Post Weight Loss: Motorbikes :)

Hey everyone :)

Just wondering if anyone else out there rides? Motorcycles, scooters, or even trikes? Isn't it great! :)

This is a great freedom my weightloss has given me. I suppose you can ride a big ass bike like a Harley of some sort when a person is 450, 500 pounds. But I think for a lot of bikes, no matter how large, that is pushing it sort of hard I would think. But 300 pound riders, sure. Even 350, maybe.

 As large as I was at surgery time (450) no way would I be on ANYTHING, I have a feeling. Like many people I would see motorcycles out on the road and think 'that looks cool' or 'one day I would like to ride.'

But scooters were the bikes I really liked. Being a big Who fan (the band) I always liked them, and they seemed small and zippy, something I was not. But now I ride a scooter everywhere everyday, and am small(er) and zippy myself :D

It's strange, the thought of getting a BIG motorcycle doesn't even occur to me now. I will scoot as long and as far as I can! I am lightweight and nimble on a scooter. Big difference, now.

So OH, let's talk about riding. If you rode before surgery, let me know what it was like compared to after surgery and weightloss. If you didn't find riding until after surgery, let us know what its like for you. And if you think that after weightloss you would like to ride, let it be heard! Because you can. It's easy, and all it takes is a little guts :)

haha "little guts" lol

Life after surgery is certainly different then it was before :D

I have never been on a motorfycle, but I really, really want to!  They never interested me, but since I have moved to the Smoky Mountains, it is like a biker mecca, lots of great rides here.  Now, if I can just convince someone to take me.......

Have fun!

The Smokey Mountains? Heck yeah, that is riding country!

Great thing about motorbikes is their are different kinds. I had never ridden one in my life, but nor a scooter. However what I came to learn about scooters is they are fully automatic. No clutch, no shifter. It took me back to the minibikes of my childhood. It's literally twist the throttle back to go, twist it forward to stop or slow down, and squeeze the brakes. That's it!

So, don't think you need someone to "take you." You can take yourself! And it is as liberating as you might imagine. Depending on your altitude and the kind of climbing you would do all different sorts of scooters would be available to you. And before you think "I don't want to ride no little scooter," well....this is a scooter:

http://www.scooterdiva.com/divas/greg.jpg

and this

http://www.scooterdiva.com/divas/chrisk.jpg

And while this is a smaller wheeled "classic" style scooter (awesome Vespa), its not really small. That is an average height rider, and the scooter is actually as large as it looks

http://www.scooterdiva.com/divas/sandra.gif

and sort of the best of both worlds

http://www.scooterdiva.com/divas/barb.jpg

Those are but a few examples with all sorts in between, and they will run with those motorcycles you see on the road with no problem. Plus, you're tall. So that gives you an advantage concerning selection. You could ride just about any scoot out there.

So, keep that fire burning if thats what it is. And you never know....sometime down the road maybe you will be burning up the roads of the Smokey's! :)

I ride street bikes (honda cbr rr600) pre/post surgery. It is about the same for me other than I feel a little more safer in my gear, especially riding jacket. I can fit into womens now, instead of mens which were always a bit too big in the elbow area. I go to Buttonwillow for track days and it is a blast! And HWy 1 through Big Sur is a must on any bike.
As they say "there are riders who have gone down and riders who will" be careful out there and ALWAYS wear your gear it will save your life. I hit sand on a rural road last year and without my gear my face would be ground into the ground and I would have had it allot worse than a fractured liver and ribs. Even if it's 100 degrees outside (which it was when I wrecked) wear your gear. It may be nice to cruise w/ shorts and a tanktop but when you are going in every few weeks for skin grafts from a wreck those shorts are not going to help.
Always tell someone where you are riding too, no exceptions. When I wrecked I said where I was going and when about I would be back. I had no cell service when I wrecked. No houses anywhere near. I started walking about an hour after I wrecked ( I was shook up and painful) it wasnt until about 30 minutes of walking that my spouse drove up. I was late home , she couldnt reach me and went to where about my route was and found me. I don't want to know what would have happened if I had not, night was coming and I had internal bleeding.
Did I give up riding. Heck no! You learn from your mistakes and you get back on. It's a blast and it makes this new "smaller" life larger.

 I have been on my friend's bike a few times and I LOVE IT! I hope I can have repeats over the summer ... that was FUN ....  Growing up in Panama as a teenager we used to ride mini-bikes sort of mini motorcycles all the time ... our dad used to have a fit when we did that so we used to sneak around but not at all successful because we would have these horrible burns on our legs .... 

I took this pic on our friend's bike last summer I believe and my son did it in a collage .. I could not find the original pic ... 

It is sooooooooooo AWESOME YOU ARE ON A BIKE AGAIN ... CONGRATS!!!!! Our weight loss has given us many freedom's indeed ... I for one I am just happy to be running and swimming and moving freely with no impaired mobility again ... I AM FREE!!!! 

Thanks for sharing this post ...I enjoyed reading it...

awesome! martita you look GREAT on that bike and i hope you keep riding on the back of a bike or on your own! :)

and gemini you know i do gear up! not head to toe ATGATT, but boots or above the ankle sneakers made of durable textile material, long sleeve jacket or shirt (usually three layers up top because i get cold), long pants

what i don't understand gemini are all the scooter riders who think its ok to wear flip flops, shorts, and tank tops while they ride. i think its incredibly foolish to not have at least minimum protection for the skin. obviously these people have never scraped a bare toe on the ground going even 5mph, much less 50!

but people treat scooters like "fun in the sun" time. even if its a 650cc Silverwing. i just don't get it!

keep rockin' guys. and thanks for posting!

I ride a 94 Fat Boy. I've never owned any other bike except Harley's. Started with a XLX then a 883. I owned a Springer and a blue Fatboy in Germany. I rode a Ninja once and I'm not a fan.
I like cruising not racing..and going slow on a Kawa just does'nt do it at all...
I saw the cutest thing a a local shop,,and pink too.For all of those who'd like to ride and start small

ha! those little chinese trikes can be awesome if a person has enough mechanical know how to keep them running. pretty simple machines to look after once you get them right

i think if i rode motorcycles i would go for a cruiser myself. the sport bikes and racing bikes most likely would just not be for me. my back starts to hurt jus****ching some guys sit on them

i think some WLS people might be better off with a trike. especially if they suffer some medical probs or physical limitations, as obese people often can. if they have never rode before its a good choice

um, Can-Am, anyone?