Any ladies here willing to admit????
 

Hey Ladies, hope you all are having a lovely day. Well it's confession time so who's going to step up to the plate and confess?? We all know guys can get into who has the biggest this or the fastest that and adrenalin often flows bringing out the competitive juices on their group rides while they are trying to show they have the greatest skills on two wheels.

What I want to know, is how many of you have fallen into that same type of thing perhaps female to female or female to male, but say the mentality of "I'm going to show these men/women I can ride or I will make sure I'm not at the back of the pack"?

Any of you just have to be faster than the next guy/girl?

I know generally it is men who behave this way, but there are women out there who have done the same. So who here is an estrogen packing badass on two wheels?

I'll admit! :lmao:

I've been riding with the same group of people for a number of years. Depending on who I ride with, I'm at varying points within the pack. :idk: Fair enough.

One ride, was riding behind my friend who happened to have a ZX10. 3 boys behind us (who I'd never met but shall forever be known as The Russians) decided that they didn't like riding behind girls. Keep in mind we were near the front of the pack in a fast group.

We pull up to a stop sign and I hear them say something about "riding behind the bitches" :skep:

I'm very non-competitive but it was enough to piss me off a bit.

Next set of twisties, first Russian (the one directly behind me)....pulls out on me in and then proceeds to block me into a corner so his buddies could get past.

Like I said...not competitive but I lost it and rode like a complete maniac for the next little while just to show them. :lol

By the time I had significantly shown them I'd cooled down enough to realize how stupid I was being.

They couldn't ride for shit and it didn't take much to get back up in front of them....but it was a stupid move on my part.

I don't know what you are talking about :wink: :lol:

Ok, part of what started this thread: We recently had a group ride consisting of all of our regulars, it just so happens that for each guy that rides, his spouse/girlfriend rides her own bike as well. So it's usually 4 guys and 4 girls and every now and then some different guys may tag along.

On this day, only my friend's wife rode. Well two guys decided to ride with us, none of us have ridden with one guy at all and the other guy had only ridden with one of us before. So we head up to some twisty roads and proceed to do our thing. Well to make a long story short the guy no one knew or had ridden with before was a BRAND new rider, had no permit or license, and did not tell anyone. He was riding a small Honda cruiser (shadow I think) but he was determined not to be out done by the only female rider in the group that day.

As you can read, several factors indicate trouble lies ahead for this guy. The only female rider happens to be the fastest female in our group and is faster than a few of the guys. Poor guy for trying to judge his talents skills off hers. Well he went into a curve too hot, stood the bike up and veered down the enbankment into a ditch filled with water. No serious injuries, but his nuts left a massive dent in the tank. Turns out the bike was borrowed not even his. His pride fully hurt he says a car crossed the yellow line, um What car? No car ever met us on that road.

I found out then that earlier at the gas station this guy had told my friend's wife that when we get to the curvy roads she should get behind him to avoid slowing him down. So after his wreck she apologized for sucking him into those curves!:lol

Ooooh....what an idiot! :doh:

My first reaction is to always be pissed at the "you're fast..for a girl" type comments. But for the most part I laugh them off and let my riding speak for itself.

I'm not the fastest out there, but I'm sure as hell not the slowest and I'm smooth and consistent. :idk:

I most often see this as guys swarm to get out of pull offs/gas stations etc a head of me then I get to ride their ass the whole time. If you are faster than me, by all means get in front or I will be the first to wave you on. But damn it if you are going to slam the breaks in every corner, I'm going to get annoyed.

