VMaxChic

by Terri Colbourn
(Carmel, IN, US)

How did I become a VMax rider? Long story….over a 10 year period……but I’ll make it short. My husband's and my first date was a D.A.R.E charity ride on Charlie’s 1990 VMax! It was the first time I ever saw one. I remember thinking it was so much cooler looking than all his friends Harleys! For a few years I enjoyed riding on the VMax behind Charlie. At the same time though, I was watching a couple of his friends riding their Sportsters and I thought “if those girls can do it, so can I”!

In 2004 I took the A.B.A.T.E class and really liked it! After that Charlie bought me a 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic and I would ride that behind the guys at the VMax rallies. They were a tough bunch to follow but when they left me in the dust I would catch up with them at stop signs! In 2006 we had the 1990 VMax lowered so that I could start riding it. Last year Charlie bought the 2009 VMax and the 1990 officially became MY MAX. No problem keeping up now!

Haven’t made a whole lot of changes yet but we did take off the windshield, back rest and bags and added a 4-2-1 Kerker with a 2 1/2” competition baffle. Love that sound! I still have my Vulcan, but ride the VMax a whole lot more! We went to Thunder in the Valley this year, our 2nd time there, and it was great! The riding out there is so much more fun than the flat, straight roads of Indiana!

I hope to encourage other lady riders to give the VMax a try and see how enjoyable it is. The people are as fun as the VMax! I think it’s a great opportunity for the VMOA to expand their female membership. If you don’t ride, try an A.B.A.T.E class to see if it’s something you’d like to do. If you already ride, try a VMax, it’s addictive. The guys shouldn’t have all the fun!

Terri Colbourn