Hussy contests are designed to satiate our readers with some of the most captivating entrants but we’ve also come to learn about the positive encouragement the contestants shared among each other.
“I was happy to see all the positive reinforcement and it did help my confidence. It was nice to see everyone support each other, stated Butt Stuff winner Kaylee Wasilauskis.
As a teen, Kaylee slowly became interested in motorcycles thanks to her father. She grew accustomed to his long trips and wrenching schedules and was ultimately inspired to learn riding on her own. After her father’s fatal accident, Kaylee would rethink motorcycle ownership but felt her new choice of career path would pay homage to him. She finally purchased her first bike, a CB350, and fully immersed herself in motoculture.
“The big reason why I chose to pursue being a motorcycle mechanic was my father. I think it pays tribute to him. When I told my mother she was very wary, of course, but it’s something I had to do! I think she’s proud but I understand why she feels the way she does,” said Kaylee.
Graduating Motorcycle Mechanic Institute of Arizona, Kaylee worked diligently to break into the industry. Despite many gains made, she felt her region’s limitations and perhaps gender issues have caused some roadblocks.
“I didn’t experience too many issues with being a woman, though some customers at the Harley dealership would look at me funny and ask if I ‘knew what I was doing’ during services. Everyone was cool to work
with but my boss was an ex-cop and he was difficult. It’s also difficult right now to work as a technician again because all the dealerships are owned by the same people, so I wanna branch out and just need that one shot of someone saying ‘yes’ again,” she stated.
Kaylee’s ambition to wrench has not been deterred and shared one of her major goals is to actually work on crafting her own custom bike.
“I know that sounds far off but I’m passionate and interested in getting even better with my skills. My boyfriend has a few projects to get to so once ready, I’m really excited to help in any way I can!”
Her tenure at the local Harley Davidson taught her invaluable skills while also gaining industry insight. For Kaylee, she stands by her conviction that the current industry lacks awareness of what riders actually want.
“For me, I always thought the new inventory looked exactly like the old. It seems companies are working so hard to just appeal to everyone everywhere and not really focus. You look at bikes from back in the day, they had great lines and paint! The emblems weren’t just decals and it seemed they were just assembled better to last. I see a lot of plastic parts used and customers would come in having to get those replaced. For me, I’d be ok to pay more knowing the parts were more durable than investing in a very expensive, new bagger,” said Kaylee.
As she continues searching for a new technician opportunity, Kaylee’s excitement hasn’t waned.
“We attend a lot of events and since restrictions are more relaxed, I can’t wait to get back to it all! I know it’s going to take a lot of work to earn another motorcycle technician job but I worked hard to graduate and I’m not a give-up kind of person. I wanna show that anybody can do it if they put the work in. I still feel this brings me closer to my father and that’s a good feeling and reason to keep going,” she concluded.
This feature originally appeared in Hussy Magazine print issue #3. Order your copy…