I really used to experience this while on my Ninja 250. I wasn't slow on it once on a twisty road and many guys just couldn't take a girl on a "slow" bike being in front. I had trouble passing them in straights though cause that is when they would gun it. Sucked.

hey I already apologized for holding you up at the gap!:sorry:

I didn't mind riding behind you Tigger...you have a nice ass! ;o)

I pass every Harley I see. Just because I can, I think. And something about burning rice........................ :D

Me eitherredflip

:?:


I prefer to ride behind girls.
Ride behind
Walk behind
It's Much better view.

sounds like you riding buddies might be riding each other in private

I will also admit that I love sporting this shirt while out riding...

http://www.reaperwear.com/shop/images/100054.jpg

My wife has that exact shirt !! She won't wear it just anywhere but has worn it to a couple of bike/biker events. Most guys do double takes and laugh out loud. :lol:

You can only read it when she's off the bike anyways since she wears a jacket.

I'll admit, I have ridden a bit more aggressively on the street when faced with egos that figure Im a "sonic" girl. :shrug:

These days, I dont care. Im faster than some, slower than others, would KILL to follow Hokie and Kerry around, they are incredible riders and I could learn alot just by watching. I would include Trip, but since I never SEE him when we ride, I cant much learn anything from him. Another one Id love to observe and follow behind is Jeeps, Duc Divas man. He is INSANELY good with plenty of experience to back up his skills.

I am the same way. It's not about egos and estrogen though, it's because if you get held up in the corners it spoils the fun!!! :(

nope, I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself....I generally only ride with the same 2 groups of people and I know every one of them outside of riding too so there is no stupid 10yr old BS of who's faster than who between the guys or the girls.

:whistle:

We have a couple of 60-75 year old guys who ride with us consistently and whenever new guys come out, they always try to jump in front of the old guys. Pretty funny at the second gas stop after they've gotten blown past.

I don't ride in groups larger than like 4 and I don't ride with ass hats. So, no this is not a problem for me. :shrug:

Nothing worse than a herd of cruisers being corner killers.

Fortunately, living in Kansas, I don't have to worry about corners anymore. :bash:

Pete and Jerry do LOOK pretty slow, though. :lol:

haha exactly the two I was talking about. They are pretty fucking quick. Not many, other than CNI and the like, can beat em down 125.

I don't care if a chick is in front of me. Hell, I get the best view!!! Although I almost ran wide and crash a few times because I was focused on the rhythmic motion of the derriers.

All I saw was 10yr old. :rofl:

It's really tough to get out there and try and be betty-bad-ass when you get your butt handed to you by a 12-year-old. Personally, I know what fast looks like - and what slow looks like - and I don't really care what category other people put me in.

I've been owned by too many people at the gap that was unexpected that I don't care who is faster than me anymore. Shane and his busa is ungodly fast, Suzy and her motard is just a blur, that really old man and his KTM are halfway to jupitur by now. I gave up on ego a long time ago.

:dvrofl: - those 12 yr olds don't count....

They are actually 12 and faster than almost everyone on the track...:rockout:

I'm just surprised he didn't show up on a shiny new GSXR1000... guess it's that whole "credit crunch" thang.

Hokie is as fast or faster than most men I've ridden with. Riding with Kerry is only going to make her faster. I did a trackday with NinjaKel and she's no joke either...:lol:

Shit I need to ride with you and Shane! My shit is weak son! I never felt I was over 60% BUT I also never felt comfortable!!! It totally sucked! Maybe I should do a couple track days to possibly shake things loose?:idk: I totally trusted my '01 and '03 GSXRs and they never lead me wrong but this bike...:panic:

For the record, gender doesn't bother me. If someone is better than me so be it. I still think that females should totally own motorcycle racing, seriously.

I'll trade you my GSXR for yours...

Maybe it's our raw male stupidity that helps us give retard level commitment to a corner? I know I don't have that kind of stupidity to go that fast, so maybe that's why people like Hayden make it to MotoGP. :lol:

I don't care who's ahead of me or behind me in terms of fastness. I only care that you're not going to be an asshat near me and endanger myself or others around me. :nono:

What I cannot STAND is guys that say "you're pretty fast....for a girl" Immediate douchebag in my eyes and I basically hear nothing but blah blah blah out of their mouth after that. :lmao:

Don't tempt me! That was my favorite bike ever, except maybe my V-Max.

depends on the group and the situation. At the track you bet your ASS I'm out to pass every guy out there. But that's different.

