Eight members of a Boston area all female motorcycle club called the East Coast Biker Chicks, will soon be featured in a new television series. Filming for the Biker Chicz docu-reality series is scheduled to start on June 19th during the annual Laconia Bike Week in Laconia NH, and continue in eastern Massachusetts throughout the summer.

Biker Chicz will focus on the positive aspects of the Harley-Davidson biker lifestyle and is being produced by an Oklahoma production company, Blockhead City Entertainment. “Our intention is to produce a happy, feel good television series that will be enjoyable to watch, and realistically capture the true nature of bikers, their spirit and the Harley lifestyle – this series will be just the opposite of what you see in shows like Sons of Anarchy and Gangland,” said Executive Producer Edward Winterhalder.

Winterhalder, a biker personality, author and the creator of the Biker Chicz TV series, has been riding Harleys since 1974. One of the world’s leading authorities on bikers, motorcycle clubs and the Harley-Davidson biker lifestyle; his books about the biker lifestyle are published in multiple languages and sold all over the world. “Because I have lived the biker lifestyle myself for more than thirty-five years, I feel confident that I can accurately capture for TV what really goes on in the life of a biker on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

Lucky Belcamino, the founder and current President of the East Coast Biker Chicks, is excited to be a part of this ground breaking concept. “Thank God someone is finally going to show the world that bikers are ordinary people from all walks of life; regular people that have families and jobs, who enjoy riding Harleys in their spare time and giving back to the communities in which they live when they can,” Lucky said.

Another Harley rider featured in the Biker Chicz TV series, Annie Concemi, who was recently profiled on TLC’s blockbuster series What Not To Wear, was adamant when she said, “Everyone I know is sick and tired of all of the negative television these days, where everyone argues and fights for sixty minutes – Biker Chicz will be a breath of fresh air as far as I am concerned.”

For more information about the Biker Chicz TV series, please go to blockheadcity.com.

So, here’s to all you ladies that ride you own. Have fun and be safe out there on the roads.

Wow, this commercial just screams the late 70′s! You gotta love the music…

Oh, and if you’re wondering who the H is Erin Gray? She was Wilma in Buck Rogers and the 25th Century and Kate in Silver Spoons. I guess you’d only know those shows if you grew up in the 80′s…

Buck Rogers and the 25th Century

Silver Spoons

An HD Garage Party attendee learns the proper way to pick up a motorcycle.

We ladies already have the month of May as “Women Riders Month” and now March is “National Garage Party Month,” which encourage thousands of women across the country to learn to ride. These events are for women only, hosted by hundreds of HD dealerships, offering seminars, basic information and hands-on tips (like learning how to pick up a fallen motorcycle). You can also shop for all the gear you’ll need to ride safely and of course, find the right HD for your personal style.

Check out the Harley-Davidson website if you would like to find a Garage Party near you.

Enter the National Garage Party Month Sweepstakes

During March, enter online or attend a Garage Party™ event at participating H-D® dealers for a chance to win a weekend getaway in L.A. with three girlfriends and America’s wellness expert and H-D rider Jillian Michaels.

H-D rider Jillian Michaels

The weekend will feature participation in the H-D Rider’s Edge® New Rider Course, spa treatments and a motivational talk with Jillian on how to live a better, healthier life. Enter the Sweepstakes.

*Rippin-Kitten.com is in no way affiliated with this giveaway. We’re just passing along the message. If you have any questions, please visit H-D’s National Garage Party Month Sweepstakes page.

Related post:
Oh yes, it’s Ladies Night and the feeling’s intimidation-free

When Tom Jones sang “Sex Bomb” he had to be singing to Ann-Margret.  If you’re asking: who the hell is Ann-Margret? well then, you need to do a little bit of homework. Go watch Bye, Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, or Tommy…like, stat!

Ann-Margret

She became a huge star in the 60′s, well-known for her flaming red hair and earned the nickname “Sex Kitten.” She even showed up on the Flintstones as “Ann Margrock“.

And, she’s an avid motorcycle enthusiast…

Ann-Margret "sex kitten"

riding easy

I’m not here to rewrite her biography, but here’s a quick cheat sheet:

• she’s acted in 75+ films
• Born in Sweden on April 28, 1941, she came to America at age 6
• Her first motorcycle ride was at the age of 10 with her Uncle Calle
• She was discovered by George Burns
• Bye Bye Birdie was her break-out role
• Ann-Margret & Elvis had a passionate affair when they met on the set of Viva Las Vegas, which came to an end resulting in his marriage to Priscilla
• In the movie, The Swinger, she rides a 500cc Triumph T100C Tiger and after making the movie she was featured in Triumph Motorcycle’s official advertisements.
• In 1967 she had her first minor motorcycle accident
• In 1972 she survived a dramatic 22-foot fall from a concert stage in a Lake Tahoe, which literally destroyed her face and sent her into a coma.
• chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history.
• In 2000, Ann-Margret had a motorcycle accident in rural Minnesota and suffered three broken ribs and a fractured shoulder.

What do you think it’s like to be this sexy?

From "The Swinger"

on the Triumph T100C Tiger

The Ann-Margret Show in Vegas: featured 11 different Triumphs in the opening act

In 2001, she was on the Larry King show and he asked her about her motorcycle (full transcript of the interview here)

KING: And do you still ride motorcycles?

ANN-MARGRET: I have a beautiful, brand-new one waiting for me.

KING: Harley.

ANN-MARGRET: Hand-painted, lavender, with gorgeous, gorgeous daises.

KING: Let’s just — there are so many things to talk about. But why do you ride motorcycles?

ANN-MARGRET: Why do you do this show?

KING: Well, it ain’t going to send me off the cliff.

ANN-MARGRET: No, but don’t you love it?

KING: Yes, I love it. But why do you love motorcycles?

ANN-MARGRET: It is everything. It is — I loved it since my uncle…

KING: Did Presley get you started with this?

ANN-MARGRET: No, my uncle Carl (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Sweden got me started.

KING: Oh, so you go way back with motorcycles.

ANN-MARGRET: Yes. Yes. And then, of course, I saw “The Wild One.”

KING: Marlon.

ANN-MARGRET: And I have always loved speed. I mean, the bikes, not the…

KING: You don’t drive fast when you drive a car?

ANN-MARGRET: Not really.

KING: Not really.

ANN-MARGRET: No, not really. You know the feeling that you have in a convertible, with the elements and everything, the little bit of danger, the speed…

KING: So you…

ANN-MARGRET: Freedom, independence.

KING: Exhilaration.

ANN-MARGRET: Exhilaration, yes.

KING: And so accidents are something you accept from it, right?

ANN-MARGRET: There are two types of motorcycle riders: ones who have had an accident and ones who will.

Il Profeta

I have to give props to Christina Shook for inspiring me to do this post when she posted some great photos and videos of Ms. Ann-Margret on Twitter. So thanks Christina!

During this year’s 69th Annual Daytona Bike Week, hundreds of female motorcycle enthusiasts and Harley-Davidson Motor Company are banding together to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and their efforts to find a cure for neuromuscular disease.  On Tuesday, March 2, 2010, the MDA and the Motor Company will host the 3rd Annual Harley-Davidson Women’s Ride.

MDA and the Motor Company will host the 3rd Annual Harley-Davidson Women's Ride

The Harley-Davidson Women’s Ride will feature hundreds of female motorcyclists who’ll ride through the streets of Daytona celebrating their freedom and passion for the sport, as well as supporting the important work of the MDA.  All of the ride participants will be encouraged to secure pledges and donations from their friends and families to support MDA Summer Camp programs across the country.  The first 500 eligible riders will receive a 2010 MDA pin, Women’s Ride flag and riders who raise $600 will receive a one-of-a kind charm.  Also, the top three fundraisers will receive a Harley-Davidson jacket.  Last year’s ride raised more than $65,000 for MDA Summer Camps.

Ride staging will take place between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. near Gate 70 of the Daytona International Speedway.  The ride will depart at 10 a.m. and continue to Riverfront Park on Beach Street.  Female riders of any brand of motorcycle interested in participating in the ride, or those interested in pledging support for the riders can go to www.mdarides.org.

In addition to the Women’s Ride, the Motor Company is also hosting a women’s area at Riverfront Park on Beach Street throughout Bike Week. Experienced women riders or those just looking for information on how to get started can learn more about the sport by participating in bike lift seminars and getting information about learning to ride. They’ll also be able to enter a raffle to win a new Pink Label Collection item from Harley-Davidson MotorClothes®.

HD's Women's Pink Label Layering Tank

For more information and to register for the 3rd Annual Harley-Davidson Women’s Ride, visit mdarides.org.  To learn more about Harley-Davidson and women riders, visit harley-davidson.com/womenriders.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson’s Web site at http://www.harley-davidson.com.

