We thought it would be fun to share all the stupid things people say to motorcycle riders. Surprisingly, some of these statements are spoken by riders themselves to other riders.
Read our list of six things, then in the comments below tell us the stupid, silly, or quirky things you’ve heard about motorcycling and what your response is to it.
1. There are two kinds of riders: those who’ve gone down and those who are going to go down.
Founder Genevieve’s response:“I know riders who have never gone down so this is a false statement. Thank you for not sharing your negative prophecies with me anymore.”
Editor Tricia’s response: “Not true. This is a very narrow-minded, unsupported statement that perpetuates fear instead of encouraging skill development.”
2. Have you dropped your bike yet?
Founder Genevieve’s response: “Who says I’m going to drop it all?”
Editor Tricia’s response: “Yup. I dropped it when I forgot to put the sidestand down. Then I picked it up. Your point?”
3. My sister’s husband’s brother crashed his motorcycle and died.
Founder Genevieve’s response: “I’m sorry for your loss, but I love motorcycle riding and do all I can to make sure I don’t end up like your sister’s husband’s brother who died on his motorcycle. I’m aware of the risks, but please, I’d rather not listen to any more negativity that perpetuates the worst.
Editor Tricia’s response: “I’m sorry for your loss. Had he taken any rider skills classes so he may have avoided the accident?” Or, “Did my pumping gas somehow translate to you that I wanted to hear your horror story?”
4. I had to lay her down.
Founder Genevieve’s response: “One never has to lay the motorcycle down. You crashed because you weren’t doing something properly in the first place.”
Editor Tricia’s response: “Oh, you mean, you crashed?”
5. Is that your old man’s bike?
Founder Genevieve’s response:“Really? You’re kidding, right?”
Editor Tricia’s response: (Laughing) “No, but I ride my wife’s motorcycles all the time. She’s a better rider than most men I know.”
6. Motorcycles are dangerous.
Founder Genevieve’s response: “Who says?”
Editor Tricia’s response: “Motorcycles are harmless. It’s the untrained, risktaking rider who is dangerous.”
That’s our short list. In the comments below share the stupid or quirky things you’ve heard people say about motorcycling.
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I had just bought my first motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson Sportster 2003 Anniversary Edition. I decided to ride the Sportster into work since the weather was awesome for riding. I rode out of my subdivision and started on my way to work. About five minutes after riding into work I see the Colorado State Patrol car with the lights on. I wasn’t speeding and my tags were not expired. So I was confused why I was being pulled over. So I pull over and the State Patrol gets out of his car and asks me if my bike is a Harley-Davidson. “Yes, sir, you can see that is a Harley-Davidson, is this why you pulled me over?” He replied, “Yes, my partner bet breakfast on whether it was a Harley-Davidson.” Really? You are making me late for work! I need to go.
Great responses for the stupid questions and/or comments most of us have heard. I hear a variety of stupid things all the time. Some of the comments to me have been rude and even mean. Since I can be very outspoken my usual response is, “It’s better to be thought of as a fool, then to open your mouth and remove all doubt,” or I sometimes just look at them and say nothing—this is a very effective response as well. Ha ha!Thanks for this article. It put a smile on my face with the witty comebacks.
I like the minds of the women who run this magazine. Liberating, experienced, and wise. Lead on!
Thanks Donna—we need your support—and your voices too! It’s you, the reader, who continue to make this web site the leading source for women motorcyclists.We would love to hear and share your story in our “Your Stories” section. If you are interested, these submission guidelines will help get you started.Thanks, and ride on!
I took an MSF course to learn to ride a motorcycle and get my license. The instructor told us, “you will drop your bike your first year of riding.” I didn’t.
As a MSF RiderCoach, I cringe when I hear some of the dumb things other coaches say to new riders. I’m glad you didn’t listen to his nonsense. There are plenty of people who don’t drop their motorcycles, and there is no guarantee one way or another.
#4 is not true. There are times that you may have to lay your bike down. My son had to lay his down to avoid hitting the lady in the car in front of him who pulled out in front of him. He changed lanes to avoid her, she changed lanes in front of him, he changed lanes again and so did she. She crossed three lanes of traffic claiming she had plenty of room. He had to lay it down to avoid hitting her.
It’s unfortunate that there are some really bad drivers out there and others who seem blatantly out to get us! It’s too bad your son wasn’t able to anticipate or see this driver with enough time to get far enough away from her before they collided. I hope he is ok.
I’m 59 years old and been riding since I was a kid on mopeds and dirtbikes. My current ride is a black 2001 Harley Heritage Softtail. My family shakes their collective heads at me. That’s one thing. The other is I brought a knife to work. You never know when a knife will come in handy. A co-worker saw it and actually asked me if I was going to use it to cut gas lines of bikes when riders pissed me off. What?! Really?! No!Dumbest thing I ever heard.The picture is of my 2001 Harley-Davidson Heritage and my husband’s 2018 Street Bob. Sometimes he surprises me and rides to my work when I get out at night and we ride home together.
