Sorry if I offended anyone with my question. I certainly believe I'm as smart or nervy as most of the men I've known. But, even as an avowed feminist, I know that I don't have the upper body strength that my partner does, and in observing him with his bike, I've seen him do a lot of things that I know I could never do, not without a tremendous amount of working out for months and months, if not years -- and while I do want to learn to ride a motorcycle, I'm not sure I'm ready to make that kind of excercise commitment. My fear around riding comes primiarily from that, from being in a situation with a motorcycle that I cannot handle physically. My other fear is having a wreck, but that's more from a fear of car drivers.

Also, I know that I'll like riding "for myself", but I also really do love sitting on the back of the bike, something most of you seem to loathe. I understand that -- but I really do like it. I guess it comes from having to be in control of absolutely everything -- this is one of my opportunities to let go and let someone else deal with decision making, while I get to just enjoy the ride. So, while I really do hope to learn to ride for myself, I probably won't give up the back of the seat altogether. Hope that sentiment isn't so outrageous that I'm booted off the board.

Unfortunately, it's going to be a long, long while before I can learn to ride -- I'm in Germany, and made the mistake when I moved here from the USA of not getting my driver's license in the first six months while here (I expected to be here only one year, and don't have a car anyway -- I take mass transit). Now, the only way for me to get a license is to take the exhaustive and intensive German driver's course and test, entirely in German, and my language abilities are just never going to be up-to-par to do something like that. I've found a place I'd like to take lessons back in the USA, and then get my license, but it will not transfer to Europe because I've lived here so long. Very bummed about it, but still hopeful that, once I move back to the USA someday, I can get going on this. In the meantime, I'll be reading some of the books recommended here, as well as a few others that have been suggested. Thanks again.

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Jayne Cravens
CoyoteBroad