Living the bikers life – a wife’s perspective

I’m a biker’s wife, which also means I’m a worrier. Every time he takes to the roads with his biker buddies, I stress over what could happen out there. I should also mention that I live in Portugal where the driving is notably bad. However, I do have immense trust in his capability as a driver – he has been a biker since he was about five, after all.

I met him when I was sixteen years old and I’ve been living the bikers life ever since (well, the biker’s wife life!). When we first got together, he had a Cagiva Mito 125. Not long afterwards he upgraded to a Suzuki GSX-R 750. A few years later he sold that bike to buy us a kitchen. What a man, right?

Several bikes (and years) later, he now has a flashy BMW which he rides most Sundays with the boys. He also takes to the tarmac at our local race track, (Autodromodo do Algarve – try saying that after you’ve had a drink!) where he sometimes teaches others how to drive. He keeps saying I should go and learn but I’m terrified, to be honest! I used to have my own scooter (a yellow Gilera Typhoon) which I loved once I’d got the hang of driving it. I did have a couple of mishaps in the beginning though. But I was only 18 or 19 at the time :/ They were minor mishaps – I thought I saw a big hole, braked hard to miss it, dropped the bike and then realised it wasn’t a big hole at all. Hm. Another time I dropped it again when my dad’s dog ran out in front of me on the driveway (which was a really bad dirt track back then). Again, hm.

Maybe one of these days I will learn to drive a bigger bike. After all, I keep saying that as I approach 40 (only a few months to go), it’s time I started doing things that take me out of my comfort zone. And driving a motorbike certainly would do that!

I used to go out on the back of his bikes but as the years passed, and the back seat got smaller and higher and WAY more uncomfortable, I gave it up (quite happily, actually – it was never my cup of tea, to be honest). I think he prefers it that way too, because it’s much easier (and way more enjoyable) to drive fast without a nagging wife on the back!

Are you a biker? Have you ever driven a motorbike? Do you live the bikers life? If so, what does that mean for you? If you’re ever in the Algarve, you should consider coming to do a track day at our local Autodromo. I’d love to hear how you get on!