While putting groceries in the tour pack on my Street Glide Special, a random guy looks at me and says, “Do you ride that big bike all by yourself?” My reply: “It’s easier than pushing it.”
I have two comments on the above subject. One being, “You’re not a biker!”When I asked why she replied, “You don’t have tats.”My reply was, “You don’t need tats to ride a motorcycle.”I rode in Ireland in the ’70s and wore a full face helmet. When I would park and remove my helmet the comments from old-timers would be:”Jaysus! It’s a woman!” “You sure? Women don’t ride bikes.””Doesn’t she have kids? She shouldn’t be riding having children.”I loved back then doing the opposite of what was expected and loved the shock on people’s faces. I will be 60 in 2019 and looking forward to buying another bike!
I have been at a gas station filling my bike and someone (a guy) said, “Is that your bike?” I have always wanted to say, “No, I stole it.” Or, “No, my husband rode it here for me and I’m just putting gas it it and he will ride it home again for me.” Duh!I got my first bike, a 1100 Honda Shadow, at age 51. Two years later I bought a new Honda VTX1300R and last year I bought a new 2018 Indian Chieftain Limited 1834cc. It’s a fabulous ride. I’m 65 years old now and don’t plan on quitting riding any time soon!
I’ve had a handful of “curious types” comment over the many years I’ve been riding. Most are positive comments from positive people, but … here are some favorites. I was riding with an older (80!) friend who was riding a Can-Am Spyder. He’s been riding them for years. We were parked outside an establishment and people were looking at the bikes. One gentleman came over quite confident that he knew the answer to his own question to me. He asked, “The Spyder is yours, right?”I replied, “No, actually, it isn’t.”He continued, “It isn’t?! The Harley is yours?! Isn’t it too big for you?!”I said, “Yes, actually, it is mine, and no actually, it isn’t too big. I’ve had it for years and I love it.” At that time I had a Harley-Davidson Dyna Lowrider.Fast forward, and I have a Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic with a sidecar. My 86-year-old mother still rides with me, and the sidecar is perfect for her. We were outside a gas station topping off. My husband was finished topping off and had pulled over in the lot away from us. A small group other customers were admiring the bike when one of the gentlemen commented that it must be great to be able to ride with all three of us on one bike. They must have thought my husband was inside. I got blank stares when I told them there were only two of us on it. “Well yeah, two of you on it and your husband driving.” I said, “No, this is mine and this is my Mom. It isn’t easy for her to balance on the back anymore so I bought this. My husband is over there waiting for us.”They were all about it then and asked all kinds of great questions!Last but not least … It was just Mom and me out for a ride. We were getting back on the bike after stopping. The sidecar is admittedly a conversation piece, so we’re used to people coming over. After I got Mom settled I climbed on. One gentleman asked what my husband thought about me taking his bike. I explained that he has no problem with me taking his bike and vice versa, but that this was my bike. The surprised look, as they say, was priceless.The vast majority of people I’ve met over the years are genuinely curious about a woman riding her own bike. It’s the minority that makes me wonder what year it is.
You go girl! I love that you have the opportunity to continue riding with your mom!
Isn’t that bike too big for a little thing like you?…and…How much did you spend on that?
I have had nothing but good comments. I had a beautiful pearl white Harley Softail Deluxe and hubby had an ugly green Kawasaki touring bike. It’s very top heavy and not real great looking even though it was new. We pulled up to the local ice cream stand. Two ladies said to me and my husband oh we like your bike. My husband immediately thinks they are talking about his bike. He says thanks. The woman says, “No, the beautiful Harley she is riding.” I burst out laughing and thanked both of them. Deflated hubby’s ego about ten notches. He always kept saying how wonderful his bike was compared to mine.
I got the, “You don’t look like a motorcycle rider” comment. My response was, “Well what does a motorcycle rider look like?” They replied, “I don’t know. Mean.” Ugh.Another time I was asked by two women if I rode the motorcycle and how I did it. They seemed blown away that I was riding. The following discussion showed they had been riding on the back of their husbands’ bikes for years.
There will always be stupid people in the world, ignorant of motorcycles and riding. Normally, I ignore those that come off with really dumb comments. But sometimes you just have to reply to them. Motorcycles are just that—bikes—not dangerous. It’s the rider that can cause the accidents, injuries to themselves and others. Just like driving a vehicle of any kind, it’s the person behind the wheel that may cause the accident. Not the vehicle. Unless the vehicle has something wrong with it, not normal.Those that ask about “laying the bike down,” there can be many reasons one might do that. I personally have been riding my own bike since 2002 and never laid any of them down. It’s called being a good, careful rider. I don’t cause accidents, although I have been in a few caused by others—both motorcycle and vehicles. I did take a motorcycle class when I first bought my first bike. Then signed up at DMV for its course and passed with a gold star. My instructor wrote, “never had a woman with this size bike pass this test.” My bike: a 2003 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200.I will always hear dumb/stupid statements made by ignorant people. I used to hear the same ignorant people make stupid statements about my riding bicycles on the road—my sport for more than 30 years and commuting vehicle for 20 miles a day.Let them make their ignorant statements and consider the source. But being a good, careful driver of any vehicle, especially motorcycles, you will be the better person.
