On The Mark

Her presence was a surprise. I was supposed to go on a road ride with Dangerous Dan and his brother Stu, but they were uncharacteristically late and I was uncharacteristically ready. DD and Stu arrived astride a couple new Royal Enfields and DD informed me that we’d have additional company in the form of a new rider he encountered, the reason for their tardiness. She was coming separately.

No sooner had he told me that, she arrived. A young woman in her 20’s hesitantly came up my sloped driveway on a Kawasaki Ninja 636 and stopped carefully. She was clad in a proper helmet, gloves, jacket, and decent boots, but her stylish pink camo jeans, while highly visible, weren’t going to be much protection. I told myself, I’ll take “mostly ATGATT” (All The Gear, All The Time) over “none.” It wasn’t time for pontification.

However, being the old, gray sage that I am, the sight of a brand new rider on a four-cylinder sportbike making 118 HP and capable of 160 MPH made me more concerned than her choice of apparel. I told the other lads to lead and that I’d ride sweep, putting her in front of me and in the midst of our pack. I climbed on my trusty V-Strom 650 and off we went to explore some back roads.

DD and Stu are excellent riders and showed the restraint I expected for the situation. Their Enfields set a sedate pace and I noticed that the young lady was being careful with the Ninja at stop signs.  She would lag a bit after stops, but the Ninja had no trouble making up the small amount of ground she lost and she didn’t overdo it. In short, she was riding her own ride, a wise and mature decision, especially considering the potential of her machine and the depth of her experience. I did note a “pitch bobbing” of her bike characteristic of less-than-smooth shifts, again not a surprise.

Through some gentle, sweeping turns along our route, she “fifty-penced” them a little, making connected straight lines instead of smooth arcs. That wasn’t unusual for a new rider and I reminded myself that the MSF course, which she’d only completed a month or less before, is done in a parking lot and isn’t strong on practical roadcraft. I was impressed that she used restraint in not riding over her head, especially given her choice of steeds.

After a nice, short ride to a local island, we stopped in a parking lot to chat. We didn’t want to overwhelm her, so we kept it conversational. The ubiquitous Gen Z cell phone in the holder on her bars beckoned, and after a short conversation, she said she was going to meet a fellow riding friend there and bid us adieu. We saw the young man coming the other way and he was also astride a modern sportbike.

Later, as we warmed up over hot tea and appetizers, we discussed the situation. We were all concerned for the welfare of a brand new rider on a bike where energy can be added at a much higher rate than it can be subtracted while still retaining control. We were also concerned about her choice of riding companions who favor similar steeds but who are unlikely to have the kind of training DD and I have had through CLASS and sheer experience. She is in that unfortunate zone between getting her license via MSF and having enough real-world experience where she’d be admitted to a more advanced school – or where it would do any good. I call that “The Danger Zone” because today’s world is not kind to new riders, especially those on powerful bikes. You have to live long enough to get better.

There are other complications: guys in their 50’s and 60’s aren’t exactly the number one riding companion choice of young, entry-level motorcyclists, especially women. It would be easy for us to be accused of “mansplaining,” although I get the sense that she’s not overly sensitive. In general, I find women are far more open to coaching than men, the latter of whom require surmounting an ego. We agreed that we would try to influence her in gentle ways by riding with her and having a few kind mentoring discussions as best we could.

She has already contacted DD about a shifting problem with her bike, possibly a bent shift fork. Perhaps she’ll accept some rides on my CBR-500 or Ninja 650, both more suited to a new rider in my view. DD suggested some two-up work with me while connected through the intercom in the helmets, something I would consider if she felt it would help. Hopefully, we can keep her out of The Danger Zone.