This was an exciting time for me. a major part of my dreams coming to reality...my first magazine published, paid article!
Aussie girl and American Hogs
I didn’t know a whole lot about bikes growing up but I remember Wally, the neighbour two doors down. He was around 6ft 3”, ginger hair that he wore in a crew cut and rocked a big arse moustache. He had tatts on his arms and legs and he rode a Harley. I played with his daughters and would often see him washing his bike and polishing the shiny chrome in his front yard. As a little girl I wished my dad rode a motorbike. It seemed so cool. As I grew up, I realised that it didn’t matter that my dad didn’t ride because I was going to do it for myself. I was 21 when I finally got my motorcycle licence and it qualified as the best day of my life.
I was fortunate to have access to bikes through my job in the motorcycle industry at the time and was privileged to ride an assortment of machines from various manufacturers. I noticed that a lot of the guys rode Harleys, but they always seemed intimidating to me. Too big and heavy so I was never game to have a go.
My first experience riding a Harley was in 2011 in France. A friend had organised a bike for me to ride. There was a small crew of 4 of us that were going to explore the North West coast of Brittany.
I arrived at the house and saw a black sporty parked in the garage waiting for me. To be honest I was a little intimidated. I hadn’t planned to be riding on this particular trip so, kitted out in a borrowed helmet, borrowed men’s vintage leather jacket and a pair of gardening gloves we rolled out. I stalled at the end of the little street which was on a slight incline but even still, the ear to ear smile that was under my helmet was almost embarrassing it was so big and goofy. This bike rumbled!! I could actually feel the engine physically respond to me twisting the throttle and it felt and sounded fantastic!!
I wasn’t used to it. The rawness and connection to the machine. Up until this point I had ridden bikes from almost all of the Japanese manufacturers, the Bavarians and the Italians and whilst they in their own right were fun and sexy this Hog was something else. It was exhilarating!
We rode for 6 hours that day. I remember the last hour I could barely pull the clutch in anymore and I had lost most of the feeling in my left hand, but that experience of riding up to the Mont Saint Michel, and along the coast, of eating fresh oysters in Concale, licking ice cream on a high cliff overlooking the ocean and feeling that French wind in my face as I roared along the countryside on that Sporty were all worth it.
I’ve observed that there isn’t a huge proportion of women my age in Australia who ride Harleys compared to in the States. I think there’s a stigma of sorts that’s associated with fat, hairy bearded blokes. Well I know there was for me for many years. Last year I went over to Portland in America and rode to Washington State with 150 of America’s most gorgeous and down to earth female riders on an event called the Dreamroll. I was surprised and impressed by the number of women that ride Harleys over there. Obviously being an American brand they are much more mainstream in the US but these girls were so bad arse. One of the girls Nicole who was an artist from San Fransisco. She was about 5ft tall and 45kg. She had been on the road for about 10 days when we met and we ended up exploring Portland for 3 days together, me on the back of her 848 Sporty. Not the most comfy pillion seat but seriously shit loads of fun! My month in America really highlighted the differences in our female bike culture particularly in choices of machine.
The explosion of females in their 20’s and 30’s who have taken to riding in the past 3 – 5 years is exciting and inspiring. 10+ years ago when I first started riding I didn’t know of any other girls my age that rode. The scene has grown so much with women from so many different walks of life coming together and finding motorcycles as an area of commonality and community. It’s wonderful to be a part of it after what felt like being a lone wolf for so many years. I’m curious to see how the community evolves and how the market place evolves to cater for them.
I recently had the opportunity to feature in a Harley Davidson promo campaign for their new learner legal Street 500 and was impressed that Harley have thought to cater to this market. It’s such a smart move. When I got my L’s, LAMS wasn’t in place in VIC so I was restricted to a 250cc bike, but if I had my time over and was getting my licence today, the Street 500 would definitely be on the cards as an option. It was so rider friendly. Super easy to manoeuvre, agile and zippy for a learner legal bike. It was impossible to smoke up the rear (trust me I tried countless times) and near impossible to lock it up either. Such a great machine for a female or any new rider trying to build up their confidence on two wheels.
With connections made on social media these days, the world becoming so much more accessible. It’s not uncommon for people to travel and over the last 12 months I have noticed more Aussie girls going over to large motorcycle rallies in America and coming back and wanting to buy a Harley. Heck I even came back wanting a Sporty after my trip.
I currently ride café racer but have been talking about getting a sporty as a second bike and customising it. I just need to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow first.
Heavy Duty Magazine Issue 148. May 25, 2017.