I pulled into a downtown parking lot surrounded by outdoor restaurants and cafes. As I was parking my bike, a women rushed towards me and asked, “Wow, did you ride that all by yourself?”Since I was there all by myself, I responded with, “No. Actually I had the cruise control on so it would park itself!”
Thanks for all the great responses! Can’t wait to use them. Since I just bought a Harley-Davidson Softail Slim with a 103 inch engine, I know I am going to get “Isn’t that big to big for you?”
I have to agree with “it’s not a matter of if but when you will drop your bike.’ I don’t agree with everyone will crash or wreck. I have an Indian Scout and I have heard all those remarks. Most of the comments are more along the lines of, “Wow! That’s your bike?” or “I didn’t expect a chick to be riding that bike!” or “You go girl!” etc. Some man actually told me that I would be safer if I instead drove a Prius.My all-time favorite stupid remark ever said to me was, “That’s just a coffin on wheels!”
Oh, that’s a bad one! I hope you had a handy reply to that one!
Yes, I have laid mine down showing off at the lock and dam by the airport in Augusta. My first bike was a Kawasaki 900 Z1. And I tipped my new 2015 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special just making a u-turn out of my driveway. I scratched the engine bar and the bottom of my saddlebag. But nobody has to lay it down. If you’re paying attention to your surroundings, you’ll never have to lay it down.
I always cough and huff big at people asking if it’s my husband’s bike. I took him on a ride and he couldn’t handle it!
#3 has always made me crazy. Telling someone with a new bike about a horrific crash does what? Do you tell a woman with a new baby crib death stories? No, you would know that would be a sick cruel thing. I think most women tell me these stories because there is an envy there. While admiring a co-worker for her travel to exotic places, she turns to me and says, “Yeah, but you have a motorcycle.” Yes, yes I do.
I’m loving this article because it’s arming me with lots of great comebacks for when I’m caught off guard with a stupid comment! So here we go; my longtime friend (a chick) saw a picture of me with my new Indian Scout and commented “and how are you going to pick that up?” My reply, “who said I was going to drop it in the first place?”
Having ridden since 1972, I have heard many ignorant comments but my favorite was in 1980 when a man ask my husband how I was able to ride such a heavy bike. He was told, “she rides it she does not carry it.”
I get a lot of “dumb” comments. I love to ride long distance. As you know, if you want to ride in comfort a larger bike is the way to go. I ride a Street Glide CVO. On my way home from the west coast last summer, at just about every break stop I took, the comment was, “You’re too small to be riding such a big bike.” Hmm, “Well in the last week I have ridden it about 6,000 miles. I wonder how I did that? Do you think I should leave it here and walk the rest of the way home?”
More than once while riding my Harley Electra Glide, some guy will ask me why I ride such a big bike, and how can I pick it up. I say, “I can’t pick any of them up, so I may as well ride what I want.” When I got off my Suzuki GSXR1000, a bystander asked, “Isn’t that a lot of power for a girl?” I answer, “It’s called throttle control.”
I rode for a long time but my partner/spouse made me give it up for safety reasons because we have kids now.Yes, I have kids now too. Is this a passive-aggressive way of saying all parents shouldn’t ride? Or just a way of telling a perfect stranger that you don’t have a say in what you really want to do? As a mommy rider, I’m still not sure why this is the first thing someone tells me when they see me on a bike or in riding gear.
Dumbest thing I’ve heard was, “You know you are a danger to other people on the road?” Shortly after, I overheard the same person talking to another person about her morning commute and how she had a cup of coffee and a cigarette in one hand and the phone and steering wheel in the other! And I’m unsafe?
Silly comment: You have one wheel at the front and one wheel at the back, if you don’t put your side stand down it will fall over. Response: (Laughing) Well no kidding Sherlock!
Once I was waiting outside a grocery store with my human and a man came up to ask about me riding. His wife scurried up behind him, in a fluster. “Leave that man alone,” she said, “That’s his seeing eye dog!” We were on a Harley.
When our youngest daughter got a job at a Harley dealership, we were thrilled at the idea of employee discounts and what that might mean come Christmas! (Who wouldn’t be?) I was telling a table of “older” women at church about her getting a job, and one of them said, “But, do you really want her around those kind of people?” Another woman leaned over and stage-whispered, “Her parents are those kind of people!”
The men in my family all said ” That’s not a chick’s bike!” My answer? It’s this chick’s bike!
