Me and My V-Star

by Kay Giammanco
(Vacherie, LA, USA)

Kay's Yamaha V-Star 950 Tourer

I'm Kay from Louisiana. My husband bought a 2009 Yamaha V-Star 950 as a means of transportation to and from work. We both had a long commute and thought a bike would help out with the monthly fuel bill. Well, one thing led to another and before I knew it I was hooked. I decided I didn't want to be a passenger anymore; I wanted to learn how to ride. I took the Motorcycle Safety and Training class in June and I haven't looked back. We decided, at first, that we would buy a smaller bike for me but all of our friends told me that I would be crazy to buy a smaller bike. I was determined, though, because I thought this would be best for me since I was a beginner. We went back to the same dealership we bought the V-Star and needless to say, the sales rep who sold us the V-Star talked me out of the smaller bike. We ended up buying my husband a new Roadliner Midnight 1900 and I kept the V-Star 950. Boy, am I glad I did. For me, this is the best riding bike. It is so comfortable and smooth riding; it just fits right.

I am 53 years old and I just can't get enough of riding my bike. I laugh every time we go to visit our kids, my oldest daughter, 27, just shakes her head and can't believe her old mom is a biker. She's expecting her first baby (a girl) and I told her that I'm going to introduce my granddaughter to the world of bike riding at an early age. I've already got a pair of boots and full leathers picked out for her.

My husband and I ride every chance we get; he's now retired and we spend almost every weekend on the road. I finally road my bike to work for the first time a couple of weeks ago (the weather finally cooperated); I'm an HR Manager and we have casual Fridays every Friday. I totally shocked most of the employees at our company. No one could believe that I actually rode a bike. It was awesome!!!