The HER Project

 

 

The HER Project is rather unique, and was created to empower and create awareness for all American Women Veterans. The project is a way to acknowledge and recognize the women who serve, and to show gratitude for what our women veterans have done for our country.

 

The creator of the HER Project is Gina Woods, host of Open Road Radio and creator of XX Chromes All Women Bike Builds. 

 

“The HER Project is dedicated to a single purpose: empowering and creating awareness for our American Women Veterans with respect and dignity,” says Gina Woods. “The goal is educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of women veterans who, by virtue of their service in the military of the United States of America, may be having difficulty transitioning back to civilian life.”

 

 

 

The HER Project’s goal was to build two motorcycles dedicated to the disabled woman veteran, and recognizing women veterans. Each motorcycle was to be built in 5 days at popular motorcycle events, in front of the public by women veterans. 

 

The first build was a Trike, which was donated by Woodstock Harley-Davidson,   (Woodstock, IL.)  The completion of this project was a minor miracle all by itself, in that Gina only had 3 weeks to organize, arrange donations, find parts, and put everything in place for the 2014 International Motorcycle Show, sponsored by Progressive in Chicago in early February.  The Veteran builders were Gina, Sharon D. Allen, Jamie Shields and Kimberly Twisted with the help of many sponsors, especial DFT Trikes. As you can see from the pictures below they did an amazing job!!

 

 

 

The second project was scheduled for Daytona Bike Week down in sunny Florida. They left the wintry weather behind in Chicago, seeking refuge from the storms and cold and headed to the warmth of Florida.   Gina Woods’, Jamie Shields, Kayla Koeune and Kim Jordan, teamed up together for five days of wrenching, fabbing, building and bike painting, all in front of a live audience at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona.

 

 

 

“Our footprint was elaborate”, shares Gina “Complete with onsite mig and tig, custom painting, exhaust creating, leatherworking, and carb fabrication! Definitely a hands on mobile shop, complete with our own emcee and videographer Karel King” 

 

 

 

 

Wyotech was also very involved with the build and sent a couple of  veteran students and graduates over to work with the team on the bike build, welding, painting, fabricating, and odd jobs.  Wyotech student Laurice Littlefield, a current Military Motorcycle Mechanic, assisted with the build.  Also WyoTech Graduate  Kristine Kramer was a part of the fabrication for a few days under the direction of WyoTech Instructor Dan from Creative Fabrication. They were absolutely amazing and wonderful to work with, bringing an air of excitement, commitment and hard work to the project.

 

 

 

 

Many sponsors throughout the motorcycle industry stepped up to contribute to this project, Bikers Choice, J&P Cycles and S&S Cycles were especially helpful and excited to be part of this new venture.  A lot of people came by to see the actual build and visit the booth, including many from the motorcycle industry.  Folks in the industry were impressed with the work, and gave a lot of positive feedback; this level of interest is wonderful and so important for women riders, builders and especially for women veterans.

 

 

 

The HER Project Bobber is tricked out – a lot of custom pieces went into it: Biker’s Choice, S&S Cycle and J&P Cycles nailed it in the parts support of this project. Special Thanks to Charlie & Aaron, Pete and Bruce and Dan & Mundo! 

 

They started with a Biker’s Choice frame and Wide Glide front fender cut and chopped, stock style Panhead rear fender cut and chopped, S&S Engine and S&S customized parts: Bullet case custom air cleaner, grenade horseshoe oil tank, DNA Springer front end, 5-speed softail Transmission, customized LePera seat. Creative Fabrication by Dan applied PPG’s Envirobase colors to give the tins a tricolor, desert camo look. Flames were layered out, with some help from Dave Perewitz, followed by 3 coats of Black Candy. To finish off a copper red pinstripe was laid down. Thanks to PPG and 3M. Also Thomas from CSS Airflow Systems who let us use the Carcoon inflatable and portable spray booth. Creative Fabrication by Dan worked with Victor from Icengineworks to design and fab up the custom exhaust, including a finishing touch of functional rain caps on the tips. Thanks to Kyle & Blake at Compressed Air Systems. Other companies supporting: Hupy & Abraham, National Cycle, The Paint Spot, Gruntstyle T’s, Advantage Trailer & Roar Motorcycles!