I am a very new rider. My bike is a Christmas present from my husband from Christmas 2016. I took the motorcycle rider’s safety course in January 2017 and I absolutely love love love riding. I have heard some of these things also especially the one that says there are two kinds of riders. I don’t think I had a response to that. I try to make it a mandatory ride at least once every weekend. Sometimes when the weather is nice I ride my bike to work. If I could find a way to make money and ride my bike every day that’s what I would do. God bless women riders and of course men too. But when I see another sister riding I can’t help but smile and give a thumbs up! I’m so proud to be a part of the sisterhood of women riders!
#1. So you know riders who have never went down. Well, are they dead? Because, if they aren’t then chances are, someday they will. While it’s certainly possible there are some that will never go down, the vast majority of anyone that actually rides will. Maybe not these “bikers” that have a total of 2,500 miles on a 10 year old bike but, actual bikers that log thousands of miles per year. Your statement is false in the sense that “they have never gone down.” Yet. If they are still alive and riding, it’s just silly to say they never will.
Thanks for your opinion, but it’s simply not true to say that if a rider has not crashed that they will. Responsible riders know the risks and prepare for the worst while praying for the best. But this statement is stupid simply because it is negative and perpetuates fear.And riders who ride a couple hundred miles a year are just as much motorcyclists as those who ride 10,000 miles a year. So when we talk about “riders” we are including everyone, not just a certain segment of those who ride.
How about”what happens if it starts raining? Simple, I get wet.
I’ve heard #3 many times. It’s usually crickets when I tell them “my fiancé died in a car crash but you don’t expect me to stop driving, do you?”My other favorite comes from the fact I’m 5 feet 2 inches and I ride a Street Glide. I often hear “that’s a big bike for a little lady [girl] [woman]. I respond with [wide eyed] “it is big; it’s a good thing I plan to ride it and not carry it, eh?”
I think I’m pretty lucky that most people I encounter are impressed rather than condescending. However, the third or fourth time I went into an O’Reilly Auto Parts to buy oil and oil filters for my bike I encountered a guy that asked if I was buying it for his husband. I asked if he could look up my oil filter size, and educated him that they did sell motorcycle filters. He then proceeded to mansplain that bikes can’t use car oil and can only use special bike oil. He doesn’t ride but his brother-in-law buys Harley motor oil. Unfortunately I was still a relatively new rider, and didn’t know the truth to his statements at the time. But his comments were not condescending on subsequent visits. Maybe I embarrassed him and he was saving face at the time, encountering a petite Asian female rider that changes her own oil.
I am 73 and have been asked “How do you hold it (motorcycle) up,” as I was mounting my bike. Hello?!
As I have my friend sitting on my Sportster Chopper (full custom, built by me with the assistance of some friends, in my kitchen)we are behind a hotel after Babes Ride Out. It’s dark.Four men sit, drunkenly, on their car.I show her what it’s like to sit on my bike, hold it up, lean it, etc.Two walk over “yo, that’s my bike you sittin on”me: *irritated look* “no. no it’s not”man: “how would you know?” me *more irritated and excruciatingly sarcastic now* “Because its mine, genius, i built it” man’s friend “oooooh (iisshh) you got told!”man walks off, defeated and embarassedme: moves my bike to the front of the hotel, calls security. Not risking someone who’s embarassed pushing it over.
I’ve been asked every single one of these questions. I had a minor accident on my Honda VTX1300 and broke one of my throttle fingers then rode 13 hours the very next day to go to the emergency room. My fault.I’ve lost a dear friend who’s ridden over 35 years everyday to no fault of his own, an inattentive young driver.My husband does my maintenance but I do the cleaning and polishing. I’ve had three bikes, starting with a 650 that I got comfortable on then moved up to a 1300.I’ve managed over 25,000 on these bikes in 4-1/2 years, but I am always looking and thinking about my environment. I ask fellow riders if they see a bad habit or something else that I have to correct. Awareness is priority one for me.
I got the “Nice bike, is that yours?” while I’m sitting on it and I’m the only one around! Followed with “It’s very nice and clean do you keep that up yourself or do you have help?”Seriously? I told him, “No, I clean and shine it all by myself, even with my own elbow grease!”
#4—Our former governor of Alabama, Bob Riley, made that statement when he crashed in Alaska. Problem was, there was absolutely no traffic other than an occasional moose. Couldn’t have been that loose gravel road he was traveling, that never happens right?
Some of your answers are flippant, rude, and unthinking. Sometimes it is not a biker’s fault that they crashed or laid a bike down because their skills were underdeveloped. Often it is the fault of the person driving a car or other large vehicle that causes a biker to wreck, and not undeveloped skills or recklessness. I have just lost a lot of respect for both editors.
While accidents do happen, there is almost always something that a rider could have done differently to avoid the car or other vehicle who was also involved in the crash. I speak from personal experience!I encourage all riders to take as many riding skill classes as they can, and continue reading books and articles to further develop riding skills. And practice, practice, practice.
But you have a family to think of—what happens if you have an accident?
