My wife and I have been married since 88, she has always wanted to ride, back when we first were married she took the road course, sweated it out in a hot parking lot in full gear and passed, all she had to do was go into the DMV and she had a license, but then she got knocked up
Years passed, we raised 3 kids and I decided to put the bike back on the road, 2 Winters later we started talking about getting her back on the road so she signed back up for the road course.
She got there extra early so she could get a short bike, a Rebel, and was sitting on the thing when some big fat biker talked her off of it so his big fat wife could ride it because that was what she was used to. The only bike left was a tall bike that my short wife had to be on her tippy toes for the whole time.
Well on the last day this bitchy drill instructor stepped in her way and she went down, that was it , an automatic fail.
The woman told her that " some people just aren't meant to ride bikes "
She came home dashed, so we found her a nice short Suzuki 250 that is very similar to a rebel and got her a learners permit at the DMV. We would ride the country roads to a parking lot where she could practice figure 8's, stopping etc...It was going slow because ( I think that instructor shook up her confidence ) She couldn't do the speed limit. Cars were passing us all the time, I was worried that she wasn't going to be able to ride on the Natchez Trace when we went on vacation. I told her that and it really pissed her off !!!
Next thing I know, she's riding on my ass so I took it up to the speed limit and she is still on my ass so I went faster. That was it, we did the Trace
We have since rode some of the most iconic roads in this country and are hoping for Canada next year if we can get this crap behind us.
I guess the take away is if you want to ride you should and don't let anyone talk you out of something you are really passionate about.
She loves her bike!
The Trace in 2014 and yesterday at the Rock on her 650