Hell yeah, I hate it when that happens!!! :lol:

I'll vouch for Hokie too, she can ride!

LOL, we have the fellas in here confessing right and left, come on ladies FESS UP!

Hahaha! Right... your my hero sometimes!:lol:

I hear pretty much the same thing: "you're pretty fast for an old guy, on an old bike." I just tell them "I had lessons." Which is true, but they don't realize the practice I put in, the maintenance I do to my bike, the hours I put in the gym to stay in shape, the research I do on riding, or how focused I am when I ride.

Thanks for the compliments guys. Always looking to improve with practice and learn from others. :)

Best compliment I ever had was from an older sportbike rider. Him and another guy were leading, but stopped to let us slow people catch up. They fell in behind me. When we stopped again, the older guy told me I had good lines! :D

I had only just started riding the KZ, had spent the last three years on a Honda Shadow 600. It made me feel like Rossi.

I'll admit!

I club raced pb's on cart tracks and it would be bad if I didn't have the urge to be faster than the guys - I was the only gal :whistle:

Nowadays, I don't care if somebody is faster on the road (gals or guys) - I ride my own ride (on knobbies). If we are out on FS roads everybody rides it's on pace and we meet up on top or intersections, but it feels good if you are not the last one to arrive :wink:

When off-roading, I pick up my bike before anybody gets to me (I don't need no stinkin' men).

AMEN!

I ride my own ride and would rather be smooth and consistent than worry about if someone is faster or slower than me.

:lol: Lately, I've become the 'old conservative guy' cautioning her too keep it relatively slow on the street, and save the desire to really push herself for the track. After a decade or so of increasingly insane riding, I've spent the last few years fighting a self-preservation battle with myself to try and find a good compromise - a 'pace', if you will. Riding with Kathy (especially 2-up) has helped me find that 'comfort zone' and always reminds me that coming back home in one piece is far more important than pushing that next corner just a little faster.

I totally agree with Trip on our typical male retard-level tendencies. I think we also tend to measure ourselves & one another by how 'fast' we are (or think we are) vs. how in control we are. Perhaps that's a difference between how women tend to approach riding - when they don't feel quite in control, they generally have enough sense/self-preservation instinct to slow-the-fook-down, whereas men are more likely to take the do-it-or-die-trying approach!

Words of wisdom right there! :dthumb:

:eek: No need to go postal, girl! :lol:
Just come on up any weekend & tell us when/where to meet up! I bet Mr. Hand's, Trip's, a few other locals, etc... arms could be twisted for a 'mini-rally' too! :rockwoot:

:lol: If I get up that way, you bet your butt I'll be calling you guys up!

I think you hit the nail on the head with that one!

Nah, I don't buy it... I'll tell you why. Almost every time, including the most recent WSS round in Utah, a female gets a chance to run with the big dogs, either she fails miserably, is sadly mediocre or crashes. I've seen it several times. Hayes' girlfriend is no exception, seriously, so much ado was being made about her 21st place finish at Daytona. I mean whoopie doo, she finished behind a number of 16 year old kids on super sport bikes (like Tyler Odom) and was lapped. It's obvious that they are making a huge deal of this only because she is a woman and in a way THAT should almost be taken as an insult in itself. It's Crazykel's, "she's fast for a woman" scenario imo.

Now I don't claim to have the answer, my only guess is that girls don't "typically" grow up racing machines like we do. Little boys turn EVERYTHING into a race. From matchbox cars, to bicycles, to motorcycles. We are always competing in that way. Hell, I've raced sticks in the gutter after it's rained...:lol: Maybe Trip is right and they don't make "spacial calculations" as fast as we do but I don't like that idea either. It's like the choices are, they're too smart to risk getting hurt- per Kerry or they're too stupid to do the math- per Trip. :idk: I still in all sincere honesty believe that women should clean-up in motorcycle racing and I'll never understand why they don't...