The first long distance ride I rode was in 2006, it was 965 miles one way from my house to Springfield, Missouri. I was on my new-to-me 2004 Honda VTX and every time I stopped to hydrate, gas up, or take a break, people came up to me. One asked me if I was riding alone, I deadpanned, turned around and stared at my bike the turned back toward him and said, “I must have left them behind at the last stop.” Then I laughed and said “yes, I’m riding alone with my bike.” We both had a laugh. I try to come back with humor when asked obvious questions.
This really lifted my spirits and the comments made me laugh out loud! Winter is hard on a riding girl like me, and we live in South Texas so I absolutely cannot imagine living someplace where my bike has to sit all winter long. It sits long enough during riding time. On the article, my pat response is usually: “If I have to explain it to you, then you would not understand.” I know the risks I am taking, especially in this new totally distracted-while-driving world where everyone thinks they can look with full attention at a cell phone and still drive a 5,000-pound vehicle around like a champ. Yeah, well, you can’t, so put the phone away for the love of God! Stay safe out there! Blessings on your 2017 rides.
I’m a tour guide and lead mostly riders from other countries. We were at a truck stop in Oklahoma and I walked up to my guest as a slow talking trucker finished sharing a graphic story about himself involved in a motorcycle accident. I told him “thanks for sharing that” and he reached in his pocket and presented a “gremlin” bell to one of my guests.They thanked each other and embraced. It turned out to be a very touching moment.
When the accident stories start I stop them in their tracks with “I had two nephews in their 30s. One set down in his recliner and died and one laid down on his couch and died.” Recliners and couches kill more people than bikes. (My daughter adds, “and they make your ass fat!”)I have been riding since I was 2. I am 5 feet 9 inches, so I get mistaken for a guy in all my gear. A 3-year-old girl ran up to me one day in a parking lot and her mother grabbed her. As I followed them into the store, her husband asked what was wrong. The mother said the girl was running up to that biker “guy.”I was loading groceries into my saddlebags and a guy asked if it was my bike. I almost said, “No, I just thought I would give a biker some groceries.”We did have a young man buy our dinner when we pulled in to eat one time. The waitress told us when we went to pay. That was nice. Hubby rides too. We are usually together but I do ride alone. We are senior citizens now. I took the safety course just to see what it was like to recommend to my grandchildren. The instructor made a comment that I could keep up with the guy on the course. I said, “Yes, I have no problem going fast.” I don’t know if it was a gender comment or an age comment.I had on old biker guy ask if I wanted him to park my bike for me when I pulled in instead of backing in. I said if you can lift it up and turn it around go right ahead. I ride my own ride and park my own park.I ride a Sporty now but used to ride a Honda Magna V 65 and a Honda Hawk.
I don’t love the first comment about two kinds of people, those who have dropped their bike and those who will, but I understand it. In my riding course we spent quite a bit of time on owning the risk of riding. I’ve even heard guys telling other guys this. If we want our place as equals among the male riders we need to adapt instead of causing controversy. When someone says that to me I say, “let’s just hope not.” I never feel the need to go into it from there because frankly, men can handle their buddy getting injured but seeing a woman get injured in any way is too much for them because we still raise our boys to take care of women.The jealous guys usually make Jenks of themselves in other ways, like the guy who was smaller than me who told me “women shouldn’t ride because bikes are too heavy for them.” Then his bike got knocked over and he needed two other guys to help him pick it up. It’s ok to let guys care about women riders. Any good rider doesn’t want to see anyone get hurt.
I rode a Honda 250 all over Los Angeles in the 1980’s when I was single and in my late 20’s, early 30’s. Fast forward to 2004 and my 50th birthday. I’m married and living in Indianapolis. My kids are 14 and 16 and I feel I’m needing some “me time” so I ask my husband what would he thinks if I said I want a motorcycle? He shrugged and said “OK.” (He doesn’t ride).I had my Harley the next week. I’ve had it for 12 years now and believe me, I’ve heard it all. They either think you’re crazy or they think you’re awesome. Personally, I don’t care what they think, I just know how I feel when I ride. Nothing like it! I took the safe riders course and when our son got old enough and decided to ride, I paid for him to take it too. Now I’m 62 and he’s 25 and we ride together once in awhile but he’s found a brotherhood of riders and is thankful for me for that. So the legacy continues.
1. You mean your husband lets you ri… ? I stop them right there, because my husband doesn’t “let” me do anything. I am a grown woman and I do as I damn well please!2. You mean you rode that big bike all by yourself? (Me): Did you see anybody else get off when I pulled in?3. Did you ride a motorcycle in all that rain? (Me): No, I just like walking around in soaked, streaming leathers, carrying a helmet…4. (Non-riding male): Gee, you ride a girl’s bike.(Me): Really? funny, I’m not a girl, I am a woman, so that makes my Sporty a woman’s bike. Where’s yours? Hunh?5. (Big, honkin’ male on a bagger): Well, I rode a lot this year!(Me): Really? How many miles?(Him): Oh, about 8,000 or so!(Me): Hunh. I rode 18,000+ … on a Sporty … {watch jaw drop and ego deflate}Just a few of the comments I have received over the 49-3/4 years I have been wind-dancing. I could probably write a book if I thought about it a bit. I started out on big twins, back when a dancing bear was more common than the sight of a woman on a motorcycle, much less a Harley. Then I graduated to Sportys in 2009. I have a 2002 Roadster with a 1200 kit, and a 2009 Nightster, bone stock motor. I love my Sportys!
