herstory
The Way We Were:
The San Francisco Scooter Girls was founded in 2004 by Jennifer (Martinez) Farrell. That year, Jen found herself with time on her hands, a new hobby she was interested in pursuing, but no friends with whom to ride. She had purchased a Yamaha Vino and her experience was that the scene was dominated mostly by men who rode and loved vintage bikes passionately and were not as welcoming to new riders, females, or modern bikes.
However, as she rode around San Francisco, she noticed lots of other girls riding scooters. As she was hoping to find some friends to ride with and socialize with, she started the Yahoo! Group and began contacting girls through email and fliers. She wanted to create a group that did not discriminate based on gender or the type of bike you rode - hence our motto "Any Girl, Any Scooter”. She envisioned a club with different levels of involvement so that any girl on whatever scooter she rode could come and be part of the community at a level of commitment that worked for her and for the club.
The Yahoo! Group exploded from there to 200 plus members. It was an open forum serving all aspects of the scooter community: modern, vintage, gay, straight, women, and, yes, even men (who were at that time affectionately called 'groupies' since they couldn't and can't be full club members). Thanks Jen!
The Way We Are:
We are still focused on encouraging women to ride and to do so safely, but we now give more emphasis to the social aspect of the scooter scene.
The Yahoo! Group is still a place for all riders, especially women to come and ask questions about scooters and scootering. It’s a great place to keep up to date with what the club is doing. Members of the Yahoo! Group will receive information about the events we host or are involved in such as: riding workshops; safety refresher courses; rally representation; maintenance workshops; fundraising events; our Club Meetings, and our Social events. From time to time subscribers will receive information about discounts at local scooter stores and special offers from vendors as well.
Actual Club Membership is earned through a process that begins with spending some time with us and getting to know the current members. It entails a more substantial commitment to the club and its various functions. Membership in the club provides a place for women who have mastered the basics of safe riding and have the common interest of scootering to come together in order to socialize with and ride with one another, to be more involved with the local scooter scene, to plan and staff events including: our annual toy drive; holiday party; anniversary party; rallies; group rides; the events of other scooter clubs; education days, etc. Once you’ve taken some time to get to know us, if you are interested in becoming a member, please talk to us. You can speak to our membership/education officer or any member you feel comfortable approaching to learn about the process.
You do not need to be a club member to attend our events and we encourage everyone to come on out and ride with us!
Two Stroke Kisses,
The San Francisco Scooter Girls
Mixing new and old scoots by the Golden Gate Bridge.
Founder Jennifer (Martinez) Farrell 3rd from left, in Red Wig.
for the 2009 Holiday Party Toy Run.
graphics and photographs presented herein are property of SFSG and may not be used without prior written consent.
© 2010 San Francisco Scooter Girls