so...is your S.O. supportive???

[Sunnybear]

well..mine is not...in act she hates my 84 R100RT

here's the story...my parents are on their 14th or 15th beemer...had a bunch of /5 and /6...a couple K bikes when they came out...they even had one of the Legend bikes for a while and my mom and dad both rode Daytona on it!...now my dad just bought a G650GS ...he's 74 I think...

so anyway I grew up with bikes but have not had one in about 20 odd years...

so every bike my parents got they would say "this is part of your inheritance"..and I would give them crap for selling it then..especially thee Legend bike..that was sweet!!!

so last spring unbeknownst to me my dad buys the above airhead and doesn't tell me that he is holding it for me...well I went home last December and they sprung the news that they were giving it to me...

so I am like in 7th heaven only to find out that my wife is s killjoy on the matter...

her issues are the danger factor...but more than that is that my younger son is 15 and naturally now he wants a bike....and we live in suburbia hell, so, double standard that it is, even I do not want him to have a bike to learn on here...

...but...when he DOES get old enough to make his own decisions and purchases and IF he does get a bike and IF God help me something ever happen who's fault would it be? Yep...mine and my parents for encouraging the "want" factor...

and I sorta understand that too...

but this has caused no end of grief to the point where I am ready to load it on a trailer and take it back to the parents..

so does anyone else have an extremely non supportive spouse? I mean to the point of not even speaking to you???

some of you guys may say "grow yourself a set", but I gotta tell ya, for all this crap, she can have 'em!!!

:dunno

[PAGoldsby]

Try to get your wife to take the MSF Basic Rider Course. Until she can ride, she won't "get it".

Good luck, man. That's a tough situation.

ETA:
I guess I didn't answer your original question. I didn't have a motorcycle when I was married to my first ex-wife, but I did ride other people's motorcycles a bit. In fact, I was thinking about buying her brother-in-law's '76 Triumph Bonneville for a while, and she thought it would be alright. We split up before I could get to the Bonnie, though.

My second ex-wife more-or-less tolerated my motorcycle habit, but only ever rode on the back of my Ducati once. It just wasn't her thing, but she let me have my fun.

The Fabled Girlfriend™, though, is really into it. She loves riding with me, and is a great passenger. When I get my airhead back running, I'm going to teach her to ride, then try to get her in the MSF BRC so that she can get her own license. She usually reads my copy of ON before I do!

[SIBUD]

42 years ago, this coming August, my wife, in spite of knowing better, married me.

I bought my first MC a few months later. I bought another one after getting out of the Army in 71. Then I realized that with 3 small children, I didn't want to ride enough to take the risks.

Fast forward lots of years. Now the kids are grown and self supporting, wife and I are retired and I decide to become a re-entry rider.

Is she supportive? No. But like deer hunting, we just agree to disagree.

I have bought the life insurance. Ride ATGATT. Try to manage risks and still........

I know it is inherently more risky than driving.

So while not supportive, she is not actively lobbying for me to stop. (She plans to marry for money the next time, not for looks like when she married me. :laugh )

For some folks it seems like marriage is easy. For us it has been hard work which has made me a much better person that I would have been otherwise. Don't let her know but I got the best end of the deal.

I doubt that anything said by anyone here will change her mind. But, good luck.

[Paul_F]

so I am like in 7th heaven only to find out that my wife is s killjoy on the matter...

but this has caused no end of grief to the point where I am ready to load it on a trailer and take it back to the parents..

so does anyone else have an extremely non supportive spouse? I mean to the point of not even speaking to you???

some of you guys may say "grow yourself a set", but I gotta tell ya, for all this crap, she can have 'em!!!:dunno

Sorry but I'm not in the same boat. My wife and I did tour Europe for 3 months in '71 on two small bikes. That's when I first saw beemers and said I'd get one one day. But since she worked as a hospital RN and I had worked a year in the OR, we both gave up riding when we returned since we had seen first hand what damage bodies can sustain.

Fast forward to 2004 when I came home one day and told her I sat on a used beemer at a shop in the middle of nowhere. Her reaction was "Longevity runs on your side of the family. When you're 90 on your deathbed, your last words will be "I never got my beemer." Go get one now."

She doesn't like the thought of riding and the danger involved but has no problems with my taking off for weeks at a time. Actually, I bought an Scala intercom system this afternoon because she says that she'll ride pillion to the east coast this summer. On her only ride last summer she told the kids that it was boring because we couldn't talk.