My take on why women don't compete well in racing is that we have a stronger biological "self preservation instinct" then men. Women's brains are set up to not take as many dangerous chances due to the fact that we may have children to take car of. Men have more testosterone and will take more chances. Just my outlook on it (i'm a Bio major so I tend to think that way)

Strange that sounds A LOT like Kerry's theory...:lol: Again I don't know, but on the "self preservation" note. I've seen women basically give up and wait to die when the shit hits the fan. Guys keep running, fighting and striving to stay alive. That's self preservation, that's a survival instinct. :idk: Besides if there aren't any children, I'm not sure how that can be a factor. Women sky dive, climb mountains, smoke cigarettes, have un-protected sex, bungee jump, and engage in all types of stupid and life threatening activities the same as men.

I honestly don't think it's some noble "nurturing" instinct that keeps them from excelling in racing. Especially when they don't have any children. Besides, everyone keeps going on and on about how fast you are, what did you do? Have a hysterectomy or something? :lol: I mean if I have to, I'll accept that they just suck at the skills required to race and leave it at that but I'm not gonna accept that it's because they are too smart or too concerned about kids they don't even have to be great racers.:lol:

Tigger is ANYONE allowed to have an opinion other than you with out you trying to shoot them down? Its what I think and you dont have to buy it.....I wasn't trying to sell it to you anyway. It MY opinion from MY experience hence me saying "my take on it..."

And if people think I'm fast thats nice of them...somedays I feel fast some I don't. I have about 40,000 miles of experience on twisty roads so its more of "I'm used to them" verses "not having a uterus". Should I come out and say that since you were having a "bad day at the Gap" (your words not mine) that you have a vagina? give me a break.

You better!! ;)

What? Okay, I was joking about the uterus crack, yeesh! I'm just trying to have a dialog here. This isn't serious world shattering debate or anything. Besides, I was riding like a pussy at the Gap, so if you said that, it would be accurate. :lol: You are correlating having a vagina with being slower than men in motor sports, not me. You are the one putting them in the role of being "biologically incapable" of winning races.:idk: Women can be just as competitive in racing as men imho.

I'm staying out of the other topics floating around in the thread. What I was getting at is that you obviously have the experience to ride extremely competently the correct way. Speaking for myself, I was never riding past 75% at any time during the rally because honestly, there's no reason to ever push that hard on the street. I usually ride with guys I do track days with so a fast pace is easy and relaxed. It's a lot easier to learn from someone that's fast and relaxed and calm, than someone that's fast and having to push hard to be that way. I dunno, I'm half in the bag so none of that might make any sense...:lol:

Nah, that makes sense. I assume that you're talking about Hok right?:lol: Yea you seemed very relaxed and smooth at the Gap, so I can see what you mean. I never felt nervous around either you, Shane or Trip. I was terrified that I'd run over someone around every corner otherwise.:idk: To be honest, I never rode with Kerry or Hokie at the Gap that I remember. I spent the first day not riding much because my bike felt funny and the second at Wheeler's getting my fork reassembled :D. In fact, I don't think I made more than 2 passes with anyone from the group. :idk: Oh well, I'm just glad I didn't crash!!!

Im in agreement with ya Kathy, I dont know what to call it exactly, but I do know that we girls do have a stronger self preservation instinct than men, and we recognize the life threatening portions of what we do waaayyyy more than the boys most of the time.

Id also like to think the way our brains works plays a factor. Women are capable of thinking about many things at the same time, whether we should be or not. I know I have been around the track thinking "hottdamn, this is awesome, Im gonna kill myself, hope this dude keeps his line, if I blow this turn I will blow the next three, body positioning-check", all at the SAME time. I think about road conditions, tire temp, whether my bike is tip top, whether its a good idea to push it, remembering I have a trip coming up, I dont want broken bones for it...:lol: All of which keeps me riding more conservatively than I know I and the bike are capable of.

