The latest contest from Harley-Davidson got me thinking: who are some female riders who have inspired me?

When I decided to get my motorcycle license I didn’t have a female motorcycle “mentor” so to speak. I hung out with a lot of guys that ride and spent plenty of time on the back. I watched all of the Motorcycle Manias, Motorcycle Women and even the first season of American Chopper. I began to see more and more women out riding their own and when the opportunity came up I went for it. So, I guess I inspired myself (with the help of some anonymous biker girls)!

But since I’ve started this site I realized that there are many influential women out there. One who I admire is Genevieve Schmitt.

Genevieve Schmitt is a former television producer and magazine editor (anyone remember Woman Rider magazine?), is the founder of the fantastic website Women Riders Now and her blog is always a good read.

From WRN: Genevieve has been working in the motorcycle industry since 1993 and is recognized as a leader in motorcycling journalism focusing on the area of women. She is an inductee in the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame for her journalism work on raising awareness of the female motorcyclist. She is the leading spokesperson on the subject of women and motorcycling.

You can read her monthly columns in American Iron, Dealernews and Midwest Motorcyclist. She is also a frequent correspondent for Speed TV and Outdoor Life Network (now called Vs.). This is a busy woman who has made huge strides getting women motorcyclists the attention they deserve.

Honorable mention:
If Betsy Huelskamp looks familiar to you it’s because she was one of the Magnificient Six featured in the 2003 Discovery Channel documentary “Motorcycle Women.” She was also featured in that fabulous “Live By It” commercial that Harley Davidson ran over the summer. She has 20+ years riding experience, is a personal trainer and recently attempted to climb Mt. Everest which was documented in Discovery Channel’s “Everest 2: Beyond The Limit.” She also writes “Backroads with Betsy” on her best gal-pal Genevieve’s site.

Geneveive & Betsy at Sturgis 2007

Does anyone out there have a story to share about someone in the motorcycle world who has inspired them?

I’ve known about a lot of different women-only motorcycle publications that have tried to succeed and sadly have failed. The latest magazine that I just found is Biker Alley. I’m actually surprised that I haven’t heard of this magazine sooner since, impressively, it’s been around since 2000.

They publish six issues a year for $19.50 (if interested, you can subscribe through their website). Articles are about safety, motorcycle maintenance, product reviews, motorcycle news and stories of experiences from other women riders. They pride themselves on being a family oriented magazine, open to male readers and they try to keep an informal rapport with their readers:

“Unlike other motorcycle magazines, as you read Biker Ally Magazine, it will seem as though you are sitting at the kitchen table talking to your friend over a cup of coffee.”

Well, that sounds nice. A lot of women on the message boards I read really seem to like it. And if they’ve been publishing this long they must be doing something right.