[BubbaZanetti]

Try to get your wife to take the MSF Basic Rider Course. Until she can ride, she won't "get it".



i'm not sure i'd say that's the case all the time. my girlfriend likes being a passenger, likes going to rallies, enjoys the whole experience, but isn't interested in riding. as a msf instructor, i've given her a lesson or two and she did fine, was riding within a half hour with no trouble at all, but it just didn't really do anything for her. i'd like to get her a bike but she says she's just not that interested. i think she'd only be psyched if i bought her a norton commando or an old triumph or maybe a /5 or something, but that's about it.

[Rpbump]

Like SIBUD I've been married for 42 years. My wife has never liked motorcycles but has indulged my passion for riding. In the last 2 years 2 bikes have been ridden about 20K miles and I hope to equal that figure this year. The concerns of the SO about safety are easy to understand so ATGATT and a MSF refresher course has helped to somewhat ease her worries. Prior to 2007 most of my riding was from 1968 to 1977 (Honda 305 Dream and BSA 441 Shooting Star). I got back into riding in 2007with a 2001 Sportster and then in Jan 2008 purchased a 2004 CLC. I have always entertained the thought of riding around the USA on a motorcycle and plan on fulfilling that dream when I retire in 2 years. My wife does not drive nor will she ride on a motorcycle but she supports my desire to ride and that makes me a very lucky husband. We are not getting any younger so trips, cruises, making dreams come true, and enjoying life is something that we plan together. Find out something that your SO has always wanted to do and help her to achieve that dream, hopefully she will return the favor. Life has to lived to be enjoyed. Ride Safe :usa

[Voni]

My guy is still out in the shop fixing my K75 - fixing a leak and then making sure each and every part is in top condition.

Before that he replaced a clutch for my friend, Ardys.

I think I'll keep him.

Voni
sMiling

[cathdeac]

Yeah...
She tells me.."isn't it time for you to take a ride?"

[TravelingPenguins]

Take out a huge life insurance policy on yourself, with her as the beneficiary, and see if her attitude changes :whistle

We're lucky, we ride together every chance we get.

[bmdubyou]

i'm not sure i'd say that's the case all the time. my girlfriend likes being a passenger, likes going to rallies, enjoys the whole experience, but isn't interested in riding. as a msf instructor, i've given her a lesson or two and she did fine, was riding within a half hour with no trouble at all, but it just didn't really do anything for her. i'd like to get her a bike but she says she's just not that interested. i think she'd only be psyched if i bought her a norton commando or an old triumph or maybe a /5 or something, but that's about it.

Well, perhaps if you rode something besides a Kawasaki Eliminator 125 she might enjoy it!!:bolt

[108625]

Well, perhaps if you rode something besides a Kawasaki Eliminator 125 she might enjoy it!!:bolt

Man, you get a lot of people with that joke, Bubba!

My wife rode her own before we met; no problem at all:thumb

[john1691]

I had a bike when we met, and kept it until we found out we were pregnant with #1 son. I was working construction, at the bottom of the ladder and needed money for the baby so sold the bike. She never rode with me, it was just something I did. It took 13 years, and most of my sanity until I got another bike. Our marriage had some trouble related to the lack of a bike, and once she realized just how important it was, she agreed we could give it a try. By then the kids were older, we had better insurance, and she trusted me to still be that dad I needed to be for the kids. She still doesn't ride with me often (has some physical issues) but has been much more supportive as I have also taken the Advanced Rider course, and wear ATGATT. My mariage is more important to me than riding, but since she loves me, she wants me to be happy, too, and riding makes me a better person to be around! We will be going to National this year, her in the car with some other "girls", me on the bike with the "guys". The girls will trade off and ride pillion for whatever miles they want, and we will tour around while there on the cycle.

My oldest son bought a bike at age 16 (he's now 19), my 16 year old daughter has no interest, but the 14 year old son can't wait to get his permit in 1 1/2 years so he can ride. I figure it is better to have them learn while at home, so I can force them to take the basic rider course, and ride with them to stress good riding habits, rather than have them buy a bike as soon as they move out, with no training and no adults to mentor them.

Good luck!

