She’s talking about getting her motorcycle training program officially approved by the state. That matters because it usually means the school follows specific safety and teaching standards.
Experiential marketing means you don’t just advertise—you create an experience people can actually do. In her case, that’s things like riding events and training that build a connection to the brand.
A waiver is a form people sign that says they understand the risks and agree to the event rules. It’s a common requirement for track and racing activities.
Beach Motorcycle Adventures is a company that organizes guided trips. In this case, they set up tours that include both motorcycles and cars, with planned routes and support.
They give you GPS directions that match the route they planned. That way you’re not constantly lost, and you can still pick how you want to enjoy the trip.
Car
Ducati 998
Moira’s bike is a 2002 Ducati 998. It’s a performance sport motorcycle that Ducati fans recognize as a serious, track-oriented machine.
Car
Ducati Monster
She also mentions a Ducati Monster. It’s Ducati’s well-known naked-bike style—usually easier to ride day to day than a fully faired sportbike.
Term
Mercado Endo
“Mercado Endo” sounds like a name for a custom paint job or artwork on the bike. It’s probably not a standard part or model name—more like a specific design reference.
“Moto Social” is the motorcycle social event Moira runs. It’s designed to bring riders and non-riders together socially, not just for racing or technical stuff. The episode uses it as an example of building a real community around motorcycles.
“Bike nights” are informal motorcycle meetups where riders gather at a venue—often with a casual, social vibe. Moira contrasts her “Moto Social” with typical bike nights, saying some bike-night crowds may mock people who don’t ride. The term matters because it frames the social culture she’s trying to change.
She uses “cross the streams” to mean mixing different groups of riders who might normally stay in their own circles. She talks about event design—like how people park—to make it harder to stay separated. The goal is to get people talking and meeting new friends.
“One percenters” is a nickname people use for a certain kind of motorcycle culture. It usually refers to riders who see themselves as part of the more hardcore/biker side of the scene. She mentions it to show her event includes all kinds of motorcycle groups.
The Ford F-100 is a pickup truck made by Ford. A “’66 F-100” means it’s from the 1966 model year, and it’s often kept or modified to look like a classic. People talk about it because it’s a straightforward truck that’s fun to own and customize.
She mentions a “Chevy Citation,” which is a regular, more budget-friendly Chevrolet model from the past. Her joke is that someone could take an unglamorous car like that and build it for something extreme, like a land-speed-style run. It’s an example of the fun in weird, creative projects.
“Land Speed” means going for maximum speed on a track or measured course. In the episode, it’s used as a fun idea: taking a car that doesn’t seem like it belongs in that world and building it for speed anyway. That’s part of what makes car culture creative.
A restomod is a restoration with modern upgrades—keeping the classic look while improving drivability, comfort, or tech. The episode’s examples (Bluetooth radio conversion, suspension/brake upgrades) fit that “old-school appearance, modern function” mindset.
“Bluetooth guts” refers to replacing the internal electronics of an older-looking in-dash radio with modern Bluetooth-capable components. The goal is keeping the original appearance while gaining modern audio convenience.
A “dead pedal” is an unused pedal area—often the clutch pedal after converting from manual to automatic. Drivers may leave it in place for ergonomics or because removing it is unnecessary work.
An impact zone is the part of the track where the crash happened. It’s considered dangerous because other riders could hit debris or the downed bike if they keep going.
A red flag is a safety signal that tells everyone to stop right away. It’s used when something serious happens on track, so officials can help without anyone driving through the danger area.
Track flags are signals officials use to tell riders what to do, like slowing down or stopping. If you don’t pay attention, you can end up riding into a dangerous situation.
“Skin in the game” means you’re more invested when you put your own money or effort on the line. The host is saying paying for an event makes people more careful and accountable.
Term
personal space
She’s talking about people getting too close to you because they assume you’re friendly or “in the same group.” Sometimes that assumption isn’t right, and it can feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
ADV bikes are motorcycles made for both street riding and dirt/rough trails. They’re usually heavier and more comfortable for longer mixed trips than a pure dirt bike.
Enduro bikes are made for riding on rough trails for longer distances. They’re not just for short races—they’re built to handle mixed off-road terrain.
Your tires matter a lot for how a trip feels. The wrong tread for the road you’re riding on can make the ride worse and even affect safety.
Concept
robot that follows the rules and stays out of my way
She’s talking about self-driving or highly automated cars that drive by themselves and behave predictably. The enthusiast angle here is that it could reduce the “human” driving experience.
They’re talking about using a simple hand gesture from a car window to show motorcyclists you see them and you’re being considerate. The peace sign is used as a friendly “I’ve got you” kind of signal.
They’re describing hand gestures riders use to acknowledge each other. A “two finger” gesture is one of the common ways riders say “I see you” without needing to talk.
Car
BMW 1200 GS
BMW makes a lot of motorcycles, and the R 1200 GS is one of their most popular “adventure” bikes. It’s built to be comfortable for long rides, including trips that aren’t just smooth highways.
Car
BMW 1250 GS
The BMW R 1250 GS is an adventure motorcycle from BMW. People choose it for long trips because it’s comfortable and capable on more than just paved roads.
A “cage” is protective hardware that helps keep the bike from getting badly damaged if it falls over. Adventure riders add it because they expect the bike might get knocked around on rough roads.
When motorcyclists ride together, they often use a simple “formation” so everyone stays aware of where the group is. The goal is to keep the ride safer by preventing riders from getting lost or surprised by each other.
A “car cruise” is when people drive together as a group, usually to meet up and ride around. The idea is similar to motorcycle group rides: stay organized and be considerate to other drivers.
