The First Lady of Motorcycling

Dot was born Dorothy Goulding on April 22, 1912. The daughter of sidecar manufacturer and Saginaw, Michigan, Harley-Davidson dealer Jim Goulding, she was working in the dealership at age 16, when she met her future husband Earl Robinson. Eventually they bought the franchise from Dot’s father, and moved the Harley-Davidson dealership to Detroit. Dot was co-owner with Earl, and she managed the company's finances. 

The five-foot-two-inch tall Robinson spent many weekends throughout the 1930s competing in endurance runs in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Dot was often the only female participant. Her first victory was in a 100-mile endurance run, and she achieved a perfect score. Even more impressive was her second place finish in the brutal two-day "Jack Pine" enduro in 1937, where less than half of the entrants were even able to complete the race. She went on to win the Jack Pine in 1940. 

Dot joined Linda Dugeau in establishing the Motor Maids, spearheading the expansion of the all-female riding club. After the group’s establishment in 1940, Dot was elected its first president, and she held the position for 25 years. In her time with the Motor Maids, Dot logged up to 50,000 miles a year to help increase the visibility of the club and of motorcycling in general. Near the end of her riding days, she estimated having logged more than 1.5 million total miles on motorcycles in her lifetime!

In early 1970s, the Robinsons retired from their dealership. They enjoyed traveling by motorcycle until Earl’s death in 1996. Dot was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 1998, and a year later she passed away, at the age of 87, with the well-earned moniker "The First Lady of Motorcycling." It might be said that few women have done as much for motorcycling as Dot Robinson, but more accurately, it should be said that few people have done as much for motorcycling.