About

ZStormGirl.com was started so that ZStormGirl could share the joy of motorcycling with you!  ZStormGirl had taken a Basic Rider Course at T.E.A.M. Arizona several years ago.  She bought a starter bike, a Yamaha Virago 250.  This was a great motorcycle to build basic skills, get her feet on the ground, and help her reach the handlebars.

Sadly, the Virago 250 was what riders refer to as a “garage bike”—it was easy to move around the garage, but it didn’t really move her.  She hardly ever rode it and sold it with very few miles on the odometer.  Just for the record, ZStormGirl does not recommend any particular make or model of motorcycle.  She believes that each rider should pick the right bike for him- or herself.

Anyway, she spent years looking for the right bike, but nothing fit her at all.  She sat on literally every make and model of motorcycle out there:  Harleys, Buells, Yamahas, Suzukis, Hondas, Triumphs, Ducattis . . . She was convinced that she was doomed by her diminutive stature to be forever Fender Fluff.

One day, after many, many discouraging visits to literally every motorcycle shop in town, she found THE ONE.  Truthfully, “he” picked HER.  Those who love to ride and drive can relate to this—just like a pet, the bike “picks” its rider.  She could almost hear “him” whining and see “him” wagging “his” tail, giving her the puppy-dog face, up on “his” hind legs as if to say, “Pick me!  Pick me!  Take me home!”  And she did.

This bike was her first REAL motorcycle:  a gorgeous Yamaha FZ6R.  ZStormGirl was on her tiptoes like a ballerina even after having the bike lowered, getting aftermarket clutch and brake levers, and having the seat shaven.  However, once she got “him” upright and rolling, “he” just fit right.  “He” reminded her of riding her American Saddlebred stallion when she was a young girl.

Riding that bike was such a thrill and an adrenaline rush!  The FZ6R was definitely what riders call a “riding bike,” NOT a “garage bike.”  However, riding “him” around Phoenix, Arizona with all the traffic was terrifying for a new rider like ZStormGirl.  Especially since she couldn’t touch the ground or really reach the clutch and brake levers very well.  Moreover, Phoenix is the red light running capital of the United States.  ZStormGirl’s first few 10 to 15 MPH rides around the block were pretty scary, and about half of her “ten dollars’ worth of attention” (Keith Code, A Twist of the Wrist) was spent on worrying about what she would do when she had to stop.  Forget about hills and elevation changes—she worried about red lights and what she would do if she had to stop on a slight grade.

The other five dollars’ worth of her attention was spent on worrying about getting hit by a car or truck.  Drivers just don’t see motorcyclists.  That is why ZStormGirl always rides as if the driver of every car is a homicidal maniac with an IQ below 50.  😉  It’s just safer for motorcyclists to assume the worst about all drivers.  That assumption helps keep us alive.

Fear held her back and sapped her confidence.  A rider MUST have confidence; otherwise, he or she is in real danger.  Nevertheless, ZStormGirl loved riding that FZ6R, and she was determined to cross the threshold of fear in order to get to the fun!  ZStormGirl went back to T.E.A.M. Arizona and took one-on-one instruction.

It took her through Beginner to Intermediate, but she was still nervous and only rode on the surface streets to get to her classes.  The freeways were out the question due to buffeting from the winds and the higher speeds.  Trying to counterbalance and maneuver 463 pounds with 115 pounds is difficult for a beginner.  Crashing at 65 MPH due to inability to control the bike seemed all too likely.

Then, the unthinkable happened.  ZStormGirl was out with friends one evening for a birthday celebration.  She was a sober pedestrian in a Scottsdale crosswalk where all the cars were stopped for a red light.  The driver of a black sedan was talking on his cell phone, looked at ZStormGirl, and lurched into the crosswalk.  He hit her in the knee, and she yelled at him.  He looked at her, rolled up his window, and took off without even stopping to see if she was ok.  Unlike ZStormGirl, that guy was probably impaired and afraid he would lose his license.  Unfortunately, no one got his license plate.  ZStormGirl spent several weeks recovering and on crutches.  However, this was the best thing that could have happened to her as a motorcycle rider.  During recovery, she realized that if she was in that much danger just walking across the street, why worry so much about riding her motorcycle?  We all have to go sometime, and at least riding the bike was FUN!  To paraphrase the girl in the Cadillac commercial, “When you turn on your [motorcycle], does it return the favor?”

As soon as she was able, ZStormGirl was back at T.E.A.M. Arizona taking more one-on-one instruction to get through the Advanced level.  The freeway, wind, elevation changes, and curves became less intimidating every day.  She started calling rainy and windy days, “taking lessons in Nature’s classroom.”  ZStormGirl started watching training videos and reading books so that she could understand the physics of motorcycling and proper body positioning.  She began to learn how to control her motorcycle by flattening herself against the tank so the wind couldn’t steer the bike, hang off the sides to throw the bike’s gyroscopes off-axis, and lean into the turns.  ZStormGirl’s car suddenly became very “green,” fuel efficient, and . . . .very dusty!  That was because she rarely drove it anymore.  😉

The FZ6R no longer felt like a separate machine.  They had attained a symbiosis and had become part of one another.  Riding it was like flying, and it became so much a part of her that she often forgot that it was even there.  She was finally free, riding into the wind.

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Version 1.0 — July 2026

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ZStormGirl Riding Experience and Credibility

ZStormGirl is an expert‑level rider with over 21 years of experience, formal training, and advanced instruction from formal motorcycle schools, as well as from a multi‑time road‑racing champion. Her knowledge comes from applied physics, risk management, and thousands of hours on the road. Everything on this site reflects lived experience, not theory.

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Disclaimer

ZStormGirl shares personal riding experiences, observations, and opinions based on more than two decades of real‑world motorcycling. Nothing on this site is formal instruction, professional training, or safety certification. Riding a motorcycle involves risk, and every rider is responsible for their own decisions, judgment, and skill development. Always follow local laws, seek qualified training, and ride within your limits.

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