Vote for Pat "Scout" Meadors

My name is Pat Meadors, some of you know me as Scout or The Hopeless Wanderer, you may have even followed my travels on Facebook or my YouTube Channel.  I’ve been a member of Women In The Wind for 6 years, as both Black Rose and Sunshine Sisters , but my love of riding started when my Dad put me on a little red minibike that he had picked up at a yard sale. I was 8 and my passion was ignited. The first bike I bought on my own was a 1972 Honda CB350. I bought that bike for $140 and a car stereo. It didn’t run, but I promptly bought a Clymer’s repair manual and got on a first name basis with the local Honda dealership. Through a lot of trial and error, and help from my Dad, I got it running. This is when my love of working on motorcycles began. Since then I’ve owned a 1986 Yamaha Virago, a 2000 Honda Shadow, My beloved 2000 Harley Road King- Mabel, a 2002 Yamaha Road Star, and I most recently purchased a 2010 HD Ultra Limited.
I’ve always been fascinated by how things work… or why they don’t work.  It’s a puzzle that I want to solve. I’ve swapped engines on my Virago, changed exhaust systems, cleaned carburetors, changed starters, ignitions, console lights, upgraded headlights, changed handlebars and even completely rebuilt and upgraded the motor on my Road King with help from my friends, and some really great YouTube videos. I think that it is empowering to be able to understand the machine that you ride, not to mention that when you have to take it to a dealer for service or a checkup, you can accurately describe what is wrong or what needs to be looked at.
In my time with WITW, I have attended 11 International Conventions, Ride California, MOTALK, The Florida Chapter Challenge, and 3 Canadian National Rallies. I’ve met so many Sisters and made friendships that I will always cherish. In this same time I’ve ridden in 49 states, 8 Canadian provinces and 1 Canadian territory, and around 90,000ish miles, most of this solo. I’ve had epic adventures, but I’ve also had starters stop starting, dead batteries, floorboards break, handlebars break, transmission and clutch failures, and even catastrophic engine failure. However, having a basic understanding of how everything works together on your bike allows you to spot potential issues that need to be repaired and perform preventative maintenance.  I’m always available to my Sisters, whatever you ride..American , Metric or European…And if I don’t know the answer I’ll gladly help you look for it! Hopefully, as your new Maintenance Coordinator, I can share my knowledge , tips, and passion with you!
If you ride, things WILL inevitably break, but by having knowledge about your motorcycle, you can reduce the severity or number of occurrences.  You are an awesome female because you ride, but you don’t have to be a damsel in distress