I had a discussion with some buddies at the track and it was about this same topic. The younger/less expereienced guys, newer to the track, trying to get into racing class readily admit they are pushing as hard as they can, but they dont recognize the danger factor if they screw up. They told me they arent going to run off the track, so why should they worry? They dont take into account the other factors that could cause them to run off or wreck, like the track conditions, the other riders, etc. Bring it up to them on the street and they are awesome riders, no matter their skill and they wont ever wreck, cuz they know what they are "supposed" to do versus thinking about it ahead of time and riding accordingly.

Older more experienced guys tend to think of those things more, but still manage to sometimes get "caught up" in the moment and go all out, only considering the consequences later, when they have the "what was I thinking" moment. Young/less experienced guys dont seem to do that, bulletproof superman mentality. :shrug:

Hmmm... maybe, but one of the youngest guys (at the time) won 3 AMA championships in a row and one of the oldest guys has won almost all the rest in the past 10 years...:idk:

I certainly have a "no way I'm going to wreck by myself" attitude but in my defense, in 30 years of riding I've only had one crash by myself and I was doped up at the time...:lol: hell, I haven't had an "at fault" accident of any kind since I was a teenager.

I honestly see what you girls are saying, I just don't like the way it limits women believe it or not. I don't know but I still want to believe that it's similar as to why there aren't many black racers. I still think that it's because people aren't out buying their daughters pocket bikes or XR50s when they're 3 or 4 years old, like they do boys. I'd like to think that if your parents had bought you a pocket bike and took you to the races when you were 3, that you could be kicking ass in the AMA right now, seriously. :idk:

Thats most likely very true Tigger. If our parents had gotten us into racing, etc when we were younger and never told us how unsafe and dangerous it was, we probably would be out kicking ass. Unfortunately, no matter how much of a tom boy we may have been, elders will forever be telling us "dont do that, be careful, its dangerous", and perhaps since lil girls listen more than lil boys we let ourselves be brainwashed. Knowing what I do of myself, and the way my mom raised me, she told me I could always do whatever I wanted as long as I set my mind to it, but climbing trees is dangerous, driving fast cars is dangerous, and riding motorcycles is suicide. So even tho I did and do all these things, I think about the things I was told and remember that I can seriously damage myself. :shrug:

Look at the lil girls out doing motocross at 3 and 4 years old. Till they take their helmets off, you dont know they are girls, and they are out there tearing it up just as much as the boys. I would hope that we see them on the podium one day with the boys as well!

Yayyyy!!! Someone gets what I'm trying to say!!!:lol: I really believe that the problem is societal and not biological. Thank you!:rockwoot:

I don't agree.... and it doesn't even have anything to do with the fact that you're tigger. :lol:

Okay I'll accept that! You're in a position to know. Why can't girls win races but they can cliff dive?:idk: I'd like to believe that if you took a 3 year old little girl and a 3 year old little boy, put them on pocket bikes and gave them the same training, the girl could be as fast as the boy.:idk: Also, on another note, why aren't there that many black motorcycle racers? Are we biologically incapable of going fast as well?:idk:

Wow - thanks Josh, I appreciate the compliment (back atcha :cheers: ) and agree totally on the wisdom of a '75%' or less pace. The hard part, for me anyway, has been finding and maintaining that pace somewhere between 'too slow to have fun & feeling like I'm brake-checking myself' and 'gonna get myself killed eventually'.

Yup! :lol:

I definitely agree with that. It seems virtually all your top-ranked racers started on 2-wheels around the time they could walk, and to a degree it boils down to which 'demographic' was handed a training tool right out of the crib.

I think this has evolved into an apples vs. oranges debate though - women tending to be competent-within-their-skills/cautious/non-dumbass street riders vs. being capable of becoming top-ranked racers.
Oh well, it's all good - carry on.... :D

Well, I'm focusing on racing myself. For example, I've watched women do barrel races for years. In fact, it's a purely female sport I think, and quite dangerous at times. Oh well. Hayes' girlfriend just started racing a few years ago and she's doing okay. Imagine if she had started when she was 3 years old, that's all I'm saying.