She’s saying that older bikes and cars don’t last forever, so fewer people get to experience them. When those vehicles vanish, it can also mean fewer new fans get pulled into the hobby.
They’re asking what to do when you’re new to motorcycles. The message is to treat it seriously, learn from people around you, and don’t try to figure everything out by yourself.
She’s saying that when you join the motorcycle world, you’re not doing it in isolation. You can add your own style, but you should also learn from what others have already figured out.
She’s basically saying: pay attention to what’s going on around you. Learn the vibe and the rules of the group before you try to make everything about yourself.
She’s talking about how racers sometimes help each other out, like lending tools or parts. Even though they’re competing, they still want everyone to keep going and do well.
Concept
super secret part
She’s joking about having a “secret” part, but the point is you can still help others. You can compete and still share useful info so more people succeed.
She shares her website so you can follow what she’s working on. If you want to learn more about her motorcycle projects, that’s the place to start.
LIVE
Melanie Henry: Today's guest brings a slightly different perspective than the other industry veterans we've had on the show. Moira is an adventure rider, an event producer, and someone who's spent years connecting riders with power sports community through training, events, and advocacy. Please welcome Moira.
Melanie Henry: Yes, I'm so happy to have you. And what's great about this show is showcasing all of the amazing enthusiasts across all sides of motorsports and automotive. And I'm so happy to have you because you bring a whole new perspective to this show. And that's motorcycle.
Moira Zinn: Right, motorcycles, being a woman, all those things.
Melanie Henry: All the things, all the things, yes. So for anyone who doesn't know who you are, you could just introduce yourself ⁓ ⁓ us a little more about that motorcycle enthusiasm you have.
Moira Zinn: I live in central Texas and I moved here a little more than 20 years ago. And about 20 years ago, I became the first woman in the United States to have her own track school certified by a state.
And that was just down the road here in Hays County. I ran the motorcycle division for a private club track that was paved specifically with cars in mind. and I became their motorcycle division. And that was in what, 2006, 2007?
And then since then, I've had experiential marketing agencies that have worked with a handful of motorcycle manufacturers, a few car manufacturers, and now I do social media consulting and event production.
Melanie Henry: incredible. So many aspects covered by what you do all because of your love. So how did you first get into this? Was there a like moment or person that got you into this?
Moira Zinn: you Well, my father got me into riding motorcycles. That was when I was a kid. We grew up on a farm. So it was, I mean, it's just part of what we did. And my father raised me. I don't have any brothers.
I have two sisters. So life for us was not categorized by boys do this thing, girls do this thing. Everybody was encouraged to do all the things, right? So. growing up around motorcycles, tools, cars, et cetera.
And then moving here to Texas, I got into these little buggers ⁓ of doing days. 2007, I married my husband ⁓ at Motorsport in Crescent, Texas, which is also a different motorcycle club track or car club track.
Moira Zinn: So in Texas, we were looking to break records. That was not one of them that was on our radar. ⁓ it snowed, we had a track credit and ⁓ was laid from my job. And my husband said, ⁓ please, please don't, immediately look at getting a new job.
Let's, we had talked about starting a track day company and by, by us, he met me so looked into it and ⁓ used the credit our wedding to sponsor attract day open to the public, invited all my friends that were at the wedding, that they could come and try to sample a new curriculum.
⁓ And, we basically broke the, middle group syndrome. so we had. two groups with half hour sessions worked. So we that model I ran those track days until about 2012 where I decided to go national with BMW Motorad and do their events instead of my own.
Melanie Henry: That's incredible and ties perfectly into my next question is how has your relationship in this industry changed over time? And so it went from handling yourself to handling it for others.
Moira Zinn: Right, right. became a like running experiential marketing is kind of, I used to coin it as being I'm kind of a weird wedding planner. I just have a bigger bride. Weird bride ever, ⁓ right?
was my goal and my job to make my clients look magnificent. ⁓ And I'd like to think that we accomplished that task. In fact, I think we did it so well that people thought I was a direct employee of BMW for, and they still think that.
My husband would get frustrated because people would ask me why I'm carrying a helmet on an airplane as fly to various places. And I would tell them that I ride motorcycles for BMW and they, they would go.
Wow, and want to have that conversation. My husband would get frustrated because he's like, but you do so much more than that. You don't ride, yes, you ride motorcycles for them, but you own the team that rides for them.
I'm like, ⁓ a complicated answer and I didn't want to get into that piece of it, right? So.
Melanie Henry: You're leaving out the you part. To explain it is a much longer answer, yes. Yes. So when you first got started into this industry, what's something that you learned early that still sticks with you today?
Moira Zinn: ⁓ ⁓ the best piece of advice I've ever received was at one of my first events. Because I would invite people that worked for dealerships or industry professionals. I would invite them to my events to ride for free.
You just had to sign up ahead of time and sign all the waivers. ⁓ believed in sharing we have. with our community and they then become your best ambassadors, right? here I was at one of my first events.
I'm a baby. I got it because I love playing with the toy and I wanna figure out how to make money. Just keep paying with the toy forever, right? ⁓ And he to he said, just a word of caution. You just entered a job, right?
Moira Zinn: and you make it into how you earn your keep. Make sure that it's about your career in motorsports, not about your job. Because people don't want to go to a job. They have to pay you to go to the job.
And that isn't to say that parts of your career won't resemble, and someone's got to clean the toilet, someone's got to do the accounting, right? You're going to have to build a website. You're going to have to talk to people, right?
All these things that are just a job, but make sure it's in line with how you're going to build a career and keep your eye on the prize. Make, watch the long game, right? And when it starts to turn too much like a job, it's time to pivot what you're doing, how you're doing it, what your goals are within your career.
