{"id":6310,"date":"2008-07-01T00:00:51","date_gmt":"2008-07-01T04:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/?p=6310"},"modified":"2020-04-06T11:21:55","modified_gmt":"2020-04-06T15:21:55","slug":"on-the-job-with-susan-poon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/2008\/07\/on-the-job-with-susan-poon\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Job with Susan Poon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Female<\/a>Susan Poon is an expert at shifting gears. After working in tourism, then as a freelance photographer, she dreamed of travelling the world\u2014so she signed up to be a motorcycle mechanic.<\/p>\n

Not the typical career path most follow, but the unusual progression makes perfect sense to Susan, who currently works on the bench at Heritage Harley-Davidson\/Buell in Edmonton.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all about my desire to travel,\u201d Susan says, explaining her new direction. \u201cI wanted to see Europe from the back of a motorcycle, so I asked myself what I\u2019d need to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

For most, the obvious answer would be a bike, something Susan didn\u2019t own at that point. But never one to do things by half-measures, Susan decided she needed more; she wanted to know how to maintain and repair a bike as well.<\/p>\n

In the back of her head was the memory of a very bad auto repair experience. \u201cWomen are too often taken advantage of at repair shops, and I really got taken,\u201d says Susan. \u201cIt was horrible; I said never again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also shaping her decision were some personal matters. Susan had switched to a part-time retail sales job to allow her more time with a family member during a lengthy illness. \u201cI did a lot of thinking about what was really important, what I really wanted. Learning to ride was on my \u2018bucket list\u2019, then I decided to do something crazy, completely outside the box. I\u2019d be a mechanic too.\u201d<\/p>\n

In June, 2005, Susan crossed one item off her \u201cto-do\u201d list. She took an Alberta Safety Council course and became a rider. \u201cThe first time I got on a bike\u2014oh my god!\u2014I was so excited I was shaking,\u201d Susan remembers. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be the only motorcycle mechanic who didn\u2019t know how to ride, so I took care of that first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now ready for more, Susan knew she faced a steep learning curve. She had no mechanical experience, had never taken a small engine course and wasn\u2019t familiar with tools. \u201cI had no idea\u2014not even \u2018righty tighty; lefty loosey!\u201d she candidly confesses.<\/p>\n

Minor details, for this determined woman. Susan\u2019s research revealed that NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) was the place to go in Alberta for training. Not only was NAIT\u2019s campus in the small northern town of Fairview, the only place in Alberta offering the four-year apprenticeship course, it was also the only authorized training centre in Canada for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. (Unlike other provinces, Alberta requires those working as motorcycle mechanics to be a registered apprentice, certified journeyman or hold a recognized equivalent trade certificate.)<\/p>\n

Susan applied for and was accepted into both courses, but chose the 28-week motorcycle mechanic pre-employment course, which would let her challenge the first year of an apprenticeship on completion. She packed up and headed north after taking care of one last bit of business.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Asian, and Asian families are very close, so I had to get my parents\u2019 approval first,\u201d Susan notes. That came surprisingly easy. \u201cMy mom said \u2018Go! Time for a change! Just be safe and wear a helmet.\u2019 They were both very supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan found herself the only woman in a class of 23 students, ranging in age from 18 to mid-40s. That didn\u2019t bother her one bit; she greased up and buckled down to learn. She completed her pre-employment classroom time with no major problems, thanks she says, to excellent teachers, lots of hands-on training, and her complete focus on the tasks at hand. Susan found it easy to concentrate on her studies, aided by a good memory and a natural mechanical aptitude. She completed classes early in 2006.<\/p>\n

Then came the hard part; finding a shop to accept her for a six-week work practicum. Susan didn\u2019t just want any shop; she wanted one that would later consider hiring her and sponsoring her as an apprentice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very daunting task,\u201d Susan admits. \u201cI\u2019d walk into a shop, and being a girl, they\u2019d think I was joking. When your name is Susan, not George or Michael, it takes a lot more convincing.\u201d<\/p>\n

