Shop talk for women
There’s nothing like a healthy dose of grease and oil, or a weighty discussion about air suspension and transmissions, or being surrounded by chrome-laden motorcycles and tools to set a woman’s heart aflutter. That’s right. Women.
Last Friday, a testosterone-drenched field of motorcycle enthusiasts got a hearty heave-ho by 25 women, both riders and passengers, who attended Shumate Harley-Davidson’s second Garage Party to learn the nuts and bolts of motorcycles and how to care for the bikes they love.
Shumate’s first Garage Party in November had a presentation from Spokane Motor School on how to pick up a motorcycle when it falls, a question-and-answer period and a fashion show. This one focused on the mechanics of the bike.
The goal of these clinics is to instill rider confidence and safety and “promote the riding experience to women by making the environment comfortable and break down gender barriers that may exist for some women,” said Aric Muse, general manager.
“Women don’t feel they have a deep enough understanding of the mechanical things, and this is a very mechanical type of recreation,” said Mike Wilhite, service manager and organizer of the event. “The more confident you are, by either a build-up of knowledge or time in the saddle, the more you enjoy the sport.”
The first hour was spent discussing suspension, power train and engine. “There are a lot of things going on in the engine,” Wilhite explained to the group. “Up at the top you’ve got the rockers, and the push rods are pushing up on them and they’re pushing down on the valves; there’s a lot of clattering noise, a lot of metal to metal, a lot of rubbing and movement. You’ve got metal spinning and turning and bearings that make clattering noises, and I haven’t even gotten to the primary yet, where you really get some noise.”
The attendees listened intently and periodically referred to their terminology sheets that contained definitions of words frequently used in the motorcycle world such as forks, Springer, shocks, travel, spring rate, damping, pre-load, SAG and kinetic energy.
“This is a good thing,” shop foreman Larry Burger said. “It’s all about being educated. You feel more confident when you know your motorcycle. When you do a little bit of maintenance, the maintenance helps you become more confident.” Burger also feels that women who attend the clinics “are not as intimidated when they come into the service department.”
After the talk, the women broke into groups and were given hands-on instruction in oil changes, spark plugs, air filter, belt tension and condition, tires, battery terminals and fuses. Participants listened, donned blue gloves, stuck their hands under the chassis, unscrewed caps and drained oil. They asked questions and laughed heartily at the differences between men, women and machine.
“It’s real informative and we’re having a blast,” said Barbara Faraca who has been riding for six years. “This is a wonderful exercise in that they open up the garage for all of us to come and learn and ask questions. There’s a lot of camaraderie building going on tonight.”
Pride of accomplishment beamed through Carol Lloyd’s face. “I helped with the oil,” she smiled. “We’re all jumping in and doing our thing. You can’t always depend on someone taking care of the bike for you.”
Motorcycle riding has been a male saturated field for years but women riders are becoming an equal force and they’re not settling for small bikes; they like them big, shiny and loud. “Harleys are an American made motorcycle and there’s a tradition involved. It makes you feel good to know you’re part of something bigger,” Wilhite said.
Chris Schettle attended the first Garage Party a few months ago. “I liked the fashion show the best,” she said. “Tonight’s clinic was more useful for me because it showed how the bikes work but I don’t plan on doing anything where I have to touch grease,” she laughed. “This was more useful as far as safety and knowing what to do if something goes wrong.”
Not only do the ladies get first hand knowledge about motorcycles, but the mechanics, who typically spend their days out of the public eye, get to meet their customers. “It’s important for them to know they’re dealing with people as well as bikes. It’s beneficial on both sides,” Wilhite said.
Wilhite plans to send questionnaires to the participants for feedback that will set the plans in motion for the third Garage Party. “There seems to be a lot of interest. So if people want to do this, then we want to do it for them,” he said. “We want this to be something people look forward to.”