Moira Zinn: That's the best piece of advice I've ever received within motorsports. And that was, again, right when I was just baby starting out.
Melanie Henry: And what a great piece of advice to start out with, because how many people are there that learned that way too far into the game?
Moira Zinn: Yeah. Right. I didn't want to hate riding motorcycles. And now it's directly tied to the daily slog. Right. And I to keep loving it forever.
Melanie Henry: No. Yes. is a project that you're working on now? And this can be like bike related if there's something you're working on or this could be a rent related
Moira Zinn: it's little bit of a pivot. Again, my career has in different layers based on keeping myself not only interested playing with the toy, but to evolve and modify my career for what I need it to be for me.
And my latest association or venture ⁓ is about to go to Europe. for much of the summer and work with a company called Beach Motorcycle Adventures. They do tours and they do tours ⁓ motorcycles and cars together.
Theirs is one of few in the world that put both of those together to go do a tour starting and ending in Florence, Italy. And we change hotels almost every night. Sometimes we spend a few nights in a location just to have a foot tour or whatever of a castle or a winery or to enjoy that space.
But they give you not only the planned routes, but there are routes that you can decide. Is it curvy twisty? Is it more scenic? Do I want to get right to the next hotel? But it's a few weeks. I I leave on the 9th and I get back on the 25th.
So I'm gone for most of the month. do have shorter tours or longer tours depending on ⁓ they are. But that's my latest thing is to help them on these whether it's working with the with the bikes, making sure if there's a break and fix that the people on the tours have the joy, right?
⁓ And we keep them rolling literally and figuratively. it's not that I haven't led or chased tours before, but in this case, as a participant, you don't have to be a duckling on a road. I we've all been ⁓ a group ride or group drive.
Moira Zinn: And some of us have more anxiety than others having to do that. But this is treating you as an adult and giving you those route choices. You can follow ducklings in a row, but you don't have to. ⁓ can choose your own destiny to get to the next destination. And it's maybe what I love most about their tours.
Melanie Henry: That sounds incredible and the fact that it's in a whole different country.
Melanie Henry: is that something that's common ⁓ there?
Moira Zinn: ⁓ In Europe, you mean? ⁓ yeah. There are a few tour companies that will rent you a motorcycle or help you plan your trip or do full all-inclusive guided tours where you can join a group. But again, this is one of the few that I know of, if not the only one that combines motorcycles and cars, because they give you a GPS with the planned routes.
Moira Zinn: I just received a book from them. And the book is, it's my book with my tour, the locations we're going to, the routes that they're planned for me, the advice on how much money to bring, what kind of money to bring, what clothing should I maybe best represent the tour in a hotel?
Because parts of Italy, you don't want to wear sweatpants. you're not gonna... come in off your tour for the day and then put on your pajamas and walk around the lobby. Like it's not that kind of tour.
I'm looking to this, ⁓ right? It's the experience of being in these small little towns that I never would have known exist, but because they're taking me on these tours through there and I might have to, I've been brushing up on Italian, still not good at it.
Moira Zinn: ⁓ but it'll be like throwing me into the pool, right? We're going to figure that You it? Stucati. But look at it. That's it. I'm like, so embarrassing.
Melanie Henry: not at all. I do love that they sent you this little book so that you're completely prepared for it. That's incredible. Yes. So speaking of your Ducati, ⁓ what's your bike you've ever owned?
Moira Zinn: Mm-hmm. Marvelous. It's marvelous. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. That one. That one right there. That is a 2002 Ducati 998. It is my engagement ring. My husband did propose to me with a velvet box with that key in it. So we give each other key rings as anniversary gifts. gave him, his wedding band that he wears is a beer key. So it's a ring that has a beer key on the inside so he can open a bottle.
Moira Zinn: yeah, she's been pickled and brought in here because she's now a work of art. Yeah, and we a few other ladies in here, but she's ⁓ by far favorite. Yeah, for many reasons.
Melanie Henry: Tell me about them, why is she your favorite?
Moira Zinn: Well, first of it's my engagement ring, right? But it's, my husband, when I met him, owned that one and the Ducati Monster that's hiding in the back there. That's the Mercado Endo that was painted of it. He owned those two bikes and I was bike-less. I was in the process of separated and divorcing my husband at the time and, or was-bent as I...
Moira Zinn: fondly refer to him as. And we joked that Evan, my husband, ⁓ me with these. Like that was the bait to date him. Kind Not really, but kind of, yes. So, I mean, it clearly worked.
Melanie Henry: Love that. And I'm like... That's incredible. And whole community of enthusiasts, whether it be car or motorcycle, automotive as a whole, I love it so much because I've got to meet amazing people like you. And that list is endless of I've met through this car culture. What makes this community so special to you personally?
Moira Zinn: Mm-hmm. Man, motor nerds. I think it's because, look, we can all walk into a parking lot and we immediately have something in common. Whether it's a love affair for a certain vehicle or someone drives by and you all bond over hating that one, right?
⁓ you, you immediately, there's no icebreaker needed. You're, you're ⁓ friends or frenemies. an, and it's immediate. So there's no, there's none of that awkward trying to figure out how to, how to fit in.
If you want to meet someone on a motorcycle, if you ride your motorcycle to where they park motorcycles, carry a helmet. It's icebreaker. that's my, favorite piece of it is you don't. necessarily have to ride or drive the thing.
You just have to like the people and the culture that are wrapped around it.
Melanie Henry: Yes, yes, I love that. And we were speaking of shows, and cruises. What is one that you've already done that you will never, what was your favorite?
Moira Zinn: Yeah, yeah, Hmm. ⁓ One ⁓ that I host monthly here in Austin is the Moto Social. the Moto Social is, I think we're represented in almost 30 locations worldwide. I know where it was founded in Toronto, Canada.
