Are women under represented here ?

[LowRyter]

As has been noted, there are any number of factors - what portion of riders altogether are women, what kind of bikes attract what kinds of people, the fact that participation in a forum is a matter of self-selection and identification with others, and many more reasons.

There are some other important groups, demographic and otherwise, that are under-represented on this board, and perhaps among Guzzi owners and even motorcycle riders in general.

For example, there are far too few

• Left-handed people
• Cat owners
• Subaru owners (and Lancia owners, and SAAB owners, and...)
• Formula 1 enthusiasts
• World Rally Championship enthusiasts
• People who choose not to own a gun (but aren't worried if others do)
• Old-fashioned left-wingers (i.e., prairie populists, New Dealers and so on)
• People who studied history and political science in university - and still do
• Science fiction fans, especially those who like both classic SF and new stuff like cyberpunk
• Anime fans - for that matter fans of any style of animation
• People who admire classic machinery - but would rather live with modern convenience (I hate carbs!)

I know I've missed some... 

I am with you on 5 1/2 points, I might get shot if I said which ones.

But the next beer is on me at the next rally.   

[fotoguzzi]

Do you know how many in each category there are IT ? How would you know if they were there ?

start a poll.. I'm left handed..

IT, right on to everything you said..

[Huzo]

Well I guess it's all ok and we love each other and we can afford to make no effort towards tapping into a potential for a breath of fresh air that might be available. For the record, I don't care whether you're male or female as a member either, I just allowed for the fact that we might be more than a little self serving and insular.... But maybe not.

[rocker59]

This post reminded me that I rode home from the 2011 Iowa National Rally with four women.  Three on their own bikes.  One passenger.  So three of the seven bikes were ridden by three of four women in the seven bike / eight person group.   

The women were riding two Californias and one Sportster.  One of them is a member here, but doesn't post much.  The other two are lurkers.  The conversation just doesn't usually interest them.  Plus, they have real-world shite going on...

Being around here everyday, it's easy to forget that most Guzzi owners do not participate in the shenanigans at WildGuzzi.

[Ambogal]

I just got an email that you guys actually WANT to hear from a female.     

I haven't posted on the board for quite some time but I have signed in and scrolled thru a few threads once in a while. 

In case you didn't know,  I was involved in a car accident in May of 2014 and haven't really ridden since then.   I'm suffering from nerve damage in my neck and back.   I have sold my R100RT Beemer and 2 T3's.   The last T3 was sold just a few months ago.   Day to day tasks are painful and bike maintenance is almost impossible.   

RE:    Women on the forum......I have always felt at home posting on this site and have gained a lot of valuable information from your replies.   I don't see the lack of women riders posting as an issue.   I don't think the number of females riding Guzzis is increasing at a significant rate.  Guzzi does not make a model that really draws a lot of female riders.    I've been in the club since the early 70's and the Norge was the first Guzzi in decades that I was really drawn to.   At 5'2", the Norge was just a pipe dream for me.   My V7 - although my lightest bike is also my tallest even after shorter shocks and the seat being cut down.  Next, although you do see a woman on a Guzzi, she doesn't necessarily work on her own bike,  some do but not all.   I think if a woman does not work on her own bike, she may feel the discussion board would have nothing to offer  her or that she may have nothing to contribute.   In my opinion, the posts here are not nearly as technical as those on the GuzziTech site.    Next, I think if  any rider (female or male)  would log into this site, they would eventually find a thread  that interests them.   I met 2 new Guzzi riders this past summer who never heard of this site.    If any of you guys have a significant other that rides a Guzzi.....ask them to join the site and read the threads.    Eventually, they should have an opinion or question they want to post or maybe even learn something.    If you're riding, you should know something about your bike.   

[oldbike54]

 Thanks Pat , good to hear from you .

 Dusty

[Arizona Wayne]

So Huzo, how many female Guzzi riders do you guys in Australia see? 

[Huzo]

So Huzo, how many female Guzzi riders do you guys in Australia see? 

Nowhere near enough mate. Saw one on a V7 racer and one on a Breva, can't think of another. If they don't want to post that's abso bloody lutely ok and always was, all I wanted to know was....WHY ??? And is there something we could do about it, if we wanted to.

[Beaver]

Gearheadgrrl , Sincolita , Ambogal , Dulcenea , Luap's Girl , and some more that are escaping me at the moment . You are correct , the ladies are underrepresented , although most are just too busy to post much .