[BubbaZanetti]

Man, you get a lot of people with that joke, Bubba!

unfortunately, that's not a joke at this moment,


that will change come saturday. :thumb

[henzilla]

Sorry for your woes...My S.O. (married since Saturday) was riding before I met her... had an accident on her Springer HD,getting run into from behind by another rrider and got on a Beemer soon after thanks to her Bro in law,Chuck. She definitely knows the dangers and the joys of riding. I met her when she had both and bought the Beemer because of her.

Hope yours understands the "life is too short" aspect and the "I wish I would have's" that will always be there. My son rides and my daughter,son-in-law and my oldest sister are taking the MSF course this spring so we can share a ride together in the future. Yes, I worry about all of us, but as said...Life's too short and there is danger everywhere. Your son will/will not make his own choices that are truly not always a result of your or your parents influences, so I hope you never have to question the results of any choice he makes since he will make them as an adult as you say.

Hopefully some long talks and some compromises can be reached so she and you can both be happy or at least understanding...Good luck!

[KGT1200]

unfortunately, that's not a joke at this moment,


that will change come saturday. :thumb

Quit teasing Derek , watcha gettin?:p

[mtfrench]

My wife is amazing when it comes to tolerating my passions in life. She expresses no concern about my riding and joins my occasionally for "pleasant weather" 2-up riding. In fact, I am the one who is always nagging her to replace her designer shoes for sturdy boots when riding, put on proper gear even though it is dreadfully hot, etc. Her only complaint is that, after mostly riding the GSA, she feels that the R12R is too "small.":blah

Back to your question, I'm sorry to say that most of us get more stubborn and set in our ways as we age. Is there anything that she really likes to do that you do not approve of? If so, this might be a good starting point to loosen up and see where it takes you. In the end, she needs to come to this decision on her own (or not) without feeling pressured from you or others. Good luck as I can feel your pain.:fight

[AKBeemer]

My guy is still out in the shop fixing my K75 - fixing a leak and then making sure each and every part is in top condition.

Before that he replaced a clutch for my friend, Ardys.

I think I'll keep him.

Voni
sMiling

Voni, If/when you decide you've had enough, then I'll marry him.

[AKBeemer]

Before the birth of our daughter Annie regularly rode as a passenger. After she was born Annie would not ride at all. Now that our daughter is an adult Annie has her own bike and loves to ride.

You may win the battle with your wife about riding but may lose the war if something happens to you or your son.

[BubbaZanetti]

Quit teasing Derek , watcha gettin?:p

not saying till the deal is sealed. :whistle

[BONEY]

BoneyWife rides pillion on occasion. Had her own for a while and decided that it wasn't for her. No big deal.

She understands my passion and has no problems with me heading out for a ride or two a month, and a couple of extended trips each year. I give her a courtesy call in the mornings when I've made it to work so she won't worry about the traffic reports (listens to talk radio ya'know) when they say there's a bike down. Also, I got a Spot last year which really made the solo trips into the "nowheres" on my DS bike a piece of cake. Push the button at the end of the day, BoneyWife is happy.

[Andy VH]

Well, my SO is either my bikes or my cats.

The cats only care so much that I'll come back and feed them, clean the litter box, scratch them behind their ears. Provide them a warm body on the bed at night.

My bikes could care less, I could ride any one of them, anytime.

My 1st wife supported my passion, bless her, and she still is a dear friend.

My 2nd wife seemed to love the bike and riding when we dated. As soon as we married that all changed. So now after five years I'm back to just me, the bikes and the cats.

I ride a LOT more now, and feel better for it.

[Sunnybear]

Thanks for all these well thought out and explained replies. I have no interest in "winning" for the sake of winning, well maybe just a little, but I was curious to know how other folks handle a situation similar to my own.

As to my wife's interests...well she has everything she wants , except maybe for a new bathtub and a sunroom on the house, but really if those things were important, she would have them. We do not lack for anything, although we live within our means. We have no debt other than our mortgage, I have life insurance (worth more dead than alive). This bike is not a financial burden, so that is not the issue.

I try and teach my son to make his own decisions and live with the consequences. Of course I want to protect my children but at some point they will leave the nest with the knowledge they have...no matter where that came from...and live their own lives.