They have them all over Canada. That's the first place it expanded. Vic and Sam. ⁓ who are a married couple, they're photographers and videographers. And that's an important factor. Not only are they Canadian, so it's exceptionally nice, But their focus is on capturing the people that are part of that culture, right?
Yes. So at every one of our events, we have photographers. And yes, we get photos of the motorcycles, but we most... look after connecting with the people in the community. So Moto Social Austin for May will be Lazarus Brewing on the north side of Austin.
And in the caption it states, bring your grandmother, bring your dog, ride a kite, drive a car, ride your bike. This is not a bike night. Bike nights people will mock people that don't ride their bike.
This is a social. You don't have to ride there. Drive your car, ride your bike, ride a skateboard, fly a kite, get there. You really literally just have to enjoy the company of people who like motorcycles.
And I'm most proud of on this event ⁓ is cross the streams. to all different styles of motorcycles. We have one percenters, we have scooters, we have bicyclists, we have sport bikes, we have adventure bikes, a little bit of everybody.
And we intentionally choose complicated parking situations so that they have to choose and it breaks up groups. So if you ride as a group of 10 and arrive as a group of 10 and can park as a group of 10.
You will stay in that group of 10. You're unlikely to branch out, but if that group of 10 rolls in and one's here, two over there, three over here, one over here, they immediately interact with the people around them or are more likely to, And that's what we're trying to do is pop the bubbles of people that want to stay that way and kind of force a social situation on all of them.
And it's, mean, it's a secret, don't tell anyone, right? But it's, but I mean, it's fine, their lizard brains are gonna immediately interact how to back their bike in, how to park. It's meeting people that maybe they're gonna go on a ride this weekend.
Melanie Henry: This isn't going anywhere, it's fine. Yes.
Moira Zinn: Or they were riding by and they saw a whole herd of motorcycles and went, hee, right? It's, it's, I'm pretty proud of the, the diverse culture that we've created with that particular event. And it mean that we're the only thing happening in Austin. There are so many events that they could take part of, but I'm very proud that, people from all walks going there.
Melanie Henry: but that's incredible and so, smart. And the car show scene, I often just let people park with who they come in because if not, they'll really come saving a place for my buddy. And I to park in classes and then people would be like, well, I'm not with my buddy, but also logistically, I don't know how many is going to be in each class. It's so hard to allot that space, but I've always looked for open parking and now I might maybe.
Melanie Henry: Maybe I'll do something different for a cruise.
Moira Zinn: scatter them a little and what I love as a participant, right? Cause I have old truck as well. I have a 66 F 100 retro mud. doing car events and motorcycle events and, kind of watching the crossing of the streams between both. Cause I know a ton of people that do both. Right. And as a participant,
Moira Zinn: I want to see a little bit of everything everywhere. I mean, my, my favorite vehicles are the ones that I call the wise, like where you look at it and you go, why would you do that? ⁓ I love it. It's my favorite thing.
Moira Zinn: like if someone took a Chevy Citation and made it into a Land Speed.
Moira Zinn: Can it? yeah, it can. It's gonna scream the whole way. ⁓ might have more fans by the end of that run than any supercar or that shows up. Because we expect the big heavy, right? We expect that big hammer. But you get these little why. Why would you do that? Because it's best, right?
Melanie Henry: Absolutely. That's incredible. Tell me more about this 66F100 you have.
Moira Zinn: It's a work in progress, of course, right? She's a rusty exterior. we it from this kid who may have been a worse welder than me. It was kind of tack welded together. The frame, when we got it, the frame had been flipped and notched and bed...
The intent was he was gonna make it into a dually or do super wide rears. I think he was gonna make it a gasser. I don't know, because he tubbed out those, the rear and they're just tacked. that whole truck weighs about 10 pounds.
So it might've been an interesting build, but he was getting married and needed the money for the wedding, which is insulting.
Moira Zinn: to a build. we bought it for a screen because it was a project ⁓ ⁓ was going to fall apart on the road, ⁓ we later found out when we pulled it apart and went, every is tacked, not actually welded.
Yay. But rewired it, dropped in just a simple, simple inline fork. Just she's easy, right? ⁓ But it's got power steering, really monster brakes. So anytime we do ⁓ an inspection in Texas, we don't do inspections in Hayes County anymore.
But when they did, someone would have to get in your vehicle and drive it, make sure that the lights work and the brakes work. And we'd have to tell them like, don't, don't mash that pedal because she will stop on the nose.
Because again, the brakes are this big and the car is this big.
Moira Zinn: but relocated the tank from behind the seat, because again, great idea, moved an airbag system into behind the seat. Let's what other weird things have we done to it? ⁓ she's got, so it's not only bagged, she's got some lovely coilovers, So the bag system fails, I do have those coil overs and anyone with an old vehicle.
If you haven't done it yet, touch anything you don't have to touch unless you're completely prepared to knock the grease off that's holding that thing together, it's holding, you know, hopes and dreams.
And now you've got to try to figure out the company that made those brass valves that does the thing and, or you're ⁓ 3D a whole lot of stuff that you didn't know you needed. So if don't have to touch it, ⁓ don't touch yet, right?
Moira Zinn: I I mean, there are some neat things everybody's now. Like from, ⁓ from performance to, ⁓ to the, the silly, my favorite upgrades are the radios where someone took an OG looking in dash radio and they put Bluetooth guts in it.
Moira Zinn: with a speaker that'll actually play music. But it looks original. Or you can take it out of your dash and send it to someone and they'll convert it for you. nerd I such a love for that, right? So, yeah.
