FREE WHEELIN’

BRIAN RATHJEN

Motorcycling can be dangerous and for moto-journalists, it sometimes can be a bit more as we tend to rack up many more miles than the average rider. But the most dangerous thing I think any male moto-scribe can do is write about women riders in anything less than a glowing and attering way. Yup, I think I’m right on this call; but undaunted our hero forges on; and please note – I love women. Let’s get some things correct from the beginning. I do love women, clearly, but with some women riders, there are a few oft-repeated thoughts and non-issues that seem to keep coming back again and again… Like that feeling I get every September when I watch the Mets. Let us get right to this; but rst… I am already building a case for my defense - ahead of the actual crime. Back in July 1995, we published the rst issue of Backroads, and my Free Wheelin’ column called ‘Making the Jump’ dealt with bringing women into motorcycling and getting many gals to jump from being a co-pilot to being the captain of her own ride. It contained this quote: “Years ago, women riding their own machines were few and far between. Regardless of the obvious prejudices that motorcycling was a “man’s sport,” small groups of women ignored the status quo and followed their hearts, the need for speed, I remember one Americade Queen call it once upon a time. The need to y, to gracefully handle the twisties and the sweepers know no gender boundaries. The truth is, pound for pound, many women riders are better than their male counterparts.” That was in July of 1995 – more than a quarter of a century ago. Back then I could agree with many female riders and their issues. But not now, or for the last decade for that matter, to be sure. Ready gals? Get the knives out. You have chosen to ride. You have chosen that path. So, stop trying to separate yourselves from the boys. This is a true non-issue. Most men I know welcome riders of all persuasions and gender. Ready? Most guys don’t care. Really. They’re not here; so I’ll say it for them... “Let’s just ride!” A motorcycle does not care if the rider at the controls has two XX or an X & Y chromosome. What bikes really care about is how good the rider is and that he or she or they put input into the bike which is smooth, gracefully and skilled. Men and women can both be excellent at this and the women we ride with are about the best you can nd. My female riding friends, Shira, Helene, Laura, Sandy, Lisa, Laurie, Kimberly, Pam, and Kristen, all ride like the wind. Sure, they’re women and they all have fun with that. Kristen’s BMW has a great sticker on the windshield that says, in a tongue-in-cheek way, “I Ride Like A Girl,” and she does – a very fast and talented girl. These gals all have this in common as well as the fact that they never make a serious stand that states “Oooh I’m a woman and I ride!” They don’t care. They love motorcycles. They ride. Period. And, they ride with boys all the time. Gender never comes into play, yet some female riders seem to revel in this XX tribalism and some even make a living on this. Continued on Page 9