Hi my name is Freebird Well riding here in So. California for 16 years, 11 years on my own, almost 100,000 miles. That being said, you hear all that crap you listed however, you just say ride safe. In California any type of driving is dangerous but if you ride defensive it’s all good. Just screw it and ride. Let no one tell you how to ride your ride. You are the one in control. Just ride smart and ride safe. For ladies / men thinking about riding, take the safe rider course. Once you do you will know right then if riding is for you. Don’t listen to all the crap people say about riding. Accidents happen in a car or on a bike, that’s why they are called accidents. Take the class women or men. Trust me, once you do you will know if riding is for you. I didn’t know anything about riding back in 2000, I just hopped on the back. And in 2005 I said, guys can do it so how hard can it be?I took the class April 2005 passed it and May 2005 on Mothers Day I bought my own Harley. I have not had any regrets. Just remember ride smart, ride safe! Just ride! Or stay home!
Is that your bike? I look over my shoulder to see if anyone is standing behind me. Then I whisper, “Well no sir, I stole it yesterday, you won’t tell anyone will you? Because then I’d have to kill you.”
I ride a Harley Street 500. I am always asked by guys who don’t ride, “So, when are you going to get a big girl bike?” My reply is always the same. “Where’s your bike?”The best comment I have heard was from a very experienced rider, whose bike is his life. He said, “You ride. And that’s all that matters. Screw those idiots and their small minds.”
I’m a grandma, and started riding in 2014 on a Kawasaki Eliminator 125 (tough, right?) Had to go to an offsite meeting for the company where the CEO asked me if I had brass knuckles to go with my bike. Huh?
Sitting on my bike, waiting to take off with group and asked, “Where’s your husband – we are waiting for him.” Answer – he left 15 minutes ago in a cage.
Riding my little Kawasaki Eliminator 125 running errands for the company I then worked for, the CFO saw that I was riding and asked me if I had brass knuckles. He was serious. Dude! I’m a grandmother learning to ride in my late 50s! (I’ve since graduated to a Suzuki Boulevard C50.)
Are you a dyke? Some closed-minded fool asked me that when I told him I ride my own motorcycle. I couldn’t even respond. Still don’t know what would have made sense as a comeback. Ideas?
Browsing in a dealership with my hubs, the salesman points out all the great features of the bike, turns to me and says how comfy the passenger seat is. I point outside to my Deluxe and tell him there’s my seat right there. Sadly this has happened more than once!
Murdercycle. That’s the one I really hate.
What made you want to get a bike? Your husband has a beautiful bike. Why aren’t you content riding behind him? Answer: because with 60,000 miles plus on the back of a bike, I was getting a bit bored. I can only look at my phone so much, and The scenery starts to look the same! Besides, I like the control with my own bike!
Anytime someone tells me that so-and-so had a motorcycle wreck and that’s why they don’t ride I ask them if they have ever heard of someone in a car wreck. Then I ask, “why are you still driving?”Sometimes after the horror story ends with “that’s why I don’t ride,” I end it with “Oh, you mean your wife won’t let you have a motorcycle?”
Every now and then I hear “that’s cool you know how to ride that,” followed by many questions about my 1975 Honda.But, unfortunately, most of the time it’s a lecture on “how dangerous it is.” I just roll my eyes.PS—I have also dropped my bike while not moving in the driveway. I got a little shaken up and embarrassed (even though I was alone) but now I laugh about it.
Love this. Know many women who ride. A lot ride better than the guys. No most ride ride better than the guys!
We were stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere deep in the Carolinas miles from anywhere when a DPW worker walks up to me. I have a ’81 FXWG with a sidecar. He looks at the yellow lab sitting in the sidecar and says, “Hey lady. That your dog?” Same trip out on the outer banks, had a blonde (sorry but she was classic ) in a swimsuit ask me, “Does he ride in there?”
My favorite comment from a non-biker coworker was was more amusing than irritating. He saw the “DOT” sticker on the back of my helmet and asked “Is that your biker name?”
As a solo rider, many, many times I am asked, “Are you riding alone?”Second place comment; “Man, you have balls!” Really?How about training, courage, perseverance, and experience?
A couple of my girlfriends were discussing an upcoming women’s motorcycle rally and were overhead by some male riders.”Are you talking about a biker rally?” one man asked.”Yes. 2,500 riders, but it’s only for women,” my friend responded.Completely serious, the puzzled male biker asks, “Women only? How will you all get there?”There is no response for such stupidity.