My parents are in their mid 70's...they rv all over the place...still have their own videography business (Voni will love hearing that they just got back from Big Bend in Texas where they spent 3 1/2 weeks...they took us there when we were kids on the back of an R75/6...). They live life and enjoy life, not shuttered up afraid of life and all the trappings and that is what I want my kids to do...but of I want them to approach life with both abandonment , trepidation, and respect. I see so many people who do not get to live out their dreams, or worse yet, do not have any dreams. Dreaming is what makes life interesting and fulfilling those dreams makes life more fun.

I still just don't know what to do.

[SheRidesABeemer]

I got my endorsement 10 years ago, my now ex husband said no wife of his was going to ride...he was right. :whistle I rode away 6 months later.

[SugarHillCTD]

I was already riding when I met my (then to be future) wife back in the 70's.

She likes to be a passenger but has absolutely NO desire to ride her own bike.

And she has tolerated this (that is her with our 2 children) so I guess I am lucky:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3545/3393405222_aaa6c486bc.jpg

[Rod Sheridan]

26 years ago I bought Diann a motorcyle and a rider course, converting her from passenger to rider.

As the years went by, we had kids, I thought about quitting riding, she talked me out of it.

When our oldest daughter was old enough to ride, I bought her a bike and a rider course, as I didn't want her driving a car with a bunch of her friends in it.

I believe that riding makes you a better driver, although both of us took a lot of flak from well meaning people who exclaimed that we were nuts, or worse.

Having been a riding instructor, yes riding is more dangerous than driving in a car, statistically speaking. That however doesn't say much about how safe you personally will be.

Yes, if something were to happen to your child, there would be recriminations, however as someone else posted, what if you lived to old age and never rode. What would you miss in life?

Life is always uncertain, take care to minimize risks, through training, clothing, sobriety etc, yet make sure you enjoy the things that are important to you.

Regards, Rod.

[crazydrummerdude]

I said it best in a different thread..

[FatChance]

After a season of riding on the back of my bike about 15 years ago, FatWife wanted her own set of handlebars. So, she bought a 883 Sportster and we rode over much of the west. Then, she moved up to a FatBoy and put a lot of miles on it. When I got my '00 1150GS about 5 years ago, she got a F650GS after I convinced her that would be a great bike to learn more advanced riding skills than she had yet attained. Then when I got a DR650 dual sport to go offroad in Moab, she got one too and rides with me there whenever we have a spare weekend. Then last year, she upgraded from the F650GS to a '02 1150GS and currently has that and her DR650 in the garage to match my GS and DR. We're planning a two week ride up to Idaho and Montana in July.

Supportive? :nod My wife is my favorite and best riding companion I've ever had. We know how each other rides, ride at the same pace, like to go the same distance before stopping at the end of the day and have our hand signals down to the point we are not considering bike-to-bike communications. We ride together in every sense.

Here she is up on Molas Pass a couple years ago (this picture made the cover of the Aerostich catalog):

http://fatchance.smugmug.com/photos/79337291_m3fVh-M.jpg

[AKBeemer]

Amazing that you are still able to stand upright after using the term FatWife.

[Newstar]

We have friends who ride and they just allowed (and encouraged) their son to take the beginner riders course. We all agreed that if he wants to learn, it's better to do so in a controlled environment rather than learning from a friend of a friend, possibly behind a parent's back. Keep in mind that we live smack in the middle of Philadelphia and DC just off I-95. There are NO uncongested roads within 10 miles of here and everyone pretty much drives like they have sole right of way.

Not having kids, it's easy for me to play arm-chair parent but in this instance, after thinking about it, I feel our friends are going about this the right way. They've put restrictions on when and where he can ride (only with them until they say otherwise) and he is learning about safety from the get-go.

If this is your wife's big hang up, maybe she will agree to take the class with him when and if the time comes. Afterall, if you wear your gear, THINK, and look out for yourself, you are ahead of the pack in my opinion. Anything can happen whether you are on a bike, driving a car, or riding on a bus. All we can do is try ti minimize the risk but not at the expense of doing something you love.

[88bmwJeff]

It was my father-in-law that got me back into riding a few years ago (in fact, he could end up reading this). The wife doesn't feel that she can complain much given that it was her dad that got me riding. Fast forward a few years--she informed me that she was pregnant with our son. She's less thrilled about me riding, but still allows me to get out about once a month. Our son is a little over a year old, and it will be a few years before I can get on the bike with more frequency.

[Sunnybear]

ok...