Melanie Henry: Love it. I love those too. Yes, that would be, that's one of my favorite upgrades, I would agree. And it's so simple and it's literally just so you can hear things again.
Moira Zinn: Mm-hmm. Right. I need my Willie Nelson as I'm driving old truck windows down, you know, one hand. the other favorite upgrade is, It used to be, a manual and that thing blew the heck up. and what we had available for free was an automatic transmission. So I got a dead pedal and we've left it there. It's kind of like just dangling. So sad. It's cute.
Melanie Henry: You should get one of those, the foot, the metal covers of the little foot for your clutch.
Moira Zinn: Mm-hmm, but I have I made I made a baby doll head as the shift knob just filled it with resin and put some threads on it. So it's got a, like the original one had a flippy eye that was stuck. it would rattle, of course, ⁓ it rattles you drive. ⁓ And that baby head was facing backwards and it would turn had one eye would like lock in and kind of look at you. was marvelous, ⁓ marvelous.
Moira Zinn: It would freak out whoever's in the passenger seat, because it would spin toward them and just demonically. And they're like, make it stop, right? But the current one is the perfect size for your palm. she's looking out the window, so as she's parked. People see the little baby heads staring. She's just keeping an eye on it. I mean, maybe I'll put a camera in it.
Melanie Henry: Just keep an eye on your turn. You might be onto something. Next level of anti-theft device.
Melanie Henry: What is the biggest challenge you've faced in this industry as an enthusiast?
Moira Zinn: Oof, biggest challenge. I think initially it was, it's shifted over time. The initial challenge of course, when I have no street cred, I'm just a, I'm just a girl. I'm just a girl, right? It's the what do know? the, no, no, but I talked to the guy in charge and he said I could. And I'm like, cool, can we meet the guy in charge? ⁓ wasn't, the guy in charge.
Moira Zinn: I learned how to take that challenge and kind of use it to my advantage a little bit. I'll tell you more in a minute, but the, the current challenge is, it's, it's hard to explain, but it's as you navigate.
And I've kind of known by the players that are pre-existing, right? I mean, I have a weird name. My reputation precedes me either as a mover and shaker or as a troublemaker, which I'll accept either and both.
Right. and I'd like to think that I'm improving the lives of the consumers that fall in love with the products that ⁓ have presented in the past. and whether they've known that I've presented those to them ⁓ or it's fine.
⁓ I don't need the credit. I, I just like to hear about.
Moira Zinn: think projects that I've done from someone else that didn't know that I had done it. But as an additional challenge, it continues to be the, yeah, but what do you know? And then I have to give them my resume, right? So it shifted. was because I didn't know anything. And now it's because it's a perception of that I don't know anything. having resume doesn't seem to matter.
Moira Zinn: from time to time, right? if I provide the resume, now I'm somehow the bad guy, ⁓ the wrapped around that, I have to a little careful. I don't like being careful. I don't like being careful on a motorcycle. ⁓ I always tell ride chances. It's the careful that'll kill you. Because the careful is...
Moira Zinn: somehow super dangerous to us, whether it's in marketing or business or on the wheels in a helmet. the perception of you not knowing to shift it and to understand that people want to tell you the story, their story.
They sometimes don't give a about yours. ⁓ They are there. to tell you their story. So we're at the track, people are out on the track. We a situation where a guy had run off the track and fallen over.
He's physically fine. He's waved at us. We know that he's okay, but his boot is stuck under the motorcycle. So it fell over on him ⁓ and can't go anywhere. ⁓ And clearly in an impact zone because that's where he ran off.
Moira Zinn: ⁓ we need to get them out of there, but we can't mix four wheels and two wheels. So we do a red flag. Everybody's got to come in so that we can get a truck and trailer out to him and just, we're just going to go pluck him out and then send, let everybody else go back out and play.
⁓ I had two guys that stayed out there. It just stayed. so much so that I had to walk out onto the front straight. with the red flag and stand ⁓ on the track to get them to stop I send a truck ⁓ and then we escort them off the track.
And then my instructions I asked John, who's one of my biggest dudes, I said, do me a we're gonna walk over and talk to each individually. and I just want you to stand behind me. I don't want you to say anything.
You don't even have to look me, just stand behind me. So we walk over and I do a, ⁓ my God, what happened? They typically do one of a few things, because I've done this, this has become a standard. and they either, the first guy went, ⁓ God, I'm so sorry.
⁓ I just, ⁓ I was chasing the other guy and I got kind of red mist and I was and I. didn't notice. He didn't notice that everyone was gone. didn't notice. You weren't watching the flags. You weren't, I mean, there's complicated problems there, but he was apologetic.
He knew what he did. He recognized it. My answer was, okay, sit out this next session and then you're welcome to go back out. I need you to be paying attention, This isn't a race. ⁓ This entertainment.
Moira Zinn: You don't even win a t-shirt at the end of the day. you won the track day? The second guy was a little more complicated. ⁓ did the same thing and he leaned in and got at me. It was your fault because you didn't let me out that he had missed some time because he broke, he didn't pass tech. He brought some broke stuff to the track and so he wouldn't let them go out with the people.
Moira Zinn: So was my fault that I robbed him of time. He saw the guy off the track. He saw the red flags and intentionally chose to stay out there. And he told me all of this. And I then get to just lean in and say, I'd like you to pack your stuff and need to be off my property. You're danger to others. You're not welcome back again. ⁓ so using that piece, I don't that he would have reacted the same way to someone else. ⁓
Moira Zinn: just going at him, because we saw what happened. We just didn't know what the mental effect was. I mean, maybe, maybe he didn't see it. Maybe it's an education problem. It's like anybody that goes to an open event that just does all the wrong things because they don't know.
