Iowa Harley Girl interviews the Biker Chick!

What a treat! Stephanie over at “The Many Thoughts of Harley Girl” invited me to be interviewed for her blog recently, and once I agreed she sent over some really great questions - several of which really got me thinking! The interview posted to her blog on Friday, and I’d love for you to scoot over there and give it a read. While you’re there, be sure to browse around the rest of the blog - it’s fantastic!

Friday Fives: 5 reasons to ride pillion

In celebration of Women Riders Month and Biker Chick News’s fifth birthday, I thought I would invite a fellow biker-chick blogger to write the companion to last week’s “Friday Fives.” So, while I provided my “5 reasons to ride your own,” here is Stephanie (aka Iowa Harley Girl) to take the flipside with “5 Reasons to Ride Pillion.”

A big thanks to Janet at Biker Chick News for asking me to write 5 Reasons to Ride Pillion/Passenger!

1)  When you ride your own motorcycle you are unable to see all of the scenery going by because you have to pay so much attention to the road and the crazy people driving cages around you.  Being a passenger you get to see it all.  Plus you may also see hazards that the person you are riding with hasn’t noticed and can alert them of them.  One of my favorite memories being a passenger were the beautiful sunflower fields I saw on one of my trips home from Sturgis Bike Week.

2)  If you are afraid to ride your own motorcycle you can still experience a freedom like you have never experienced before even on the pillion seat.  Being on two wheels even as a passenger is such a spiritual experience and you have someone to hold on to if you need that extra sense of security.

3)  Maybe you are unable to afford your own bike so riding as a passenger is the next best thing to riding your own.  This is the reason I don’t ride my own.  I can’t afford a motorcycle right now.  Riding with my husband fulfills the passion that I have for motorcycles and the open road.  And we have such great memories of our travels that it makes up for me not having a motorcycle right now.  I can’t imagine not riding just because I don’t have my own.

4)  You may enjoy the thought of the risk factor involved in riding on two wheels but you don’t want to be responsible for piloting the motorcycle down the road.  It’s like skydiving with a partner except you are on a motorcycle.

5)  Riding Pillion usually stops you from getting hit with rocks or getting bombed by bugs because you have someone in front of you shielding you from all the hazards of the road.  The one hazard that you might have to put up with is being whacked in the head with an antenna if there is a radio on the motorcycle you are a passenger on.  Make sure you get the person that you ride with to change that because it really does hurt getting whacked with that when you are going 65 - 70 mph.

Benefit ride for Theresa, 10-20-2007

Photo above: a stitched-together panorama of the bikes gathered at Kung Fu Tap & Taco.
Click here for the full album!

This was a near-perfect day in so many ways. After last weekend’s Toy Run rainout, I was anxious to see what the weather would have in store for Theresa’s benefit ride. I needn’t have worried - our high for the day was in the upper 70’s, with a beautiful bright blue sky. This in late October, in Iowa! The ride was scheduled to begin around 11 a.m. at Big Barn Harley Davidson, where Theresa works in the Warranty Service department. We arrived shortly after 10 a.m. to find there were already around 100 bikes gathered. By 11 that number had doubled and they were still coming in, so the ride start was bumped to Noon. Eventually I think they had almost 300 bikes and probably 500+ people.

Around Noon the bikes started leaving, and we made a very impressive and continuous mile-long column traveling down 2nd Avenue toward downtown Des Moines. (If you’ve never been in such a column, I don’t know how to describe the feeling. But it can be a little emotional realizing that all these people are gathered for the same big-hearted purpose.) Bikes in the lead blocked intersections so we could pass through as a group without worrying about cross traffic. (Probably illegal but what the hell… we’re bad-ass bikers, we’re supposed to do shit like this!) As we approached Downtown, traffic got a little heavier and around Court Avenue there were lots of pedestrians - the Farmer’s Market had just closed, and lots of those patrons were standing around watching us pass, some taking pictures or shooting video. There was a police officer at 3rd & Court who held off the cross-traffic there for us to pass through the intersection as a group.

Just south of the Iowa Cubs triple-A baseball stadium, we turned and headed toward the home of Theresa’s sister Vicki, where T is recuperating. Family members had arranged for T to be outside when everyone arrived - I’m not sure they were expecting quite so many of us! All those bikes took up probably two full blocks! After a short benediction and opportunity for as many as possible to meet and greet Theresa, we took off again, this time for the Kung Fu Tap a few blocks away.

The stop at Kung Fu was really just an opportunity for us to hang out while Theresa’s family helped transport her to the site of the actual pot luck dinner waiting for us at the end of the ride. We were there long enough to enjoy a beverage and then the group took off again.

Our final stop was the clubhouse of the El Foresteros. This is an old-school motorcycle club; these are the folks who actually hosted the ride and dinner. They certainly don’t normally open up their clubhouse to the general public - it’s a members-only gathering spot. I for one appreciated their hospitality and willingness to let non-members show their support for our mutual friend.