I agree it's the way our brains were built to function that stops most women from stuff like. Of course, there are always exceptions but we do have a larger sense of self preservation and danger than men. I don't have the 'need' to push things nearly as much as the guys I know. I can enjoy a track day without living every moment on the edge and to race or excel in anything you really must be willing to be on that edge.

I think "biological" is a bad term for it...

But, I know plenty of women that started riding dirt when they were wee ones, and they aren't the fastest things out there. Not slow, just seem to have more of a will to live than their male counterparts. I think survival of the species is something to it....

Black riders - no idea. The color of the rider's skin hasn't ever occurred to me as an issue. I'd think sociological in that aspect. You are right in that exposure is a factor.

I agree and I have examples:

My cousin (a girl) and her teammate (a guy) of the same age both started riding on 50s at the same time because their parents are friends. Both progressed into average riders for their region. Both had supportive parents that encouraged instead of demonizing motorcycles. The boy is 10x faster than the girl will ever be. The boy gets 100x less support from sponsors because of the size of the fields he runs with and he is quite below average in a wider region or national level. My cousin is about average in the wider region. She gets a lot of support from sponsors being a girl in the minority, so has a ton more opportunities to ride than the guy.

There is something more to it than when and how you start riding. Be it biological or mental. However I am not suggesting a girl won't do well. There is always people who will break the mold and do what people thought impossible.

Oh well, then I guess women just can't race and it's appropriate to throw a celebration whenever one is just slightly above average...:idk: The funniest thing here is that while I (Tigger the asshole, douche, dick, etc) am standing up for women, all of the "nice/sensitive guys" and the chicks are saying that women will never be as fast as men on the track and can't compete...:lol: Okay, where the fuck is that Rod Serling motherfucker hiding?:lol:

Hey, no one is arguing anything.... we're discussing a topic. Can you get down off the cross please? It's a topic that has always been curious to me - and it bugs me that everyone DOES celebrate when a chick even gets put on a grid.

I'd love to know the "why"

Well, I'm not trying to make a racial issue out of this. I was merely pointing out that women aren't the only group that has a hard time being successful on the track.:idk:

Did you miss the ":lol:"? I'm not on a cross here... Btw Kathy, Ebbs or whoever had the theory that people take me too serious because I don't use smilies...:gofurslf: Hahahahaha!

Hey wait, I reread my post, I never used the word "argue" or any implication thereof.....:lol:

Anyway, it's hard for me to understand how women can be so self destructive and yet the theory remain that they have a great sense of "self-presevation". I know that here or there can be found examples of girls being "allowed" or even encouraged to race at a young age but, and please hear me out, isn't possible that because the cases are so few and far between that the encouragement and resources are being wasted on girls without talent. While the girls with some natural talent are kicked off their brother's XR50s and told to go play with her Barbies?

What if the girl from Trip's example just plain doesn't have any natural abilities? If the same "gifts" would have been given to Rae, who has a lot of talent, when she was young... Look, for every 100,000 little boys who want to race and are encouraged/supported, you might find one Ben Spies. If the ratio of girls to boys in this situation is 1/10,000... well you see what I mean.

When the deer ran out in front of us and we crashed, I would have to say time slowed, I was fully aware while trying to "solve" my problem, right up to the point where I presume the bike fell over, as I don't remember anything from that point until I recall my face hitting the pavement. I don't know if that "gap" was only an instant, or if it was longer. But I know I didn't panic, I was clear headed, hyper aware.

What I'm wondering is, for the women who've been in similar circumstances, how did they react?

I wonder if in those instances men and women think/reach differently? Which could explain why women end up being slower, as they get into the same area of imminent danger do they back down, or hold their ground?