Right? ⁓ take the opportunity, let's slow them down, have them take a breath, go have some lunch, drink some water, at the end of the day, as a standing rule for events, one person should have a better experience at the expense of another person.
I'm kind of in a way looking out for the person, the participant that you don't hear back from in a good way or a bad way, right? It's the participant that kind of like, I ⁓ them like, I ⁓ wanna say I treat them like children, but that's kind of the effect.
It's the kids that you don't hear back from as good or bad, but they're always watching. They see everything. They're part of the process, but they continue to come back to future events because they feel like not spun into someone else's drama.
Because we're always going to have the one that complains, the one that doesn't get their way, the one that, you you're going to have a couple of those, ⁓ you're going to have a couple that are super thrilled, super happy, over the top, and they tell you,
Moira Zinn: all about how should do it better. But have the good news, the very good news and the very bad news, but it's the ones in the middle that are the majority that you wanna out for those the most,
Melanie Henry: Yes, yes, because they're continuing to show up. And the ones that are enthusiastic that don't tell you how to do it better. They make everything worth it.
Moira Zinn: Yeah. Great. Right, all while protecting them and them from them. And I use the word protecting of cautiously, because there are times where I don't ⁓ get in the middle of that. ⁓ because people see it.
People know they're a problem. People, like at the track, we would make deals with people with our membership where we said, look, you get to bring a person and them. And depending on the member, they would get to someone for free ⁓ for their first time.
So I could bring you would not have to pay or you pay price. I like charging some money because then they have a financial investment, Free ⁓ brings with it a little mental effect of no skin the game,
Moira Zinn: I don't like free events, but if they even have to bring a can of soup for the food bank, now they've got skin in the game and investment, So we'd ⁓ members, feel free to bring your friends, but just know this. If you bring someone that is dangerous and we all hate them, you might get voted off the island. Like we might not let you back.
Moira Zinn: because you brought that guy that nobody likes, we people show up because we were private club track, but it was ⁓ open to the public the day that they could come in and at least spectate, But people would show up and be like, wow, this place is great. ⁓ How come I've never heard it before? And then, but they knew everyone. And we were like, hmm. ⁓
Melanie Henry: That sounds good. as being protected.
Melanie Henry: I love that. What is something you wish more people understood about being an enthusiast?
Moira Zinn: think everybody gets excited. you I see we're driving down the road and you see a bunch of vehicles driving the other way and you're like, want to go play, right? There are times that people will pop ⁓ a personal space because they think they're automatically in that little party.
maybe they're not. ⁓ not that you're not welcome. It's that maybe they were, their intent was maybe they were doing something else, And it's, that piece is sometimes really hard to explain to people.
you're all welcome. fine. I'm you're fine. But don't write up on me and think that writing in my personal space is okay if I don't know you, ⁓
Moira Zinn: The same like the fascination of tailgating people. why do you tailgate an old vehicle? Are you jealous? I think that's the without thinking any more of it,
Melanie Henry: Yes, that was a good answer. garage space didn't matter and budget didn't matter, what three vehicles would be in your dream garage?
Moira Zinn: ⁓ that's a tough one. That's really hard. I am very ⁓ with where we are right now. We've got nine motorcycles, 10 including the three that in here that perform and do
Moira Zinn: different things. So these are vintage high performance. We've got ADV motorcycles, which for those who aren't into motorcycles, they're kind of like the, I say jeeps of the motorcycle world, except we're not Jeepers. We go off road, on road, off road with big heavy bikes. These aren't dirt bikes, they're 800 pounds. And we go, so those, and then I have a smaller version of that.
Moira Zinn: Not quite a dirt bike, it's more of enduro track bikes. So ⁓ motorcycle set we have right now might be the most diverse and my favorite piece. and I have a built out sprinter and by built, I mean, ⁓ It's a trailer with a steering wheel.
it holds motorcycles with a big ramp that we roll them up and ⁓ it doesn't have a shower. It's not, this is a decamper. This is a sprinter that carries motorcycles. ⁓ Because I'm in the middle of Texas, getting ⁓ out and getting into Texas is a slog on a motorcycle.
Moira Zinn: The ride out is great because you're going somewhere and you're excited, but it's 10 hours to get out of the state in the direction that I usually go, which is North by Northwest.
Melanie Henry: think we've talked on the phone while you've been making that drive.
Moira Zinn: Yeah, it's brutal. The worst part is coming home from a trip. because you've had a marvelous time up in the mountains and you're reminiscing all the marvels that you saw when it wasn't 130 degrees on the pavement. And then now you've got to make that 10 hour slog to get home. And now that's your memory of your trip is the 10 hour slog. So I prefer to put the motorcycles into the van. And then we take the van in a New Mexico, park the van, empty the van, ride thousands of miles.
Moira Zinn: and then come back to the van and drive back into Texas. especially if have knobby that not designed for that slog and you're just gonna burn up your knobbies. ⁓ So if you're off road at all, keep your knobbies.
Melanie Henry: And there's definitely something about that little, that track home, that tread home, where can make or break a trip depending how that goes. Or like, ⁓ go on an amazing vacation and then your flight gets delayed and then your flight gets canceled and you're stuck in an airport and you're like, I just spent an amazing week where? Cause I was stuck in an airport for two days. ⁓
Moira Zinn: Right. And you're left with that terrible, bad, bad taste. in the, other benefit to the sprinter is, ⁓ we drive through the night. So if I have another driver, I can drive and cause I'm motorcycles. It's that we can't, we can. In fact, I've, I've done it and it was ⁓ awful. Like particularly August.