 Dusty

Hi Dusty,

Have we met before?  I thought I had met you somewhere, but maybe not.  I would like to introduce myself to you.  My name is Georganne, aka Beaver.  I am just south of you in Texas and have been to Oklahoma many times.  Maybe we ran into each other there?  I wanted to let you know that I ride a Moto Guzzi and have ridden them since 2008.  I've had Jackals, Brevas and now a V7 Stone which, like Ambogal said, is my tallest bike. I'm only 5' 2.5".  I have traveled all over the United States, well the lower 48 states (many of them by myself), Canada, to a Moto Guzzi Rally, and I crossed into Mexico on a hand drawn ferry.  One cold rainy evening, I showed up on Ambogal's doorstep on my way to New Hampshire for Randy Tefft's first State Rally.  I am the Texas Rep for the MGNOC and hold a Guzzi Rally every year in Lindale Texas.  I would like to invite you to come down for the rally next year.  Maybe you'll remember meeting me.

Beaver

[oldbike54]

 Smart Alexandra 

 Dusty

[Huzo]

Nice to hear from you Beaver

[ITSec]

Do you know how many in each category there are IT ? How would you know if they were there ?

No need to know how many of each (though there's at least one active forum member in each listed category, I know for certain!). They are under-represented by definition, because you hardly ever hear anything about any of these issues 

Of course, they may just be people who enjoy the forum and support Luap's encouragement to keep the discussion on matters Guzzi-related (most of the time)...

[oldbike54]

 Sorry Beaver , I forgot that maybe an Ozzie might not be aware of our very famous girl from Texas.

 Dusty

[Beaver]

I had to give you a hard time for not remembering me, Dusty.

Huzo, I used to hang out on WG all the time, but too many other things take up my time and I don't get much posting time now.  I don't even get to ride as often as I used to.  :(   I've never felt intimidated or left out of the "boy's club".  I have been to a lot of rallies and have met a lot of people on this forum.  Can't get any better than that!

Beaver

[Arizona Wayne]

There is also Pam in Idaho who has ridden all over the US on her Guzzis. But before she married a Guzzisti she rode on other brand bikes too.

Have to mention Gerri Jenkins who has been riding Guzzis for at least 20 years near Portland, Oregon who has been a MGNOC rep. for at least 15? years putting on 2 Nationals +  multiple State rallies + other campouts with her 2nd Guzzi riding husband, Gary. 

Moto Guzzi is blessed with a lot of hardcore, dedicated riders whether they are male or female here in the USA. 



I've been riding MGs for 32 years and still have my 1st 1. 

[Huzo]

Sorry Beaver , I forgot that maybe an Ozzie might not be aware of our very famous girl from Texas.

 Dusty

Well you'd be right on that one, what's made you famous ?

[Huzo]

No need to know how many of each (though there's at least one active forum member in each listed category, I know for certain!). They are under-represented by definition, because you hardly ever hear anything about any of these issues 

See the point is that you reckon there's too few in the categories you mention but you wouldn't necessarily know if the member had connections in that area. I thought that the proportion of female posters may be lower than the proportion of female members who ride but if that's not the case I'll remind all that the thread was posed as a question not a statement. There are thousands of issues that are under represented but that wasn't the issue.

[Beaver]

Well you'd be right on that one, what's made you famous ?

Huzo,

Should be more like "Who's made you famous."  Answer?  This guy, the infamous Texas Turnip:



Beaver

[Huzo]

There is also Pam in Idaho who has ridden all over the US on her Guzzis. But before she married a Guzzisti she rode on other brand bikes too.

Have to mention Gerri Jenkins who has been riding Guzzis for at least 20 years near Portland, Oregon who has been a MGNOC rep. for at least 15? years putting on 2 Nationals +  multiple State rallies + other campouts with her 2nd Guzzi riding husband, Gary. 

Moto Guzzi is blessed with a lot of hardcore, dedicated riders whether they are male or female here in the USA. 



I've been riding MGs for 32 years and still have my 1st 1. 

That's good to hear, so as I said at the start, It'd be good to hear from a few of them. Thanks Arizona Wayne

[Huzo]

Huzo,

Should be more like "Who's made you famous."  Answer?  This guy, the infamous Texas Turnip:



Beaver
[/quote Thanks Beaver.

[Texas Turnip]

Hey Beaver,
Do you want me to send my cousin, Slicer, up to see Dusty? I can post his bail.

