Why I Like to Share My Story and Pictures

When I got my MC endorsement, almost 10 years ago now, I didn't think very much about where I'd be going on a motorcycle. I'd been on the back of a bike off and on (figuratively speaking) for 15 years. A ride meant going two towns over for dinner, or maybe an ice cream.For a long trip maybe we'd go around the Lake. A long trip was about a half day.
Shortly after I was licensed, I met a guy who had a picture on his computer screen background. It was a picture of his bike stopped on a road out west - Montana or Wyoming I think. I was completely enthralled by not only the picture but the prospect that someone could undertake such a trip, on a motorcycle. At the time I didn't dream that I could be that person, but I never forgot that image.

I like to share my story and pictures, because I hope that there will be a woman, a motorcyclist or a parent who will be inspired to do something more. And maybe one of my pictures will be an image you'll never forget.

Happy 13th Birthday Lisa!

She Fixes Beemers!

Nashuatelegraph.com: She knows bikes

I was just delighted when I saw the following press release in my mailbox. It was from Sandy at Second Wind BMW, right here in my home town of Nashua. Congratulations Nichole!!

SECOND WIND BMW / TRIUMPH is excited to announce that Nicole White is a Master Certified Technician for BMW Motorcycles. She is the youngest female to ever be BMW Master Certified and is only the 2nd woman in the United States to achieve this goal.

Nicole started her education at MMI (Motorcycle Mechanics Institute) in
Phoenix, AZ. When she graduated in June 2006, she was Tier One Certified
in Yamaha / Suzuki / Kawasaki / Honda and BMW brands. She graduated the first BMW class offered by MMI. Nicole started working at Second Wind BMW / Triumph in July 2006 and quickly gained her Triumph training certification. She continued to pursue Advanced BMW Certification and completed her Master Certification in December 2007.

When asked if she ever felt intimidated by her choice to compete in a male dominated field, Nicole replied “I did for a while, but you have to
quickly get over it. School helped a lot and when I was told that less
than thirty percent of students, male or female, actually finish and go into the field, I was determined.”

Nicole has been riding dirt bikes for about ten years and has aspirations for competing in off-road events such as hare scrambles, W.O.R.C.S. (World Off-Road Racing Championship Series) races and other local off-road challenges.

When asked how it felt to be the second master certified female in the United States, Nicole answered “It’s exciting. I didn’t expect that I would be only the second one or the youngest but it is a great accomplishment and I love what I do.”

Nicole’s advice for young women pursuing careers in previously male-dominated professions:

“Just because it is a male dominated field doesn’t mean you can’t do just as good a job, if not better. Let them be intimidated by you.”

Motorcycle Tours - Know What You Are Buying

A few years back, I had the bright idea that I wanted to go riding during the winter. I assumed the only way to do so was to head some place warm and rent a bike. So that is what I did, I located a company offering a tour in Arizona; it coincided perfectly with my daughter’s February vacation. I packed her off to her Dad’s and I packed up for Arizona. I learned a lot about renting a bike through a tour company during that and subsequent adventures. With winter upon us, I thought I’d review some of what I learned should you be considering hiring a motorcycle tour company.

Know What You Are Buying.
Sure you can read the glossy brochures and scan the web site but to really know what you are buying you need to ask plenty of questions. Pick up the phone, or email. Get things in writing. If you get a slow or no response to your questions, let this be a red flag to you.

Had I asked these questions prior to booking my Arizona tour I may have picked a different vendor! Some of the questions stem from my more successful Euro tour.

• Will I be getting the bike of my choice?

• If I can’t get the bike of my choice, what model bike will I have?

• Can riders in the group swap bikes during the trip?

• How many miles a day will we be doing?

• Will there be the opportunity to ride without the group?

• Will the guide stay with the group at all times?

• Will tank bags and maps be provided?

• How many guides will there be?

• How many guests per guide?

• Do the guides speak my language, and/or the language of countries we will be traveling?

• Will the group be divided by skill?

• Where are the accommodations? Get specific names if possible, and review online.

• If you can’t get specific on the accommodations, find out the age of the facility, last facility upgrade, and travel star rating if applicable.

• Ask for referrals! Ask for names of recent guests on the same tour.

• What type of weather can I expect at the destination?

• What expenses will I be incurring in addition to the tour fee?

• What accommodations are made for breakdowns?

• How can I be reached in an emergency?

2008 MBI Riders Choice Awards

Click on the banner to get to the MBI website.
It's that time of year. Time to share your thoughts on the hits and misses of the motorcycle community. Here are the categories. Please send your riding friends a reminder, the more opinions the merrier. I'm especially watchful for this years "Women riders booster of the year"

Thank you for your support!

Enjoying Winter

Yesterday was a day to enjoy winter. Concord, NH received record amounts of snow in December, more than all of last winter. We took advantage of a sunny and mild (32) day and headed to the Audubon Society and enjoyed the snow instead of complaining about it.

The skis didn't make it out of the garage last winter, but I didn't feel all that rusty. We kept an easy pace, we had to portage over just one stream. It was fun to break a trail across a field. I would have expected it to be well tramped, but apprently most skiiers headed from the groomed trails. We encountered several snowshoeing couples. I've not tried snowshoeing; there is no prospect for gaining speed on the hills.

The sun was low in the sky. I'm glad I'd grabbed my camera. Without pictures, I tend to forget about events. At year's end, it's nice to reflect back on the pictures and remember the good times.

If you're in the snow belt, I hope you find a way to enjoy the snow!

Why I'm Not Out Riding

You can pretend there is no dashboard and lean into the corners...but it's just not the same!

Comfort Food

It's 12 degrees out and the snow banks are 3 feet high it's a good time to catch up on my reading. The ON came in today. The “ON” is the BMW Owners News. This is a top flight motorcycle publication, and if you can’t beg borrow or steal one from a BMW owning friend, you may just want to spend the $35 to join BMW Motorcycle Owners of America so that you can get a subscription to the ON. Sure I’m prejudice, not only am I card carrying member, but I’m also on the board of directors. But that is not why I like the ON. You don’t have to be a fan of the Roundel to enjoy the stories in the ON. They are written by members for members and they are primarily about motorcycling; serious motorcycling, not posing. There are always several trip reports, some feel good letters to the editor, technical information and safe rider articles. You don’t have to own a Beemer to appreciate that kind of stuff. And if you like to wrack up your miles in all types of conditions, the ON is home to vendors that serve riders like us.

The ON is a terrific companion to Road Runner Magazine, my second favorite motorcycle publication. I like Road Runner for its glossy color ride reports. These people ride, they tour interesting places, and they tour their back yards. Every issue includes tank bag cards of a trip, offering you route ideas for places you may want to visit. One of the first issues I bought had pull out cards for Vermont, offering me fresh ideas for a place I ride regularly.

To round off my winter reading, because god knows I don’t manage to read these magazines during the summer, is Motorcycle Consumer's News. This is an expensive publication, no glossy pages, its black and white and ad free. This allows them the freedom to review what ever bike or product they want and speak their mind about it. What got me hooked on MCN is the non-sexist language they use in their editorials and articles. It really catches my eye, and gained my loyalty when a magazine can speak to me as a woman rider without so much as a hint of patronization.
Pull the blanket up a little higher and enjoy some light reading!