Moira Zinn: ⁓ there was one year that I stopped in Lubbock, booming metropolis of Lubbock, Texas, stopped in Lubbock, had a late lunch with a friend. it was, Bubba Schobert, who was motorcycle racer, legacy, amazing dude, had a late lunch. And, ⁓ he had said that I should stay in Lubbock then leave in the morning. And, ⁓
Moira Zinn: I was like, no, no, no, I'm in Texas. I'm going to just ride home. ride home from there is probably six or ⁓ hours maybe. ⁓ typically not terrible until it's Texas in August and it's dry and there are animals that'll jump out and it in your helmet. just smells like dust and death. Like it's all the dead deer on the side of the road that have hit every set that ⁓ semi has just.
Moira Zinn: obliterated them. And I don't recommend it.
Melanie Henry: Yes, yes, safety and smartness involved.
Melanie Henry: What changes have you noticed in the industry over the years?
Moira Zinn: More women here. There are more women. It's becoming more normal. when I started in the industry, was nobody, was just me and a couple you knew everybody, all the women that were, and if we didn't know each other, was like, why don't I know you? Right? And now I get very excited about it when there are women in the industries that were not.
Moira Zinn: somehow associated, whether it's social media or Facebook or whatever. It's working with new women that are coming in from different angles. And of the technology that we have on these buggers now is Never, ever would have ⁓ ever thought possible to have some of this stuff.
In fact, as an enthusiast. There's part of me that cannot wait for the general public that hate driving where they look at cars like a hammer. A car to them is just a utility that they use. It's a tool that they use to get to the place that they need to be.
I can't wait for them to get in their robot that'll follow the rules and stay out of my way. I can't wait for it. I just, I can't wait.
Melanie Henry: sort of. That's a great perspective.
Moira Zinn: On a motorcycle, you see everything people do in cars. We see all of it. We're at a different angle and I see ⁓ all the stupid things you're doing in your cars. Eating a cheeseburger might be pretty high on my list or eating anything but eating in a car.
Moira Zinn: Maybe more dangerous than other things because when you drop that cheeseburger, % of your attention goes to the cheeseburger. 100%. They're eating fries, they're like this. Texting you're at least maybe somewhere here.
Moira Zinn: I'm not encouraging texting. mean, the latest, I just posted on social this week. said the latest trend where people are recording themselves doing their TikTok. Immediate swipe away. Like immediate. just drive your car.
Melanie Henry: Yes. motorcyclists on the road is always something I've been so aware of, just having so many people in my life that ride. And if am on a long trip on the interstate and ⁓ a bike to pull in front of me, I'm like, I take this as my personal duty now that I need to protect you. ⁓ Yes.
Moira Zinn: You're a guardian. Look, I, we know we've thought of for years. We're like, how do we indicate as a, when I'm in my car, how do I indicate to a motorcyclist that I'm an or a guardian Is there a signal I can give people out the window where I'm like, yo, if I give you this signal, it tells them ⁓ I say, look, if open a window and give me a peace sign, I know you got my back,
Melanie Henry: A person. You can follow me. thousand percent.
Moira Zinn: ⁓ if I see you doing it, then give me, give me a happy sign. ⁓ Right. I think we should, think we should, cause it doesn't happen ever. Nobody ever does that. No one, I've never seen someone do that. And we do it. Motorcyclists acknowledge other motorcyclists. If you. ⁓ In fact.
Melanie Henry: Yes. Are we determining right now that that's what it is? Okay, we're doing it. Yeah. Yes. The off the handlebar. Oh yeah.
Moira Zinn: We joke that there are different, like the guy. ⁓ all mad ⁓ some reason. ⁓ they take their hands off, it's they point at the ground and they're like, ⁓ It's super serious point. Then there's the two finger. Then there's the mild acknowledgement. Personally, myself,
Melanie Henry: ⁓ please educate me. Yes, yep, that's the typical leg that I see.
Moira Zinn: I got introduced to this by Courtney Nix. She's one of the owners of a dealership in Rogers, Arkansas. Courtney, she's considerably shorter than me. She has a bow on her helmet. Marvelous, absolutely marvelous. Yeah. That's fair. I'm about six feet tall. You're not wrong. But she's She's a tiny. ⁓ But yet still rides these big bikes. It's so great.
Melanie Henry: I don't mean to be rude, so many people are shorter than you. Yes.
Moira Zinn: when she's writing and now I've followed suit, we try to get people to wave at us. And by wave, mean, I mean wave, enthusiastic Mickey Mouse gloves up, And there a joy that sets off in the group when someone does it, right? It's, but we'll see like the,
Melanie Henry: and enthusiastic. Got it. Love it. ⁓ my gosh, yes, I get it, I get
Moira Zinn: dude up front will almost double down on the getting more serious. And then by the end rider, the tail rider's like, fuck it.
Moira Zinn: I'm going to say, I see a car do a, I kind of assume that someone who rides and maybe, and clearly not on their bike. Maybe they don't own the bike right now, ⁓ but they somehow relate with culture ⁓ of the bro. got you.
Melanie Henry: Yes, ⁓ my gosh, pull in front of me, you can follow me, ⁓ yeah.
Moira Zinn: Mm, got your back. Right. I have a BMW 1200 GS and a 1250 GS. Those are my husband and I that's the adventure bikes and it's got a full cage on it because it's going to hit the ground. And it's I don't care that it hits the ground.
Moira Zinn: It, she likes to roll over and you've to scritch your belly every now and then. it's, that's what the bike does. And we pick it up and we go on. So if I'm, and I, I'm usually a tail rider. I'm usually the last rider in a group and kind of protect group, right? ⁓ out. ⁓ correct. ⁓ it's, ⁓ the tail rider is sometimes a more difficult.
Melanie Henry: us. Yes, yeah. Do the same thing with car cruises.
