There are professions that are dominated by men and there are professions that are dominated by women, and some that are equally shared by both sexes. But in most situations, whenever a profession is dominated by one particular gender, we have a tendency to feel more comfortable when only that gender provides our needed services. For example, if I go to the hospital tomorrow and my doctor happens to be female, I would not give it a second thought, but if I took my Harley to the local dealer to have my primary replaced and the service manager said, “your mechanic today is Mary,” I would probably have a few concerns. Well, let’s say ten years ago I would have had some concerns, but today female mechanics such as Anita Köhler of Penz Custom Bikes have taken away many of those concerns.
Anita Köhler is one of those who was born with natural mechanical abilities and it shows in her first custom bike, “Liebes,” a German word which translates into “My Love.” Anita is also a model and businesswoman. She is business partners with Peter Penzenstadler of Penz Custom Bikes and she does all the modeling for their custom-built motorcycles. She is also a pilot and enjoys flying whenever she is not out on the open road racking up the miles on her custom Sportster, or conducting business in the office.
As mentioned earlier, our visit with Anita was quite interesting and very positive. When you tour Europe, be sure to stop by Penz Custom Bikes in Altheim, Austria. You will have a fascinating experience and meet two exciting bike builders, one male and one female. For more information about Anita Köhler and Penz Custom Bikes, logon to www.penz-custombikes.com
When we visited Anita’s shop down in Austria, we discovered an interesting story in this male-dominated business. We asked her a few questions and here are her answers:
Do you feel that building custom motorcycles is a profession for men only?
Of course not, but for most men it is unusual when a woman builds a custom bike. You would not believe what a hard time my friend Peter gave me when it came to accepting me in the workshop. Not only from him, but also from other men I heard remarks like, “Hey babe, do you really think this will run? … or … hey babe, is your cooker broken or why you are in the garage?”
Is “Liebes” your first custom motorcycle? If not, how many other custom bikes have you built?
“Liebes” was my first project – I mean real project. In my company I plan the bikes on paper mostly every day. Here I do all the offers, parts selling and trial calculations for our frames, which we build individually for every customer. Actually, I started with posing on motorcycles but my interest in motorcycles was so big, that I own a motorcycle company now..
What inspired you to build the “Liebes” custom bike?
I built “Liebes” in 2004. It was summer time and I had nothing to ride. That’s a really bad feeling. Peter was busy with customer bikes and nobody else had time to build me a bike. (By the way, most of the guys think if you are a girl, you do not need a motorcycle but believe me, girls have the same feeling for the spirit of riding a Harley-Davidson that you do!). So I decided to buy an original H-D Sportster and started to disassemble it. Some of the guys said, “hey Anita, why don’t you ride it in original condition?” But I had the crazy idea to build my own custom bike, which also had to be a low budget bike. I wanted to show that it is possible to make an individual custom bike from a stock motorcycle even if the budget is limited. At first to disassemble the Sportster was an easy thing but after my first two nails broke away, I cut off the others, too. I ordered a 40-spoke 8.5” x 18”HPU rear wheel and a 250 tire as well as some fork extension tubes, a power flow air cleaner kit, a new exhaust system from BSL, some Fournales shock absorbers, two iron cross mirrors, black SJP forward controls, a RBS taillight and Kellermann indicators for the Penz grips. That’s what I had to change. All the other parts and especially the wiring, I used from the OEM Sporty. I took a chopper frame, with 36° rake, + 5” in the down tube and + 5” in the backbone, which was leftover in our storage and brought it to our welder. He welded the rear fender with slotted fender struts, closed the frame side panels and the original Sporty gas tank got an extension.
Now I had do choose the paint job with Marcus Pfeil. For that crazy idea, we took an airbrush and after a couple of looooong weeks I got that really crazy 70’sflower power looking metal flake circles. We kept the basic painting black so the OEM wiring, which I kept original, is not silhouetted against the color.
In the meanwhile I took the 883 engine and installed a 1200 kit. That was the most complicated work but I followed the manual and did it very carefully. I also changed the cams this way. The engine is powerful and runs perfectly.
When I got the frame back from Marcus Pfeil, I started to fit the bike together.
How long did it take you to build the bike?
It took me about four weeks.
What are the special and unique features about your custom bike?
To build a custom bike was a great experience for me. I think I do not need to tell you about the feeling when you ride your own hand built motorcycle for the first time. I think the paint job and the chopper frame are the unique features on my bike.
Did you have any male influence or assistance while building Liebes, or did you do the whole project alone?
The hardest thing was to keep out the male influence on this project. There were lots of very well meaning recommendations…but I was able to do it myself.
How many other female custom bike builders do you know?
Currently, I don’t know any other women bike builders. I would love to know some more women who also have built their own bike.
Do you think female bike builders have what it takes to be a serious bike-building competitor against their male counterparts?
That’s a typical male question. You always think about pressure to perform in life. There are good ideas on both sides and to be honest, I’ve heard about numerous male builders who are influenced by their wives. You know, behind every successful man stands an even more successful woman.
What was your age when you first started building custom motorcycles?
I came in this business at the age of 34 – now I’m …. Hmm?
Are you currently working on a new project bike? If so, when will it be ready and will it compete at any bike shows?
I’m full of new ideas and as soon as I have the time, I’ll do a new project. For sure I will enter one of my future project bikes in an upcoming Bike Show competition.
Do you feel that getting dirty and greasy doing motorcycle mechanical work is a profession for men only?
Women also get dirty when they clean the house, when they mow the lawn, when they wash the car, when they do all the things men don’t like to do!
SPECIFICATIONS | |
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Owner/Builder: | Anita Köhler, Germany |
Year: | 2004 |
Build time: | Four weeks |
Engine: | 2001 H-D |
Displacement: | Original 883cc, bored to 1200cc |
Pipes: | BSL |
Air Cleaner: | Power Flow, Black |
Frame: | Penz Sportster Flash-Style Frame |
Rake/ stretch: |
36◦, 5″ out, 5″ up |
Swingarm: | Penz “Marlin” |
Forks: | OEM w/longer tubes |
Shocks: | Fournales |
Rear Wheel: | 18″ x 8.5″ HPU |
Rear Tire: | Avon 250 |
Fuel Tank: | OEM stretched |
Oil Tank: | OEM Stretched |
Front Fender: | Penz Custom Bikes “Slim Snake” |
Rear Fender: | Penz Custom Bikes |
Taillight: | Ron’s Bike Shop |
Handlebars: | CCE |
Seat: | Penz Custom Bikes |