Rider Profile - Hazel Carson
Hazel started riding ten years ago – she had been riding on the back of her husband's Goldwing and thought that it could be helpful if she knew how to ride it in case of an emergency. “I was such a novice that I actually thought that if I got my license I would be able to ride a ‘Wing. One day on the 125's at Humber cleared up THAT little misconception! “ “Getting that license was one of the most difficult things I have done. I was no spring chicken at 50 and failed the test the first time I tried – but I went back the next week and passed it.” This year Hazel bought herself that Goldwing for her 60 th birthday.
When she first got her license, her husband encouraged her to buy a small bike – so she picked up a “gently used” Vulcan 500 and rode the first 18 km around the block in front of my house before setting out on the back roads north of Brampton. The next year she fell in love with a Virago 1100 which she found easier to ride than the Vulcan, oddly enough. In one year that Virago took her over 20,000 km including a spectacular trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway where she really learned to ride the curves. The year after that she picked up a “gently used” Valkyrie which she rode almost 100,000 over the next 8 years.
In the middle of a hot, dusty, windy or very wet ride she often asks herself what it is about motorcycling that keeps her riding. “It is a sport which engages all your senses and demands your full attention – it takes you outside of yourself. Most of the time it is sheer fun.” “More than fun though – the people I meet when riding (especially the other riders) are usually wonderful people. Each is as different as he or she looks – but the common element seems to be a broad streak of “niceness”. “
Hazel enjoys touring – distance riding with her husband and perhaps a few friends. She likes to explore new parts of our beautiful country – and also our neighbor to the south. “We have met some great people on the ‘blue roads' of the US ”
Her favourite motorcycle is her new ‘Wing followed closely by the Virago 1100. The Goldwing 1800 is a joy to ride and truly comfortable. “People often think that a big bike is something a smaller person – especially a woman – would find difficult to ride. While it certainly is intimidating at first, it really is not at all that difficult especially when compared with some of the other brands. She encourages others to “try one – you will love it.”
“Before I got my license, my husband and I had joined the GWTA (Goldwing Touring Association), Chapter M in Mississauga . The club met every Wednesday night at a local coffee shop. Mostly we stood around in the parking lot drinking coffee and telling lies and admiring the bikes. When I first got my license and first bike, I mustered enough courage to drive down the 410 and the 403 over to the coffee shop behind my good husband. As I pulled into the parking lot, the whole club just stood there and started to clap. They clapped so much it brought tears to my eyes. These wonderful people are friends to this day – and I cannot say how much their acceptance and encouragement has meant to me over the years. I was the first woman in the club to get her license – a number of others have since done so – each with as much encouragement and support as I experienced. “
Hazel is phasing in retirement by gradually reducing the number of days she works. Currently, she is a Senior Career Transition Consultant with Right Management - work she has been doing for the last 12 years. Prior to that she headed up the Human Resources functions for two of Ontario 's community colleges. Her very first career was that of a high school science teacher.