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been on the receiving end of one of these astute observations, I’d have enough for another motorcycle:”You don’t look like a motorcycle rider.” Usually I’m in business attire when I get this one.”You ride that?!” as I’m getting on or off my Yamaha FJR1300. Just wait ’till they see me on my Moto Guzzi Stelvio.There was the time several years ago when I walked into a motel in Granby, Colorado, to see if they had any rooms and the lady at the desk looked past me for several seconds before she decided no one was following me in. I almost turned around to see what she was looking at. Then she asked, “Are you by yourself?” I answered yes and she replied, “We’ve never had a single woman bike rider before.” I’ve always frequently ridden solo so I don’t even give it any thought. That was in the early 2000s.
While putting my gear on in the parking lot, a little old man comes hobbling over and says, “Nice bike. Glad to see more ladies riding. Little lady, let me tell you one thing, you’re invisible. Remember as you ride, you’re invisible.”He nodded and walked over to his customized Harley trike, fired it up, and roared off.I never forgot his words. And, they have saved me more times than I can remember. Thank you little old man. Wherever you are, ride free, ride happy.
I’m a new rider. Just a week in now. I get “but you’re a mom! What about your children?” I tell them that my girls are my biggest fans and super proud of me.
I have to say, when a stranger walks up and starts talking to me about my bike, I love it. Often, when they say to me, “Be careful out there!” I smile and say thanks. I just hope that their conversation with me makes them more alert to riders out there.
Man in parking lot: Did you ride that here?Me: No, I pushed it.Another silly man: I that yours?Me: No, I stole it.
My fave: “Your husband ‘lets’ you ride that thing?!” (Referencing my Suzuki Boulevard C50T)My comeback: “No, I told him I was riding it. I ‘let’ him ride his!”
And on a positive (but probably rare) note: “You ride a motorcycle?! Wow, cool!”
This one is good for another list, Marilyn, but it’s a breath of fresh air to toss this one in amongst all the dumb comments.
These are great. I get the “That’s a big bike for a woman.” (2016 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic) I say, “It’s a good thing I don’t have to carry it.”And I really dislike the non-riders who have to tell me their horror stories. The nurse at my doctor’s office felt she needed to tell me in gory detail about a woman rider brought into the emergency room who died. Like they think I haven’t considered the risks? I don’t say too much because there is no point trying to make these people understand. I just tell them I ride very defensively, have taken classes, and I ride ATGATT.What I really want to ask is, “What were the circumstances of the crash? Was the rider wearing full gear?”I also believe that when it’s my time, I will go, regardless of what I am doing at the moment. And if I go out having fun, that is better than wasting away due to a terminal illness.
Comment: “Loud pipes save lives.”My response: “Take responsibility for yourself instead of annoying everyone around you with the hopes they get out of your way when they hear you coming. Take rider education courses and learn about accident avoidance and be considerate of others.”
Thanks for making it clear that people say ridiculous stuff to all riders, and even male riders say ridiculous stuff to women riders. The most common comment I get is when I bring my helmet into a restaurant, shop, or somewhere else. People point at my helmet and don’t ask but say with disbelief, “You have a motorcycle!” I lift my helmet and respond, “Nah, I’m one of those special people.” I also had a cousin recently tell me that my full face helmet is wrong for a cruiser. When I told him, “such as it is, I like my face,” he went off on how as an experienced rider he’s seen his share of riders who wish they didn’t have a helmet and would rather to have died rather than been maimed. His whole response and argument was some of the most stupid stuff I have ever read by another motorcyclist ever. Clearly he’s never been an ATGATT guy.
And how many times have we all heard, “What do you do when it rains?”
Yes, we pretty much all do it. “Be careful.” Um, thanks for the reminder as I was thinking I would just drive reckless today!
My favorite is when someone asks, “Is that your bike?”I respond with, “I hope so! If not, I’m in a lot of trouble!”Also, “I can’t believe a little thing like you can ride such a big bike!”My response, “The faster you go, the easier it is to balance!”
A couple caught up with my group at a gas station. The gentleman said, “you kept right up with those guys you are riding with! How long have you been riding?” My response, “Since I was 5.” His wife just smirked at him, and a big thumbs up to me. Kind of wonder what the conversation in the car was as they watched us ride.
I’ve heard uber-experienced riders say the first one.
Sadly, we have too.
Not that they’re necessarily irritating because I know there are lots of reasons someone may need to give up their bike, but it just makes me sad when people talk about their bikes they used to own or ride. Or when a woman says they would love to ride but then ask how I can hold the bike up and that they know they’d drop it. (Of course I don’t let them try to see me on mine!)
One of my favorites is “You look small on that bike. You actually ride it! You saw me on the road right?” I’m a petite person but not a weakling. I have a Honda Shadow 750 currently but looking at the Harley-Davidson Softail Slim.
