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siren
10-01-2011, 04:44 PM
I haven't started riding on the street yet (still learning), but from comments I've seen both here and around the web, something got me wondering...

Ladies have mentioned gawkers, people pulling up beside them on the road to catch a glimpse of a female biker, etc., and it makes me a little fearful of what would probably often by distracted driving in close proximity to you (since it is after all caused by the "OMG girl on bike!" reflex). Do you experience this often? How do you react to this? Have you had any close calls?
zmago
10-01-2011, 05:40 PM
Nobody gawks at me, but I'm a 58 year old, fat, gray-haired guy.:D
kat569
10-01-2011, 06:08 PM
Not a problem for me. I get the older-than-God people who think 25 is the new 45 and don't think the white lines apply to them (that or they can't see them LOL). I do get people looking but usually only at stops; because of what I described above, I'm usually long past people before they figure out I'm not a beefy biker dude. ;-)
saxnbass
10-02-2011, 10:24 AM
Nobody gawks at me, but I'm a 58 year old, fat, gray-haired guy.:D

My first chuckle of the morning, well done sir :)
hogcowboy
10-02-2011, 10:51 AM
My wife used to ride and she says the gawkers are a little unnerving to start with but after a while you don't even notice it. She never had any close calls with gawkers. Her problem and the reason she stopped riding was those darn left turners. She tangled with one of them and it shook her up pretty bad. Got a little hurt but it just scared her off the bike. That's a shame cause I lost my riding partner. But no, don't worry about the gawkers, you'll get used to it. If you're paying attention to your own riding you won't even notice it.:biggrin:
WinterWarrior
10-03-2011, 05:24 PM
Yeah, you should be fine, people sometimes look, but you don't necessarily have to make eye contact if you don't want to. Me? I just smile back.

Granted, I ride a 90's rat bike, and you ride a pink ninja, so.... :)
Cycle Enthusiast
10-03-2011, 09:47 PM
Not a girl, but I had the exact thing happen to me today on my second ride. I was about 5 seconds off from a curve, and this car comes around it, with the driver waving at me. Unfortunately he didn't corner correctly, and was partly in my lane. I had to shift to the center from the left to avoid him. I think he thought I was waving back when I blew my horn at him.
CharlesW
10-03-2011, 10:43 PM
Yeah, you should be fine, people sometimes look, but you don't necessarily have to make eye contact if you don't want to. Me? I just smile back.

Granted, I ride a 90's rat bike, and you ride a pink ninja, so.... :)
Gee, do you think riding a pink Ninja will draw any attention? :p
PlateStacker
10-03-2011, 10:47 PM
If they're able to tell what sex your are as your passing them.. your going TOO SLOW! ;)
AgentKissable
10-04-2011, 09:38 AM
I try not to notice the gawkers. they scare me.

the other day a cop nearly swerved into my lane bc he was gawking.
and i'm not on a pink ninja;)

I'm getting rid of my pink and white helmet in favor of a black one...i'm hoping to draw less attention that way.

i'm guilty of gawking too though..when i see a female rider I can't help but watch her:)
siren
10-05-2011, 04:28 PM
Gee, do you think riding a pink Ninja will draw any attention? :p


Absolutely not!! :tongue: :wink:



And PlateStacker, if they can't tell my gender from the color of my bike, no matter how slow or fast I'm going, I'd be worried. :D
saxnbass
10-05-2011, 06:11 PM
But I want a pink motorcycle (or black with pink accents) and I'm not a girl....
siren
10-06-2011, 08:39 AM
No kidding, saxnbass? Work it out! :D
WinterWarrior
10-07-2011, 03:17 AM
Absolutely not!! :tongue: :wink:



And PlateStacker, if they can't tell my gender from the color of my bike, no matter how slow or fast I'm going, I'd be worried. :D

You know, there's a funny youtube video about that...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSFLWhEjfqk

Point being, you never can tell :thumbsup:
siren
10-07-2011, 08:49 AM
Oh God that is awful!!! :D
AgentKissable
10-07-2011, 08:58 AM
I couldn't even enjoy that...i was too busy cringing over the thought of what his skin would look like if he crashed...
siren
10-07-2011, 09:21 AM
^^^ Exactly. Especially doing stunts like that!
Flattop67
10-07-2011, 10:26 AM
I am a gawker.
AikinutNY
10-08-2011, 05:56 AM
I was caught gawking once. She asked rather rudely, "What are you looking at?"

