Karen Hansen

I've been a WOW member for a year now, riding with the Northwoods Cruisers. I've also been managing the website, which has been a great learning opportunity. I live in Fond Du Lac with my boyfriend Bob and I work in the IT department for Johnsonville Sausage. This is my second year of riding; I've ridden almost 12,000 miles now. I bought a new motorcycle this year (seen in the picture) and have had an absolute ball with it. In addition to Women On Wheels, I am a road guard for a yearly ride called Women In Motion which benefits a class called Accident Scene Management that teaches a what to do in a motorcycle crash. I am also involved with ABATE which works to protect motorcyclist's rights and Patriot Guard Riders which shows respect and support at Soldier's funerals. When I'm not on a motorcycle, I like to play golf, go hunting – mostly for deer, and try to bowl and shoot darts when I have time. I'm going to school to be a computer programmer, so that also occupies a lot of my time which is why I don't get to indulge in my other hobbies of music and crafting. I'm looking forward to several more years of enjoyable riding and am glad to be a part of Women On Wheels®  which puts me in touch with other great women who share my same passion for the road. Thanks for reading, and I hope I can get to know you as well. Update: I can't believe I forgot to mention what kind of bike I ride in my initial "Meet the Member" entry!! I guess I don't get the "rider of the year" this time around, but that's ok. My bike's name is "Minnie Pearl" (still looking for the price tag to hang on her). She is a 2003 Suzuki VL800 Intruder Volusia Anniversary Edition. I bought her with 5300 miles on her and now have 9900! I guess the first guy that had her didn't want to risk getting her dirty, but now she's happy that she is with her true owner who takes her out for adventure regularly! In fact, we had a doozy of an adventure the weekend of October 21st and 22nd. It was pretty cold out, but that still didn't keep us away. I have added a windshield since the picture above. There will be many more enhancements to come for Pearl, my baby wants to be accessorized! Pearl and I look forward to meeting each of you on the road.