I get when I tell them I ride an Indian:”Oh, you have a Scout?””No, I have a Chieftain,” I reply. They ask, “You can handle that big bike?”But the one I love is, “You shouldn’t get a bike you can’t pick up.”My response, “I won’t drop it.”What man ever bought a bike thinking about whether they could pick it up?
Them: “Do you ride that bike?”Me: “Sure, it’s better than pushing it!”
I had stopped for fuel in the middle of Wyoming on my way back from a trip to California (riding back solo.) I went in to pay and when I returned, a guy who had also stopped for fuel for his bike was looking at mine. When I started to swing my leg over the Goldwing’s seat to mount, he said out loud, “Whoa! I wasn’t expecting you! I figured you would be a guy or when you came out, your husband would soon follow.”Of course you did.
Living in Alabama, in a store, ATGATT (all the gear, all the time), clerk usually says “Aren’t you hot wearing all that stuff?”1) It’s summer, we are in the South, so…yeah. And your point?2) Alternatively, when I’m visibly sweating, “Nah, you only think I’m sweating. This is liquid excitement!”
So your saying we should just hit the vehicle that pulled out in front of us verses laying the bike down to avoid hitting them?
Hi Kim,No We’re not saying that. We’re saying that you should take every measure to avoid being in that situation to begin with.If a vehicle pulls out in front of you, you should have been anticipating this action by scanning ahead and maintaining enough time and space to react. You want to be prepared to either brake, swerve, or accelerate to avoid the collision. “Laying it down” is never the best option.
Hahaha! Love the one about dropping the bike. My response… Yes! I have dropped my bike a few times and have picked it up by myself as well. If your bike doesn’t have a couple of “war wounds” then you are spending more time polishing it than riding it!
I dropped my bike in the driveway. I stopped because there was a car come down the road. I put my feet down and found nothing but air so down I went. A couple of days later I received a pair of training wheels in the mail. No name on it. I’m not sure how I feel about training wheels mad, p-ssed or laugh. I live in the country so it wasn’t hard to find out who sent them. They’ve dropped their bike many times.
While pumping gas “You rode that bike here?”My response, “No, I pushed it here”.I’ve been riding since 1969, and I have to say that comments have changed drastically over the years. For many years no one would even talk to me (I think they were afraid). Whenever I would go into a shop to purchase supplies or parts, the salesman would ignore me and look directly at my husband (who would smile and tell them they needed to talk to me). Now I get more positive comments from men like, “I wish my girlfriend/wife rode,” or “Do you have a single sister I could meet.” It seems the men I meet want to engage in conversations about biking and bikes in general. Unfortunately, I get my most negative comments from women (non-riders). First they are surprised that a woman would ride and then I get the rant about how dangerous motorcycles are and how much they fear lane splitters. The best time I ever had was our trip to Alaska via the AlCan Highway. It amazed me that I never received a negative comment, just a lot of friendly conversation about motorcycling.
Some stupid questions or statements I’ve heard. “Your husband lets you ride a motorcycle?” Men ask, “Can I ride your bike?”Someone asks (typically women), “So when are you going to take me for a ride?” Yea, no. People who just don’t get it, “Don’t you get lonely?”
I have heard the lines listed in the article. Whenever I hear the one that motorcycles are dangerous – I usually reply that my life is in God’s hands and when he decides it’s my time at least I was having fun until that time and if it’s going to happen it’s going to happen whether I’m on the bike or not. When someone tells me about someone who crashed I usually reply that I am sorry to hear about what happened, not that it won’t happen to me, but I ride as defensively as I can and watch what everyone else is doing. Mostly, I am fortunate to be around people who say how cool it is that my husband and I ride together.
I got the, “That’s a big bike for you,” when I was riding a Honda VTX 1300. My CVO Softail is about an 1800 and now I get, “Do you need that much power?” Really!?
I currently ride a Honda CTX700N standard shift. A guy came up to me at a gas station and asked, “Is that a starter bike?” Also, my mechanic is always trying to convince me to get a Harley — not happening. I like my Honda for now, however my next bike will be a Triumph Bonneville series, Street Twin.
Two of my favorite comments: “How long have you been riding?” My whole life, since I was a little kid on mini bikes and an old red Honda 50. End of discussion.”You ride that BIG bike?” Yep, but it’s not as big as some I’ve ridden.I also appreciate it when guys I know will look at someone who is questioning my skills and says, “Oh, she can ride anything!”
Said by someone who doesn’t own a bike while checking out my 1200T SuperLow: “Sportsters are women’s bikes.”Response: “Thanks. What are you riding these days?”
I hear, It’s not about you, it’s about the drivers out there. You can’t control them.” I can’t control the weather either but it’s not going to stop me from riding.
I get comments like you are not ready to ride just because I am a novice rider.
Oh there are so many stupid things said to me over the years, including the ones in the above list. My favorite one (which has happened several times) is men asking me when I’m going to get a “real” bike, referring to my ’88 Honda NT650 Hawk. All I can manage is an eye-roll in response because obviously arguing with such people is a waste of air. Funny, women never say such things to me.