by Liane Laskoske

Created on: October 20, 2007

If you have a mental picture of a bleached-blond, overweight skank in leather sitting with legs akimbo astride a phat Harley, you are watching WAY too many movies. Most biker chicks are not only NOT like that, but they are not biker chicks', either.

I'm a middle-aged grandmother of 2, with graying hair, who works in Civil Service for the state. I sew, I knit, I garden, I play guitar and sing, and I ride a Honda. I love shocking people with that.

I've been riding since about 1995 when my then-husband insisted I do everything he did. I discovered I liked riding. I got my license through the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Course and bought my first bike, a 1980 Honda CM400. Being a street bike, it was a little high for me, as most bikes were, and are, made for men, but I wore my chunky-heeled boots so I'd have more than my toes on the ground at a stop.

A year or two later, I graduated to a 1983 Honda Shadow 750, which is my current ride. It's a cruiser, which means it's a lower-slung bike, so I can put both feet on the ground at a stop. I think that added more confidence to my riding than anything else. I didn't want to fall over at ever stop, and if I can put both feet flat on the ground at a stop, I can also keep the bike from rolling backwards at stop signs on hills.

I love the feeling of freedom I get when I ride. If you've ever sailed downhill on a bicycle with your feet off the pedals, you ALMOST can relate to that. On the bike, I'm defying gravity just staying upright, and the smallest shift of weight, the slightest push on the handlebars will control this 850 lb machine beneath me. It's very empowering. I walk differently when I'm garbed' for riding. People look at me differently when I get off the bike and take off my helmet. Maybe that's my imagination, but women riders are still in the minority and people don't expect that big black bike to be ridden by a grandma.

A picture of a bike like mine is here: http://sacramento.craigslist.org/mcy/453769772.html

And like nearly all riders, I have dropped a bike, and I picked it up myself. It wasn't too hard once I learned the trick of using my hips and legs to do the lifting, rather than trying to muscle it up with my arms.

Currently, my bike is at my son's, waiting for the carbs to be rebuilt. It doesn't look like I'll get to do any more riding this year with winter fast approaching, and it's killing me.
I've already decided to trade the Shadow for a newer, bigger bike in spring. Maybe I'll do it this winter as I'll more than likely get a better deal on a new one.

To any women contemplating riding, I'll tell you what I tell all people who ask me about riding. If you can ride a bicycle, you can ride a motorcycle. Take the safety course provided by your state, and wear a helmet. Happy Riding!

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