Are there any V11 (other MGs) female owners registered to this forum?

[p6x]

Worth a shot....

I am curious. My experience of ladies on two wheels is limited to Europe; and even then, the girls on motorbikes were never legions.

I have met a few riders here at a specialists in the heights in Houston. None on Moto Guzzi though.

Most of the others I have discussed with, are passengers because their companion is riding a bike. So, not by choice.

In July I was in Yellowstone and I met two (older) couples on Goldwings. Ladies piggyback only.

During my training here in Houston, we had one single lady with the rest of us. Only getting her license for professional purpose. Checking with the school, ladies interested in getting their motorbike's license are not frequent. Just a handful.

How is it in other states, your country? are there many (motorbike's riding) females joining your outings?

[GuzziMoto]

My wife is a Guzzi owner, but she isn't registered on this or any other motorcycle forum.

Her V11 is really why I am here, I own Guzzi's but she is the only V11 owner in the family.

There are probably more female riders now than I can recall ever seeing. But female riders are still the exception and not the norm. Even a few racing.

[VtwinStorm]

Sadly, not a lot of ladies ride, from what I can see. Girls who ride are awesome. Girls who ride something like a Guzzi, Ducati, or Triumph, these are unicorns.

I don't do group rides because they are always a sausage fest. That, and the people who love to destroy their bikes and make the group look like a bunch of jackwagons by "stunting".

 

[Pressureangle]

My housemate has recently acquired her cycle endorsement, after wishing after it for decades. She learned to ride on my '74 Aermacchi, and will eventually graduate to my '89 Mille GT- which she likes very much already and will probably end up owning it. But she's not a forum lurker.

[Lucky Phil]

I think most girls would find the V11 Sport way too heavy for them to manhandle around off the bike and carpark type riding. Mine seems to get heavier every year. Magazine images always look cool but the reality of riding a heavy bike with a fairly high seat height and C of G is another matter. I've known quite a few female riders and racers and I've never seen one of them that looks totally 100% safe on a large capacity sports bike at walking speeds. 

Ciao  

[VtwinStorm]

Just now, Lucky Phil said:

I think most girls would find the V11 Sport way too heavy for them to manhandle around off the bike and carpark type riding. Mine seems to get heavier every year.

Ciao  

I'm not a small guy, but my Daytona 1200, at 560lbs. with a full tank is a lot of mass to move around at slow speeds. The V11 is around 500lbs. I understand, so a little better. I can never get the Goldwing or dresser Harley guys with 800-1100lb. machines. Bonkers.

[Lucky Phil]

6 minutes ago, VtwinStorm said:

I'm not a small guy, but my Daytona 1200, at 560lbs. with a full tank is a lot of mass to move around at slow speeds. The V11 is around 500lbs. I understand, so a little better. I can never get the Goldwing or dresser Harley guys with 800-1100lb. machines. Bonkers.

If you can get the C of G and the seat height low enough to get both feet flat on the ground with some knee bend it goes a long way to helping. The amount of times I've seen girls topple over in car parks I've lost count of. I did a magazine 4 way bike test 3 day ride/trip years ago testing the big 4 sports tourers of the day and one of the other riders was a fairly petite woman. Every time we needed to park perpendicular to the gutter/sidewalk we had to give here a hand. She was a competent rider but just too small to handle the walking pace/manoeuvring stuff.

 

Ciao

[VtwinStorm]

3 minutes ago, Lucky Phil said:

If you can get the C of G and the seat height low enough to get both feet flat on the ground with some knee bend it goes a long way to helping. The amount of times I've seen girls topple over in car parks I've lost count of. I did a magazine 4 way bike test 3 day ride/trip years ago testing the big 4 sports tourers of the day and one of the other riders was a fairly petite woman. Every time we needed to park perpendicular to the gutter/sidewalk we had to give here a hand. She was a competent rider but just too small to handle the walking pace/manoeuvring stuff.

 

Ciao

Yes, but it doesn't help the D1200 only turns 60 degrees, lock to lock. She's a big, heavy lorry. But, a very rapid one.

