I remember sitting in the auditorium during my first day at MMI (Motorcycle Mechanics Institute) back in 2005, surrounded by people of all ages, both male and female. Most of them had technical backgrounds. I didn’t. I was so intimidated because I didn’t know anything about working on motorcycles. I didn’t even know how to change my oil. And I definitely had no idea about what the future had in store for me. In fact, if you had told me that day what I’d be doing forKawasakilater on, I would have laughed.
Now back to present day. This month, financial and romantic hardship put me out on a cold door step alone and feeling like a failure. But then something happened career-wise that gave me the motivation I needed to push forward. We had a staff meeting atKawasakifor the 2011 ZX-10R rework campaign. I’m sure you’ve read about the recent top end valve float issue in Cycle World that would cause our flag ship one liter to lose horsepower in the higher r.p.m.’s. So to avoid being dethroned from their magazine shoot out pedestal, KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries, L.T.D.) put into effect a project to remedy this problem, an affair that required a combined effort on an international scale. KHI would be sending technicians all over the globe to replace top end engine components on every single unit retailed to dealers. We’re talking thousands of bikes. We needed two teams of eight technicians each to travel theU.S.alone. Time was of the essence. I sat in that meeting and raised my hand as high it would go, volunteering for the job. “I’ll travel anywhere,” I said. “For however long. I can help. I can even drive a forklift.”
At first I was met with a steadfast “No.” Other women at the company speculated the hesitation to be solely due to the fact that I’m a woman. “They’ve never had a girl do a rework before,” someone said. “That’s why they wouldn’t send you.” I am just an Admin Assistant, after all, with a novice technical background at best. I tried not to take it personally. Regardless of the reason, I persisted. They had many more meetings, scratching their heads about where to find the man-power, as Kawasaki has been terribly short-handed due to last year’s lay offs.
Finally, they acquiesced. “You’re going,” says my former supervisor with a smile on his face. Their first intention was to send me for one week, a trial period. Just long enough to get a taste of the field, but not so long as to back up the paperwork while I was gone. I’d be arriving at the start of the third and final leg of Team 2’s campaign –Eatontown,NJ. After a day with the previous manager who showed me the ropes, I was on my own, assisting and managing seven staff – four Japanese technicians from KHI, two sub-contracted technicians and another KMC (Kawasaki Motors Corp.,U.S.A.) technician.
To remain in budget, it was decided I’d stay inNew Jerseyfor the duration, which ended up being only two weeks. Although I wasn’t there specifically to assemble the engines, I was able to take part in the unit disassembly process. I even learned some Japanese and helped out with purchasing supplies and tools, ordering parts and making travel arrangements. As I was the only full-time representative from KMC that was communicating with the corporate office, some of the guys even called me “Boss.”
So I didn’t get to install the new engine components or reset the timing like I’d hoped, but this short tenure in the field was definitely a very important milestone in my career. I was the first woman inKawasaki’s history to be sent on such an important, behind-the-scenes endeavor. While inNew Jersey, we repaired nearly 200 units in half the expected time with very few issues. Our team had awesome chemistry, which made the process of repairing so many units smooth and painless. I made some great friends, gained some technical knowledge and had lots of fun with my team during our down time on weekends.
So there you have it. What began as a curiosity for mechanics changed into a life changing opportunity. The time is ripe for women to impact this industry. The rough economy has created a unique situation, where now more than ever, alternate sources are being called upon to solve problems. Now is the time to seize the day. I did and it was worth it.
