“The Average Female BMW Rider”
B&W Motorcycle Owners of America (MOA) announced their mileage contest winners for 2015 in the April BMW Owners News (ON) magazine. Our club secretary was named the "Average Female BMW Rider"! The MOA adds all mileages reported by females, divides that number by the number of riders reporting and Nancy's 7,356 miles was closest to that average number! Here is Nancy's story.
I am surprised & honored that my first months on a BMW landed me the “Average Female Rider” designation. Unlike many of you who have been riding for years, my motorcycling adventure only began in 2010 after spending the previous 2 years following my husband Bill & other members of the BMW Riders of Knoxville in a “support vehicle”. I finally said, I think I can do this! So when I took my first MSF course at the age of 59, I had never even started a motorcycle!
Being vertically challenged, I couldn’t find a BMW that was low enough where I felt comfortable and could be flat footed. To start riding, we located a Suzuki GZ 250 and after putting 1000 miles on it, I told my husband I needed more power! My next bike was a 2012 Red Honda Shadow on which I put over 22,300 miles. In May 2015 when my husband was having the 600 mile service done on his K1600GT, we came across a 2009 factory lowered F800ST which has been a perfect fit for me. The handling is so responsive; curves that used to be intimidating, I now take with ease.
My usual riding partner is my husband Bill and sometimes other members of our local BMW Club. I first rode two up with Bill when we were in college. But then marriage, jobs & children put motorcycling on the back burner until Bill rekindled his desire to ride after we moved to the Great Smoky Mountains. We haven’t limited our riding to the great roads in East Tennessee, having been to 23 states with help from the destination rallies of the MOA, Get-a-Way weekends and other events. We prefer to take the long, scenic way there and back. In fact, 4600 miles of my 7,356 total was acquired going to the rally in Billings this past July. My friends can’t believe I go on a two week “vacation” riding a motorcycle several thousand miles taking a small duffle bag packed with just a few clothes! We are fortunate to live in an area where we can usually ride twelve months out of the year. For 2016, we already have local rides planned, made reservations for Get-a-Way Weekends as well as a number of rallies. I’m looking forward to putting many more miles on my BMW, exploring new destinations and
meeting great friends along the way!
Nancy Van Voorhis #178600 Kodak, Tennessee
I am surprised & honored that my first months on a BMW landed me the “Average Female Rider” designation. Unlike many of you who have been riding for years, my motorcycling adventure only began in 2010 after spending the previous 2 years following my husband Bill & other members of the BMW Riders of Knoxville in a “support vehicle”. I finally said, I think I can do this! So when I took my first MSF course at the age of 59, I had never even started a motorcycle!
Being vertically challenged, I couldn’t find a BMW that was low enough where I felt comfortable and could be flat footed. To start riding, we located a Suzuki GZ 250 and after putting 1000 miles on it, I told my husband I needed more power! My next bike was a 2012 Red Honda Shadow on which I put over 22,300 miles. In May 2015 when my husband was having the 600 mile service done on his K1600GT, we came across a 2009 factory lowered F800ST which has been a perfect fit for me. The handling is so responsive; curves that used to be intimidating, I now take with ease.
My usual riding partner is my husband Bill and sometimes other members of our local BMW Club. I first rode two up with Bill when we were in college. But then marriage, jobs & children put motorcycling on the back burner until Bill rekindled his desire to ride after we moved to the Great Smoky Mountains. We haven’t limited our riding to the great roads in East Tennessee, having been to 23 states with help from the destination rallies of the MOA, Get-a-Way weekends and other events. We prefer to take the long, scenic way there and back. In fact, 4600 miles of my 7,356 total was acquired going to the rally in Billings this past July. My friends can’t believe I go on a two week “vacation” riding a motorcycle several thousand miles taking a small duffle bag packed with just a few clothes! We are fortunate to live in an area where we can usually ride twelve months out of the year. For 2016, we already have local rides planned, made reservations for Get-a-Way Weekends as well as a number of rallies. I’m looking forward to putting many more miles on my BMW, exploring new destinations and
meeting great friends along the way!
Nancy Van Voorhis #178600 Kodak, Tennessee