Tribute: 2006 AMA/FIM Women & Motorcycling Conference 

Almost a thousand women showed up to support the fourth Women and Motorcycling Conference in Athens, Georgia at the end of June. From women’s motorcycle clubs and organizations, to vendors, media and Industry executives, the event provided the perfect format for these groups to share, connect and capture the momentum of the women’s moto movement. The event reached new horizons this year with the addition of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), where delegates from Canada, South Africa, France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland gave us all an exciting opportunity to meet the women who are leading the way in their part of the world.

This was our first Conference, so we were blow away to see so many women on bikes in one place. After that initial shock wore off, we then took in the perfectly orchestrated layout of the venue. The attention to detail throughout the entire five days was evident. Over 250 AMA members were on hand making sure every rider got the most of her experience. Starting with the memorable opening ceremonies that featured mostly inspirational speakers –ok, so it had some cheesy moments, worth every tear in our eye. The fun continued with valuable seminars and demo rides from Buell, BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Kymco, Ridley and Yamaha. In between all that riding, women were checking out the vendor area, which offered an estrogen sanctuary of moto shopping galore. But the real excitement took place on the Asphalt Assault course, where we witnessed women demonstrating their awesome skill and precision atop their bike – we captured a cool clip of one gal kicking butt on her big HD cruiser (see pictured above), performing as if she were on a sportbike --- something we’ve never seen before. (You’ll have to wait a few more weeks to see it…) The true highlight of the event though, was the motorcycle parade made up of hundreds of women riders. It was one for the history books, as there’s never been one of this magnitude. Proud to say… we were right there in the middle of it with camera’s in-hand capturing the sheer exuberance of the rider’s faces. Ahhh, sweet reflection. When the parade had reached an end, the party started with lots of booty-shak’n (see Cara Mae & Alice) to the two great bands whom were playing their hearts out, and of course lots of celebratory drinking, because there was much to celebrate!

If you didn’t have the opportunity to go, well you missed it, but you can live vicariously through us, so check out HH’s photo gallery to catch a glimpse of our memorable times at the Conference. And for those of you who did experience it, then enjoy reliving the moment. Cheers! Becky & Cara Mae