So, I told her! "Nice colors! Very retro!"
siren
10-09-2011, 08:17 PM
LOL at the self-admitting gawkers!

I have to admit that two days ago, I saw ANOTHER pink crotch rocket on the road, and I found myself gawking. I hope I can find that person later on so we can ride our pink bikes together! How rare is that, in one city!? :biggrin:
AgentKissable
10-13-2011, 09:24 AM
i realized I gawk at other riders to see how they ride...it's good knowledge to soak up:D
Stainlesstehle
10-19-2011, 07:57 PM
LOL at the self-admitting gawkers!

I have to admit that two days ago, I saw ANOTHER pink crotch rocket on the road, and I found myself gawking. I hope I can find that person later on so we can ride our pink bikes together! How rare is that, in one city!? :biggrin:

I saw two ride in together a couple weeks ago at a dealer reopening. Depending on which city you're in it might not be too rare, Detroit or Grand Rapids will stand a better chance than say...Reed City.
CharlesW
10-19-2011, 08:05 PM
Define "Gawker".
I "look" at females on motorcycles, but I also "look" at females in cars, riding a bicycle, jogging, walking, etc., etc.

I think it's just a guy thing.
You only have to worry when they actually hassle you. (Or if they quit looking.) :tongue:
railriderstv
11-13-2011, 10:30 AM
I think it's great for woman to ride bikes......
See more of it every yr. .....as long as the "gawkers" do not harass u.,don't let it bother u.....shoot,I bungee down a fish'in pole to my vintage KZ 550 and u should see the looks this 54 yr. old male gets....lol.....people r so "silly".
V8Thrasher
03-15-2012, 11:15 PM
I admit..... I gawk at girls who ride :p especially the ones on sportsbikes :D
emmy1602
03-30-2012, 03:46 PM
I'm fairly new to biking but I've not yet been disturbed by a gawker. I have blown a kiss at one... But he was riding a Vincent Black Shadow and that's a GORGEOUS classic bike... I more blew the kiss at the bike than him.
zmago
04-01-2012, 02:33 PM
Wow! If a nice girl blew a kiss at me while I was riding, I'd probably fall off in surprise.
Red Lady Rider
04-05-2012, 08:38 PM
haha i like to wiggle my fingers at the little kids in the back seats when they jump up and down pointing lol would probably be creepy to an adult though lmao
STIDriver
04-09-2012, 08:56 PM
I confess: I'm a gawker too.

I gawk at the bikes.

Oh wait ... there's people on the bikes? I didn't even notice them ...

:D
WinterWarrior
04-09-2012, 10:50 PM
Ha! No lie, when I see another motorcycle, I look hard to see what it is. I mean, really; how can you not?
Schneiderman
04-09-2012, 11:38 PM
I'll admit that I'm a gawker, at girls and at bikes. But when I gawk at bikers, male or female, I'm looking at how they ride and seeing if they actually know what they're doing (here in NY many of them do not).
goalie
04-10-2012, 11:29 AM
I guess I'm the only one who gawks at the girls and sometimes does not even notice the bike.
zmago
04-10-2012, 12:17 PM
I guess I'm the only one who gawks at the girls and sometimes does not even notice the bike.

I was like that 30 years ago.
J C
04-23-2012, 12:04 AM
So was I. Now I have the massive man boobs, without the accompanying gut (used to be a weight lifter ...let that be a warning to you body builders ...age catches us all).

It makes for interesting, as last summer I was coming back from Sturgis when a gust of wind blew my shirt up .... the truck I was passing nearly drove off the rode.

I knew I looked bad, but c'mon !