[docc]

14 minutes ago, VtwinStorm said:

I'm not a small guy, but my Daytona 1200, at 560lbs. with a full tank is a lot of mass to move around at slow speeds. The V11 is around 500lbs. I understand, so a little better. I can never get the Goldwing or dresser Harley guys with 800-1100lb. machines. Bonkers.

If your V11 weighs 500 pounds, its probably out of fuel . . . 

I can remember two, or maybe three, female forum members. I think two of them actually rode V11 and the other had some pretty V11 jewelry on offer.

Recalling just a few lady riders coming through our local "sport-touring" community reminds that the more talented ones chose bikes that fit them well (shouldn't we all?). The most adept of these wore full leathers and rode a Honda Hawk GT. Quite svelte, nimble and capable. The bike, too. 

[VtwinStorm]

51 minutes ago, docc said:

If your V11 weighs 500 pounds, its probably out of fuel . . . 

I can remember two, or maybe three, female forum members. I think two of them actually rode V11 and the other had some pretty V11 jewelry on offer.

Recalling just a few lady riders coming through our local "sport-touring" community reminds that the more talented ones chose bikes that fit them well (shouldn't we all?). The most adept of these wore full leathers and rode a Honda Hawk GT. Quite svelte, nimble and capable. The bike, too. 

Excellent points, Docc. I tend to prefer narrow, lighter, high-torque motorcycles like the 900SS with buckets of midrange and a smooth engine.

That said, I can still appreciate big bruisers like the Daytona 1200, Guzzi V11, BMW K, etc.

I'm sure the V11 will be a little culture shock for me, and I welcome it. Torque pulling the bike to the right when you blip the throttle, smooth compliant suspension eating most road irregularities, a smooth but very mechanical gearchange...rattling dry clutch, a nearly turbine-like engine above 3k RPM that just pulls and pulls all day long through sweepers...All from what I hear about the V11.

VTwinStorm, and his damned run-on sentences...I know.

I can't contain my excitement. I ordered the factory shop manual from a nice gent in New Zealand. I'll begin reading it when it arrives. I have MUCH to learn about big Guzzi V twins. Another planet entirely from my air-cooled Ducatis I'm so used to.

The V11 must be the prettiest production machine ever to emerge from the factory in Mandello. I'm torn between the Sport and LeMans. They both are breathtaking in person. How a machine with such a brutal drivetrain can be wrapped in such elegant and understated bodywork is a miracle of style. Tamburini level style.

[docc]

Luciano Marabese level style!

 

[VtwinStorm]

2 hours ago, docc said:

Luciano Marabese level style!

 

Facts.

[p6x]

19 hours ago, GuzziMoto said:

My wife is a Guzzi owner, but she isn't registered on this or any other motorcycle forum.

Her V11 is really why I am here, I own Guzzi's but she is the only V11 owner in the family.

There are probably more female riders now than I can recall ever seeing. But female riders are still the exception and not the norm. Even a few racing.

I would be interested to know why she picked Guzzi? it is kind of an obscure brand outside of those who are really interested. Not that anybody can be affiliated with anything, matter of personal choice obviously. But if you say candidly you ride an Italian motorcycle, people will think Ducati.

But was she a motorcycle enthusiast before, or did that happen with you?

There were a few track racer ladies. Including a Spanish that used to do Moto2 María Herrera, and here in the USA I only know of Elena Myers;

 

[p6x]

17 hours ago, VtwinStorm said:

Sadly, not a lot of ladies ride, from what I can see. Girls who ride are awesome. Girls who ride something like a Guzzi, Ducati, or Triumph, these are unicorns.

I don't do group rides because they are always a sausage fest. That, and the people who love to destroy their bikes and make the group look like a bunch of jackwagons by "stunting".

 

I am a lonesome rider too.

I used to ride with a few friends, always the same, following the races around Europe in the 70's. We rode safely.

[p6x]

15 hours ago, Pressureangle said:

 But she's not a forum lurker.

I get that and I think I know why ladies usually stay off "bois" forums.