Moira Zinn: in that you're, I'm moving over making room for the group and letting them pull in. And I will always acknowledge semis or whatever that they know, they see us and they're just trying to get through their work day. So we'll stay out of their way, right? ⁓ some respect on the road that nerves in the law of gross tonnage, they're winning. ⁓ they look out more than other vehicle.
Melanie Henry: believe that, I could see that, yeah.
Moira Zinn: that's career as well as on wheels. So they're going to look out more because they don't want to squish you. And they got somewhere they got be. They're more likely to protect the motorcyclist than any other vehicle.
Melanie Henry: there you'd like to see more of ⁓ in the community automotive enthusiasts?
Moira Zinn: What would I like to see more of? ⁓ I just like to see more young people. I want more young people involved because as vehicles get older, because that's our affinity, ⁓ Is whether it's an old motorcycle, whether it's an old car, ⁓ that's our
Moira Zinn: Those are disappearing just because nature's eating them. But I built my own gear heads. have two daughters that are ⁓ into But we more young people. And I'm not lie, ⁓ I like seeing new enthusiasts in Whether it's someone... ⁓ ⁓ I met a woman, she's 46 years old and she just got into riding motorcycles. I want see ⁓ more people enjoying this.
Melanie Henry: what advice do you have for someone getting into this? ⁓
Moira Zinn: Oof. give them the same advice I got. Make sure it's your career. And there is piece where we all join an industry ⁓ and we're to do it better and more efficient. We're going to add our own flair to it.
And I'm not ⁓ against any that. I love ⁓ seeing people new ideas of things that haven't been tried That said, have a lot of people that join the industry and they want to try their version of this has never been done before.
I'd recommend that they listen ⁓ the people around them ⁓ it has been done before and it has failed.
Moira Zinn: We've seen it happen time and again where they're like, I'm gonna do it newer and different and they dig in their heels and they run through it and people try to tell them that it's not new and different.
Maybe shift it a little bit. Like if I were to do it that way, I would do it. Read the room, pay attention to those around you and don't. try to step on someone else to advance yourself. Because allies are going to be the best way to impact and make sure it's a career is those allies around you.
we've seen people come and go that have tried to do it on their own. When people come in and create allies, man, I wanna help people succeed so badly. Men, women, children, whatever, right? Even if you're a competitor, I've helped maybe more competitors than I should've from time to time.
I just, I want to make it all better because as a consumer I'm...
Moira Zinn: I'm a consumer as well, right? I figure the more of us that are involved in this, ⁓ better we all are. But I want them to be good, right? In it for all of us to win. And in that process, we will all win, it is kind of ⁓ similar to going the track. For people that are competitive,
Moira Zinn: end of racing, My favorite competitors are people that want to beat people on the field. They're the ones that, and you see it in all these old movies where they're doing a race and they need a part ⁓ and sharing tools and the other team comes over to help them ⁓ do thing ⁓ because of that are really in it for the long game I'm gonna share tools with you.
I may not give you that super secret part that I have that I might need, right? I'll let you know about it. I'll let you know where to get it. I'll let you know how to source it or who else has an extra one.
I wanna beat you on the field. I wanna beat you on the track. I don't want to win by default. Yeah, I wanna run the race.
Melanie Henry: Great. Yes. And that's what I'm going to learn here this quarter. Yes. I'm going to lend you this, this tool that you need because you're who I want to be competing with.
Moira Zinn: 100%. Right? Yeah. Because it makes us all better. you don't become really great at what you do ⁓ by just going through the You become at what you do ⁓ because you have competition, because you've really hard to be really great at what you do. Just my general opinion. And maybe some other people. ⁓
Melanie Henry: No, I agree. where can people ⁓ find and follow along for any projects that you're working on ⁓ or things you're building?
Moira Zinn: The socials are the easiest way to find me. moniker ⁓ most of them ⁓ Moira IRL. So Moira in Real Life. The big ones, my business is Because Motorcycles and it is BecauseMotorcycles.com.
Pretty simple website. I do social media consulting, experiential marketing. I now consult on large scale event production. I don't know that I'm directly gonna produce big events anymore, but I'll help people because again, I'm a consumer and I wanna go to the party.
I mean, going to Europe so I may not have full time. I'll be in a helmet a lot, I'm going to enjoy. send me a send me an email. It'll be great. It'll be great.
Melanie Henry: You'll catch back up in June so your next big exciting thing is Europe. Other than that, anything else coming down the pike?
Moira Zinn: I'm a chaos creator, so create motorcycles, ⁓ content and all that sort of stuff. I'm just looking forward to that.
Melanie Henry: Incredible, awesome. Well Moira, I cannot thank you enough for joining me and sharing all of your lovely stories and experience. And yes, thank you for joining me.
About this episode
Moira Zinn shares her path from farm-raised adventure rider to track-school pioneer and industry marketer, including how she built a career without losing her love for riding. She explains the “long game” mindset, why enthusiasts need to treat events and participants with care, and how she designs community spaces like Moto Social to “cross the streams” across bike styles. The conversation also covers her upcoming Europe motorcycle-and-car tour, her 2002 Ducati 998, and what’s changed for women in motorsports.
Moira Zinn, an adventure rider and event producer, shares her journey in the motorsports industry, from track school certification to event production and social media consulting. She discusses her love for motorcycles and her upcoming venture in Europe. Moira also highlights the challenges she has faced as an enthusiast and the unique community of enthusiasts she has encountered. The conversation covers a range of topics related to the automotive enthusiast community, event management, and the experience of being an enthusiast. Moira Zinn shares insights on event management, participant behavior, and the importance of creating a positive experience for enthusiasts. She also discusses the changing landscape of the automotive industry and the need for more young people to join the community.
