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Friday, January 2

More for Jack who is looking for a bike that will fit his very tiny wife:

Hi Jack ... At 5 ft tall with a 27" inseam, I'm not as short or as small as your wife. I've done a lot of looking for my perfect bike, so I'll throw a leg over just about anything. One of the models I considered is the Ducati Monster. It's supposed to be very easy to lower. The guys at one of my local dealerships told me they'd modified a one to fit a little person (dwarf.) It's worth discussing with your local Ducati dealer if you don't mind a sport bike instead of a cruiser. I'd be happy to pass along the name of the mechanic who told me about it if your local mechanic can't get her/his head around the concept. Good luck, – Amy K. (note from Mama: an excellent message reminding folks that the right dealer is worth their weight in gold, especially when challenges appear insurmountable.)

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Thursday, January 1 New Books by Women Riders

Coming Soon: A review of Tyrenna Tolbert's novel Who's Got Skills ...
"The novel is about an eye-catching, entrepreneurial woman, who rides a motorcycle, falls in love with the enigmatic guy and attracted to another egotistical guy who frequents the neighborhood Bike hang out. One is an undercover cop and the other is a contract killer. She has pieces to the puzzle, but with the lure of the highway and any luck she will live long enough to tell about it. Women are depicted as strong characters who can be the heroine and just as savvy as their male counterpart."

Wednesday, December 31

Dear VTwin Mama,
Is there an adjustable brake lever for a 2005 1100 Yamaha metric cruiser as I have small hands. They have all kinds for crotch rockets. Do you know of any that will fit from other bikes? Thank you muchly, – Mark

Dear Mark,
The bad news is that there are few solutions for smaller hands as your research has already found. Most focus on the clutch lever. We're still stuck with the suggestion that you consult with an independent bike shop and inquire whether they can heat and bend your current lever in such a way as to straighten it out for better fingertip reach. – Mama

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Tuesday, December 30

From Jack who is looking for a bike that will fit his very tiny wife:

Thanks for the info on the Ridley. It's a bike to investigate further.

By the way, I did check out the "Motorcycle fit chart" on your site. If you remember from my letter, I stated that my wife has sat on many popular bikes and all were much too big for her (even lowered models). We tried out a few trikes. One was a 250 Yamaha. Imagine a skinny 10 year old child with unusually short legs sitting on a trike, that's my wife. Sure, she won't tip over on a trike, but, the extensions on the handlebars would have to be so long that when she turns a corner, she would be running next to the bike to hold onto the bars. (if you can imagine). We also looked at a V-star 650 that was lowered and had a custom seat made for a smaller person. Close, but she still couldn't touch the ground on one side.

Linda, you wrote that the only difference between you and my wife is that your heavier and older (She's 46). If your heavier, you probably have wider hips. Therefore I imagine that your legs are further apart. My wife's hips are 22" her waist is 20" No kids. Skinny hips. Her legs can just about wrap around a split rail fence section. Can you picture that? I think she's a 2 or 0.

So, what she really needs is a 3/4 (or smaller) size bike. I know it might be too small to be seen by some motorists, however, if she's riding with our group, we would be all around her. Also, price is a consideration. If I could afford it, I would take a ride out to York (to the Harley factory) and ask them to fit my wife for a Ultra Classic. And $75,000 later, she would be riding.

And so, now we have the whole winter to browse around and do our research. Which sucks, because I want to be riding. I'm thinking of buying an enclosed trailer and heading south real soon (at least for a couple weeks).

Thanks again, – Jack in NJ (note from Mama: I'm out of ideas on actual bikes ... but I will note that Cycle World's International Motorcycle Show is coming to New York City (Javits Center in Manhattan) in January ... this would be an opportunity to see all makes/models under one roof and talk with not only the area dealers but the manufacturer reps.)

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Tuesday, December 30

Dear VTwin Mama,
Ride Free is a guarantee on the trade-in value of H-D Sportsters. Between December 26th and March 31st, current owners of an ’07, ’08, or ’09 Sportster 883 or 1200 can trade-in for any of the bikes in the Big Twin family and receive full MSRP on their original bike. Similarly, new owners purchasing a Sportster in the same timeframe will have an opportunity to trade-in for full MSRP at any point within a year’s time. Essentially, participating customers will have a year to “ride free.”

All of the details about Ride Free are available here. There’s also a video piece up on our YouTube channel. – Kelly Yahr, Harley-Davidson

Dear Kelly,
Thanks for the update ... it's good information to know as many riders who choose to start with H-D may be looking for a good trade opportunity! – Mama

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Held Over For Your Consideration ...

New Women's Long Sleeve Ts Available!

Dear Readers,
Looking for a long sleeve VTwin Mama product for the chiller rides? I only have 5 mock turtlenecks on the Sales Table left (small in blue and red and large in blue).

But I've also just added regular women's long sleeve Ts to the list! Standard logo, heart logo, or customize a color/look exactly how you would like it and I'll put it together for you! – Mama

Events ...
Upcoming events, whether women-specific, specific to women's causes, and other fund raising rides, can be found on the Events Page! These listings come from people who have contacted this site.