The AMA International Women amp; Motorcycling Conference is loaded with activities to do from taking part in demo rides, sitting in on one of the many seminars, and riding in a scenic tour guided by one of the womens motorcycling clubs. Below are some images from the two most popular activities at the conference that took place in August in Keystone, Colorado, the demo rides and the seminars. There are many more photos and stories from the conference. When finished looking at these click on the links at the bottom of the page. And click on these photos to make them larger and view in a slideshow.
Being the presenting sponsor of the conference, Harley-Davidson had a big showing at the demo rides with a lot of motorcycles and staff on hand to help answer questions.
Cheryl Schuur from Kalamazoo, Michigan, test rides the new Screamin#39; Eagle Softail Convertible. She rides a Honda Shadow 600 and is shopping for a bigger bike. “I#39;m extremely grateful to be able to test these bikes out,” she says.
Michelle Monaco from Clonia, New Jersey, is getting ready to test ride the Softail Deluxe. A Harley rep gets ready to hold the bike up to see if it fits Michelle OK enough to test ride.
Bonnie Shelley from Harrisburg, Virginia, getting a “fit test” from Harley rep Jim Brister. He#39;s holding up the bike so Bonnie can see how the Fat Boy fits her. This demo bike is outfitted with a Reach Seat that sits the rider lower and brings the rider closer to the bars; and 6-inch handlebar risers. This is Bonnie#39;s second test ride after demo#39;ing the Night Rod. She says, “It#39;s great the manufacturers can accommodate us like this. The demo rides are why I signed up for the conference.”
Mary Allison from Santa Rosa, Calif., just returned from testing the Tri Glide. She said, to her the trike felt like it was going to tip over. She prefers two wheels.
Three cheers for Kymco, a smaller manufacturer relative to Harley and the Japanese bike makers, that manages to show up and support the bigger women#39;s motorcycling events like this one. Kymco scooters, motorcycles and a couple of ATVs were on hand to test ride.
Tami Shay of Gardner, Kansas, 5-feet-2, says the BMW F 650 GS is a too tall for her so she#39;s not going to test it. She has a Sportster 883L and had just come from testing the Fat Boy Lo with a Reach Seat. “I#39;m probably going to buy it,” she says. “There are not too many bikes I can get off the kickstand.”
Kathy Jo Porter (white jacket), co-owner of Bend Euro Moto in Eugene, Oregon, talks to Jan Mikeal of College Station, Texas, about this Monster 696 that Jan is thinking about taking out for a test ride.
Janice Tarasevich of Waterford, Connecticut, talks to Peter Withers of Yamaha about the Yamaha FJR1300 she just test rode. She said at first she was intimidated by its big size but after riding it she says it’s very easy to handle and she now loves it.
The mountain backdrop where the demo rides took place.
Journalist Margie Siegel, who rode out from Calif. by herself on her Triumph T100, rolls her bike into the Progressive Insurance Action Center for an extended T-Clock inspection by Peg Preble of the Women#39;s Motorcyclist Foundation, the group organizing this interactive area. Riders could roll their own bike in to learn how to load it onto a trailer correctly, and how to lift it up if it falls over.
Janette Pawliske of Harley-Davidson leads the Motorcycle Mentoring seminar. Harley has developed the Share Your Spark program, which is all about mentoring new riders.
Solo touring adventurer and author Carla King heads up the Solo Riding seminar. Also on the panel are Alice Sexton and Sarah Schilke.
WRN Editor Genevieve organized and is seen here moderating the Secrets of Veteran Riders: Lessons Learned from the Road panel. Topics covered included how to deal with hyper and hypothermia, riding in unexpected storms, and tips on layering and staying warm on your motorcycle, among other topics.
Genevieve poses with veteran rider panelists: Deb Lower, Kay Gilletly, and Jasmine Bluecreek-Clark.