What do you do in January when it’s too wet or chilly to ride your motorcycle? How about heading out for a night of motorcycle related literature and photography? Christina Shook and Ed Milich will be touring motorcycle destinations in San Francisco and northern California beginning January 26 2010 to promote their recently released motorcycle books: Milich’s “Wrenched: Man and Machine” and Shook’s “Chicks on Bikes“. Milich recently completed a 10-day West Coast book tour in December of 2009 with Mark Gardiner (Roadracer X, Classic Bike), author of Riding Man. Shook shared the Werkstatt SF tour stop with Gardiner and Milich, and the idea for January’s “Wrenched Words and Chick Pics” Tour was born.

Christina Shook is a San Francisco East Bay based professional photographer. “Chicks On Bikes“, Shook’s first book, compiles her photographs of and writings on female motorcyclists drawn largely from the San Francisco Bay Area’s diverse population of female riders. The book depicts female racers, commuters, cruisers, and mechanics in their natural environments from San Fransicso’s streets to dirt bike trails, to the racetrack. The hard bound “Chicks On Bikes” is 154 pages and is $24.99 from chicksonbike.us.

Chicks on Bikes by Christina Shook

Wrenched: Man and Machine by Ed Milich

Ed Milich is a Los Angeles based writer and contributor to Motorcyclist Magazine, Café Racer Magazine Sports Car Market Magazine, a national roadracing champion (WSMC, AHRMA), proprietor of motorcycle websites Guzzitech.com, Ducpower.com, and Motobastard.com and a professional Mechanical Engineer. “Wrenched, Man and Machine“, the first book from the Los Angeles based Milich, documents his motorcycle racing, wrenching and riding experiences in largely unrhymed free verse. In March of 2009, Milich debuted “Wrenched” at the Daytona International Speedway Bike Week Vintage Races where he punctuated the book release by winning four out of four races. *Wrenched, Man and Machine* is 142 pages and is $15 postpaid at wrenchedbook.com.

If you live in the N. California area I highly recommend you go see these guys and show them your support!

"Chicks Rule" trailer

The tour officially kicked off during the 2009 Toys in the Sun Run with featured guests the Motor Maids, Leslie Kay of Leslie Kay’s Insurance and Jeffrey Phipps of Jeffrey Phipps Custom Saddles. The Chicks Rule & Boys Drool Tour is a traveling display of what is available for women motorcycle riders, from clothing and parts to motorcycles styled with the woman rider in mind. The tour will feature Athena “Chickie” Ransom and her unique hand-crafted custom motorcycles as well as featured special guest appearances by an array of other unique women in the motorcycle industry.

Athena "Chickie" Ransom

Formulated specifically for women, it also gives men an opportunity to see “the other side” of a culture commonly associated with males. Validating the concept that women riders are more than just a “chick on the back” within the motorcycle industry, the tour also provides a forum for ladies to express her likes and dislikes in a setting that is not full of skulls, iron crosses and spikes.

The tour will include 12 national event stops throughout 2010 including the Heavy Hitters, Daytona Bike Week, New Orleans Bike Week, Sturgis Rally, and coming to an end at the 2010 South Florida Bikers Bash and Toys in the Sun Run. Look for the Vagabond set up at rallies near you.

For more info check out: vagabondchoppers.com and chicksruleandboysdrool.com

I got your biker chick right here...

But read for yourself:

The Basics of Biker Chick Fashion

Part of being a motorcycle owner means induction into a select society. And as is the case with any culture, there are a few wardrobe requirements that set its members off from the rest of society. Female bikers have a lot of versatility when it comes to their wardrobe, but some basics never change. Here are some simple steps to help you look the part and master the art of biker chick fashion.

First, remember that you can never go wrong with, or have enough, leather. Long hailed as the hallmark of any motoring outfit, leather pulls double duty in that it keeps you safe on the road and helps you look your biker best. Buy pieces such as a vest, boots, belt, a pair of tight pants, and most importantly, a jacket. The traditional color is black, but feel free to branch out to a little red or hot pink here and there.

If possible, get yourself inked. A tattoo–or three–shows your tough biker side. Popular options more biker chicks include classic pin-up girls, thorny roses, and sword impaled hearts. Tattoos are not just for men, and the themes you can choose from are endless.

Next, wear dark sunglasses. Like leather clothes, sunglasses not only make you look cool, but they are also functional. Shades protect you from the sun, wind, and bugs, and they help preserve your eye makeup.

Another important aspect of biker chick fashion is the hair. If you aren’t already blonde, bleach your hair and hold it back with an American flag bandanna. Keep your hairstyle simple, but something that looks good when you take off your helmet. Keeping a comb and hairspray in your saddle bag ensures a quick fix when the helmet comes off.

And finally, accessorize your look with silver jewelry, leather wristcuffs, a big belt buckle and red fingernail polish.

Once you have these basics down, you are ready to move on to making a biker fashion of your own!

Debunking the stereotype, one article at a time

I will say the article started off ok: it’s true that some of the basic fashions we, as bikers, wear are out of necessity to protect ourselves. Leather, no matter what color it is, is a staple to keep us warm in cool weather and to protect our skin if we happen to dump our bikes. It just also happens to have it’s place as being “fashionable” in some circles.

But as I read on, I could feel my lip begin to curl into a snarl of distaste.

Tattoos are deeply entwined in biker culture, but “classic pin-up girls, thorny roses, and sword impaled hearts“…um, really? If she had actually done some homework to familiarize herself with tattooing as an art form, she wouldn’t be so dismissive about what bikers (and non-bikers) adorn their bodies with. Sure, some people will go into a tattoo shop and pick something off of the wall, but the majority of people take their tattoos very seriously and put a lot of thought, money and effort into what they get inked on their bodies.

Sunglasses are worn for basic eye protection. Sun, bugs, wind burn and road grime are all hazards the eyes can be exposed to while riding. Wrap around glasses provide even more protection then regular design glasses. They also just happen to “look cool.” And I know from experience that sunglasses don’t do crap to preserve eye makeup. If you wear makeup while riding, waterproof makeup holds up better than regular.

Apparently I didn’t get the memo that all biker chicks should bleach their hair out blonde and wear American flag ‘do-rags. Did you guys? How come we aren’t riding around together in packs of bleach-blondness, wearing lots of silver jewelry with our red fingertips? PUH-LEEZE.

Maybe this was intended to be a fluff piece for her to show of her writing skills. If her goal is to be a fashion writer for some junky magazine, obviously doing the work to get the real facts about the topic is not important. But for those of us who are so deeply passionate about our culture, it’s hard not to take articles like this personally.

Top 10 Semi-Finalists Selected for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation “Ride On! Write On!” Contest. Public Vote Will Determine Winning MSF Slogan­.

The MSF “Ride On! Write On!” slogan contest.

After reviewing over 550 submissions to its Ride On! Write On! contest, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) has selected the top 10 semi-finalist slogans. The public is invited to vote online at msf-usa.org to determine the winning slogan. Votes will be accepted until 6:00 P.M. (Pacific Standard Time) on October 15, 2009. One vote per person. See website for details.

Top Ten Semi-Finalist Slogans

1. Real Divas Ride Smart

2. New Rider, New Skills, New Confidence, New Friends, New Woman

3. A good foundation isn’t just for your face

4. Save a marriage, let a professional teach you to ride. MSF saving marriages since 1973.

5. Mom taught me about life … MSF taught me about riding

6. Your curves look better when trained. Take an MSF class!

7. Unleash your Inner Biker Chic! Take A MSF Course Today!

8. Women on motorcycles are positive female “roll” models. Strike a pose!

9. MSF RiderCourse, a women’s ignition to confidence, independence and inspiration

10. Female motorcycling – The essence of independence! Learn how at www.msf-usa.org

Please vote here at the MSF website, not on Rippin-Kitten.com!

The goal of the contest is to generate a slogan that will be used primarily for women’s shirts, as well as other items the MSF may choose to make available for sale.

The top three winners will receive gift certificate prizes from Whitehorse Gear: 1st Place is $599, 2nd Place is $400 and 3rd Place is $300. Winners will be announced on or after October 16, 2009. Rules and restrictions apply. See the MSF website for details.

When you hear the phrase “chicks on a bike” it might conjure up one of two images: a dolled up, half-nekkid girl with butt floss & fake boobs draped across some guys motorcycle -or- a real, independent woman riding her own.

Christina Shook thankfully delves into the diverse world of the latter, using her photography to punctuate the alluring stories of the featured women riders in her book.

Chicks on Bikes by Christina Shook

Chicks on Bikes is the first book to visually chronicle the culture and lifestyle of real women motorcyclists. The photos and stories range from sassy young racer girls, wind-roughened seniors, leather-clad outlaws, chic corporate climbers, grease-covered mechanics to motorcycle fashion designers.

