no the class doesnt have their own bikes.
and yes it is big. But it is what I used for all my classes. the weight is the sole reason it fell. but thats all I have. she wanted to start taking the bike to work and in order to do that, she HAS to take the class. We looked around for someone to let her use their "beater" but to no avail. She said that she caught it before it dropped but didnt have the strength to pick it back up. I need to rethink (and so does she) about what bike she wants...
I'm guessing ya'll was determined get her going on 2-wheels no matter what. There's no way she (or any women that I've been privileged to) is gonna be able to stop a Busa once its going down. At that point, it has very little to do with skill or experience, which is why I applaud you both on reconsidering bike size for her. You say, "the weight is the sole reason it fell" like that's not one (engine torque mainly being the other) of main, obvious reasons we don't see a ton of women rolling around on Busas. It probably has nothing to do with her will, confidence, or ability to ride. If anything (IMO), the "course-environment" is probably the worst place for a person for a bike that is too heavy for them because of all of the slow speed manuevers, tons of time flatfooted/duckwalking, etc.
There's a group of girls in my area that stunt and ride, and none have any desire to go larger than a 675 (one rides a Triumph), so I'm curious as to why her mindframe is to want such a large bike.
As for the instructor, was he standing right next to her or something when it happened? In all of the class formats that I've ever seen, the instructor's not really readily available to just help someone catch a bike that was falling. I'm in no way an instructor though, so I have no idea what their protocol is. What section were they on when it happened? Since he was the first one there to help her get it up, I'd say he must have been relatively attentive.
I'm not flamin ya bro...just going on for anyone else who might be trying to get their girl involved and readin the thread. I'm looking at getting a 250 (Ninja unfortunately) for my girl. I don't see the need for anything else larger or nicer as starter. People are always looking to start up riding @ lowest point, so they easily resell/trade when she's ready to upgrade.
Oh yeah, the ONE time I that gracefully laid her down on her side in my garage...freaked out and heaved her back upright, my hammies were on FIRE for the next couple days. Be ready to give out a couple massages once the adrenaline from the moment, embarrassment, and realization that you're not gonna wig out subsides. She's gonna be sore even if it didn't land on her.