Gail...thanks for responding..what are you doing for dinner?


hahaha

seriously, I looked at your blog and I love the way you say that you are traveling through life with your daughter and that is how I feel about life with my son...we do a ton of stuff together already and I feel like he is my best friend...of course if the time ever came that he would get a bike I would insist on the proper clothing, safety courses and all first...

so having said that, Gail, when your daughter gets to the age, and it looks like this will be soon, of wanting to get her drivers license, how do you feel about her getting a bike? and furthermore, if something ever happened, would you hold yourself somewhat responsible for encouraging her to want a bike through all your adventures together?

[Holly]

I am an airforce brat. Occasionally someone augered in. We all mourned, but the crews all flew the next day. When someone is killed in a car crash everyone drives to the funeral. When a passenger plane goes down or someone is killed in a motorcycle crash those same people complain about how dangerous it is and how they will never again fly in a plane and will never ride a motorcycle.

People are often irrational and respond to their emotions rather than thinking. Your wife is concerned about the safety of people she loves. All you can do is calmly try to address her fears and hope she eventually sees the rational side of things.

Good luck.

Holly

[jgr451]

You better let me have your 84 R100 RT,I traded mine for my K1200GT and still miss her.
I am an attorney who does family law, and I am sure you have heard(and it is true),cheaper to keep her.But peace at any price?
You only live once.
My sweetheart does not ride,doesn't like it when it leans over,but she is not my insurance beneficiary,and she does not begrudge me riding at all.
12 years.
She doesn't fix my bike,but I'll prolly keep her!

[jgr451]

not saying till the deal is sealed. :whistle
:dance
Probably ,married!!

[kbasa]

I'm lucky. The first time MrsK saw me, I was 20 and riding an R75/7. She pretty much knew what the deal was.

She enjoys riding two up with me enough that she's happy to help me ride like a complete hooligan on the local roads. We treat it like ballroom dancing - moving together, quickly and in complete synch, each knowing what the other's doing with complete trust. It's quite exhilirating and has served as one of the centers of our marriage - 25 years this year.

Back to the OP, maybe you should consider riding dirt bikes with your son? It'll give him excellent skills when he starts to ride and will allow you both to have something to do together that's cool for both of you.

[bobh41]

I feel I must be the GRINCH here:

Everybody with good sense fears the danger inherent in motorcycling. But if your SO responds by not speaking to you the first order of business is not motorcycle riding - but relationship. Fix that before you both together go about addressing the motorcycle issue.

[Andy VH]

bobh41, you are SO exactly right on that. It is a LOT more than riding a motorcycle.

Sheridesabeemer,....more power to you!! I have been teaching the MSF program for over 16 years and I always enjoy my female students who come in with that same attitude. One even wore a t-shirt that said "I'm the bitch and this is my OWN bike!"

To all the other's whose SO rides with them on his/her own bike, you are very lucky to have found someone that special. Ride on and enjoy!

I ride on.......hopefull to have someone like that to share my riding with.

[pffog]

O.K. to answer the original question I will give you the same advice I gave a young rider who's parents were dead set against him riding.

Sit down and COMMUNICATE, RE-explain that you grew up with bikes and that this is something that you really want to do. Explain the steps you will take to make sure you are safe, training, no drinking, minimal evening/night riding, proper gear ALL the time, proper maintainence. Use you parents and other mature riders you know as examples of longevity when riding safe. Get a big insurance policy. If she knows this is important to you, you should be able to sway her. Now if she is a worry wart every time you ride, get one of the SPOT GPS trackers and she can check your position via computer and know you are safe.

Luckily my wife has been more than supportive, rides her own bike and never hesitated when all 3 of our sons learned to ride, as long as they practiced safe riding rules.

Good luck, life is short, enjoy it.

[Montana]

My spouse doesn't ride but I do from before we met; I was commuting to work and riding to hang out with him at his work in Glacier National Park (yeah, it was ugly there...). Whenever I leave he knows it's possible something may happen (and has, and that was a tough phone call for me to make) but, like Holly points out, what's motorcycling got to do with it? Really, it's just transportation. There are a lot of fears and baggage associated with the term "rides a motorcycle" that we all need to let go of.

[Braddog]

I had a motorcycle and rode when we met. I sold it right after we were first married because we lived in an apartment in the city, and it just wasn't practical to own a motorcycle at that time. It was 19 years before I owned another motorcycle.