Women love to hear or read stories about female riders, especially if they don’t ride their own (yet). There is a lot of respect and inspiration (and maybe a little bit of envy mixed in) that motivates non-riding women, giving them that “if she can do it, I can do it” attitude.

"These women redefine what is beautiful."

Chicks on Bikes captures an intimacy that a lot of other books tend to miss the mark on. It’s a collection of stories as varied as the women who tell them, daring to dig a little deeper into the subject that most are unwilling to touch. Women riders are people, not just an idea or a great hook for marketing.

I enjoyed reading about all of the women, seeing some familiar faces along with some new ones. I was touched when reading about Samantha Morgan and Melinda Moore, chuckled while reading about Zan Sterling’s tale of outriding a desert thunderstorm and amused by the overall kookiness of Max Mosher’s style.

It’s the right balance of words and quality photos, in addition to the passion, attitudes, freedom, misnomers, truths and independence of women riding motorcycles, that keep you wanting to turn the pages and dream of being more like them.

Chicks on Bikes words and pix by Christina Shook

Chicks on Bikes words and pix by Christina Shook, $24.95
Order a signed copy online: chicksonbikes.us/order.html

Learn more at chicksonbikes.us

Read Christina Shook’s blog: cshook.wordpress.com

Follow Christina on Twitter @cshookup

Here’s Christina talking about women motorcyclists and her book Chicks on Bikes. I wish her the all the success in the world with the book, it’s great!

International Women & Motorcycling Conference

The weekend will be packed with tours, shopping, hands-on demos and of course seminars, which will be given by veteran female riders sharing their experiences. Some of those seminars include:

• Preparing for the Ride: Packing/Gear/Apparel
• Dealer Interaction
• Inspirational Seminars
• Making your bike fit you

The cost is $165 if you pre-register online and $185 if you wait to register on site. If you’re interested in taking part of this unique event be sure to save your space soon, as online registration ends on August 3rd! For more information about the event visit: womenandmotorcycling.com.

I’m immediately turned off by the headline because it actually does say “SORRY FELLAS, THIS GARAGE IS FOR LADIES ONLY.” Blergh.

So I read through all of the information of the where’s and when’s of the event and it’s “intimidation-free zone” and there’s something else that’s bothering me about the email that I can’t quite pin down.

I show the email to my husband and he immediately reacts negatively, pointing to the photograph used in the email:

Yep. That would be what was bothering me.

Despite the sluggish economy, Sucker Punch Sally’s continues to expand and has hired Ray to help with the artistic direction of the company’s product lines. Ray teamed up with Sucker Punch Sally’s in 2008 to produce ten limited edition customs bikes, all featuring original designs hand-painted by Ray. In her new role, Ray will assist with apparel design, motorcycle paint schemes, custom paint jobs and will provide general design help.

Sara Ray is the newest member of the SPS crew

“It was one of those situations where you meet someone and instantly you are on the same page. Her talents translate perfectly to what we do and she has been like family since day one. We finally overwhelmed her with so much work that it just made sense for her to come to Arizona full time.” Said Christian Clayton, Owner of Sucker Punch Sally’s.

Ray specializes in hot rods, pin ups, rockabilly posters, nose art and World War II scenes – subject matter that complements SPS’s signature old-school style. Her portfolio contains the traditional oil on canvas, but her most recent artistic ventures have included hand-painted Fender guitars, custom motorcycles and airplanes. In her spare time, Ray wrenches on her own hot rods and travels to air, military and art museums.

“Moving to Arizona became necessary as my involvement with the Sucker Punch Sally’s team has grown into more than just painting bikes. They’ve given me the opportunity to create a visual entity of the company with absolute free reign and total conviction in my ideas and abilities. Getting to work within a group of people who back and encourage your Hot Rod addiction 110 percent and where free time is spent doing the same things you do for work is an outstanding situation to say the least. I’m exited to bring my cards to the SPS table and already creating a massive portfolio of art and ideas that are going to showcase very soon.” Said Sara Ray.

Sucker Punch Sally’s is a custom motorcycle manufacturer specializing in old school, stripped-down motorcycles. Heading into 2009, their Swinger was awarded production custom of the year and in 2008 the 66 Bobber and Traditional both won awards. All of these facts solidify SPS’s position at the top of the production motorcycle market.

Their bikes have been featured in The Horse Backstreet Choppers, Motorcyclist, Cycle World, Easyriders, Street Chopper, V-Twin, Barnett’s, Sync Magazine, Ironworks, Cycle Source and Hot Bike. Sucker Punch Sally’s is the place to go if you’re looking for a totally custom, old school chopper, or just a reasonably priced production bike.

Visit Sucker Punch Sally’s online or call them at (480)778-9500. For dealer inquiries contact Alex McClelland alex@suckerpunchsallys.com

Last year, the day came around again. I didn’t think much of it other than “good for them, they’re keeping the event up.” But then I was perusing my Google news reader one day  and I saw a post that Biker News Online had about it and I was actually surprised at what they had to say:

Oh Please!

Apparently some folks are trying to organize an “International Female Ride Day” on Friday, May 2, 2008…Why do women riders need a special day to celebrate themselves? Why do we need to raise awareness of women riders?

Who gives a f**k?

Look, I have all the respect for women riders, just as I would for male riders. I’m not bashing them. I’m bashing this lame idea. I’m sorry, but do we need “female empowerment” in the motorcycling community?

If a chick can master a motorcycle and hold her own among the biker crowd, does she need empowering?

“Hello, I’m a chick, I ride a motorcycle. Today is my special day to celebrate my biker-chickness”.

Barf!

That reaction actually made me pause to think and prompted me to write Women only motorcycle events-sweet or sham? which got some really interesting responses, most of them saying that these women’s-only events, while nice once in a while, are really unnecessary. The outcome of organized them actually causes women to be segregated and it’s slippery-slope to have too many of these all-women events.

And now, it seems, Harley-Davidson has jumped on the bandwagon and piggy-backed onto Motoress’ 2009 International Female Ride Day, which is Friday, May 2nd,  by declaring the month of May “Women Riders Month.” They’ve planned two organized rides on May 1st: one to NYC and one to Milwaukee. And if you can’t make it to either of those rides, you can stop into your local HD dealership to see if there are any rides being organized in your area.

For the remainder of the month HD will encourage women to get out onto the open road and learn more about wrenching their own bikes by attending their women-only garage parties (My friend ArtBiker has a really funny post about not being allowed in to an HD dealership when there was a “women’s only” event happening).

In a recent press release, Leslie Prevish, Harley-Davidson’s women’s outreach manager said: “In the past 20 years, the percentage of women who have purchased new Harley-Davidson motorcycles has tripled, with women now accounting for nearly 12 percent of new Harley-Davidson motorcycle purchases.”

They’ve smelled the blood in the water, girls, and now they’re coming for ya! Watch out!

Clutch and Chrome has an interview with Vicki Gray, founder of Motoress, in their latest podcast. She discusses the idea behind the ride and its incredible success. So if you’re interested in hearing what she has to say go check it out.

Harley-Davidson is trying to build out it’s Women & Motorcycling section on their website and are looking for women who would like to share their personal stories about why they want to learn to ride.

Interested in submitting a story?

Then here’s what you gotta do:
You would need to submit your story to Kelly Yahr (email address: Kelly.Yahr@harley-davidson.com) along with the following information, which will serve as your profile if your story is chosen:

• First name, middle initial, last name
• Username (if you already have an existing online profile at H-D.com)
• Email address (this will be used as your username when logging into the community)
• Zip code
• Birth date
• Community screen name (your screen name will be used to identify any content you submit on Harley-Davidson/Buell websites

Not sure what to write? You can read some examples of Riding Stories from Real Women to get those creative wheels turning.

The other day I was going through my RSS reader and I came across an article from Daytona on Women Riders Now about the unveiling of a motorcycle built specifically for women. The company’s name is ROAR motorcycles and they tout themselves as the resource of motorcycles for women.

“Vintage modern” motorcycles. What the F is that?

The ROAR WildKaT is the first motorcycle designed from the ground up for women riders. Seriously, do women really need specially designed motorcycles? Why don’t car manufacturers start building women-specific cars then? Oh wait, they do. It’s the mini-van.

“This bike is making history,” said ROAR Motorcycles president and CEO, Kathy Tolleson, the builder of the motorcycle. “We are challenging the industry with the WildKaT. We will begin manufacturing the WildKaT in the spring of ’09 and we have nothing but high hopes and aspirations that women riders across the land will take notice of this truly unique product,” said Tolleson. “It has a unique look that I would call ‘vintage modern’ and is the best handling bike that I have ever ridden.”