 

 

 

 

Here are some close up detailed photos of the bike taken by Rogue:

 

   

Currently in the works are plans to take the Trike and the Camo Bike on a tour of the US, and then to raffle the bikes with the proceeds going to Women Veterans and the National Womens Veterans Association.  I asked Gina whether there were plans for future builds and she only said she is working on some possible options!

 

 

 

The most important part of the HER Project is the women themselves, all of whom are either Veterans or have very strong ties to the Military world.  Without them the build would not exist.  So we would like to introduce you to the women:

 

 

 

Jamie’s passion for motorcycles began about the same time she was learning to walk and talk. At the young age of 5, she looked up at her mom and said “Mommy, I’m gonna have tattoos and a motorcycle when I grow up.”  At 13, she finally got a taste of riding when a friend let her take his dirt bike. He didn’t get his bike back for the rest of the summer. Six years later she got out of the dirt and hit the street on her first sport bike and she’s been riding ever since.

 

 

 

Though she is not in the military, Jamie’s appreciation for our Veterans started at a very young age, Jamie’s father is a Vietnam Veteran, First Lieutenant in the 525th Military Intelligence Group. Her Grandfather is a World War II Veteran, Private in the 435th Anti-Aircraft Artillery-Automatic Weapons Battalion and Staff Sergeant in the 473rd Infantry Regiment.  Jamie’s mother formed a Veteran support group with the AAUW, bringing food, music, conversation, etc., to the PTSD unit in the North Chicago VA hospital.  

Jamie has turned her love of everything motorcycle into a career whenever possible, doing everything from selling bikes at a dealer, working for a biker magazine, or working motorcycle events such as the International Motorcycle Show.  Jamie was married at Bike Week in Sturgis 2008. 

 

 

After getting t-boned on her Big Dog Mastiff, Jamie had some down time, so she started teaching herself how to work on her bike. Unsatisfied with the work she was paying others to do on the Big Bear Chopper she bought to replace her wrecked bike, she grabbed some tools and tore into the clutch basket. She went on to replace the ignition module and completely rewired the entire bike. A leaking head gasket forced her to tear into the motor.  Jamie has now rebuilt her own bike.

 

For a girl who didn’t know how to put air in a tire just a few years ago, Jamie finally realized her real passion, building bikes!  Only 1 semester shy of a bachelor’s degree in accounting, she has instead decided to pursue a degree in Automotive Service Technologies, and will graduate from ECC in May 2014.

 

When Jamie isn’t wrenching on her bike, you can usually find her attending a bike related function or just hanging out with friends who share her enthusiasm for motorcycles.

 

 

 

 

 

Kim’s interest in motorcycles began by complete coincidence and almost as a fluke when she was invited on the spur of the moment to accompany her dad to the Laughlin River Run in 1998.  That one trip completely changed her life, and Kim returned from Laughlin with direction, purpose, and inspiration.  Prior to the trip, Kim had been saving up to buy a house.  But when push came to shove, she realized that “you can’t ride a house,” and so she bought her first Harley, a 1994 custom softail.  

 

Kim practically lived on her Harley for the next two years.  Although she did not know the first thing about riding a motorcycle when she financed her softail, being the self-motivated type, she soon figured it out and rode it off into the sunset. 

 

Kim reports that she “rode that sucker all the way to the Extraterrestrial Highway, sleeping on the road, and drinking coffee out of a sock along the way.”  Her friends and family didn’t see her again until two years later in 2000 when she graduated from MMI in Phoenix, Arizona.  

After graduation, Kim worked as a mechanic at Lakeshore Harley in Illinois for two years, and then traveled on to Chicago Harley for another two year tenure.  Kim then returned to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she worked for Las Vegas Harley as a mechanic at the highly esteemed expert technical level.  Kim left Las Vegas Harley in 2006, and has since bought a second bike (a 2006 Street Glide), participated in the production and filming of “Poker Run,”  and acted as Project Supervisor for the construction of a palatial home at the top of Mount Charleston, Nevada.