Tex

[GearheadGrrrl]

Let's not beat ourselves up folks, every brand of bike could use more women riders. What's keeping the number of women riders down is partly the high price of motorcycles, difficulty of getting them serviced, and lastly a lot of motorcycles just don't fit. And yes, the "locker room" atmosphere of a some motorcycle groups, both online and 3D, doesn't help. but we don't see much of that here- You guys and gals have been real helpful to me.

But regardless, we keep coming back to the bikes themselves as the major factor in keeping women out of motorcycling. Harley sells a lot of bikes to women because they're low, but women riders pretty soon figure out that Harleys aren't real functional and stunt their riding. BMW sells a lot of bikes to women because they've got bikes with low seats that are actually comfortable to ride all day. But the BMW experience is quickly soured by the high cost of repairs- Just the recommended maintenance on a new BMW will easily cost over $1000 a year if you take it to a BMW dealer.

That leaves a major opportunity for Guzzi- The small blocks are already light, come up with low seat versions and keep the maintenance simple with dealers everywhere in case you need 'em, and they'd sell a lot more bikes to women and men!

[TodkaVonic]

I lurk here far, far more than I post.  In this forum, I have yet to find any of the negative BS directed towards women that I see all-too-often on other motorcycle forums. This ranges from patronizing attitudes, to misogynistic comments and cartoons, to frankly hostile comments. It's not happening here, or, at least, I'm not seeing it.

So it's not that ya'all are a bunch of jerks.

The population here is a subset (people who post) of a subset (people who are interested in Moto Guzzis) of a subset (people who are interested in motorcycles) of the population.  There's just fewer women in that population than there are men.

[Cam3512]

I'm a lesbian trapped in a man's body.

Does that count?

[oldbike54]

I'm a lesbian trapped in a man's body.

Does that count?

 Some parts of that are probably painful 

 Dusty

[sturgeon]

Some parts of that are probably painful 

 Dusty

I can tell you from personal experience that it is when you try that joke on your 4 lesbian sisters-in-law.

[oldbike54]

I can tell you from personal experience that it is when you try that joke on your 4 lesbian sisters-in-law.

 Yeah , can see where that could be problematic    Seriously , all are welcome here , just a bit of silliness ...

 Dusty

[Tom]

Huzo, there a lot Guzzi owners that don't post on the forum.  As for the women, the forum may not appeal to them.  Some women that I know that ride Guzzi or have ridden Guzzi.

1)  Nuri,  NYC.  Sold her Breva 750 to get a BMW 650GS.

2)  Pam in N. ID & Ron sold their Guzzi's.  I think they're on HD's now.  I used her black & green  Cali 1100i to go to the WA National.

3)  Rebecca out here in Kona sold her Breva 750 that she bought from me.  She's not riding now.

4)  Cheryl near Moscow, ID rides a EV.  She use to have a SP1000.  Her husband Bill has a Jackal and a restored V700.

5)  Jen was mentioned.  She's in Seattle.  Her mom rides a VW trike 'cuz she gets to tow the trailer.  Jen is Brevagirl.  Her
 
6)  Cheryl in Kula, Maui rides a V7Sport.  Very fluid rider.  Her husband a smattering of Euro bikes.  His brother has a LeMans 850.

7)  Faye in Phoenix currently rides an Indian Scout but rides Richard's V7II every once in awhile.  Richard's Cali 1400 Touring is too big.  I  have her old T3 that she rode down from Alaska.

8)  Dee in Wenatchee has an EV.  IIRC.  She hasn't posted in awhile but works on her own bike.

9)  Marilyn in rides whatever is in the garage.  Her husband John bought Mtn. Bob's Jackal.  Was mostly BMW.  Has 2 GS & 100RT.  She'll be on that more.  Their daughter rides her own Monster 1000.  She liked the Daytona 1000 when John owned one.

10) Gerri in OR with husband Gary.  She & Gary put on the National in OR.  She has her own EV.

11)  I forget the lady that won the Long Distance award from NH.  She was on her own Stelvio.

12)  Alice, Ed's former girlfriend had a LeMans 850.  I bought her Daytona RS.

13)  Sue, I met her at the NV state rally.  Single in her late 20's from Reno.  Nice red V7II.  She rides around by herself.

14)  The instructor for MSF at Rutgers.  Forgot her name.  She has a Breva 750.  She influenced Nuri in NYC to buy her Breva 750.

[oldbike54]

 No one has mentioned Melissa Holbrook Pierson , although she isn't a member of WG .

 Dusty

[Tom]

I remembered her but don't know her or met her.