Vintage modern, really? Isn’t that an oxymoron? I don’t quite understand what she means by that. And doesn’t Tolleson seem like the female version of Bruce Rossmeyer, marketing their bikes to older female RUBs? Oh wait, we haven’t talked price point yet. I’m getting ahead of myself.

Tolleson showing off the WildKaT

Where’s the basket and the bell on that custom motorcycle for women?

The bike features a 1200cc Harley-Davidson motor sitting in a chassis that’s able to accommodate short and tall women. The frame suspension can be adjusted from a 23.5 inch seat height to a 29.5 inch height providing women with a custom fit. It has also been ergonomically designed for a woman featuring a narrow tank, adjustable handlebars, an easy-pull clutch and foot controls that can be moved forward or backward eight inches, adjustable in two inch increments without needing any extra brackets. The specially designed exhaust curves forward and around the rider’s foot and is run low below the floorboards. Tolleson says that getting burnt by hot pipes is a major concern among women motorcyclists. Um, I’ve never been burned by my pipes. All it takes is dismounting on the side that doesn’t have the hot pipes, or just being generally aware of your bike and its parts. It’s not rocket science.

Does this motorcycle make my ass look fat?

And to top it all off, the WildKaT has a wiiiiiiide, leather seat to accommodate a woman’s…um…hips. Yeah, hips. So, I guess women with lotsa junk in the trunk can ride a with more comfort and less complaining.

All this can be yours, ladies, for a mere $22,970!

Girls, don’t believe the hype.

Is it just me or are companies like ROAR and Ridley (who market their automatic motorcycles mainly to women) not giving women any credit to be able to handle a regular motorcycle and almost taking advantage of them? It seems they are dumbing down motorcycles just to make a buck. Do you think that the Van Buren sisters had modified “girlie” bikes?

Why are some women buying into the hype?!?! It makes me so angry to see droves of women gathering around the Ridley tent at rallies, sitting on those glorified scooters and to hear that ROAR has reservations piling up for this motorcycle that isn’t even produced.

a nice powder-pink Ridley

I know that lots of people (women specifically) might not like my opinion. They might say something like”well, who cares what women are riding as long as they’re out there riding?”

Me. I care.

I am a firm believer that if you can’t do something right, you shouldn’t do it at all. If you can’t handle a real motorcycle then you shouldn’t be on one. Period. Riding a motorcycle is not something that everyone is skilled enough to do. And it does require skill. Now, I will insert a disclaimer here that some people with physical disabilities (like my husband’s uncle with a very bad back condition or another friend who has one leg) are given a pass for certain customizations they need to make in order for them to ride. But an able-bodied woman is another story altogether.

Girls, just bite the bullet. Learn to ride properly (most states offer the MSF course and even Harley-Davidson offers a rider’s safety course) and PRACTICE. That’s all it takes to get on your own ride. You don’t need a “woman’s” bike to join the ranks of riders, in fact you will probably be doing yourself more harm than good if people know you are riding a glorified scooter.  Buy a bike, learn to ride and you will get the respect you deserve.

**EDIT**

Also check out the post on Motorcycle Nation Podcast in response to my post. Very interesting to see another point of view on the subject.

I’ve seen plenty of guys people do double-takes when they see me on my bike. And I’ve received occasional props from people when they find out I ride my own. It’s 2009 and I’m still surprised at the variety of feedback I get because of my gender and motorcycling hobby. I wonder what it might have been like almost 100 years ago.

Back in the day, before women could vote and we were under the thumb of “the man” (any man really), two intrepid sisters had a dream. New York “society girls” Adeline and Augusta Van Buren (descendants of our 8th president) dreamed of serving our country by being motorcycle dispatch riders. With America’s entry into WWI looming on the horizon, the time was now (or then, actually) to prove that women could do it.

Adeline Van Buren

Augusta Van Buren

On July 4th, 1916 “Gussie” and “Addie” set out from Brooklyn heading toward the City of Angels. Now you have to remember, (as my husband is so fond of saying to me) prior to the Eisenhower interstate act of 1956 there was “no way to get there from here”. In fact it wasn’t until three years after the girls made their trip, that Dwight D made his trip in a truck convoy as a young army officer, which planted the seed of our future highway system.

Imagine crossing this country on a series of dusty, unpaved country roads and only seeing asphalt, brick or cobblestone when in a major city. That would be like riding 5,500 miles on conditions that today we go out of our way to avoid. And while were talking about the conditions of our country’s infrastructure, lets talk about the machines they were riding.

Back in the early part of the 20th century there were over 200 motorcycle manufacturers in the U.S. and at times the biggest of them was Indian Motorcycles. After sweeping the Isle of Man TT in 1911, most serious riders found themselves on an Indian. Although Harley-Davidson was a solid brand, it wasn’t so until WWII that they left Indian in the dust.  Like other serious riders, Gussie and Addie Van Buren were no exception to the Indian rule. They both chose to ride the top of the line Indian Model F with the Power Plus 1000cc twin.

From Brooklyn, the pair headed north to Buffalo and then west to the big city of Chicago.  After leaving Chi-town not only did the girls really find themselves in rural America, but on occasion they found themselves in handcuffs being arrested for wearing men’s clothing! But for the most part, they were able to talk their way out of most situations as they trekked through Omaha to Denver.

While Gussie and Addie were not the first women to ride across the USA on a motorcycle, they were the first to summit Pike’s Peak. I’ve ridden up Mount Washington on crappy asphalt, stone and packed dirt with no guardrails for your safety to an above the clouds height of 6,288 feet and that was fairly harrowing. They climbed more than twice that to 14,109 feet and made history becoming the first women to ever summit Pike’s Peak (a ride I’d like to do some day…).

Like most motorcycle journeys, the women found themselves in unplanned situations. Some roads were washed out, at times they dumped their bikes, they even got stuck in the mud and lost in the desert west of Salt Lake City. But just like happenings of today, they were helped out by fellow riders, good Samaritans and friendly town-folk.

Mexico or bust

Late summer in 1916 saw the girls ride into Los Angeles, completing their trip on September 8th.  Apparently they were hungry for a little Mexican and since Baja Fresh hadn’t opened just yet, they rode down to Tijuana for good measure.

One of the best parts of a road trip is meeting new people and telling them your story. I’m sure that in the summer of 1916 two slender women in men’s clothing, on a transcontinental journey was a scene that turned plenty of heads. Stories like this inspire me to travel and seek out adventure. I might never be inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, or the Sturgis Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t mean that each time I take the road I shouldn’t ride like I’m seeing the world for the first time.

Thanks to my husband for being such a history buff and kicking my butt to write this post!

If you want to learn more about Adeline and Augusta VanBuren check out vanburensisters.com, a website maintained by their kin.

February is my least favorite month of all. Even though it’s short it just feels…so…long…But I’ve snapped out of it and I am raring to go.

Here’s a few interesting bits of late:

All ladies summer tour through Alaska

MotoQuest Tours is planning an all women, 9-day, 1200 mile trip (on all paved roads), with lodging-through Alaska from June 26th to July 4th.  An average day will be about 250 miles so everyone can take in the scenery and all the riders will be followed by a 12 passenger van to schlep all the luggage and provide snacks and refreshment. Full details and information can be found at http://motoquesttours.com/09ladiesintro.html

Sons of Anarchy, Season Two

There’s very little to report lately about the next season of SoA. Writer and creator, Kurt Sutter, posted in his blog a month or so ago that they were back in the writing room working away. Shooting allegedly begins in April, with new episodes hitting the air hopefully in September.

Jesse James News

No, it has nothing to do with Jesse’s appearance in the next “Celebrity Apprentice” or his show “Jesse James is a Dead Man.” This video is of Jesse winning a pie-eating contest at the Tennessee Vally Fair. Just because I think it’s funny.

So, while I recover from the shock of getting back to the daily grind, I’ll leave you with the top 10 viewed posts of 2008!

