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She Can Do Anything He Can Do… Right?


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Let’s share femme-friendly techniques, tools and hacks for working on and around bikes, because she can do anything he can do, right?

When it comes to know-how? Sure! What about the plain old brute force strength that occasionally seems to be required with moto-maintenance? Hmmm…

I’m a fairly new rider - I’m celebrating the 4th anniversary of buying my first bike in about a week - but in these 4 years, I’ve put 70,000+ miles on my Transalp throughout North and South America. For me, understanding the mechanics of my bike and learning how to work on her has made me a better rider. I’m not sure if it’s because the more I learn, the better I understand how to manipulate my machine while I’m on her… Or maybe it’s just another component of building confidence around motorcycles… The knowledge that, if necessary, I’ll be able to self-rescue is HUGELY rewarding.

I’ve been really fortunate that the men I ride/have ridden with have been really supportive of helping me to increase my technical know-how. Sometimes, this is relatively pain-free for them :)

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But sometimes, when I’m stuck on something and insist on not having any help, it can require a massive amount of patience (the above tire change, rear and front, took HOURS)… Advice is easy to find - post a photo like this on social media, and you’ll get dozens of “Try this!,” “You’re doing this wrong!” comments… many of which are useless if you’re 5’4” and under 120lbs. I understand it can be hard for someone who is a foot taller than me, has 50-75 pounds of muscle on me and has been working on bikes for YEARS to understand that methods that work for HIM might not work for me. So I wanted to start up a thread where we (both men and women) can share femme-friendly techniques, tools and hacks for working on and around bikes... Like the hack below... I’ve found that my GoGirl is actually much easier to use as an oil funnel than for it’s intended purpose ;)


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I have a few other tidbits I’ve picked up along the way and made short videos of that I’ll share when I have better internet, but for now, please throw in your two cents and let’s help one another out!

Edited by Azure
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I carry a HUGE mother of a wrench!
It helps to create an extension to any other tool I have to loosen anything I don't have enough grip strength for. Because let's face it, guys like to tighten everything stupidly tight and when you need to loosen it you don't have the grip strength for it and that's uber annoying!!!!

I also once used it to threaten a dodgy stranger that was getting a little too close :-P

 

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  • 1 month later...
On 2017-07-02 at 6:26 PM, Marie-Cat said:

 

I also once used it to threaten a dodgy stranger that was getting a little too close :-P

 

Oh my god, Marie, this part of your comment is hilarious! ? That's an amazing way to use your wrench! Stay safe!

 

Azure, I admire your enthusiasm and skills when it comes to motorcycle mechanics. I wish I could say I could disassemble my bike and properly assemble it back and throw in a few tips and tricks, but I must admit I'm no good when it comes to actually working on my bike. And to be honest, I don't even want to start when I think about all the bolts and screws I'll have to take out just to get to that one part! Even if it's just an air filter change (blush).

 

I'm blessed with amazingly handy partner-in crime who likes working on our bikes, therefore he's officially The Technical Department of our team :) Although I do understand the importance of knowing the basics of motorcycle maintenance and can do some most simple stuff like chain adjustment, that same air filter change, lightbulb replacement etc. and could probably do most of regular stuff with some online help, but as long as I can continue staying in charge of other Departments in our team, I'll leave the Technical stuff to him :D and continue happily assisting him if needed.

 

Nevertheless, I'll keep an eye on this thread in case other girls and boys will share some useful advices :) 

 

If you guys want a funny hack for riding in general - here's mine:

in case you plan on riding in the rain and really want to have your phone in the ram mount on your bike rather than in your waterproof pocket (say if you desperately need your google maps or you have no waterproof pockets), you can use a condom to make your phone waterproof and still be able to use the touchscreen. Yes, just put it over your phone and tie the end into the knot ;) 

 

 

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