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Published in Airlines, WestJet’s
inflight magazine in April, 2002 and the Calgary Herald
on Friday, August
24, 2001.
Four women share their varying experience levels in the
motorcycle world and offer advice to those who want to
start riding. Some have made the leap from the back to
the front seat but many started off with a burning desire
for freedom and to ride on their own.
Article and photos by Dave Lowery
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| Diana Meyenberg has ridden for
13 years and accumulated well over 75,000 km, mostly
on Harley Davidson motorcycles. |
You’ve seen them on city streets, on the highways
and sometimes traveling gravel roads or backcountry mountain
passes. Motorcycles seem to be everywhere and are operated
in all seasons; including winter in our harsh Alberta environment
when enthusiasts simply mark off frozen lake sections to
compete with nail studded tires on their modified motorcycles.
It’s commonly known that the motorcyclists’ average
age is rising due to the baby boomers attraction to the
past time and their disposable income. But perhaps you
didn’t realize that it’s not only the men enthralled
with two wheels. Increasing numbers of women are not satisfied
with sitting on the back of their significant other’s
motorbike and have made the leap from the back to the front
seat.
This is not a recent phenomenon.
Diana Meyenberg, 49, began riding 13 years ago but has
been around bikes since
the age of 14 when she rode on the back of one and became
hooked. Though she’s not sure how many kilometers
in total she has ridden, Meyenberg can track 50,000 km
in the past two years.
“It's been a very important part of my life,” she
says after recently riding to PEI and back. “In my
mid thirties some of my former husband's colleagues were
learning to ride and he asked me if I would think about
it. It was one of those moments when you know someone has
said something really significant that will change your
life. He bought me a little Honda 100 and I learned to
ride on the little machine. In England you have to take
two courses and I took my road test successfully after
riding over a thousand miles. I graduated from my Honda
to a Harley, which was pretty dumb, but the plan was we
had two children and two Harleys so we could go out on
the bikes as a family. And we did.”
Safety is paramount to Meyenberg
and she has observed that Canada is a little too lenient
with motorcycle licensing
and offers comparisons to her native England’s system.
“The absence of a graduated licensing system bothers
me,” she says. “I don't think new riders are
being properly prepared. The fact that you can get on a
bike for the first time on a Saturday morning, perhaps
ride for a week at a course, and then come away with a
license seems too fast. People need the chance to develop
road sense and caution they need to keep them alive.”
Meyenberg offers advice to those who may want to take
up the two-wheeled challenge.
“First you have to want to do it. Never mind other
peoples expectations. If you have any desire — go
for it. I've never found anything that is as rewarding
and gives you that sense of freedom. It may be a perception
but it's an important part of life. I was a stay-at-home
mum and it gave me a lot of psychological freedom to be
able to put on my leathers and go for a ride.”
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| Marilyn Hanner began riding this
year and hopes to ride her motorcycle, a Suzuki Savage
650, for business and shorter tours. |
Marilyn Hanner, 41, began her motorcycle
journey on the back of husband Brad’s bike traveling
to locations in western Canada and the U.S. This year,
Hanner decided
to take a course offered in Calgary by a major motorcycle
dealer and admits the task was larger than she had originally
envisioned.
“The end result of the course was it did give me
the basics,” she says. “I learned how to get
on, shift to first gear and ride a straight line but it
didn't give me the confidence to ride on the street with
traffic or take the test. But as stressful as it was at
first, it confirmed for me that I wanted to ride.”
Hanner originally had her sights set on a new Harley Davidson
but has rethought the wisdom of riding such a large and
heavy machine until she gains some experience.
“I needed to have a second look at what bike I initially
wanted to buy,” Hanner says, “and in the end
it made more sense to buy a smaller bike.”
One of Hanner’s classmates
bought a large bike but admitted difficulties and that
her passion-over-reason
purchase may not have been a prudent decision.
“A friend who took the course went out the first
Monday after getting her license and bought a Harley Sportster
Custom. She went for a ride around the neighborhood and
realized she needed to find a parking lot to get more familiar
with the bike. She also realized that just because she
took the course didn’t mean she could hop on any
bike and ride.”
Despite Hanner’s smaller
motorbike and her cautious nature, she had a minor fender
bender shortly after buying
her Suzuki Savage and claims the incident will ultimately
help her.
“The course I took emphasized never assume you have
the right of way. I kissed another vehicle but $850 dollars
later and a few bruises . . . I'm riding again,” she
says sheepishly. “But it was a very positive experience.
When I hit that vehicle I stopped dead and the bike fell
on top of me. The guy in the vehicle was freaked out but
I was laughing because it was just stupid. My first thought
was ‘damn, I can't get back on and ride because it’s
too damaged.’ But the experience again confirmed
how much I wanted to ride and in the end it could turn
out to be a life saving experience. As a result, my awareness
factor is huge.”
Hanner hasn’t let her minor
accident dissuade her from riding but has altered her
riding aspirations slightly.