1. Steampunk Motorcycles-even though I wrote this post a year ago, it is the most popular post of my site. The Steampunk movement has gained much popularity since then.
2. BikerorNot.com: bikers and social networking pt. deux-social networking sites are booming. It seems that every subculture has formed their own social community these days. Since this post was published I have received numerous emails informing me of yet another new biker social community and asking me to join or write about their site. I can only keep track of so many accounts these days and it makes me wonder if more is better.
3. Bikers and tattoos-Two of my favorite subjects! A brief history of tattoos in America and how they touch my world.
4. Bring Exile Cycles back to TV-the popularity of this post surprises me a little. Prior to this post I had read a myspace bulletin from Russell putting out the call to fans for some help. This year we’ve seen Russell on VH1′s Rock of Love and of course, that silly Comcast commercial that featured Exile Cycles, with an actor playing the part (instead of “hardcore” heavily-tattooed Russell) that confused so many people. Here’s hoping we see a lot more of him in the future.
5. Anatomy of the Kawasaki Vulcan-in the summer of 2007, Greg White contacted me and hooked me up with Kawasaki to test ride the Vulcan 900 Custom. I spent a few gleeful weeks riding this bike and this is my dissection of various elements of the bike in detail. Thinking back on the experience makes me remember how much I enjoyed riding this bike. And yes, the skinny front wheel felt safe!
6. Biker Movie Hell Ride in theaters August 8-this movie was all the buzz for us this summer and it came and went in the blink of an eye. It had a very limited release in theaters and when it finally came out on DVD it would be an understatement to say it is a love/hate kind of movie.
7. Slayer launches a line of helmets-*RAWK!* Rockhard helmets launched a line of motorcycle helmets emblazened with graphics of our favorite thrash metal band. They’ve since increased their lineup of bands that include: Lynard Skynard, KISS, Slip Knot, Motorhead (yes!), AC/DC and The King. These suckers ain’t cheap but if you’re a fan I’m sure they’re well worth the cash!
8. Garage Girls: a new site for women, or is it?-this was my initial review of Sara Liberte’s new online venture. I was as honest as I could be while reading through the site (maybe too honest?). So much so  that I actually received an email and blog comment from Sara letting me and everyone else know that the site was brand-spankin’ new and to cut her some slack. I revisited the site three months later and was pleasantly surprised at the changes that had been made and the fresh content that had been added. Props to Sara.
9. Video Tuesday: Harley-Davidson Dark Custom-this video accompanied the announcement of HD’s newest and coolest motorcycle. I also went on a bit of a tirade about how out of touch Bruce Rossmeyer is with a younger demographic.
10. My first motorcycle love-I’m so happy to see this post made it to the top ten! This is a guest post, written by my nearest and dearest, recounting the love of his first motorcycle, the experiences he had while owning it, and then eventually trading it in for a newer Road King. Definitely a good read. Hmm, that reminds me…I think I’ll bug him to guest post more often!

So, I thought I would take my gift of “free time” to kind of slow down and catch up with my bloggy life.  I do have a few little bits and nuggets of news to share.

This is hardly new news but the winners of the Harley-Davidson Bikes, Camera, Action! video contest were announced earlier this week. I have to give these ladies credit for taking the time to make these great videos. I think a video contest is a lot to ask of the general public and these ladies rose to the occasion. Congrats to them!

Here are the top three:
Her Need for Speed
Girls Night Out
Here Come the Bride

In additional Harley-Davidson news, it’s been announced that registration for the 2009 Women’s Experience ride in Daytona is now open. The second annual MDA ride will take place on March 3rd and only the first 500 women to register will be eligible to take part in the event. Last year they raised $60K from the event. Here’s hoping they beat that amount this year since it’s for such a good cause.

Here’s a bit of Sons of Anarchy news from writer, producer Kurt Sutter’s blog SutterInk:
“Based on final ratings, FX’s critically acclaimed freshman drama series Sons of Anarchy has proven itself to be a worthy successor to the network’s award-winning drama series The Shield, which completed its historic seven season run last month.

With the Live +7 ratings factored in from Nielsen Media Research on a multi-telecast basis, Sons of Anarchy delivered a weekly average audience of 5.83 million total viewers (jumping 16% vs. the Live numbers) and 3.9 million Adults 18-49 (up 18% vs. the Live numbers), the highest ratings of any new series on FX since the network’s hit series Rescue Me, which debuted in 2004. On a first-run basis the series averaged 2.6 million total viewers and 1.75 million Adults 18-49.

For calendar-year 2008 on a first-run basis, Sons significantly surpassed new and returning basic cable shows on delivery of Adults 18-49 including Saving Grace (1.59 million), Battlestar Galactica (1.58 million), Eureka (1.42 million), Raising the Bar (1.37 million), The Cleaner (1.11 million), Mad Men (879,000) and Breaking Bad (821,000).

Sons of Anarchy showed incredible consistency on a week-to-week basis and actually saw audience growth over the final two episodes, hitting its peak with the season finale (episode 13), which delivered 3 million total viewers on its first run. The second-to-last episode (episode 12) delivered the most Adults 18-49 (2.04 million) in the series entire run. The series premiered on 9/3/08 to 2.87 million total viewers and 1.73 million Adults 18-49.

FX has picked up a second season of Sons of Anarchy, slated to begin in Spring 09.” Not too shabby! There’s also another interesting post going back a few weeks about the new defunct HBO project 1% that got HBO in all that legal hot water with the notorious Sonny Barger.

Recently I’ve joined the collective of microbloggers and have been tweeting away! If you’re on Twitter, aspire to get on Twitter to see what it’s all about, you can find me @rippinkitten. A bunch of my fellow blogger tweeps are there as well as some new friends. Come say hi!

I know that we all read a ton of motorcycle blogs of different form and fashion but I’d like to take a minute to plug a new blog written by my friend: ArtBiker World: Art, Bikes, Bikers, Culture. I’ve known ArtBiker, aka Matt Linton, for over 10 years when he used to live here in Boston. He now resides in Houston, TX with his family and is one dude who lives and breathes motorcycles and the biker culture. Oh yeah, and he’s one hell of a photographer, too. His blog went live only a few short months ago and it is a great read. Go show him some love!

Now I’m going to make some hot chocolate and watch those flakes start to fall.

The site design is pretty hip and trendy and while the product is limited, it’s worth checking out.

women's tshirts from pinkpartz.com

Skulls are a large part of the biker culture, but tend not to be very feminine. Voodoo King Designs has the answer with these delicate sterling silver gemstone skull rings. Priced at only $99 with your choice of gemstones: blue topaz, peridot, citrine, amethyst, cubic zirconia, pink cubic zirconia, and faceted black onyx. The result is that you still have a badass skull ring with a bit of feminine flair!

skull rings by Voodoo King Designs on etsy.com

Don’t worry guys, they have some jewelry options for you, too!

Update about the Myrtle Beach bike rallies: this article says a new poll suggests that the Mayor and City Council are listening to a vocal minority who is against the motorcycle rallies while an overwhelming number of residents polled are in favor of the Harley-Davidson event and are against having their taxes raised to fund an anti-rally campaign.

Ladies love Harley-That may be true, but do any women under the age of 45 ride a Harley?

From HD’s Community Outreach Coordinator:

We Ride serves as an inspirational and educational brochure for non-riders and newly licensed female riders alike. The guide features women riders sharing their passion, apparel designed specifically for women and information beginner riders need to know before they hit the road, along with many other topics specific to women riders.

The guide is on harley-davidson.com/womenriders or directly download the pdf:
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/media/downloads/women/HD_GTR_eBook.pdf

When I initially saw their website I was a bit turned off by the amount of the color pink being used and it didn’t seem very professional. I could have just caught them when they first launched the site- I seem to have good timing that way (re: see the Garage Girls posts). But this time around it appears the color palette has been toned down, there’s a new logo and it’s more streamlined.

Lady Biker website circa 2007

Lady Biker website now

If you’re interested in ordering a copy it takes a bit of effort for U.S. consumers, you’ll need to send an email to get a price. The summer 2008 issue is available now.

It’s now three months later and my curiosity has led me back to check in.

Here’s what I’ve found:

The homepage is now streamlined with digestible information, the footer links work and the content about Sara and Jody are in the appropriate “about us” section.

The Body & Machine sections have a lot more content broken out by monthly updates and reads sort of like a newsletter with info about nutrition, fitness tips and the latest news in circulation. On the Machine side, there’s info about motorcycle maintenance, advice and tips and general motorcycle news/info (with lots of videos sprinkled through to help break up the content). Again, I like how Sara is trying to make the correlation of taking care of your body and also your machine as an extension of your body. My only criticism for this section is that it’s not very obvious what month you’re reading, it’s not clearly labeled (which is more a criticism for the web team).

The Events page shows where you can next see Sara and the Garage Girls (although perhaps calling it something other than “events” might help users understand what they’re going to see when they come to this page), Sites2See is pretty much the same and Cruisin’ companions has some additional photos of fuzzy kind, with a link to donate to her local animal resource center-a topic near and dear to my heart.

While Garage Girls may not be the epicenter of information for women on the web, the site has improved and is forming a distinct personality of it’s own. Bravo to Sara for being tenacious in building her site up and showing us what she’s made of. I look forward to seeing where it is in another few months.

That’s right boys and girls. The eagerly anticipated (at least by me) Quentin Tarantino produced film, Hell Ride will be in theaters this summer on August 8th. As you know I’ve been keeping my eye out for this movie, my last post was back in January and the first time I wrote about the movie was back in December.

Now, i don’t know how good this movie is going to be, but I’m hoping for high camp factor. I figure with the likes of Dennis Hopper, Michael Madsen and David Carradine there’s definitely a good chance!