As for T herself - she’s doing pretty well but still has a long recovery ahead. I wish her the very best, and I’m really pleased to have been part of such a great turn-out for this event!

Carole, Judy and two guys travel to Utah

Carole wrote in with a quick report on her recent trip to Utah with Judy (oh, and, their hubbies!) - wow, it looks like a must-ride! Thanks for sharing the trip with us, Carole!

“I thought I would share a couple of photos from our two week trip to the west.  We had a great time with Gene & Judy and saw some absolutely beautiful country.  I must say that I envy those living in Utah with endless rides and gorgeous scenery everywhere!   Brice Canyon was my favorite of all places with Arches being close behind.  The mountain ride on Hwy 191 going from Arizona into New Mexico was awesome and I would love to ride it again without the rain.  Every turn there was a sign posted telling us to watch for wild game in the road ahead.  I was leading at the time and saw four deer, a wild hog, and turkey in the road.  No elk appeared in my headlights which I was relieved by even though I would have loved to see one off the road a ways!  If you have never traveled to Utah please do in the future and I guarantee you will love it!”

Des Moines benefit ride for Theresa

The benefit ride for Theresa is scheduled for Saturday, October 20 at 11:00 a.m.  Registration will be 10:00-10:45 at Big Barn Harley Davidson in Des Moines, 81 NW 49th Place (2nd Ave. exit off I-80).  Donations will be warmly accepted and very much appreciated.  The ride will end with a potluck dinner and raffle.  All bikers are welcome - if you are in the Des Moines area, or traveling this way at that time, please join us!

If anyone would like to donate items for the raffle or food for the dinner, please send me an email and I’ll pass along your message.

Update on Theresa 9/17

I went up to the hospital and visited Theresa today, where she’s still recuperating from her recent accident. She had surgery on her wrist on Thursday of last week, and she said it went really well so that’s on the mend. Her pelvic fractures are healing slowly - she is still on a lot of pain meds so she’s not attempting to walk yet, but it’s only been ten days. She’s having a few issues with doctors not communicating with each other very well, and I think she even fired one already - LOL - so she’s definitely fully aware of all that’s going on. As it turns out, earlier reports about a fractured femur and dislocated knees were not correct, so at least she doesn’t have those issues to worry about. I can’t imagine all that she must be dealing with emotionally - she has a lot of support from family and friends so hopefully that is helping.

Cindy & Jamie, you are SO busted!

(heehee) Come on out, girls, Mary B. has told me you’ve been reading and lurking! LOL Now please post a comment and, send me your pictures (with bikes please!) so I can put you in the Biker Chick Buzz! And - welcome!! Thanks for reading! ~ Janet

Saying a prayer for a good friend

Upon arriving at Big Barn HD for their open house event today, I learned that my friend Theresa - from the Estrogen Ride and other events, shown on the right in this photo - had been in a serious accident on her bike last night. She was southbound, and a drunk driver in the northbound lane made a sudden left turn in front of her, causing her to t-bone the car. I’m familiar with the intersection where this happened, so I’m guessing she probably hit the car going 30-35 mph. She is alive, with multiple serious injuries, and tonight is still in the ICU. Her beautiful HD Wide Glide has been totaled - folks, I saw the photos, and it is chilling: the forks are pushed back into the engine and the front wheel is twisted into nearly the shape of an 8. 

“T” has a loving family and many, many friends, and I believe that ultimately she will be okay. But, she has a very long road of recovery ahead of her. 

I am begging you all to please please PLEASE ride safe. Know that others do NOT see you, and that their judgment may be impaired, and that ANY car could be the one that makes the move that changes your life. I am also begging you - don’t drive drunk. When you drink, your judgment becomes impaired whether you think it is or not, and you could easily change/ruin/end the lives of innocent people - including your own and those of your loved ones.

Link Love: articles from around the web about women, motorcycles, and biker chicks!

Here’s some good reading about women and motorcycles from around the Web.

Neat article about the popularity of sport bike clubs in North Carolina, including women who ride these fast bikes! 

Great come-back to the “organ-donor” remark bikers often hear. 

The Sheboygan Journal looks at “the new American biker“. 

A blog post from last week about H-D’s woman-focused marketing. 

This article is an interesting read, too - it includes this rather bold statement: ”The point is that women are becoming increasingly important to a sport that desperately needs new blood.”

And finally, from July 11: a neat article about a women rider’s group in Florida.

Siskiyou County Lady Riders put safety first

Meet some California lady riders in the news! Nanci Rogers and the Siskiyou Lady Riders of Siskiyou County, California are featured in this piece from the May 7 issue of the Siskiyou Daily News. The group works with former California Highway Patrol motor officer Jerry Schumacher to improve their safe riding skills.

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