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| Women-only Harley garage parties, like this one in North Hampton, N.H., aim to put women at ease on motorcycles. Tracy Jackson
used to ride with her boyfriend, but now she wants her own bike. Nicole Hill |
Harley guns for the female motorcycle market
Garage parties give women a chance to do everything from falling off a bike in the safety of a dealer's carpeted showroom to finding the elusive ignition.
from the September 10, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
Before showing them how to lift the bike, Greene asks the women to mount it while it rests on its side stand. Each woman easily throws a leg over the top and feels out the bike's size and center of gravity. One petite brunette – wearing precisely the boots that the clothing representative warned against riding in – rolls off the other side, taking the bike down with her.
"That's why we like engine guards," Greene says as the woman slips herself out from under the bike. The chrome guards look like two handles and protrude from both sides of the bike; in a real riding situation, this would help keep a leg from getting pinned by the engine or burned by the exhaust pipes. But on the cornflower-blue carpet, it's more of a convenience.
With the bike on the ground, Greene explains that even men who follow their first instinct – to reach over and wrench the thing upright using their arms – often regret it. It's best to do the thing that makes you look, to nonriders, a little silly.
"You want to back up to it, get your butt down lower than the seat, grab the lowest bar, and lean into the bike," Greene says.
A small blonde approaches backwards, squats, and pushes against the seat with her body, but too much of the bike's weight rests on her back.
"Get your butt down," Greene says, and the blonde protests that she doesn't have one.
"It's not that hard to do," another mumbles – but later confesses she's never tried it.
One by one, each woman gives the lifting a go, and most manage to raise the Sportster until it leans again on its sidestand. When the last woman succeeds, the group breaks out into applause.
"Are there any questions?" Greene asks.
"Is it okay to cry?" one woman pipes up.
Then smiling, she insists, "I'm just kidding."
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