Where are all the girls?

[Huzo]

:1: Ha, you all make me laugh!

@ Huzo
Our longest ride was a 100 miles (161 km) or so round trip and Anni hasn't hit 1000 quite yet.  We usually ride to the movies once a week-ish and abandon the kids for a few hours on a Sat. or Sun. (not both) for a breakfast ride on either the scooters, bikes or both.  We'll leave the eldest in charge for 4 or 5 hours at the most which works out fine because they get along well, and are a rather mellow group (so far).

Sounds just right.

[bad Chad]

Essentially no body under 35 is paying any attention to anything being written on this board.

[oldbike54]

 The boss ran a survey a couple of years back , seem to remember we had 3 or 4 members under 40, maybe 7 or 8 40-50 , the rest were over 50 .

 Dusty

[Psychopasta]

I can't speak for Chad, but I suspect that most forum users grew up in the early days of t'internet when bulletin boards were common. Remember CompuServe and AOL? You would dial up, download/upload bulletin Board content, then disconnect and read the BB material offline, replying as you saw fit and then log on again to upload your pearls of wisdom.

Forums replaced Bulletin Boards as 100% always-on connections because common and replaced dial up modems. My guess is that most people who don't know what a modem was won't be that familiar with forums...they will be more familiar with Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, blogs etc.

Kids today.

[guzzisteve]

How many were females?

[oldbike54]

How many were females?

 That question wasn't part of the survey .

 Dusty

[rocker59]

BTW, I find your reference to a woman as a "sheila" offensive.

Seriously?   LOL!

[Huzo]

Good little conversation starter.

[Arizona Wayne]

Seems to me most women like to talk to other women, just like most men like to talk to other men.  Has something to do with feeling more in tune with your own sex.  Nothing weird about it. If  both sexes have something in common they talk about it together.

I've talked to women riders @ rallies and my wife Judy has talked to men riders at rallies when we used to ride 2up.

I was 1 of the lucky few who's wife liked to ride with me  long distances.  Most guys wives won't do that for whatever reason.  We rode cross country more than once together and she did that with her ex before she & I ever met. 

We don't ride 2up any more but did for decades.   But I do the bike maintenance and she enjoys the atmosphere while I watch the road.

At the last Guzzi National in Oregon I talked to a woman rider from Canada about her 750 Breva because I have a 750 Breva.   In fact that model was considered a woman's bike by some when it came out.  I didn't see it that way but some men riders did (macho thing).

[Phang]

I knew I struck a nerve, unintentionally,

When Guzzi, or other bike manufacturers wanted to attract a wider range of new riders, they made smaller, lighter, colourful bikes with many ornamental accessories.

My point being, the topics of wildguzzi will attract certain group of people. The discussion topics of this group is unlikely to bring in a different groups. It is a vicious cycle unless intervened intentionally by introducing something different.

[Huzo]

I knew I struck a nerve, unintentionally,

When Guzzi, or other bike manufacturers wanted to attract a wider range of new riders, they made smaller, lighter, colourful bikes with many ornamental accessories.

My point being, the topics of wildguzzi will attract certain group of people. The discussion topics of this group is unlikely to bring in a different groups. It is a vicious cycle unless intervened intentionally by introducing something different.

Oh..

[JohninVT]

This is my daughter on her first motorcycle.  She's one of three women I've taught to ride in the last few years.  Each of the three was attracted to motorcycles for different reasons.  In my daughter's case, she's been exposed to to bikes through our family her entire life.  One of my favorite  pictures of her is sitting on a bike in front of her grandfather when she was three and they both have huge smiles on their faces as she twisted the throttle on an old Yamaha in the yard. 

Emma is a 30 year old Millennial.  She wears patchouli and keffiyeh's.  She went for a few rides with me and was hooked.  She took the VT DMV safety course and obtained her license last summer.  She will sit on a milk crate in my garage and clean carburetors, get filthy changing tires or just stare at her bike without saying a word for hours.  No one in her family or circle of friends has an ounce of mechanical ability and two years ago she couldn't tell a phillips head from a flat screwdriver. 

Stephanie is a 42 year old single mom with two young kids.  Learning to ride was a bucket list item.  She did it because it helped her gain a sense of independence and accomplishment after a rough divorce.  She took the VT DMV safety course three years ago, got her license and bought a bike.

Each of them began riding for different reasons.  They all began on sub 250cc bikes.  All three think the V7 is beautiful and would love to own one.  None of them would ever become a forum member here because their personal interests in motorcycling aren't aligned with the majority of the subject matter on the forum.  I realize my forum name appears to be relatively new but I was a long time member here under a slightly different name so I've been in hundreds of discussions here over the years.  The majority of us have been riding for decades and the majority of conversations here are either off topic, nerd level discussions about whether the side covers on a 73' Eldo for sale are correct or bitching about Luigi having one too many glasses of grappa when they built our bike on a Friday.  It's great fun for us but relatively impenetrable for the typical new rider.  I don't think that's a gender thing. 







           

             

[JohninVT]

Oh...and another point; bikes are luxury items.  Our choice to ride and the bike we ride are usually personal projections of how we see ourselves.  We tend to surround ourselves with people who see themselves in a similar way as us.  Harley riders ride with Harley riders and talk Harleys..  Sportbike riders ride with sportbike riders and talk about sportbikes.  Guzzi riders ride with guzzi riders and talk Guzzis.  We're middle aged(or way, way past it) guys with a love for an idiosyncratic brand and we snap our red suspenders, smoke from corn cob pipes and discuss beard grooming techniques(and steel cut oats).  Not a lot of women see themselves that way. 