But something weird happened: I finally found my groove, my posts started getting attention and I found not only was I enjoying the whole blogging thing, I was “meeting” a lot of other my fellow biker bloggers and people who were becoming regular readers and I was also getting great blog reviews and awards from my blogging peers.

I didn’t really know the first thing about blogging. I’d kept a personal journal but a motorcycle blog is different. How would I find people to read my blog and who would care anyway? Through some cool blog communities like BlogCatalog I met a bunch of people and learned lots of things about writing a blog. And through social networking sites like myspace and BikerWorlds I found other bikers who are interested in the same things I am.

Traffic started increasing, people were linking to the site and honestly the highlight for me last year was when Greg White and Kawasaki asked me to test ride a Vulcan 900 Custom. I mean, who the hell was I? Just some biker girl from MA who happened to start a blog a few months before…

In one year, I’ve gone from a few readers a week to tens of thousands of page views. I’m not going to make any grand claims like you see on other blogs, but I will tell you that I’m happy to see my google page rank on the rise (link to me!), my Alexa rank continues to move up and the number of people who view the site goes up almost every week. Fellow bikers in 114 different countries have checked in on the rippin-kitten.com blog. And I’ve been getting inquiries from major companies regarding advertising opportunities. Not too shabby.

Anyway, enough of boring blog stats and me marveling at my own success. Stay tuned later this week as I roll-out a new feature for Rippin-Kitten.com and share some other things that I’ve been working on.

Thanks to everyone for making my first year of blogging a great one. It’s been a great learning experience and I’ve enjoyed our many discussions. Looking forward to another year!

I was perusing my news aggregator this morning and Steve over at Biker News Online mentioned the second annual International Female Ride Day on Friday, May 2, 2008, with lots and lots of sarcasm and even raised the question: Why do women riders need a special day to celebrate themselves?

Now, here’s my disclaimer: I’m not attacking or singling out Steve’s post for any detrimental reasons, I’m merely highlighting it because for the first time, someone posted about a women-only event with the question: Who gives a f**k?

That’s what I’m wondering. While the women’s ride to Daytona was kind of a cool thing, I also just read on Women Riders Now about the Diva Custom’s Divas Only bike show that’s happening at the end of May. Are these events a good thing or is this women-only madness spiraling out of control? Is it helping female bikers or is it setting up a precedent for women to segregate themselves from the biker community rather than being a part of it?

And just like Steve at Biker News asks: If a chick can master a motorcycle and hold her own among the biker crowd, does she need empowering?

So, here’s some good news for a change, regarding the first ever Harley-Davidson Woman’s Day Ride:

Some 500 women cruised into Daytona Beach, Fla., March 4, as part of the first ever Harley-Davidson Daytona Women’s Day Ride. The event garnered a whopping $60,520.50 in contributions to help send children with neuromuscular diseases to MDA summer camp, the Muscular Dystrophy Association announced today.

Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company of Milwaukee organized the historic ride, the largest women’s ride in the company’s 105-year history. In addition to providing recognition to women motorcycle riders, the event will enables MDA to send more youngsters to camp, where they’ll enjoy a week of accessible activities such as swimming, horseback riding, fishing and arts and crafts.

Karen Davidson, great-granddaughter of one of Harley-Davidson’s founders, William A. Davidson, led the group, including the six winners of Harley- Davidson’s “Get Down to Daytona” contest. They left Atlanta March 1, and were joined by the rest of the riders for the last 10 miles of the approximately 500-mile trek, which ended at Ocean Center.

Three women received special recognition as the top fundraisers for the event: Joanne Mold of Forest Hill, Md., ($3,055 raised), Dee Roberts of Bernville, Pa., ($2,717) and Lynne Cone of Houston ($2,715). Each received a 105th Anniversary Harley-Davidson women’s jacket, and had lunch with Karen Davidson and the six “Get Down to Daytona” contest winners and MDA ambassadors.

Story source and full article: The Auto Channel

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t need to be involved in women-only events to show my pride in being a female rider, but I think this would have been a cool event to be a part of and for a really great cause. And for that, kudos to all those ladies who participated!

WOMEN RIDERS HAVE A NEW WEBSITE TO CHECK OUT

www.garage-girls.com goes live covering everything a girl wants to know about motorcycles and so much more…

Minneapolis, MN— The launch of www.garage-girls.com was well received by female motorcycle enthusiasts around the world. The new site created and maintained by Sara Liberte and Jody Perewitz presents motorcycling and everything that goes along with it from a female perspective.

www.garage-girls.com is a unique, exciting new website developed to meet the growing needs of women seeking information about motorcycles and their maintenance.

Wow! I couldn’t wait to go check the site out!

I have vague knowledge of both ladies who are involved with the site. Sara Liberte, as far as I knew, fashions herself a photographer and her images usually consist of a portrait of a person photoshopped with motorcycle parts. I’m not a big fan of her images (I’ve seen better “image fusion” done by other artists) but that’s just my opinion. As it turns out she owns a bike shop as well. Jody Perewitz, well, the only thing I knew about her was that she’s the daughter of famous bike builder, Dave, and that she and Sara are doing a bike build for charity.

Needless to say, I was more than disappointed when I got to the site. The overall design of the site is lackluster and the footer navigation doesn’t even work. Also, it’s never a good sign when the homepage of a site that claims to be a “motorcycle resource for women” is chock full of too much info about the two women who involved with the site. Sigh.

Moving onto the Body & Machine section and it doesn’t get much better. I do think it’s interesting that they’re trying to incorporate fitness information in the “Body” section, but there’s not a whole lot of helpful info there (and I can’t tell who wrote the copy. Since the main graphic says “Sara Liberte’s Garage Girls” I’ll assume she wrote everything). In the middle of the page is a video of Jody and Sara interviewing each other that seems really out of place, even though they do talk about their favorite foods among other things.

The “Machine” section is comprised of two videos of Jody and Sara and a section about battery maintenance. Yawn. “Events” is where you can see them on tour building their Bobber for a Cure and “Sites2See” consists of links to Sara’s photo site and bike shop.

“Cruisin’ companions” has nothing to do with fellow women riders but riders of the fuzzy, four-legged kind. It’s a cute spin on the request for users to upload their photos (and let’s face it, animals on motorcycles will make anyone’s heart melt).

Overall, Garage Girls seems to be a narcissistic venture for these ladies rather than a site providing “everything a girl wants to know about motorcycles”, which totally bums me out. For that, I’ll stick with Women Riders Now, which I still think is the best site for women riders yet.

Many women join motorcycle clubs for camaraderie and to ride with other like-minded people. And let’s face it, who wouldn’t stop to watch a large group of ladies ride by on their shiny motorcycles!

I recently found an informational article that goes into depth about the differences of a motorcycle club and a riding club, which I think could be helpful if you’re thinking of joining one.

Here are just a few of the nationwide groups/clubs out there:

• Chrome Divas – a group for riders, passengers or enthusiasts-no motorcycle required. They are a socially conscious group that strives to give back to the community and support worthy causes.
• Devil Dolls MC-a badass group of women with a love of their motorcycles and a love of the ride- so you do need a motorcycle to be considered.
• Motor Maids was founded in 1940 and is still going strong for women who legally own and operate their own motorcycle or one belonging to a family member.
• Women on Wheels -open to women of any age, experience and make of motorcycle. They have many chapters across the country.
• Women in the Wind strives to educate our members in motorcycle safety and maintenance unite women motorcyclists with friends of common interest, and promote a positive image to the public of women on motorcycles.

I don’t know a whole lot about one specific group but I know there are a lots of groups to choose from!

P.S. Rippin-Kitten.com is mentioned in the latest (and fabulous) blog post by GO! Smell the Flowers! So, a big thanks and many flowers to them!

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?

Since there is usually snow & ice on the ground here that time of year (and I don’t relish the idea of riding to Florida in 20 degree weather) getting down there may present a challenge. And shipping the bike could be costly. Needless to say, I have some big planning ahead of me!

Unfortunately, I’m not eligible for Harley-Davidson’s Get Down to Daytona contest. If you aren’t aware of the contest, if you’re a woman you can win a spot on a bike trip to Daytona with Karen Davidson.

From the site: To enter, submit a video, 90 seconds or less, describing how your riding mentor helped you improve your confidence and riding skills, and what riding means to you. Make sure to include your riding mentor in your video or a photo of her or him.

You have to own an HD and been riding for less than 2 years (I’m out on both counts) but if you’re a woman who fits those requirements…well stop reading and go submit a video, dammit!

From mooshoes.com: this is a non-leather engineer boot. But I don’t like them because they’re vegan-friendly. I like the style, the rubber sole of the boot and the matte black finish on the buckles. They’re comfy and really easy to break in. I wish I got them earlier on in the riding season, but at least I will be able to enjoy them for fall riding.