“I want to have my license by the end of the summer,” she
says. “One of my goals was to have that sense of
freedom and use the bike for business but I may always
hop on the back of Brad's bike for longer trips. I can
hardly wait to hit the highway.”
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| Gail Gerber, seen on her newly
purchased KTM dual purpose motorcycle, prefers offroad
riding but has extensive experience with street motorcycles. |
Gail Gerber, 40, began riding 10 years ago and prefers
a slightly different surface to ride. She estimates she
has accumulated about 50,000 km and recently bought a KTM
640 Adventura for her backroad journeys.
“ I used to ride bikes when I was a kid and owned
quite a few sport bikes over the years,” Gerber says. “But
back road riding is my true love. You see and experience
so much more when riding and you don’t get the same
feelings of the smell and scenery from a car. My dual purpose
bikes are very quiet so I can approach wildlife, turn off
the engine and just watch them.”
Gerber says she has experienced nothing but positive reactions
in the motorcycle world and says all motorcyclists tend
to look out for one another.
“I think women get more attention. And if you’re
single, this is the way to meet guys,” she says chuckling. “The
salespeople at the dealerships are more than helpful.
They want to be sure you have all
the proper gear and they stress being safe.”
Paul Gardam, the Calgary Safety Council chief instructor,
says women tend to drive safer anyways. Gardam has been
teaching the course for 15 years and as chief instructor
for the last nine. In 1996, 166 women took the Gearing
Up course or 30.6% of the 542 students that year. In 2000,
however, 361 women passed through the course, a staggering
217% increase and a rise to 36.6% of the total student
enrollment.
“About a third of the students per year are female,” Gardam
says. “The women are a little more tentative, a little
more cautious and perhaps a better student because they
listen.” Gardam says four female instructors out
of 16 are currently teaching for the Calgary Safety Council’s
Gearing Up course.
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| Yvonne Harris, seen with riding
partner and husband Brent, embraced motorbike riding
as a way to escape business pressures and share an
activity with her husband in the mountains. Brent and
Yvonne ride Kawasaki KLR 650s. |
Yvonne Harris, 39, took her motorcycle
course from “A” driving
school in Calgary and thoroughly enjoyed the instruction.
She passed her examination the first time though she realizes
she simply was given a license to learn.
“The course was awesome, though at six hours a day
for three days pretty intense,” she says. “I
didn't feel I was too deserving of my license and I used
all 12 of the chances you get to do eight exercises . .
. but I got it! There are lots of things to be aware of.
The more you drive the more you realize there's a lot to
learn and I still find the slow stuff hard.”
Harris says motorcycling forces her to take a break from
her job managing vacation properties in the Columbia valley
and has provided her with another activity to share with
her husband Brent. Though she also professes to be on a
learning curve.
“I like to spend time in the mountains and wanted
something more to do up there,” she says. “It's
something really fun and freeing, something that Brent
and I can do together. Once you lose the fear the hills
aren’t quite as tall, the bridges aren’t as
narrow and the corners aren't as sharp. For somebody who
wants to give it the time . . . it is an enjoyable experience.”
Safety
- You don't have a reverse gear so I'm always cautious
about parking and always making sure that I can drive
out because
if you've got a slight slope against you . . . you're
totally stuck! Diana Meyenberg
- Research all of the training courses offered. Marilyn
Hanner
- Ask about teaching methods. The issue for me
was that the teaching methods used in the course I
took were
not compatible
for my learning. It's important that an instructor
remembers what it was like to be a new rider. Marilyn
Hanner
- Ask about the size, brand, and why they use that
kind of bike. Marilyn Hanner
- Ask to see the area where you will be learning.
The course I took seemed to be a very small compound.
At one point
we had 13 bikes in a small area which I found very
intimidating. Marilyn Hanner
- Talk to a lot of people about the different courses.
Marilyn Hanner
- Buy your motorcycle after you have taken the course
so you'll know a little bit more. And don't be
too much in
a rush. My Kawasaki KLR 650 is still a little bit
big for me but fortunately we have a smaller bike
that I can use
on the tougher back roads. Yvonne Harris
- Take it easy. Yvonne Harris
- Just do it. And don’t wait too long. I would have
done it a lot sooner had I realized it was so much fun.
And go with someone who’s knowledgeable.
Gail Gerber
- Don’t use all the power
your motorcycle has. Just go with what you're comfortable
with. Yvonne Harris
Favorite ride
- The one that sticks out in my mind is just outside
Gatlingburg Tennessee, where in eleven miles one does
319 bends around
wooded hillsides. The camber is just right and it is
exhilarating, but by the end you do not want to do one
more bend! Diana
Meyenberg
- My favorite back trail road
is Radium to Settler’s
cabin and down to White Swan Provincial Park. For
pavement — Going-to-the-Sun
highway in Montana and Laussier hot springs to Top-of-the-World
in British Columbia. Gail Gerber
Author note.
Dave Lowery
has been riding for 30 years and has accumulated over
250,000 km on various
motorcycle brands and sizes.
He taught motorcycle safety in the mid ‘80’s
and continues to tour regularly.
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