 

 

 

Laurice Littlefield (Student, WyoTech Daytona)

 

 

Laurice has a deep love and respect for motorcycles and what they represent.  She wants nothing more than to make them a huge part of her life. Laurice is originally from Ada, Oklahoma and is proud of her Native American (Chickasaw) heritage.  

 

In 2008, Laurice joined the United States Air Force where she served for four years at Buckley AFB in Aurora, Colorado. While at Buckley, she discovered her love of motorcycles and purchased her first bike, a Kawasaki Vulcan.  She rode that for a while then wised up and bought a Harley. After her four years of active duty, she joined the Reserves and obtained a job at Buckley as a Security Escort. 

 

After a year, she decided it was time to start a new chapter of her life. After a lot of soul searching, she decided she wanted a hands-on career working on her passion of motorcycles. To Laurice, there is nothing more rewarding than the feeling of accomplishing something yourself. The obvious choice was WyoTech.

 

 

 

 

 

Kayla founded Inferno Art Studio L.L.C. in 2012 to exemplify her use of diverse subject matters and mediums. From oil and watercolors, to graphic art and design, textiles and mural work.



 

With extensive training, life lessons, a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts and a minor in Art History from the Peck school of the Arts, it is safe to say she knows her way around a studio, the naked human form and the beauty of capturing everyday life.  ThenKoeune found a new obsession to fuel her passion. Or, a new passion to fuel her obsession…  the exciting new concepts found in her connection and enlistment into the Army National Guard.  A sort of grittiness, brotherhood and strive for freedom that transcends through her and onto her medium of choice.

 

 

A year spent in Baghdad, Iraq, with her unit, Troop B. 1-105th Cavalry in 2009 introduced Koeune to new aspects of life that soon would alter her path completely. Proud of being a part of history, of defending her flag, and of her military career, Koeune found solace as well as therapy after her return home in a new source.  There is something to be said about wind racing past one’s face while the road continuously curves on.  She found her military brotherhood bled into new areas and venues and introduced her to the world found riding on her motorbike.  Her work grew, became more individualized and then, more motorcycle driven, weaving together her grittiness, brotherhood and pride.

 

Defend, Ride and Paint. Koeune’s art speaks for itself.

 

 

 

 

 

Gina Woods has been riding motorcycles a long time – eighteen years in fact. But riding a motorcycle ( 49 Panhead) isn’t all she does….Gina co-founded and hosts a motorcycle radio show, created a team of women motorcycle mechanics who build bikes for charity, works as a marketing director for a local Indian Motorcycle dealership and organizes large-scale events in at major motorcycle functions. 

 

Most recently, Gina appeared on a WGN-TV superstation segment on women and motorcycles. She also was the subject of a Chicago Tribune front page (Riders’ section) article. Both of these news stories followed on the wheels of Gina as a featured biker in the recently published book, “Biker Chicz of North America,” with her own chapter on her journey in motorcycling.

 

 

 

This latest media attention has brought Gina a potential partnership with Fox Sports Radio and interest in the TV reality show she is currently developing from networks such as Spike, Speed, Fuel and FX. 

 

“It’s a lifestyle not just a weekend thing,” Gina exclaims. Her zest for life and motorcycling has been captured in magazines and photos over the years. This lifestyle is her calling.

 

 

 

Gina is best known as host and co-creator of Open Road Radio, a 15-year talk radio program on everything motorcycle that is in major markets across the United States and podcast globally. She created XX Chromes – All Women Bike Builders, a team of motorcycle mechanic gals who builds a motorcycle in the name of charity! Gina participates in many charities around the country to help fundraise and promote the needy work they do. Another job description she has is working for a local Indian Motorcycle dealership as their Event Marketing Director. Gina has put together some huge motorcycle events in and around Chicago and places like Daytona Bike Week, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Laconia Motorcycle Week to name a few. She has collaborated with other big name promoters as Jam Productions, Live Nation, Paragon Promotions and many more. 

 

Gina Woods is also a single mother whose son and daughter share her love of bikes, “Especially my boy Jake, I just bought him his first dirt bike.”