Savannah Floyd - Woman Rider of The Quarter

TWR: Clarissa, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me today. Would you mind first telling us a little bit about yourself? Are you married, do you have children? What do you do for a living?

CW: Okay sure. Well I am not married. I have three amazing kids (two daughters and a son) and three grandchildren. I work in the car industry at General Motors. Prior to that job I was a nurse. When I moved to Tennessee I decided to change careers. So now I build truck engines.   

TWR:  Where are you from? 

CW:  I am originally from Sikeston, Missouri, which is a very small town in the south eastern part of that state. I moved to Lewisburg, Tennessee in 2010 and that is where I now call home. I really love it here. If I’m not working then I am outdoors usually riding. This state is beautiful and has a lot to offer. 

TWR:  When did you first start riding a motorcycle? 

CW:  I first started riding my own bike in 2019. Prior to that, I always rode pillion. 

TWR:  What was your first bike? 

CW: My first bike was a 2005 Honda Shadow 750. I am vertically challenged being only 5'3" tall. So the bike was perfect for me to start out on. It was fully dressed out and it looked really nice. It was a good bike.

TWR: Tell me about your initial experience starting out. 

CW:  Sure, so growing up I rode manual four-wheelers. I always loved the way I felt as a kid riding them. I loved the freedom of being able to go and explore. By that time I already knew  when I was older and could buy a motorcycle, I would be getting one. Life doesn’t always go as planned when you are young. I started my family in my early twenties so I made the decision to wait until my youngest was old enough to take care of himself. I did that in the event anything happened to me. In 2019 my son was 17 years old going on 18, so I decided the time was right to start researching different bikes. I then started going to dealerships to physically look at them. After a few months I knew that a Honda Shadow might be a good starter bike for me. As it happened, a friend of mine told me their son had a fully loaded beautiful bike he had decided to sell to upgrade his own ride. So I checked it out and his bike fit me perfectly. It was the right height, right weight, I could flat foot the bike and it was well maintained. It ended up being the perfect starter bike for me. He brought it over, I jumped on and started riding and bought it. It was a good bike. I eventually traded it in for my current ride, a 2021 Indian Scout Icon and I absolutely love it.

TWR: Was there any special reason you decided to start riding your own bike? 

CW: Thinking about it, I’d have to say that the reason I started riding a motorcycle was because I wanted to have accomplished something that's not necessarily “the norm” for a woman to do. While I realize today more and more women are riding their own bikes, and every year we add to our numbers, it's still not as common to see a woman riding a motorcycle as it is a man. I like being part of a "special group” lets just say.  

TWR:  Let’s talk a little bit about your mechanical aptitude. You like to wrench on your own bike don’t you? 

CW:  Yes I do, but let me say first that I am very independent and don’t like to rely on anyone but myself. Keeping that in mind, I’ve always had an interest in knowing how my bike works no matter the make or model. I love getting my hands on the bike, changing the oil and making sure all my fluids are full. It’s important to know how to check that stuff and just make sure everything is tightened up and running properly. It’s empowering to me. Even doing the simple maintenance work on it allows me to understand the bike better and be more prepared if an issue does arise. Also, I think it’s very important to know the mechanics of your bike and how it works. Even if you never plan to work on your bike, you should get familiar with the mechanics of it, especially if you are planning on riding long distances. I believe you need to be able to troubleshoot any issues that might come up while you’re out on the road. So again, it’s important to know and understand your bike regardless of working on it yourself or not. The last reason I really like working on my bike is because my son eventually plans on getting his own bike, and when he does, I want to be able to work on it with him and teach him a few things about motorcycles.