Yup, I think it's at least to some extent a statistical thing. Girls that have the opportunity to get into riding at an early age are a very few & far-between occurrence, and simply limits the pool of talent greatly. But at the extreme of the envelope, there is a physical aspect to it which perhaps can be a limiting factor - at top-level race speeds, wrestling a bike around can require a lot of strength which may generally give men an edge. Then again, especially at that level, I think the extreme degree of competitiveness along with maybe a higher willingness to risk life & limb is more a masculine trait & helps explain male dominance of motorsports in general.

But back to apples, talking mere mortal street riders - I still think women have much more of a tendency to approach riding & pushing themselves with much more common sense & caution. IMO, while that probably helps many survive, it often limits the progression of their skills somewhat since they're less likely to push their envelopes & put themselves into 'do or die' situations than we testosterone-addled boys. Generalized & rambling, of course... :2cents:

I think a lot of the gals on here would be an exception and not cringe or back down to a threat but the majority of women in general would. They would have closed their eyes, screamed and hoped for the best. Walk up to a guy with no warning toss a small ball at their head, most guys are gona duck or catch it or knock it down, most girls will close their eyes and turn and flinch.

Fight or flight mentality and men will be more likely to stay and fight. There are always exceptions....

I think how you react in "oh shit" situations is based a lot on your experience level. Many guys I have spoken to have had accidents where a car pulls out and "there was nothing I could do so I laid it down" In many cases that is lack of experience to think things through under pressure. I'm not sure how women would differ from men in that case.

Hmmm interesting point. The last time I hit a deer, last August, I remember everything that happened, when I first saw the animal, what I did to try and avoid the collision, when I decided to "square up" and take the hit and the steps I took post-collision to keep from hitting the pavement and an oncoming car. Perhaps "panic/fear" is a possible cause but I still could maintain that our divergent gender specific upbringing may have just better prepared us for this type of situation. There aren't a lot of imminent collision circumstances involved during teddy bear tea parties or playing with a Barbie Dream House. Hell, we were always pushing it on our bicycles and our favorite games involved throwing things at each other-rocks, balls, snowballs, sticks, walnuts, you name it. :lol: How the different sexes react in "crisis" situations may be part of the problem, but is it biological or is it conditioned? Heck, I've seen fags act worse than little girls when they are about to be hit.:lol:

Possibly but as before, most girls don't grow up having things thrown at them almost every day! Boys are constantly throwing things at each other which conditions you to better react to high speed impact situations. Imho.

See that is totally what I was saying. Almost every accident I've ever witnessed, I am almost certain it could have been avoided.

Boys are encouraged to race everything. It wouldn't surprise me to find out my Dad had me go toe to toe with the neighbor's kid in our walkers!:lol: Boys are raised speed competitive. That gives us a lifetime of "crashes" and "near misses" to draw on. I'm not bragging here but one thing I never do is panic. I concede that some of that may be genetic, some may be environmental, but I'm certain that most of it comes from my experience dealing with crisis/imminent danger situations. Not my gender.

That reminds me of something - speaking of reaction- time/effectiveness, I can relate a recent 'oh shit' incident where Kathy's observation & reaction was every bit as quick if not a little quicker than mine would have been. A big doe (not the ray-me kind!) scampered right in front of us as she was driving along ~50mph. As I was starting to point & about to yell a warning, she was already on it & had it hauled-down right at the limit of ABS engagement, stopping to a slow roll about 5' shy of splattering Bambi's mom. Tightest pucker either of us have had in a long time! :lol: (impressed me & me proud of her too :D )
Point being, my 'male instincts' wouldn't have made a bit of difference & it was a matter of individual reaction time/skills. So I think your point holds water too, Tigger. :dthumb:



Remember the far more important point though, however well ANY guy can ride, he'll NEVER have these!!! :bowdown: :boobs:


:lol

Why? Cause women are hawt in leather!!!!! :D


Ok, seriously, I'd say just because it's not common ;)

