A Short Bio of a Middle-Aged Schoolteacher Biker Lady George and Gail have been bugging me for a very long time to write a little bio on the website. I don’t really like talking about myself, but here goes..... Since I got my motorcycle license more than twenty years ago, I have really enjoyed riding, mostly as a passenger for the first few years. I started off on an enduro: Honda XL-185 which combined the fun parts of a dirt bike with a bike that was perfectly OK for riding in the city. I rode my 185 from west end Toronto to my job at the Metro Toronto Library at Yonge and Bloor every day. I particularly remember coming home at night through the meat-slaughter district around St. Clair - what an old, smelly and grotty area that was - but there was very little traffic... George and I also had a lot of fun off-road on our Hondas (he had a 500). We had some adventures at an area with dirt trails, ravines and a river on the outskirts of Oakville where I’m sure it’s illegal to ride nowadays. One day, George almost died laughing when I ended up in a muddy river with the bike on top of me, shrieking pathetically for help, while giggling hysterically. I guess I got back at him a bit when we rode up almost vertical hills, and he bonked his helmet at the top of one of them, hitting a low branch with a thud - hey, maybe that’s what’s wrong with him now! We also had a blast exploring the Hydro cutaways in some of the rocky areas of Muskoka - lots of interesting topography and some really remote little settlements. I wonder if people dare to risk riding in this type of area now (both safety and legal-wise) We were young and foolish and adventurous enough not to worry about that type of implication , I guess. We have a super-8 movie of our antics at Sunny Lake, splashing through ditches, etc. and I look like I was having an absolute blast! While raising our two kids, I was a passenger on many of George’s bikes, riding with the York Wings in Toronto and the HOG group in Ottawa. On our 10th anniversary, I finally (to George’s delight) told him to quit whining and get the Harley he’s always wanted. He traded in his Virago and got an Electra Glide second hand, which was owned by a guy who won it and didn’t ride it very much. George was supposed to put a little inscription on his bike about our 10th, but never got around to it! It’s our 25th anniversary next week, and now we both have bikes. This is the third summer I’ve enjoyed my 883 Sportster, and I don’t feel too inclined to be a passenger, or take a passenger any time soon. I like being in charge of my own ride. I find the weight of the Sportster very manageable and the 500 pounds makes it appropriate for smaller people and beginners. The power is nice now that we have done some modifications. George organized Screaming Eagle pipes and a hiflo air cleaner which made a big difference. To be honest, I love the sound of a Harley, but find mine a teeny bit too loud. I find the length and height of the 883 a bit small because I’m fairly tall with longish legs. When I start getting a bit uncomfortable after some hours of riding, I find my knees seem to have nowhere to go, and stick out perpendicular to my bike! Even the highway pegs don’t seem far enough away to allow enough stretching. I couldn’t do without the windshield ($400) and a tachometer which doesn’t come with the bike ($350 installed). I also have nice-looking saddlebags, which were pretty expensive, but worthwhile ($675) Shoot, only when I look through the receipts do I realize how expensive this sport is! No wonder I have kept a reliable, but teeny bit rusty ‘93 Explorer as four-wheeled vehicle! When I first started riding my Sportster, the main challenge I had was curves and I had to slow down considerably, which made it hard for people behind me. On the whole, I like to ride about “10 over” and do not enjoy being with people going 140 on secondary highways! Not only does my bike shake a lot over 110, but I feel there is no point to a ride if you can’t look around and enjoy the scenery. George and I like to ride together, and we are pretty good at anticipating what the other person will do, or when they want to stop etc. I have a famously and annoyingly active bladder, so need to know where every rest stop in Ontario is. Once when George and I were riding a long distance, I pointed to my crotchal area to indicate I needed a pee, and George later said, “Not now, honey, wait till tonight!” Ha, ha, I still needed to pee!! We also enjoy riding with Gail and Andrew, as they seem to take things easy, not wanting to go 40 over the limit, and also enjoy exploring new roads. Big groups get a bit tiring, because it’s difficult to keep everyone together when pulling out of places, and sometimes you can’t predict their style of braking suddenly, changing speed unexpectly, etc. Some people on group rides don’t even know how to ride staggered, which can be a bit disconcerting. Last September, on the HOG chapter’s Toy Parade, I was behind a person who really didn’t seem too experienced, and he kept going so slowly and then speeding up that I almost felt like going THROUGH him a few times. My clutch hand was falling off by the time the parade had snaked through downtown Ottawa and back to Brittania Beach. In May I took the experienced riders course with a bunch of ladies through the Ottawa Safety Council. It was lots of fun, and we did really helpful stuff like tight circles, emergency stopping, riding over obstacles, etc. The Nortel parking lot wasn’t too inspiring of a location, but there was lots of room and we were lucky to have Carol with us, who works there, and could let us in to use the “facilities”. I picked up a nice big nail that day (don’t know if it was actually in the parking lot, for sure) and had to replace my almost-new front tire.. A bit steep (over $200 installed). At two Harley demo days this summer, I rode some bikes that I really enjoyed. I tried out the Heritage Softail, Softail Deluxe (which I loved) and the Springer Softail, which I found clanky and clunky. Later I learned that the Springer was faulty, and it doesn’t always sound so bad... I loved the floorboards on the larger bikes and found the Deluxe very comfy. I was really at ease riding the bikes, which was extremely nice for me as I’m kind of shy, and there were a LOT of people watching. I felt like I rode just as well as any of the other guys, and more smoothly than many of them. As a 40-something schoolteacher who rides a Harley, some of my colleagues and students think it’s cool. I don’t think it’s cool, just fun, and I want to be riding when and where I want for many years to come. |