Chopper Couture has some really cute clothes with biker-esque designs on them. I don’t love everything they have to offer, but I could see myself in a few of these shirts.

And of course, there’s Juicy Couture. I would never normally spend my hard earned money buying anything “designer”, but these gloves are really frickin’ cute.

Do you guys have some “biker” fashion that you like and want to share with me?

• I recently discovered that I have the honor to be included on a highly exclusive and coveted list: I am #5 on the September list of The Most Bangable Blog Babes. Thank you, thank you very much…
• The word about rippin-kitten.com keeps on spreading (obviously, Kawasaki loaned me one of their frickin’ motorcycles! omg!) and more and more female biker blogs keep popping up. Everyone takes different approaches with the content of their blog, but it makes me wonder how long some of the newer blogs will stick around. I guess it depends on how dedicated they are and the quality of content being served up.
• Random question: does anyone still watch American Chopper? How have they survived the whim of Discovery Channel’s motorcycle programming over all of the other motorcycle shows?
• And finally, I’m happy to say that “Rippin-Kitten” stickers are available again! YAY! These cutie stickers are a great size for your helmet or anything else that you like to put stickers on! And they’re absolutely FREE.

This is a 4.25″x1.37″ sticker

This is 1″x3″sticker-the perfect size to put on your helmet!

If you would like some, all you have to do is send me an email with your mailing address (U.S. requests only please) and I will mail them directly to you! Did I mention that they’re free?

This is Harold, who made a special trip fro NJ to MA to drop off this pretty machine.

And to give me paperwork to fill out and sign. There it is. The 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom. Ain’t it purdy?

Before I took it out for a spin…

And here’s the video shot shortly thereafter:
I also want to thank Mr. Forrest Frazier for all of the support, photo and video work that he has done for this site!

But recently there’s been a big difference in the performance of Rippin-Kitten.com. More and more people are coming to this site, linking to it and actually liking it. Hmm, maybe I don’t suck after all!

Earlier this month I received an email from someone I’ll call “Mr. White”, because that’s his name (hee hee). He said he worked for Kawasaki‘s PR firm. He said he had read my blog and was wondering if I might be interested in riding and writing about the 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom. He said he had a red one. He said it was in NYC and that they would have it shipped to me. He said I could have it for a couple of weeks. All I would have to do is ride it and write about it-no strings attached.

Wanna know what I said?

[insert sarcasm]

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

[end sarcasm]

I was absolutely positive that it was a big, fat joke. That Mr. White was some kind a scam artist looking for a sucker, and that sucker was ME. But I did a little research and it turned out that Mr. White was actually Greg White (you may know him from Speed TV) and the company that Mr. White worked for was legitimate and down with the blogging community.

And they were going to give me a motorcycle to ride and write about.

A week went by and I hadn’t heard from Mr. White. I figured that perhaps he was having some trouble convincing Kawasaki to give a shiny, new motorcycle to some chick with a blog. And I wasn’t surprised. I was just flattered to even be asked.

Another week went by when I discovered that I had a voice mail…from Mr White. I promptly called him back and much to my surprise he got approval to have that shiny, new red 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom shipped to me.

Guess what I got today? That’s right…..

More pics, vids and my first impressions tomorrow.

Here’s a first from me: a video post!

I feel the need to interject a bit of a disclaimer here:

• this was not shot with a real video camera, it was shot with my digital snapshot camera
• the production of the video is not the greatest, but I had fun doing it (especially when I found the banjo soundtrack!)
• I have ZERO training or skill being in front of a camera. I kept giggling while trying to shoot it. I’m just a hack.
• This was shot under the disguise of being an “instructional video” but it’s really psuedo-instructional. For the most part I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about!

Now that I’ve got my first video post under my belt I kind of know the ins and outs of what it takes to create one and now know what to expect for the next one. I hope you guys enjoy it anyway!

There is an accompanying website, too.It’s a bit light on information, has an unfortunate typo on the first page and it’s…pink. But it comes with the usual forum, bikes for sale section and a blog from the editor.

I don’t know when or even if they are still on TV, but when I had a different schedule I used to watch the show on Tuesday afternoon.

It’s mostly a half hour ad for Paramount Harley Davidson in Worcester, MA. There were some good segments about riding locally, some how-to’s and even this little nugget.

Mistress Carrie is a local radio DJ and fellow female rider here in Boston. She’s also one of my friends on the Rippin-Kitten MySpace page.

This video is a follow-up from that documentary and shows the “Magnificent 6″ regrouping for another ride together.

• A motorcycle can go for more than one ride in an hour.
• Motorcycles never develop spare tires.
• Motorcycles last longer.
• Motorcycles don’t get you pregnant.
• A motorcycle doesn’t care what time of month it is.
• Motorcycles don’t have parents.
• Your motorcycle will let you know if something is wrong.
• You don’t have to kick your motorcycle to get it going.
• Your motorcycle won’t judge your friends.
• If your motorcycle is loud, you can buy a muffler.
• You won’t have to put your motorcycle through grad school.
• If your motorcycle smokes you can do something about it.
• Motorcycles don’t care about how many other motorcycles you have ridden.
• When riding, you and your motorcycle both arrive at the same time.
• One motorcycle will satisfy you every time.
• Your motorcycle won’t ogle other motorcycles.
• Your motorcycle won’t care if you have a poster of your fantasy
  motorcycle.
• If your motorcycle has high mileage, you can just get a new one.
• Motorcycles don’t care about breast size.
• If your motorcycle is too soft you can get new shocks.
• If your motorcycle is misaligned, you don’t have to discuss politics to correct it.
• You don’t have to drink beer before your motorcycle looks appealing.
• You can be proud of your motorcycle regardless of the model.
• You don’t have to go to Tiffany’s to register your motorcycle.
• Your motorcycle won’t beat you or try to make you feel inferior.
• You can ride a motorcycle as long as you want and it won’t get limp.
• Your parents won’t keep in touch with your old motorcycle after you dump it.
• Motorcycles always feel like going for a ride when you do.
• Motorcycles don’t insult you if you are a novice.
• Your motorcycle never wants a night out alone with the other motorcycles.
• Motorcycles don’t make you late.
• You don’t have to primp before riding your motorcycle.
• Your motorcycle won’t complain when you use protection.
• If your motorcycle doesn’t look good, you can paint it or get better parts.
• You can’t get a disease from a motorcycle.
• Your motorcycle won’t care if you fake it.
• Motorcycles are always ready to stop when you are.
• Your motorcycle has a built in vibrator.
• Your motorcycle doesn’t have to show off in front of other motorcycles.
• Your motorcycle won’t lie to you.
• Your motorcycle doesn’t care how heavy you are.
• In the morning, your motorcycle won’t poke you in the back when it wants to go for a ride.
• You can turn the petcock off.
• Your motorcycle won’t shrink when it’s cold.
• If your motorcycle can’t fire up, you can just replace the battery.
• You don’t have to cook for your motorcycle.
• Your motorcycle can’t ride around behind your back.
• If your motorcycle is cold you can choke it.
• Your motorcycle is always the right size because if it seems too small you can just get a new one.
• You can keep photos of your old motorcycles.
• Your motorcycle would rather go for a ride than watch sports.
• Your motorcycle can go for multiple rides.
• Motorcycles don’t need pick-up lines.
• You only have to ride your motorcycle when you want to.
• Your motorcycle won’t go for rides by itself.
• If baldness occurs, you can replace the tires.
• Motorcycles don’t snore.

(music: “Push Push (Lady Lightning)” by Bang Camaro)

If you want to check out the actual photos in addition to the video, check out the Laconia photo set on my Flickr page!

The ride up here was long, cold and wet! We took the “scenic route” up and while the ride was gorgeous it was difficult to enjoy in the rain…We’re staying at the Naswa Resort, which is really close to the middle of everything!

Yesterday we rode up Mt. Washington. It was a little bit scary to get up it. At certain places the road turns into DIRT road and tryng to keep control of the motorcycle while hammering on the throttle to get up some of the steep parts was dicey. The payoff was worth it, the view were amazing. We got lots of pictures up there. I felt bad for this one old guy though. He was telling the employees up there that he was in trouble because he didn’t think he could get off of the mountain. He was totally spooked. They had to arrange someone to take him down in a van while they rode his Harley down for him. The irony is that going back down was much easier!

After we left Mt. Washington we rode on the Kancamangas highway for a little bit. Oh and did I mention that the weather was gorgeous? It was great. We rode a little more than 200 miles yesterday. I was exhausted last night! We had a bite to eat at the Smokehouse and then I put my sorry butt to bed!

