We just love stories like this! Guess many of you recognize the feeling of entering av new world to find that this was really something for me. Robin West, from Iowa USA on the 4.th of July :-), describes this very well . And guys..__, she must be the DREAM wife - read what she did for their wedding day! I am proof that youre never too old to follow your passion. For as long as I can remember Ive had a love for motorcycles. Other little girls asked for dolls and ponies, I asked for a motorcycle. It was the mid-70s and I had been riding on the tank (oh the 70s!) of my older brothers bike since I was in diapers. Aghast my parents explained to me that good girls dont ride motorcycles! Well, you know the best way to give someone a drive and determination to do something? Tell them they cant :-). I was determined that one day I was going to ride my own motorcycle. In the meantime about 35 years passed by while I was relegated to riding pillion, or as I like to say being fender fluff. In 2009 I met my husband. He drove through a blizzard to keep from breaking our date - possibly because he had broken 2 previous attempts and I told him if he did it again to lose my number for good. Im really glad he showed up. I knew he rode a motorcycle - a Ducati. Hmm, a Du-what-ee? Nevermind, it has 2 wheels, Im sure it is superb and Ill Google it later. Winter turned to Spring and one afternoon he was about 3 hours late for a date because he had been out riding. He showed up, unapologetic on his bike - a red 2000 Monster 900ie, or Sophia his Italian mistress as he so lovingly referred to her. Hmm... thats not a large bike. I asked if I could sit on it. Hmm... I can almost reach the ground. Oh, it can be lowered? Things to ponder... As often happens when youre busy overanalyzing something, time gets away from you, seasons change and youre staring at 7 feet of snow piled high on your front lawn. 2010 - happy new year! Im turning 40 and I want a motorcycle this spring!! I want to finally learn to ride. Or maybe not because I had to have surgery and my doctor advised that doing such a thing would not be a very good idea given his delicate work and the care he took on keeping me whole. 2011 wasnt to be my year either, though it was the first year I attended Ducati in the Rockies. Its also the first year I truly understood what it means to be a Ducatisti. These arent just motorcyles, theyre a common bonding agent amongst a vastly different group of indivuals. Youre welcomed into a family that looks out for you - a small, close knit group of people who will go that extra mile. Enter 2012 and wedding bells! I buy my husband the 2012 Multistrada 1200S (editor`s mark: WOW!) that he had been coveting as a wedding gift and riding on the back makes me want my own bike more than ever. I attend my second Ducati in the Rockies gathering and fall even more in love with the beauty that is Ducati and the Ducati family. Fast forward to the spring of 2013. I celebrate my 43rd birthday. I decide middle age is what you make of it. The Multistrada comes out for the first ride of spring. After a few times on the back, I drop the bomb - Im 43 years old and I want to ride my own bike. After a moment, my husband says Well, lets figure out what you can ride. I sign up for the local beginner motorcyle course and commence sitting on what seems like every sub-900 cc bike in a 30 mile radius. I seriously consider the Monster 696 even though I can just barely lift the bike off the stand while sitting on it. I consider lowering it, but fear the steering geometry will be a little too much for a brand new rider. In the end, I decide my first bike will be a little less aggressive - I buy myself a shiny new 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300. Im 43 years old and my first bike is a crotch rocket. Hey, if youre going to break stereotypes, go big or go home! 2013 is also the year our Iowa Ducati Owners Club becomes active. I jump right in and offer to help however I can. I help set up dinners, social activities, and plan ride routes. The guys are so nice to me even though I dont ride a Ducati, they commend me for starting smaller and building my skills. They offer advice, lessons, and whatever else they can to help me along my path. Its 2014 and Ive done week long trips with my husband on his Multistrada and loved every minute of it. Ive become a permanent fixture on the local Ducati scene. Im proving over and over again that a little snow on top (gray hair) doesnt mean this more mature gal cant learn new tricks. Im still sporting around on the Ninja and until they make a Panigale thats short enough for me to be able to get a toe down, Ill be keeping it in my stable. While I wait for that shorter Panigale though, Ill just have to settle for a Monster 1200S. I always thought my next bike would be the Diavel, but, it seems, the Monster will always hold a very special place in my heart. And that is how I went from having no clue what a Ducati was to being a Ducatisti. Robin Iowa, USA Thanks for sharing, Robin! We are sure that there are other ladies out there carrying a DUCATI dream. Go on - DO it; it will take you beyond happy!
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000
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