My wife has ridden 2 up with me for years. Seven years ago she developed some major back problems which left her disabled and just about bed ridden. After years of Pain Management she had enough of the pills and sought out a orthopedic surgeon. Well 3 months after her surgery she is new women and asked to take the MSF and learn to ride. She had ridden dirt bikes when she was younger so I felt ok with the idea. I was still worried about her safety. She could tell I was worried but she just told me that you only live once and now that she has her life back she wanted a bike of her own and that we all take chances every day. Well she passed the MSF class with ease and for Christmas she got a 07 883L all chromed out with 1574 miles on it. She has not missed a dry day of ridding yet this year.

 

My wife too but not as bad as yours by the sound of things.
We do have to be careful,especially on hot days.
It's also one of the reasons she wanted to start riding though.She has a new outlook on life and we enjoy the good days to the fullest and not miss out on things that might have scared her in the past.
Good luck to your wife.You have my sympathy.

 

Several years ago my wife (girlfriend at the time) decided she wanted to learn to ride. She was familiar with a clutch and in my opinion that is over half the battle in learning to ride. She had also come off horses so trust me, if you can control a horse; you got no problem with a bike. She took the MSF course and loved it. Our next big hurdle was finding the right bike for her to learn on. I’m sure a lot of you will disagree with me but I would never put a new rider on a Harley. Also, we didn’t want to start out on one of the little 250’s that the MSF uses as a trainer, so that leaves you with a pretty limited field to choose from. She finally decided on a 750 Honda shadow aero that at first was a little large for her, but she quickly outgrew. The next year she went with a VTX 1300 and rode that for several years. Last year I finally talked her into a Harley and she rode just about every Dyna and Softail Harley makes and finally decided and a Deluxe. She loves her Harley and we put about 12000 miles crossing 11 states on them last summer. She is the best motorcycle riding buddy a guy could ever wish for.
One thing I have noticed that I do that everyone else posting to this thread does differently is, she rides in front. That way, I can keep a better eye on her and maybe even catch her if she falls over…no actually that is our only disagreement on how we ride. When she follows me she is bad about dropping way back and I am afraid that some cager will see me in front and as soon as I get by him he will pull out in front of her. Though I very seldom ride abreast with her because it makes her a little nervous, I stay pretty tight on her flank.

 

[QUOTE=got2bjennyg;9773373]There is your answer- she really DOESN'T want to. If she did, she wouldn't put such a restrictive stipulation on to it, and you wouldn't have to "talk her into it". Be happy she goes along at all, even if it is as a passenger.

I believe you are right. Although last night she said that she would like to take the class so that she can get her liscense. But she would rather ride on the back of mine.
That's fine by me. I'm not going to push the issue. I have a 650 Vulcan that I keep for my son to ride. If she gets the urge to ride after she takes the course the bike is there, That's great. If not; that's great too. No matter what she decides to do ; I want her to be happy and safe.

 

My wife is taking the MSF course in June and she wants to ride herself. If she likes it and thinks she wants to ride on her own, she is getting my bike and I am getting a bigger bike for me. I really didn't have to talk her into it, she just wants to learn to see if she likes it.

 

My wife is actually showing A LOT of interest in learning to ride herself. Like most say, either she wants to or not. The MSF class will definitely be a good start. A new rider learns SO much. Good luck!