Friday, January 29, 2016

We are starting a new series called She Rides Her Own wherein we will profile a woman motorcyclist, what makes her unique, and how she got started riding on two wheels. As the fastest growing segment of the motorcycling public, women are more inclined than ever before to move from the passenger pillion to the front of the seat and to grab those handlebars.

Flo Fuhr, from British Columbia, was, like many of us, a late bloomer in the motorcycling community. And like many of the rest of us, waited until the children were grown to take up motorcycling.

As she tells it, it was because her husband, Rob, had a mid-life crisis that came with a new motorcycle. Flo was scared of it and wanted Rob to get rid of the bike. Rob wasnt about to do that and he really wanted her to learn to like it. She was convinced that the only way to get over her fear was to learn to ride although at the time she thought she was too old (havent we all heard that excuse before?).

So Flo enrolled in a course, failed it the first time, persevered, and eventually received her motorcycle endorsement. Her husband bought her a HUGE Honda Rebel 250 and they rode side-by-side, him on his Roadstar even though Flo thought, the bike sounded like a sewing machine.

Rob was a commercial fisherman that meant summers away at fishing camps. Flo needed a new riding buddy to help her build her road confidence. Rob tapped Flos younger brother, Carl, and asked if he would mind riding the Roadstar for the summer. After three months of riding, Flo was ready for a 750 Shadow and Carl, after experiencing the fun of motorcycling those three months, wanted his own bike. Before long both Flo and Carl had purchased matching Honda VTXs his an 1800 and hers a 1300 and by that time Rob had traded in the Roadstar for a Harley-Davidson Softail.

Flo was having a ball riding and joined some online forums for women riders. In one of the forums, Women Who Ride (WWR), she became acquainted with Donna Palladino of Ride Like a Pro. They became friends, shared stories, and had some laughs.

In the meantime, one of Flos other brothers convinced Flo to sell her VTX to him and to buy a Harley as Flo was always complaining about the hubby going to the HD dealerships and there was never anything for her VTX at any of the shops. Flo said if she ever found a special Harley she would consider selling the VTX.

About this time Donna was ready to sell her Road King. She listed it on the WWR forum and immediately Flo was hooked. She would look at the ad and the pictures, dream about owning a motorcycle that was famous in the Ride Like a Pro videos, and even named the bike Road Queen. One huge obstacle to this quest was the Road King was in Florida and Flo lived on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Add to that complication, Flo was about to head to Mexico for six months for the winter! Donna and Flo discussed the transaction and agreed on the price. Donna also agreed to store the bike until Flo was ready to return to Canada.

Now the story gets really interesting. At first Flo was going to make arrangements to have the Road King shipped from Florida to British Columbia. Then Flo had a dream that she would fly to Florida and just ride the Road King home to Vancouver Island mighty ambitious for someone who had never, ever ridden alone and who, in her own words, gets lost in parking lots. She posted this dream on the WWR forum. Women from all across the continent responded with go for it and offered to ride with her so that she would never ride alone on the trip home.

So Flo flew to Tampa, was met Donna and Jerry Palladino, stayed with them in their home, took their Ride Like a Pro class, and then rode the Queen home accompanied all the way with a Conga line that stretched the entire 6,000 miles. Flo garnered lots of attention with her a blog about her adventure and then, at the last minute, decided to raise money for cancer in memory of her sister and the instructor who taught her to ride. "The essential to budget travel is to approach onward. When it happens to family trips, globetrotting, well-deserved holidays and/or going to see new destinations we have never been before, the fact of cost and budgeting is often in the back of our thoughts. Considering and consuming our travel budget correctly is a main concern for most families. Lowering spending and costs, while still delighting your vacation to its fullest, is the key to assured success and fiscal responsibility. Your pocketbook and family will thank you! The reasoning regarding saving money while travelling is simple: Even if your personal funds is really small, you can still take a break and enjoy life! Simply put, life is just too short to never step out of the door or leaving the homestead! Also remembering that while traveling, no matter whether on a price range or not, even the smallest of things can all add op to a huge vacation or travel bill!..". That first attempt at fundraising resulted in donations of $1,700.00 for cancer research.

The first Conga was so much fun that the ladies all wanted to do it again and a reunion ride was set up. Add to that mix, the Palladinos had another bike for sale and Rob decided he wanted it. So with Rob once again out to sea fishing, Flo set up the same scenario as when she rode her bike back to Vancouver Island only this time she would be riding Robs police bike. Once again Flo flew to Florida; she stayed with the Palladinos for five weeks; trained with their Ride Like a Pro professionals; rode with the Pros at the Leesburg Bike Fest; and recruited those women from WWR to accompany her on the journey back. This time the Conga girls decided together on a cause and that cause would be breast cancer. That decision was an easy one for them as there were a few of the Spirit Riders going though an ordeal with breast cancer at the time and because of the pink color associated with breast cancer they could attract a lot of attention with the pink accessories and because pink is just so pretty! That first Conga for Cause raised $12,000.00 for cancer research in the United States and Canada.

Planning for the third year started even before the engines had cooled from the second Conga. Conga III had groups from all over the United States and Canada heading to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Routes were planned and posted online and riders joined in as the Conga Lines wove through their areas on the way to Cheyenne. (The guys are always welcome to ride along with the Conga women they are called Cabana Boys and all participants wear pink.) Once again the Conga Line was successful with 10s of thousands of dollars are raised from the sale of decorated bras, auction items, donations to have their pictures taken with their decorated bikes, and pledges.

And again, the next Conga was starting to take shape even before the riders returned home. It was decided that Conga IV would be held in Shell, Wyoming (population 50) where the group had stopped on Conga III and where each and every one of them was treated like a Queen. Furthermore, the people of Shell helped them raise $4,000.00 in just one night!

An article about this years Conga for a Cause (Conga IV) will be posted here on Examiner.com. In addition, we are always looking for fascinating stories from women riders who would like to share your story. If interested, email to: Patty.Davis.USA@gmail.com.

Other She Rides Her Own Articles:

  • Meet Lisa: a motorcyclist who knows perservance
  • Meet Darlene: a motorcyclist proving it's never too late
  • Meet Ralyn: leaping head on into motorcycling
  • Meet Cat: she really does have nine lives
  • Meet Brittany: teaching us how to avoid being skinned alive
  • Meet Linda: showing us that love endures
  • Meet Robin: her inner strength changed her life
  • Meet LeftLane: living a life that matters
  • Meet Abby: she rode back from Hell
  • Meet Pinky: she is passionate about motorcycles
  • Meet Laura: enthusiast, racer, and mentor
  • Meet Jackie: trading up and enjoying the ride
  • Meet Lori: living a meaningful life
  • Meet Leilani: finding a motorcycle that is just right
  • Meet Karen: finding blessings in unusual places
  • Meet Liz: Making my way to the motorcycle
  • Meet Sharon: she overcame addiction to find passion and purpose
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29 Jan 2016

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