2006 GSX-R 1000

by Joan
(Salt Lake City, UT)

What can I say - I have a need for speed. I started riding about 6 years ago. My husband has ridden for many years and we love our touring bike, but he also had his own street bike. When he suggested that I think about getting my own bike, I thought he was crazy. I'm only 4 ft 10 in tall and never thought I could ride any motorcycle. They ALL looked so big to me.

Well, I signed up for the Motorcycle Safety class and I was hooked. I felt that I did so badly in the first class that I told my husband I had to have my own motorcycle to practice on before the next class so I didn't look so much like a "newbie". So we went down to the local motorcycle shop and picked our a cute little Yamaha Virago 550. And practice I did! My husband was a very patient, excellent instructor. I passed the class!

We rode together a lot after that - me on my little Virago and he on his Yamaha FZ1. Soon I realized that I couldn't even begin to keep up with him. I needed more power!

Back to the motorcycle shop. I traded my Virago for a brand new, gorgeous, 2004 Suzuki Intruder 800. It was love at first site!

Then one day, a couple of years later, my husband went on a motorcycle club ride without me. He had since traded his FZ1 for a 2005 GSX-R1000 and everyone going on the club ride was riding a sport bike of some kind. I would not have been able to keep up with them on my Intruder. I was extremely jealous of him going without me.

When he got home, I announced that I wanted a GSX-R. We thought about it and talked about it a lot. After visiting the motorcycle dealer again (we're on a first-name basis with them :^)), they assured us that it was possible to lower the forks and the suspension so that I could reach the ground and ride it. They were, of course, very skeptical of a little woman riding a 1000. I got a lot of flack from the MEN in the motorcycle club too. They thought I should start out with a Kawa 250. Not!

Our thinking was this: 1) I had been riding for several years; 2) My husband was convinced I had the skill to handle it, even though I had never ridden a sport bike of any kind before; 3) I'm not young (I'm in my 60's) and we don't have time to work up gradually with a 250, then a 600 (their throttles were too quirky), and then a 1000. So we jumped in with excitement.

We ordered a brand new 2006 GSX-R 1000 in red, with a helmet to match, new gloves with better protection, leather pants, and boots from Germany that were built up inside to give me more height. An expert suspension guy lowered the forks and the suspension and set it up for my weight. The auto upholstery guy carved the seat for an added inch. (We have now nick-named it the “mini-gixxer). I was ready to ride - and scared to death!

We rode in many places in Colorado. We now live in Utah (where the roads are in better shape BTW) and I'm loving every minute of it. I've had a few mishaps. My husband warned me about the power and the throttle, but neglected to warn me about the brakes. They are "one-finger" brakes! I stopped quickly on my 2nd or 3rd trip out, did a stoppy and threw myself off the MC. Fixed it up and got "back on the horse". Because of my height, I've fallen over a few times while stopping or starting. (Low speeds are tricky on this MC.)

I've since conquered that issue and we just ride - fast most of the time, (my speed is classified. :^)) but always safety first. We both are well aware that "cagers" are our biggest danger and we try to stay as far away from them as possible and ride where there is less traffic.

This bike is not for everyone - but it is MY favorite!