The best thing Guzzi has going for it right now are the print ads for the V7 showing sub 30 year old women in fashionable, protective gear enjoying their bikes.  A lot of women can identify with those ads.  Who doesn't want to be young, beautiful and fashionable while enjoying motorcycling?  Again, it's not a gender thing.  Harley riders see tough, good looking guys in Harley ads and while they might not admit it, that image appeals to them in exactly the same way the Guzzi ads do women.       

[Nic in Western NYS]

And this advice is free, because none of US ever used it and so it's still in new condition!   

If I were a girl, I'm not sure I'd enjoy reading this list regularly.   We're either unconsciously misogynist sometimes (just from old habit), or we're aware of it and trying too hard NOT to be, to the point of being paternal and over-the-top about it.

I AM glad for the women we have here that can see through all that and not let it bother them, and contribute ideas from a different point of view than ours .... makes us better people.

Lannis

I agree with Lannis' mansplaining.

[kirby1923]

I knew I struck a nerve, unintentionally,

When Guzzi, or other bike manufacturers wanted to attract a wider range of new riders, they made smaller, lighter, colourful bikes with many ornamental accessories.

My point being, the topics of wildguzzi will attract certain group of people. The discussion topics of this group is unlikely to bring in a different groups. It is a vicious cycle unless intervened intentionally by introducing something different.

I hear you Phang, To me you made a valid point and it was obvious there was no ill intent.

Cheers,

m

[Mr Pootle]

That's exactly the sort of self serving, condescending B.S. that drives them away!

But, Huzo, I’m a keen follower of your tips on bike grooming products. Thanks to you, my V7 is the best turned out bike in Leeds.

[Lannis]

I agree with Lannis' mansplaining.

I've got a Y-chromosome.   What other kind of 'splaining could I possibly do?

Lannis

[Tom]

 

[nwryder]

Because forums are generally riddled with misogynists, sexists and perverts. Maybe not this one in particular, but some of the stuff posted on Facebook bike groups is downright cringeworthy.

BTW, I find your reference to a woman as a "sheila" offensive.

Spoken like a true ...progressive 🧐


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[stonelover]

They're on the womanridersnow website enjoying,sharing and learning!

[Lannis]

They're on the womanridersnow website enjoying,sharing and learning!

I'm'a sneak over there and listen at the clubhouse window and see what they're talking about ... !   Shhh ....

Well, I'm back ... they have a list of "Stupidest Things People Have Said about Motorcycles To You" which looks a lot like our one, except that assistant editor "Tricia" has a "wife" so I snuck back out ....
Lannis

[Huzo]

But, Huzo, I�m a keen follower of your tips on bike grooming products. Thanks to you, my V7 is the best turned out bike in Leeds.

I think I understand...

[KiwiKev]

New Zealand won their first medals for 26 years at the Winter Olympics . Two sixteen year old girl and guy - awesome :-)


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[oldbike54]

New Zealand won their first medals for 26 years at the Winter Olympics . Two sixteen year old girl and guy - awesome :-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 See our Olympic thread Kev . Congratulations 

 Dusty

[Arizona Wayne]

There's a channel on satellite TV that shows the best of every USA state by air + historical locations separate for an hour and other countries.  Recently we watched what New Zealand is all about.  We were impressed.  It seemed visually like a miniature version of most of USA  with only a few million citizens.  Like a time warp for us. 

[Huzo]

Just thought that instead of contimating someone else's thread with "women riders stuff", kicking this old chestnut in the guts might draw some comment from newer members that have since joined.
Do the newer ones have any clues why women stay away from this place in droves.
Some may feel that every guy is trying to crack onto them and some will feel ignored, but it'll take a woman to give the real reason..

[Guzzistajohn]

My wife rides.  Avoids forums like the plague.  Says it's a bunch of old guys debating different shades of blue!
Sometimes I think she's correct.

If we only had a "like" button 

[Paul Brooking]

Very interesting topic

I'm one who will talk (blog) with anyone, I don't judge people by their gender, sexuality, nationality, race, religion, politics and prejudices/passions (eg Gun ownership). I am also largely indifferent as to other's opinion of my  gender, sexuality, nationality, race, religion, politics and prejudices/passions (eg Gun ownership).!!

Like many, I hold strong positions on a lot of the above topics, I just don't bring them to this site.

Conversations and friendships ebb and floe depending on the direction that they end up heading, that's also ok with me.

I thoroughly enjoy ALL of the conversations and topics on this site. I do admit to ignoring and abandoning a lot of them due to the subject matter being of no interest to me.

What is more important is that the moderation of this site is (IMHO) just about right. Conversations start and meander onward and are only shut down if they get offensive. I would assume that the moderators probably shut down a lot of conversation that I don't ever get to see.

I rarely see any evidence of behavior on this site which is overtly offensive to any particular member of society. What I do see is a lot of eye-glazing inanity on subjects that have a limited appeal to anyone but a small set of participants.

All in all this site is a very welcoming and valued resource for all people interested in Moto Guzzis and wanting to participate in an on-line community dedicated to the brand.




 

[oldbike54]

 That is the way WG is designed Paul, anyone who owns, has owned, or is considering owning a Guzzi can find a home here.

 Dusty

[Paul Brooking]

That is the way WG is designed Paul, anyone who owns, has owned, or is considering owning a Guzzi can find a home here.

 Dusty

And I for one thank you (and everyone else) for keeping it that way.