Women’s Garage Party at Harley-Davidson of NYC
Friday, January 31, 2014
There is something magical about entering a Harley-Davidson store. Disclaimer: I ride a Harley. I love my Harley (Baby Huey). I love Harley gear. So I have a wee bit of a prejudice, or maybe more of some kind of fever.
Entering the new H-D NYC facility (not for the first time) the excitement was conspicuous. A group of 20 women were standing in a circle listening intently to as a Harley rep introduced them to the world of motorcycling. Wow. This was something more than magic, but what?
The presenters for this party were women. I expected that. Who else can sell to women but women? The big surprise was that they were the managers – F&I, sales, media, service writer, merchandise. I’m not naïve enough to think that there aren’t any non-female managers there but if you’ve been riding as long as I have, you’ll remember when it was exciting when another woman showed up at your local shop to have her motorcycle repaired!
As the party progressed through the introductions, I learned that a lot of the women had never ridden, but were interested in learning to ride. A few had taken and passed the MSS course but hadn’t quite made it to purchasing a bike. A couple of women had bikes and were thinking about upgrading.
And so it went. In turn the Harley staff introduced the group to the line of motorcycles by size and type, discussed gear, parts and accessories. The group sat on bikes, got a feel for the big touring machines, the V-Twins, Dynas and the 883.
The HD-NYC team did a great job of presenting the right level of information to the audience, and allowed plenty of time for folks to ruminate about size, style, model, accessories, or even ask the question “do I really want to trade my Honda Rebel 250 for a big Harley?”
The team gave me an opportunity to speak to the group about our club and gave Donna B, Kim, and Sandra a chance to share their riding experiences and stories with the group. Individually, we talked to several women and passed along our club business card.
One of the highlights of the evening was when a representative from MSS put a new bike down and demonstrated how to pick it up. When he asked for volunteers he was overwhelmed with the number of women (most of whom had never ridden) wanted to try.
To watch a woman who had never picked up a bike, who thought she could never ride a bike, pick up a 500 pound machine in one lift; to see the power and determination in her face, the sense of accomplishment, was more than magic. It was as if the whole room exploded with fireworks.
In recent years HD has created events to encourage women to move from the passenger pillion to the driver’s seat. This night was more than Harley-Davidson 101. It was about building community - a village of want to be, use to be, and still am women riders.
Harley-Davidson of NYC is located at 374-378 Broadway on the corner of White Street in Tribeca. If you are in the area stop in and meet the staff. You don’t have to be a Harley enthusiast, just a motorcycle enthusiast. HD-NYC is about building the women’s motorcycle community – all are welcome.
Dee Smith
President
Entering the new H-D NYC facility (not for the first time) the excitement was conspicuous. A group of 20 women were standing in a circle listening intently to as a Harley rep introduced them to the world of motorcycling. Wow. This was something more than magic, but what?
The presenters for this party were women. I expected that. Who else can sell to women but women? The big surprise was that they were the managers – F&I, sales, media, service writer, merchandise. I’m not naïve enough to think that there aren’t any non-female managers there but if you’ve been riding as long as I have, you’ll remember when it was exciting when another woman showed up at your local shop to have her motorcycle repaired!
As the party progressed through the introductions, I learned that a lot of the women had never ridden, but were interested in learning to ride. A few had taken and passed the MSS course but hadn’t quite made it to purchasing a bike. A couple of women had bikes and were thinking about upgrading.And so it went. In turn the Harley staff introduced the group to the line of motorcycles by size and type, discussed gear, parts and accessories. The group sat on bikes, got a feel for the big touring machines, the V-Twins, Dynas and the 883.
The HD-NYC team did a great job of presenting the right level of information to the audience, and allowed plenty of time for folks to ruminate about size, style, model, accessories, or even ask the question “do I really want to trade my Honda Rebel 250 for a big Harley?”
The team gave me an opportunity to speak to the group about our club and gave Donna B, Kim, and Sandra a chance to share their riding experiences and stories with the group. Individually, we talked to several women and passed along our club business card.
One of the highlights of the evening was when a representative from MSS put a new bike down and demonstrated how to pick it up. When he asked for volunteers he was overwhelmed with the number of women (most of whom had never ridden) wanted to try.
To watch a woman who had never picked up a bike, who thought she could never ride a bike, pick up a 500 pound machine in one lift; to see the power and determination in her face, the sense of accomplishment, was more than magic. It was as if the whole room exploded with fireworks.
In recent years HD has created events to encourage women to move from the passenger pillion to the driver’s seat. This night was more than Harley-Davidson 101. It was about building community - a village of want to be, use to be, and still am women riders.
Harley-Davidson of NYC is located at 374-378 Broadway on the corner of White Street in Tribeca. If you are in the area stop in and meet the staff. You don’t have to be a Harley enthusiast, just a motorcycle enthusiast. HD-NYC is about building the women’s motorcycle community – all are welcome.
Dee Smith
President