My wife of almost 30 years doesn't like to ride on the back. She doesn't really like the fact that I ride in rush hour traffic. She gets to see the significant scars on my left leg that were a result of a nasty accident that I had at 16. She isn't really much of a motorcycle fan at all.

She has taken and passed the MSF course. She has a full motorcycle endorsement that is required for her to ride her 125 Vino. She loves to scoot around the neighborhood, but that's it.

She worries about our youngest daughter (who she took the MSF course with) because she sees the same gleam in her eyes that she does in mine. My youngest daughter rides a 600 Bandit...very well.

I would say that my wife tolerates my motorcycle ownership, and supports it from a financial aspect. But it's obvious to me that she'll never have my passion. Too bad, really, but sometimes you have fundamental differences with your spouse that you can live with happily, and this just happens to be one of them.

[535is]

My wife of 33+ years is fine with it. Even rode a little herself. My S.O., not so much ... :bolt

[chilibowlfan]

I've got to my 2 cents in.
I didn't start riding until my early thirties. That's another whole story.
Being in my upper sixties (the ugly one in the picture to the left:gerg ), last year it became painful to ride long distances. Then a good friend was severly injured when an 80 yr. old turned left in front of him. I thought I'd cut back on motorcycling so I sold "YellowBike" (in the picture to the left). That left me with an R65 for an ocasional scoot. Last summer wife of 47 yrs. :heart (in picture to left - the short pretty one) was out in the garage looking at the R65. She said, "this bike doesn't look very comfortable for both of us to ride". I agreed. She added, "I think you need to take Tylinol AP and buy a bike we can both travel on"! I did.
Luckiest guy around!:dance
As a post script: Pat loves the National Rallies. Look for us Thursday AM at registration. We'll be voluntering there.
Mike

[Oznay]

Amazing that you are still able to stand upright after using the term FatWife.

Reminds me of a decal I have on my Bumblebeemer.." A woman with a BIG FAT ASS,should dump him":laugh

[PAULBACH]

I'm reminded of Jimmie Rodgers

Jimmie Rodgers - 1958

Never in a hundred, never in a thousand,
Never in a million years,
Never in a million years

[BexBmr]

My guy is still out in the shop fixing my K75 - fixing a leak and then making sure each and every part is in top condition.

Before that he replaced a clutch for my friend, Ardys.

I think I'll keep him.

Voni
sMiling

Same here...my guy did the laundry yesterday and sent me out for a ride. I couldn't ask for more! :heart :love

[KGT1200]

Since I have permission to ditch out on Easter at the Mother-in-laws house for dinner, instead I'm going to Roys little get together. So to make amends to the SO, I'm spending Friday cleaning up the house to gain favorable approval to go off riding this weekend. She's basically afraid of the Beemer, and will only ride the little KLX 110 on her own, won't touch the bigger 250 dirt bike cause of the clutch I think...

I do take my SO for rides here and there, and have a plan to make it happen more and more...

She supports my riding 100%, because of the smile and glint in the eye riding the bike does for me! It's an activity that I do almost daily with my son, having fun in the dirt, and later when he's older, we have BIG plans for road camping trips. Things you do with your kids are important, and she is my #1 supporter of my passion to ride.

Somebody once said life is more fun being shot out of a cannon versus squeezed out of a tube, )(HS Thompson? )and the smile on my face when I get to ride is all my SO needs to see to back me in this crazy adventure on two wheels.

She is getting her own really nice ATGATT, not my hand me downs as it is currently. (they don't fit anyway)! Then I have got her talked in to going to Hiawatha Rally for the day, since we can drive home in the evening. If she ever sees the great bunch of goobers you all are, she will want to become one with the borg!

[stkmkt1]

My wife not only supports my riding, she is going to join in the fun. I bought her a new bike, she has already passed the written portion of the driver's test, and in June is taking the MSF Course. End of April she is getting her ATGATT

[alkoivisto]

I am fortunate that my wife was riding her own motorcycle, a '68 Yamaha AT-1 Enduro when we met 30+ years ago. I had a Honda XL250 and a CR250 amongst other bikes so a perfect match was created. Marriage ensued. Got away from riding while raising children. I returned to riding about five years ago. She re-aquainted herself with street riding on friend's R60/5 about a year later. Completed beginner's and experienced rider's MSF course to get M/C endorsement she'd let lapse. She now owns a Kawasaki which she rides to and from work and seriously jumped into touring head first in '07 with a nearly 5000 mile trip which included West Bend rally and Norton owner's rally in southern Utah. I suggested over the winter that since we're both close to 60, we should consider a larger bike than my R100RT so we could ride two-up. Response was "NO WAY"! She rides about 6-7000 miles a year, taking a MSF course yearly as a refresher. Our son now owns that R60 and our daughter's USMC Vet fiancee rides a nicely tidied-up barn find Yamaha XS Eleven looking to be replaced with a BMW when he gets his B.S. and real work in a couple years.

