If, like unfortunately most gearheads, you’re of the male persuasion, you’re probably now envisioning some lithe young damsel astride a Ducati sportsbike. Well, you’re partly correct- No ducks in the fleet, but plenty of low bars and setback footpegs, with a mix of dual sport bikes, hot hatches, hot pre-hatch, and pickup. Here’s my fleet’s roster:

2007 BMW F800S

2001 Buell M2L

1992 BMW R100GS

1984 BMW R65LS

1983 BMW R80ST

1975 Yamaha MX250 ($25 auction find, just washed the manure off)

2003 VW Golf TDI

1998 Ford Ranger

1986 VW Golf diesel, LUBO (Laid Up Bad Order)

1966 Austin Mini Cooper S, LUBO

2009 Bike Friday folding bike

1987 Santana tandem mountain bike

1975 Teledyne Titan, mostly Campy New Record

1992 Fortress racing wheelchair, LUGO (Laid Up Good Order)

1987 Quickie GP basketball wheelchair, LUGO

Motorvation Spyder sidecar, currently hooked to the ST

Motorvation Formula II sidecar, about to move from the LS to the GS

Boarders:

1979 Yamaha 650 Custom, my brother’s

2000 Mopar minivan (Plymouth Voyager inherited from mom)

 

OK, so I do have a legit sport bike or two that I can pose on. Unfortunately I’m not young anymore, so don’t expect any pics of me seductively posing on any of the above fleet. But I won’t try to fool you with decades old pics of me or photoshops. I am trying to lose enough weight so that I can pose in a mini without offending the public morals with my hopefully restored by then Mini for it’s 50th birthday in late 2015.

So for 61 years of age, at least I’m not filling my garage (and living room too at times) with Geezer Glides and, worse yet, TriGlides. None the less, seems like every month or so Harley sends me an e-mail extolling the virtues of Sportster Lows and inviting me to darn near hundred dollar “introduction to motorcycling” seminars. No wonder HOG(NYSE) is floundering.

So how does a 61 year old lady end up being a gearheadgrrrl? No, I didn’t accidentally wander into a riot grrrl event on my bike a decade or two ago. Must be in the genes… Two of my four greatgrandfathers were blacksmiths, and if any of my family was game I’d be happy to reopen their ventures as a 21st century blacksmith shop, working with titanium, carbon fiber, etc..

And notice the lack of brand loyalty in my fleet? Being of dutch origin, my families always been wheeler-dealers and would cut a deal with most any supplier if the terms were right. Some of my distant relations in the Netherlands are in the trucking business, operating as Sluyter Logistics, there web page is at http://www.sluyter-logistics.nl/ . Now you would think be loyal Dutch citizens, they’d be buying Dutch made DAF trucks… Not! True to the family traits, they’re buying Renaults, which are nowdays Volvos with a price a few thousand Euros less. I do trucking to, having driven for Hostess Brands, USPS, and UPS until I retired… for now. So I guess it’s inevitable that I’m a gearhead despite being a grrrl…

So expect the fleet and discussion to be eclectic around here. That’s all for now… I’m gonna get some pix posted, including my tool collection that my neighbor the truck mechanic says are “too clean and shiny”.