Today there were noticably more and more bikes arriving. There is a steady stream of rumbling motorcycles day and night. Today we hit all of the vendors on the beach, ate yummy sausge & pepper subs and had a few beers. It was a hot day today and my dogs are barkin’ from all the walking we did!

OK-it’s getting late and I’m sure everyone around me is wondering why I’m in the lobby typing on a computer when I should be drinking and singing “Wheel in the Sky” at the top of my lungs…

• You have your own bike?
• Your rode your own? (I heard this one a lot when I did the 900+ miles from Boston to Myrtle Beach)
• Your man lets you ride? (could it be more insulting?)
• Isn’t that bike too big for you? Don’t you want something smaller?
• Can I ride bitch? (usually from some wise-ass guy)
• Are you a lesbian/dyke/femi-nazi? (um, no-and that’s not nice)
• You’re too good at parking that thing. If I didn’t just see you do it, I’d never have believed you parked it yourself. Now at first I found that comment a bit insulting, until…I witnessed many women at a bike rally having their husbands or boyfriends park their bikes FOR them in a tight spot! Puleeze, girls!
• Will you show me your tits? um, you…absolutely not.
• Good for you! -or- Go Girl!
• Damn, you’re HOTT! -or- That is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. (these are favorites, of course! ha ha!)
  

Ladies, want to share some you have heard?

I am having some minor issues with the bike lately, so I didn’t get as much riding in as I would have liked to. However, I did order some things for minor improvements, including some foot pegs and clamps to add to my highway bars, a Uni filter to help with the airflow issues I’ve been having and a jet kit.

I did accomplish a simple but cool modification: I lowered the bike 2.5 inches. It’s a a popular mod that a lot of people with Volusias/Boulevards do that’s really easy and effective. Two and a half inches doesn’t sound like a lot, but essentially it lowers your center of gravity for better control while riding. At first I barely noticed a difference, but riding next to other motorcycles I feel like they tower over me.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a whole lot of pictures while doing the work because one of the bolts was really difficult to remove and I was getting super pissy…ha!

So, here’s one of me starting the work and another of me after it’s all over and done with.

OK, well I’m off to spend some time kibbitzing with other bloggers and to market, market, market to build up more traffic to this site! Nitey-nite!

“Hell on wheels, heaven on earth that’s us. Isn’t that right Mama? That’s right daddy…“

But this is really important stuff to us bikers that want to look good after a long ride. Granted, we are somewhat limited with just how good we can look with a helmet ruining our ‘dos, dirt and exhaust caking our face and let’s not get into the bug-thing…

I know a lot of women bikers probably don’t even bother with worrying about hair and make-up and are probably laughing at me (and my vanity) right now. What can I say? I still try to be a girly-girl even when I know I’m going to get dirty from the road.

Now, hair in many cases can be a lost cause when doing long rides. I usually wear my hair in braids to avoid those scalp-wrenching tangles and that attractive sweaty, plastered down look. Bandannas, ‘do-rags and hats all help disguise the dreaded helmet-hair, of course. For shorter rides you might have a fighting chance and still be able to salvage your coif without too much damage.

I couldn’t believe how dirty I got during my first season of riding. My face, already slathered with high SPF sunblock, would get covered with dirt, exhaust and pollen (notice I didn’t mention that thing about the bugs?). And my complexion suffered from it. So, I started carrying those facial cleansing cloths in my saddlebags. They are incredibly useful to keep on hand and don’t take up too much room. I also make sure that I adhere to a consistent cleansing regiment.

Wearing make-up requires some skill and good products. I typically don’t wear a lot of make-up while riding. It usually wears off or smudges from your eyes tearing up due to the wind. And, I almost always have to touch it up once I reach my destination. My essential arsenal consists of: waterproof mascara & eyeliner, concealer and lipstick. With those things I am good to go.

Lipstick is tricky. If I’m wearing a darker color I usually matte it with powder from my compact so that things don’t stick to my lips. But sometimes that gets gross. I like to use Revlon Colorstay lip color (in sheer colors) because that stays on pretty well and when I arrive at my destination I just add the glossy topcoat and I’m instantly gorgeous. OK, well maybe not gorgeous but at least I don’t look like a dumpster rat!

Recently I discovered two companies marketing to the biker community. Biker Skin Care products offer skin, foot and tattoo care for motorcycle enthusiasts. There’s also a company called Bika Chic that features a whole line of cosmetics for the “hardcore ladies”.

I’ve not tried products from either company so I cannot vouch for the quality of the products, nor can I say if these biker-specific items are any better than any cosmetics and skincare that you can buy at drugstores. I’d be curious to find out if anyone else has tried them. If you have, feel free to contact me and let me know about your experience.

For me, the time I spent researching what I wanted out of a motorcycle paid off when I found my bike at a shop. It was the exact paint and chrome I wanted. I was happy to keep it stock for a while then, once I had a few trips planned, I picked up some accessories.

I got a windshield, some saddle bags and put on crashbars. Still enjoying the look and feel of my ride, I kept it like that for another season. But, like most bike owners the time had come to make some modifications to better suit me.

I started to notice a few people on a bike board I frequent had used a custom lowering kit to drop the back end of their motorcycles an inch or two and it really made the bike look better.

So, I bought a lowering kit last season and decided to tweak the bike. Unfortunately I don’t have access to a garage so this would be an outside job in the parking lot. But we had crappy weather, family obligations and my man had to have surgery. All of those added up meant me not being able to get anything done. This year I won’t let anything hold me back.

I will learn to love tools.

The thought of modifying my own bike is a bit daunting at first. It could mean ruining a perfectly nice manicure-ha, just kidding. Seriously, I’m no mechanic–how am I qualified to work on my own bike? I’m qualified because it’s my bike and I’m a fairly smart chick. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to run out and rebuild my clutch. I’m starting small and working my way up.

This isn’t some “I am woman, hear me roar” thing, it’s a simple matter of cash. Why pay a guy $300 for something I can do on my own (hopefully) in an hour?

This past weekend I picked up a Torin Big Red 1500lb Motorcycle Jack which I hope to put to good use. I already have the tools, so my first wrenching will be lowering the bike. I’ll take some before and after photos and you guys can let me know what you think.

My second project will be removing my stock pipes and putting on some clean, light weight after market ones. I figure that with the bike lowered 2 inches my stockers will now be scraping the ground when I take a hard corner (plus I love these turned-down pipes!! They are sweet! ).

I bet that’s a phrase that’s familiar to a lot of women who have gotten into motorcycles. I know I said it to myself a few summers ago. It certainly changed my life. I hope that seeing me out there riding has made other women say it to themselves, too.

The more I’ve researched while trying to launch this site the more I realized that a lot of the back-stories from other women riders is very similar. Common words used are “freedom” and “control.” I certainly wanted to be in control of my own machine, rather than relying on someone else-always fearful of falling off the back when hitting a very large bump in the road. And being in control is so much better.

This article talks about the growing numbers of women motorcyclists (or “Biker Babe” as the title suggests). Harley Davidson added a women’s section to their website, which I feel is both good and bad. Yes, it’s great that they’re recognizing the economic growth of women buyers, but I feel like the addition is almost patronizing. It’s a bit transparent, in my opinion, to employ this tactic to get women to buy. Especially when they’re marketing a Sportster for their first bike. Ladies, there are so many motorcycles out there to choose from. Don’t sell yourself short.

Also in the article, Suzuki acknowledges that they know 12 percent of it’s buyers are women, but they aren’t creating any special focus on women. Their company spokesman was quoted as saying “…we think we know is that women motorcyclists don’t want to be called women motorcyclists. They just want to be motorcyclists. They don’t want a women’s motorcycle.” YES!!! That is EXACTLY how I feel! Finally somebody gets it! I wish more companies would employ that opinion.

Just because I’m female doesn’t mean I want a clutch-less, pink motorcycle, pink helmet and matching pink jacket. I know there are women out there who want to flaunt the fact that they’re a “biker babe” (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). Maybe it empowers them or something. It’s just not my bag, baby.

I’m optimistic that the gender separation will die out someday (although not anytime soon). Wishful thinking, perhaps, but I’m confident there will be a day where it won’t be such a novelty to see a woman riding her own bike. I know the nearly nekkid models on motorcycles with their asses up in the air will continue to perpetuate. However, I’d like to think there will be more women writing articles in regular motorcycle magazines and advertising feature women riding, not posing.

Here’s the countdown:

3. VTwin Mama-Of the three sites this one is the least sophisticated, but it’s a great forum to have any riding-related questions answered. It also has longevity behind it, having just celebrated it’s 5-year anniversary.

2. Real Divas Ride-Promotes a sense of community, well-rounded content that’s sure to appeal to a variety of women.

1. Women Riders Now blows the doors off of the other two sites. It’s superior in content and information, robust with stories, articles, letters from readers, etc. It’s all you need, all right here.