After approaching many dealerships in and around Edmonton, Susan found someone who\u2019d take her seriously: Autumn Murphy, the dealer principal at Edmonton\u2019s Heritage Harley-Davidson\/Buell. Still, it wasn\u2019t a case of getting a free ride from a fellow sister. As Susan puts it, \u201cAutumn was very to the point. She said, \u2018I\u2019ve got to warn you. We\u2019ve had women working in the shop before and it didn\u2019t work out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy laid out some ground rules: Susan would start as a shop hand, detailing and taking care of other minor jobs. \u201cAutumn wanted to see how I worked, how I\u2019d fit in and what the shop dynamics would be first,\u201d says Susan. \u201cI accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan doesn\u2019t like to make a big deal about working as a woman in an occupation dominated by men, or place too much emphasis on the macho overtones traditionally associated with bikes. She wants to be judged on her ability to get the job done, not her gender. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be a novelty item,\u201d she states. \u201cI\u2019m here to cut my own path; it\u2019s mine to make. I didn\u2019t come into the industry expecting everyone to be warm and fuzzy; I did expect to be treated as an equal and have equal opportunities. But it\u2019s really scary how uphill it still is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan quickly learned the realities of life on the bench. You can\u2019t go in saying, \u2018Hey, treat me like an equal!\u2019 You have to earn it. The men will stand back, watch you and decide if you\u2019re worthy. You can\u2019t say \u2018Ow!\u2019\u2014a normal girl reaction\u2014when you cut yourself. The guys just say, \u2018Watch it\u2014stop bleeding on the chrome!\u201d They don\u2019t give you hugs. And they constantly tested me. They wouldn\u2019t let me get away with calling a part a doodad, even when they knew what I meant. I had to use the correct term. If there was something I didn\u2019t like doing, they\u2019d call me on it. If there was something I didn\u2019t know, they\u2019d call me on that too. You have to be a trooper\u2014and still be true at heart to what you are. Any apprentice has to pay their dues, but the fact is it\u2019s harder for a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

A good sense of humour went a long way to carrying Susan through the tough times. She earned more responsibility, doing oil changes, then repair work under supervision. She also completed NAIT\u2019s 15-week Harley-Davidson\u00ae Technician course while still employed at the shop, to gain more credibility. Her second year of apprenticeship was challenging; sometimes she thought about quitting, but she persevered and is serious about completing her remaining two years. And, she now owns a ride of her own, a 1984 Honda Night Hawk 750.<\/p>\n

Her biggest challenge remains moving bikes in and out of the shop, not an easy feat for a small woman. \u201cI know my limits in terms of my size and ask for help. It hasn\u2019t been an issue with the other mechanics. The good thing is, whether you\u2019re female or male, it all comes down to can you get the job done. Mechanics is an area of no compromise; you\u2019re in charge of a rider\u2019s life. If you screw up, you could kill someone. So mechanics take their job very seriously\u2014even though we have a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan knows she\u2019s not the fastest mechanic, but she\u2019s careful and thorough. \u201cThat probably gives better results than some mechanic who charges ahead and maybe misses something.\u201d She\u2019s reached the point where co-workers now talk shop with her as an equal, and seeing her banter and tease them shows she\u2019s accepted as one of their own. It\u2019s a position she\u2019s worked hard to achieve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care how well-trained a woman is, you still have to work harder and smarter,\u201d Susan concludes. \u201cI\u2019m still constantly proving myself.\u201d But for Susan Poon, now well on the road to being a certified journeyman\u2014or rather journeyperson\u2014motorcycle mechanic, she wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n

MMM<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Northern Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Located an hour\u2019s bike ride from the city of Grande Prairie, Alberta in the heart of Peace Country, the tranquil town of Fairview, population 3,330, seems an unlikely site for Canada\u2019s number one motorcycle mechanic training programmes. In the winter of 1980\/81, the Motorcycle Mechanic programme of Fairview College (Fairview College became a NAIT campus in 2004) accepted its first students. In 1986, the Alberta government designated motorcycle mechanic as a trade and the following year, Fairview College offered its first apprenticeship class in motorcycle mechanics. The Harley-Davidson\u00ae Technician program began in 1988 with the first class graduating in 1990. With strong industry support, NAIT Fairview Campus motorcycle mechanic programmes are now second to none in Canada, with the most up-to-date machines, equipment and training aids.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Three full-time motorcycle technician programmes are offered<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Motorcycle Mechanic Pre-employment Skills and experience gained prepare and certify students for entry-level employment. As well, graduates can challenge the first-year Alberta Apprenticeship Motorcycle Mechanic Apprenticeship exam. Twenty-eight weeks training plus six-week work practicum.<\/p>\n

2. Motorcycle Mechanic Apprenticeship Four-year trade programme for Alberta journeyman certification. Grads can challenge the Interprovincial exam for Red Seal certification. Years 1 & 2: eight weeks technical training on campus plus a minimum of 1,360 hours on-the-job training each year. Years 3 & 4: six weeks technical training on campus plus a minimum of 1,420 hours on-the-job training each year.<\/p>\n

3. Harley-Davidson\u00ae Technician Qualifies technicians for employment in Harley-Davidson dealerships across Canada. Only authorized training centre in Canada. Fifteen weeks technical training on campus.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More info?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contact NAIT Fairview Campus<\/p>\n

1-888-999-7882 or visit www.nait.ca.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Susan Poon is an expert at shifting gears. After working in tourism, then as a freelance photographer, she dreamed of travelling the world\u2014so she signed up to be a motorcycle mechanic. Not the typical career path most follow, but the unusual progression makes perfect sense to Susan, who currently works on the bench at Heritage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6317,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[373,52],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nOn the Job with Susan Poon Female Motorcycle Mechanic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A story in the day of Susan Poon, a female bike mechanic who has beaten every male mechanic she has ever had an argument with.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/2008\/07\/on-the-job-with-susan-poon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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