BTW, My wife planned last year's two week trip involving riding from N.E. Minnesota to camping/riding Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula and riding down one side of Mississippi River and return home the other side. She spent many a cold winter evening looking at maps and the internet searching destinations for this year. First trip this year will be Hiawatha Rally where I'm hoping I'll be able to get her to demo ride a F800.

[PGlaves]

Is my S.O. (wife of 43 years in my case) supportive of my motorcycling?

Of course - I'm married to Voni!

[wezul]

Is my S.O. (wife of 43 years in my case) supportive of my motorcycling?

Of course - I'm married to Voni!

Dr. Obvious is in the house!!!

Like we didn't know that, Paul :stick

[coon]

Ten years ago I was at a local BMW Club breakfast on a Sunday morning.
This lady comes in a little late (should of told me something about the future) and ask “Who has the Red-S airhead in the parking lot”, 78 to be exact.
I still have the 78 and a 99-S, she was on a 76 R-65 at the time and now rides a 97-RS.
Couldn’t be happier.

[Bob_M]

My SO is not supportive. She was; we went on some long and wonderful trips. About 5 years ago she flew down to LA and I rode my R100 down to meet her. We took 7 days riding back up the coast. We stayed in really fine hotels in the best spots along the coast.

We toured the Olympic peninsula, went to the National Rally in Redmond and lots of other long or fine rides. Nothing ever happened to turn her against riding. No falls or close calls spooked her, but now she won’t ride pillion, and she has no interest in getting her own bike. For a while she was even snarky when I talked about motorcycles or gushed enthusiastically about a ride. We had a talk about that and now she is detached and neutral about my riding. I am OK with that just being “Bob time” but when I think back to our ride along the top of a coastal bluff just north of Santa Cruz when a squadron of pelicans soared next to us at eye level and in V formation, and she squeezed me to exclaim our shared experience… I miss having her to share that stuff with.

[Sunnybear]

...well Bob, I guess as the saying goes...better to have and to have lost than never to have at all...

I am envious for myself, but at the same time happy that you guys have, if not total support, at least recognition...

[ridenrd]

I am fortunate enough to have a wife who not only supports my riding but rides her own 2007 F650GS. We have logged many miles together, both two up on our 2004 R1150RT and each on our individual bikes. When we first met she rode a Suzuki 500 Titan and I rode a 1984 R80RT. Prior to that she rode a Hodaka Road Toad. We look forward to many more miles on two wheels!

[bubbagazoo]

I was riding when I met my ex-wife (mother of my children). She really didn't care one way or the other. She just knew that riding a motorcycle was part of me. Kids came along and bike went away for economic reasons (hey kids and bikes are expensive and I cannot sell the kids ;) ).

After one divorce, raising two girls, a second wife (the current DSW) and 20 years, I was given permission by my DSW, CFO and "she who must be obeyed" to get a motorcycle. I just had to save my pennies. Got a 2000 R1100RT in 2006. Put 12,000 km on it. Saw a different bike that I like better and got permission to trade it in so long as it did not put us further in debt. So, in April 2007, I traded the RT for my R1200CL. Mary Ann likes it better than the RT. We rode together a bit that summer. She did not do any riding with me last year. This year, we have plans to do our first extended trip in August. Is she supportive? I guess. Like my first wife, Mary Ann understands that motorcycling is part of who I am. She gave the economic approval partly because she wanted me to get as much enjoyment as possible while I am still relatively young (I turn 50 this year). She also has figured out that when I cannot lift my leg over the seat, I'm getting a big scooter. And my riding benefits her in another way. She just got her driver license last year and now, when I'm riding, she has the Jeep.

[xp8103]

YES!!!! :thumb

And the support is mutual!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/P3150030.jpg