My opinion on skill between genders is primarily exposure and percentages. A small percent of girls start out young compared to males. A smaller percentage sticks with it as they get older and of that group, (male or female) it comes down to a natural born talent (my opinion). In any sport or physical activity, there are people that excel and it's easy for them where others with sometimes more years of experiance can't hang. That's a very small percentage of a small group of riders male and female. The few outstanding rides of the male gender come from a much larger pool than the female pool. It's just against the odds for a truely outstanding female rider to be one that stuck with it long enough to become well known I think. There's probably some bank teller, nurses, pre-school teachers etc. out there that could dust Danika Patrick :)

This is why I persist in these debates.:lol: people are starting to come around a little bit.:rockwoot:

Just read my free Motorcyclist magazine, there was an article in it titled "Risk" that talked about risk takers having less of an enzyme called monoamine oxidase which helps to break down dopamine and how risk takers were found to have lower levels of dopamine. It states that monoamine oxidase levels increase in women as they age. The article discusses that genetics could play a role in the whole pushing it to the limits thing.

I have this trouble too, although I'd never admit to Erik because he would forbid me to ride at the track. I think it is the woman's ability to multi task, even if we are doing 100+.

Not all of us girls has the Barbie Dolls and such. I grew up with dirt track racing but never got in a car... wanted to drive a sprint car. Actually, I wanted to flip one first to get that fear out of the way, then I wanted to drive one the right way. A girl I was in school with races. Her Dad did it and I think still does, as well as her husband. She kicks ass. She has won a couple championships locally and doesn't take the guys shit. Granted I think car racing is a little different than bikes, but it is still an example of a girl excelling in a man's world.

I was hoping no one would bring her up.

Honestly I think everyone has a valid point on why women aren't more successful in motorcycle racing. But I know for me personally, Erik is a big part of why I don't go much faster than I do. I don't blame him for it because it is me that allows him to affect me the way he does. He gets so nervous and stressed out even if I want to ride to work by myself. So I try to be considerate of that and not stress him out to badly, but I want to excel and have fun too.

This like the wnba all over again.

"I may not be fast, but my fundamentals are strong.."

I really kid. I'm not fast either.. :lol:

So glad I'm not the only one!

One time at 130mph hwy I started thinking about work the next day. I literally had to tell myself to focus and think about only the road.

Thankfully, my hubby doesnt ride yet, and will most likely never run track, so he doesnt worry as much as if he knew what I was really doing...

Oh I know that, I didn't mean it as a derogatory statement about women or their upbringing. I merely used it as a possible reason why women don't have as much high speed avoidance" experience as men. I'm squarely in the camp that believes women could be just as "good" as men in motor sports if everything were equal.:rockwoot:

I don't think that's just a "girl" thing though. I lost concentration all the time when I was racing, which is why I frequently found myself mowing grass at 100 mph in turn three, while thinking about turn seven. :lol:

JC

Two different types of bikes with two different styles of riding. If you dont want to be behind guys on cruisers, pass them. Trust me, they wont mind, they arent out there for the same reason you are, and they are having just as much fun.

:lol: I think you guys up north must have nicer cruiser/Harley riders than the typical ones down here. I'm not trying to stereotype & say all are pissy/stubborn about not 'waving by', but many will simply flat-out ignore you as they potato-potato along in their rolling road-block. I've seen some very bad reactions to being passed also - startled/pissed/freaking-out.

Heck we had some guy in a Ford Contour try not to let us pass at the Gap! :lmao: It's an individual thing - most folks are cool with it but some folks just need therapy!!

QFT! me and the gf were riding out in the country a few days ago and some guy on a full dresser actually sped up and tried to race me as I passed him. As it was I had laid back and waited a mile or so for a legal/safe passing zone before I made my move. It pissed me off because it forced me to step out of my comfort zone with a passenger.:panic:

I know. I never took it as that.

:lol

I was thinking the same thing. They ride just spread out enough around here that it makes it impossible to pass unless you have a long straight stretch. Pisses me off!!