Riding My Ride: dual sport vs. cruiser

I sat down recently with Sherrey to chat about her biking experiences, especially the different bike styles she’s had, and how she feels about riding her own ride.

Sherrey got her first bike, a Honda 50, at age 12. She loved it, and growing up in a family sharing that enthusiasm, she soon advanced to a Kawasaki 125, a 175 and a 400 Enduro. “I was fearless at that age,” Sherry shrugs, laughing.

She carried motorsports into her own family, riding quads with her three boys and Cal, her husband. When her middle son, Aaron, turned 16, he graduated to a Suzuki 500 GS. Then when her youngest son, David, was old enough, he got a Suzuki Marauder, a cruiser style bike. He and Cal learned to ride street bikes on the Maurauder, but Sherry didn’t. She was intimidated by it, its weight and its forward foot pegs.

Fast forward a few years and with Cal out of the picture, Sherrey was yearning for the love of her youth – and so she bought a Suzuki Bandit! It’s a lighter, upright standard motorcycle and she was delighted to buy it from a woman rider, having been frustrated by the sexist attitudes of men listing bikes for sale. She chose the Bandit because of its retro look, and because it just felt right and fit right when she sat on it. Her son concurred with a second opinion; he took it for a test ride, hopped off and exclaimed, “That bike is for you!”

Another part of the inspiration to get the bike came from her friend Robbie and a circle of friends who also happened to be in a riding group. Three weeks later, Sherrey and Robbie also joined the Headlights!

Defying those who say you can’t have your cake and eat it too, Cal came back on the scene. Sherrey taught him to ride her bike (since he’d only learned on the cruiser), then found him a sexy black and chrome Honda VT1100. With that, they were back together, buying matching riding gear and installing Bluetooth speakers in their helmets.

A year later Cal found a white twin to his Honda and thought it would be great for Sherrey. Most others in their friends’ riding group rode cruiser styles, and it could be more comfortable for long rides. It was very similar to Robbie’s bike and had awesome sounding Van Hines pipes. Falling for the fairy tale vision of matching bikes, Sherrey took the bike.

In her heart, she knew better. It made her nervous the first time she sat on it. Her positioning didn’t feel comfortable and she felt a lack of control, wanting to turn with her hand and not her hips. Cal shared with her his knowledge and experience, but it wasn’t enough; she had no peace on that bike. The bike didn’t really fit her style either. Even though it was fun to feel a little like part of a badass gang ready to rumble, that image wasn’t really her.

When, on a long ride with changing weather she missed a corner and went down, she knew that was the end of the cruiser. In the hospital with minor injuries, she was filled with remorse, apologizing to her sons when they came to see her, for not heeding her own concerns about the bike because of how it could have impacted their lives.

It took some time to recover, but after 3=three months, she was back on the Bandit. “I just go, I don’t feel the uncertainty and inhibitions I felt on the Honda,” Sherrey asserts. But it’s been about nine months since the accident, and her knee reminds her every day to ride responsibly, and always with protective gear. Cal helps too, she says. He can tell by watching her body language when she tenses up. “Breathe, Baby, just breathe,” soothes his voice in her helmet. “You can do it.”

And she does. Motorcycling means freedom, independence and fun. Sherrey loves her two riding groups, and being out in the world on a motorcycle. It’s especially amazing as she sees riding as a physical example of one of her most important beliefs. “When we face obstacles, we shouldn’t give up on our passions. We should find ways to continue. Don’t give up!”

I’ve seen this fortitude in Sherrey, and know that her grit and attitude have made a difference in other women’s lives, empowering them to find purpose and healing as well. Sherrey sums it up nicely, “Motorcycling as a woman gives others an idea that they can do it, too, and it’s awesome!”