Just a little bit of formality - and we don't have much (although the list is growing)!  There are a lot of questions that get asked when people sign up for the Wild West Vixens newsletter (see Contact Us page) so hopefully this will cover most of them:   

Why: We get asked this quite often.  And recently many of the girls summed this up well when sharing their experience about meeting the Vixens... for fun and friendship.  

Membership: There is no specific membership or fee to join.  We are simply a group set up to encourage women in motorcycling to get out there and ride.  We provide a contact point for female riders in the Calgary area wanting to meet other riders, and offer a number of group rides that are both pre-planned and impromptu.  Come out and have fun.  You are a Vixen by virtue of riding and socialising with us.  There are many girls who are on the list and may get out just once a month or even a few times a year - if those rides helps you smile more, then we have done our job!!  To get on the list you have to have been to one ride or meeting.

** Note - to be a Vixen you need to be in contact with us (the "be social" part of being a Vixen).  We are a social group of female riders, therefore by definition you need to ride a motorcycle, and you need to be social (or want to be!).  We regularly remove people from our email list if we have had no contact in a while.  This is about fun and friendship - not being a "wanna be biker".**    

Newsletter: Sent out every few days to twice a month depending upon the activities going on.  Sign up by going to our Contact Us page.  Please make sure that you are a female motorcycle rider in the Calgary area before signing up!

Email: Our main form of communication - you need an address to keep in touch as there are too many girls to start phoning people.  If other people want to contact us they use info99@99wildwestvixens.com, (NOTE: 99 is not in the real address - but we are starting to get auto spam so the website will show 99s in all email addresses) or email a Vixen that they know who will pass the information on to the Vixens.  No spam please - only bike/Vixen related material.   No attachments are sent through this list - in the interest of removing the threat of a virus.

Bulletin Board: Our secondary form of communication, and the best way to stay in touch with regards to last minute rides and events.  Follow this link to get there.

Decisions: We make decisions at the monthly/fortnightly meetings.  You need to be there to have a say in the matter, and to vote.  If we vote on an idea then that vote is final.  We do not revisit previously voted-upon items easily!  A newsletter is sent out prior to each meeting, and any major events/decisions (they don't happen often) will be in the email.  Read it, and be at the meeting if something is important to you.

Meetings: We meet at Extreme Bean on Memorial Drive N.W. on the first and third Tuesday of every month during riding season, and only on the 1st Tuesday of each month when the bikes are packed away.  We are keeping the meeting at a set place so that people can drop in at any time and know that we are going to be there.  The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m.

T-shirts: We only print t-shirts for specific events... and they are all distinguishable.  So far we have had t-shirts printed for our TSN shoot, the Calgary International Motorcycle Show 2002, Elkford 2002, Sportbike West 2002, New Zealand Tour 2002, and the Calgary International Motorcycle Show 2003.  You have to be there to get a t-shirt.  We ask everyone to buy their own  shirt/tank/t-shirt and then we get them printed for an additional fee.  That way you get the style/colour that you want to wear.  Our Elkford run of t-shirts included shirts for the boys which have the addition on the back (Property of a Vixen ... and loving it) whilst the new t-shirts have "My other ride is a Vixen".  We have no interest in just printing t-shirt to make money - we love participation and feel that you should be involved before "advertising" for us.

Boys: All our men ride with us - that includes husbands, boyfriends, family and friends.  The riding is so much more fun when the people you love are riding with you so we encourage you to bring out your own friends and family.  Only girls can be Vixens and be on our mailing list though, so the boys must know a Vixen to ride with us (that is not hard - between us we know most bikers in town).

Bike lessons: I have had this question a few times.  Although five of us [Dee, Lesley, Lisa, Nim and Rachel] are instructors with the Calgary Safety Council, we do not offer private lessons.  We are happy to help out with riding tips if you come on a ride with us.  Many riding schools offer both beginner, advanced and experienced rider courses that are well worthwhile.  All the Vixens encourage safe riding, which brings me to the next point...

Gear: Everyone has their own views on this so I am just going to state my (Rachel's) point of view.  Safety equipment on a motorcycle is vital and almost everyone who knows me knows that I don't like riding with someone who won't wear gloves.  The helmet goes without saying here in Canada.  As always, in the end it is your decision what you want to wear to protect yourself but for those who want the advice - denim is a minimum, Ballistic style nylon motorcycle jackets are good and leather is great (both top and bottom).  Just ask anyone who has skidded down the road.  Motorcycle boots are best for footwear but leather boots that cover your ankles are also good.  Covering your ankles is the key.  Eye protection - either a face shield on your helmet or glasses.  Whether we like it or not we are lowering the standard of the Vixens as a whole if we ride looking like idiots, and proclaim that we are Vixens.  I don't want to lose any of my friends because of avoidable gear related incidents... just ask someone for a stupidity story one day and you'll hear loads.  [Try me on the day I decided not to wear my helmet to ride across the road].

Organised rides: We have a few rides that will most likely continue each year - i.e. Creston with the Calgary Motorcycle Club, Elkford on July 1st long weekend, Sportbike West in Kelowna during August etc.  But at any time someone may organise a day/weekend ride or even a trip for which an open invitation is offered.  Keep an eye out and keep in touch - and let us know if you are organising something.

Group riding: Because the experience level is so varied please let us know if you are new to group riding.  It is very different to riding with yourself or a couple of fellow riders.  At the start of each Vixen ride we will give a run-down of group riding etiquette, and what to do in certain situations.  Feel free to ask additional questions, and about specific scenarios.  The most important thing is to keep yourself safe, so if you feel uncomfortable at anytime then we need to discuss it.  If we are riding with another group then they will give the group riding talk - or may choose not to.  If that is the case and you have questions feel free to ask, or even request that the etiquette be covered.  There are no set rules - each group has its own etiquette depending upon level of experience, and how well the riders know each other.  I ride very differently with a group of experienced riders I know well, from how I ride with a group of riders I am unsure of.  It is predominantly about comfort level - so I reiterate - please let us know if you don't have experience with group riding, and we'll soon have you up to speed.  [We will have a group riding page sometime (!) with the Vixen etiquette].

Wow - that's enough!! Cheers, Rachel - a Vixen.