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Tourer
Posts: 447 Cleveland, GA | Well, my wife loves me and is one happy camper now. She is now the proud owner of a 2006 Ridley Auto-Glide Classic. This is the American-made bike with the CVT automatic transmission, with a 24-inch seat height and a 750cc engine. Why Mothers Day? That was when I won the eBay bid on this bike. Neat thing is that it was the first time I had bid on eBay, and placed my first bid with 30 minutes to go on a 7-day auction. We bid on it mostly for the fun of it, without any real expectation of winning. After going back and forth bidding for a half-hour, when eBay informed us that we were the winners, my wife asked, "Are you kidding me? Did we just win the bid for a motorcycle? For ME?" Yep, she was happy. Why an automatic transmission bike for her? She wants to ride her own, but back problems preclude her from comfortably shifting. As a matter of fact, it freaking hurts a lot when she uses her foot to shift gears on a bike - even with a heel-toe shifter. And a stiff and weak left wrist from a broken arm about 25+ years ago make it difficult for her to use a clutch. So the Ridley is right up her alley. And the low seat height goes well with her inseam length, so she can flat-foot the bike comfortably. I'm just now posting, because we had to make a road trip to pick it up. Alabama to Maryland, about 830 miles one-way. So we picked it up and brought it back in my truck. Now I'm looking forward to working with her on how to ride well and to having a riding partner who is my best friend, and my companion of 31 years. Looks like this is going to be a fun ride! (And we'll still go 2-up on the Vision regularly, too).
Edited by Lone Ranger 2010-05-15 12:28 AM
(Ridley.jpg)
Attachments ---------------- Ridley.jpg (45KB - 0 downloads)
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Cruiser
Posts: 92 Chandler, AZ | Hey, that's great! Why don't you post some riding impressions when you get a chance; always wondered how these bikes perform out on the street/roads. Great start on eBay too; but I wouldn't expect that outcome all the time though! Hope your wife loves riding her own bike. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144 New Bohemia, VA | Excellent! I know she'll enjoy very much. I met my first Ridley rider last year, a very sweet woman who the bike was a perfect fit. The bike got more attention than all the bikes and the old rough riders wanted to take a ride and each gave their seal of approval. I really like the looks of the one you got the wife and I know you two will have many great days riding together. I guess you have Tonto now, eh Lone Ranger? |
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Visionary
Posts: 1484 LaPorte,Tx. | Sweet looking ride. Have fun riding and be safe always. |
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Tourer
Posts: 447 Cleveland, GA | varyder - 2010-05-15 5:37 AM I guess you have Tonto now, eh Lone Ranger? LOL! Good one, Chris. Yeah, it surprised me as to how much attention the bike got in the back of my truck, too. I wasn't expecting that. Pretty cool. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 215 orrick, mo | Congrats! Thats a nice looking bike. Hope you two have many happy miles riding together. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1117 Northeast Ohio | That's what my woman unit wants. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1350
| Grats to your wife. Of course now she can always move up(?). Honda makes a bike with an auto trans but I don't know if it would be a move up. Well, they say the new GW will be auto. Maybe have auto parking too? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 156 dinwiddie, va | keep close eye on the output shaft to clutch(or final drive clutch) whichever makes it easier to understand. My mom used to have one and i had to replace one in hers. two months later had one come into the shop with the same problem. they were 2003 models I believe. Maybe they have changed something? |
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Tourer
Posts: 520 Simi Valley, CA | I love having my wife ride with me on her bike too, nothing like seeing her in your mirror on her own bike. Congrats! |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 19 Cheyenne, Wyoming | Congregations to your Honey and You on the Riddley.
They really are neat rigs.
We have a rider in our community that has a Children's Ministry and is a CMA minister -Jillybean-
She has a Riddly, she did an Iron Butt rally on it and was right in the pack. They do need to have the drive belt watched and there is some work that can be done on the clutch to change stall speeds and such if she thinks that's needed. But they seem to be solid machines with a classic style but on a petite scale.
It's not what you Ride, but the fact that you do ride and love it.
Sometimes it really gets to me when I see really enthusiastic riders start to put down other riders just because the choice in the bike they ride is different. One of the things I love about almost all the Victory riders I meet is we all just like and love riding and the Vics allow us to focus on that really easily. I think because we all took a chance on a "New American Motorcycle" maybe we are just a bit more open minded, we as a group seem to be more tolerant and open to other possibilities.
My wife Rides a 2002 Ural Tourist Bavarian Classic side hack, Black with lots of chrome and looks like a 1936 BMW. it's not an interstate machine so we just picked up a 2010 Cross Country and I'll see if she can handle riding with as opposed to her own. I know what will happen someday soon I'm gona to be picking up a Vegas Low and building a side hack for it so she has her own for the long haul.
Its only money, what's that compared to getting to ride.
Thanks for sharing and hope to meet you out on the road
WyoHammerman
Brian Cox
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