" and he bought a Harley Davidson Sportster.  At that time I didn't care much about motorcycles and was scared to ride. But this bike was cute and he coaxed me onto the back a time or two.  I still didn't care much about motorcycles.

Pretty soon Bob traded in his Sportster for a pretty cool Wide Glide.  He joined the local HOG (Harley Owners' Group) and started riding more.  He coaxed me onto the back a time or two.  I still didn't care much about motorcycles.

On my next birthday, Bob presented me with a very interesting present . . . a pair of leather chaps!  He told me that he'd like me to ride with him more and wanted me to be comfortable when the weather was chilly.  I ask you, how romantic is that??  It meant so much that he wanted to share one of his favorite activities with me, that I decided to hop on the back and get used to it.  It took a while to relax, learn to lean, and keep my eyes open most of the time :)  I bought a leather jacket to match my chaps and we started doing some weekend trips.  By the time we rode the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I was hooked!

We started riding with the Raleigh HOG.  I had such a fabulous time and met so many wonderful people.  Here is a picture someone snapped of us during a group ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway:

Bob's Wide Glide took us a lot of places.  Our longest trip was when we moved Elizabeth to the University of Wyoming for her graduate studies.  We put all of her stuff and the motorcycle in a Uhaul truck and drove from our home in South Carolina.  After getting her unpacked and settled, we turned in the Uhaul and rode the motorcycle back home.

What a fabulous trip. All through Nebraska and Kansas it was hot and dusty. Missouri was a welcome change; I was never so glad to see kudzu!  We took a ferry across the Mississippi and made it home in a leisurely 4 days.

Yes, 4 whole days from Wyoming to South Carolina.  The Wide Glide was the epitomy of a cool Harley, but 300 miles a day was the absolute maximum we could ride and still walk at the end of the day.

Enter the Road King Classic.  A beautiful motorcycle with leather and chrome.   We added a comfortable touring seat and a tour pack on the back.  And now we can really ride!!  Our first long ride was from South Carolina to Oklahoma for a family reunion.  Here we are saying goodbye to our granddaughters before heading home.

What do you think - future biker chicks?  You can't really see the motorcycle in this shot, though, so here's a better one.

Now that we live in Texas, we've joined the local HOG.  This is a great group of people who love riding.  I joined the Ladies of Harley and will post more about my biker babe girlfriends later.  Here's a group on a spring ride to Nacogdoches to see the azaleas. I'm the one with the white banana in the back row and Bob's the one with the red jacket.

Speaking of HOG.  This is what a HOG meeting looks like at Longhorn Harley Davidson in Grand Prairie.

There is a moral to this story.  On group rides, I meet a lot of guys riding solo.  Really neat guys who say that they wish their wife or girlfriend would ride with them.  I say to these women - get on the bike and share this with the man you love.  Feel confident that he'll be careful because he's responsible for the 2 things he loves the most; his motorcycle and you (not necessarily in that order).  There are many wonderful women sharing the journey.  You'll have a great time and make some good friends.  What can be better than that!