Each January we do a special edition 'Her Story' where we revisit the riders who shared their stories with us throughout the past year. We look back at all the stories shared with us & we also have some rider updates too, a bit of a where are they now! We hope you enjoy.
F E B R U A R Y . Remmi
AGE: 40
BIKE: Special Edition Kawasaki W800
RIDING FOR: Nine years
M A R C H . Chaia
AGE: 27
BIKE: 2005 Harley XHL 1200 Sportster
RIDING FOR: Five years
A P R I L . Crystal
AGE: 34
BIKE: 1990 Honda Dominator NX250
RIDING FOR: Eleven years
What was your moto highlight of 2022?
All the kind strangers that helped me on my journey. They give me the energy to keep going.
Did you go on any road trips?
I am still continuing my goal to ride every country in Europe. I'm 28 countries in. So far, I've covered Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and England. I should be done with Europe in six months.
Do you have any road trips planned for 2023?
I will continue my big moto expedition. I will finish riding Europe and then *drum roll* I will head towards the Middle East.
What are your 5 essential items to take on a road trip?
Camping gear, Electrolytes, a book, my poi, and my chanclas
Where is your favourite local spot to ride around?
Locally in California: Bear Creek Road. One of my favorite things about riding in the Bay Area is riding through the California Redwoods. It's a mix of a few feelings, and it goes like: this is home, this is where my tribe is, these are my unit I'm riding with, we're all watching out for each other, pushing each other, but riding in our limits, wow these trees are celestial giants towering over us and one wrong move can send you flying into them. It's the fine line between bliss, appreciation and calculated riding. In Europe? The Greek coastlines, Albanian valleys, the Bulgarian countryside and Romanian mountains. There are landscapes I've seen that make you say "Wow" out loud in your helmet.
Have you learnt any tips or tricks you can share with our readers?
Coming from California, I've learned there are actually four seasons in other parts of the world. I'm joking. The different seasons and weather play a huge role in riding styles and challenges on the body. Here are some tips I've learned. In the summer with longer days, I tend to ride for 8-12 hours a day, but due to the extreme heat and humidity, I get dehydrated. So I fill my reusable water bottle with ice water and electrolyte powder to keep my concentration up and combat fatigue. In the winter, I have a different strategy. My riding days are much shorter since the sun sets at 3:30pm in some places and my body gradually loses its ability to retain heat within 45 minutes of riding. The coldest I've ridden in is 32 degree F/ 0 degree C and that's not accounting for wind chill. Before I start the ride in the winter mornings, I fully gear up and do a brisk walk to build up body heat so I will stay warmer for longer. I fill my thermos with warm tea and honey or hot chocolate to help my freezing body warm up as I defrost at a gas station. I find the deli section or heated bakery area and stand there until my fingers and toes are totally defrosted, then I go out again. I do not have heated grips, vest or anything of that sort.
Any cool moto news you want to share with us?
I got interviewed in Poland! Here's the link in Polish.
M A Y . Brelinda
AGE: 35
J U N E . Joana
AGE: 33
BIKE: Actively looking for a new bike as we speak!
RIDING FOR: On & off for 17 years
What was your highlight of 2022?
Remember what I said about being pushed out of my comfort zone? Well, in 2022 I attended my first Malle Mile event with Royal Enfield and had my first experience not only racing (by the way, I sucked!) but also off-roading. It really opened my eyes to even more opportunities. I am now craving a bike with big knobbly tyres and I can't wait for more adventures on dirt.
Do you have any road trips planned for 2023?
Nothing planned yet, but... I am definitely going on a long road trip next year, either solo or with a group of friends. It's been too long and the road is calling.
Any cool moto news you want to share with us?
My partner, who has never ridden a motorbike in his life, had his first go on a friend's 70s Honda XL125 and he was a natural. I am now trying to source that exact bike as his Christmas present, so he can take it to the Malle Mile next year. But it's a secret, so I might not show him this update until next year!
J U L Y . Audrey & Dalia
LOCATION: Portland, Oregon USA
AGE: 36
BIKE: 2020 Harley Davidson Iron 1200
RIDING FOR: Four years
NAME: Migdalia
LOCATION: Portland, Oregon USA
AGE: 41
BIKE: 2020 Harley Davidson Iron 1200
RIDING FOR: Ten months
"Wow, what a year! Since our last story, we have done a lot. We had a very successful and fun launch party. During our launch, we got to meet so many new people, and we were able to get an idea of how critical we are to the women's Moto scene and what we could offer more of to our followers. We had the opportunity to attend The Dream Roll, and what can anyone say about a women’s Moto camping event? It was so freaking awesome and empowering hanging with fierce ladies and motorcycles all weekend. Like anyone else, we had family issues that helped us to recenter and keep what was most important to us even closer.
Oh, Did we forget to mention that we traded the Honda Rebel 500 for a Harley Davidson Sportster Iron1200? I loved my Rebel but riding with a big group of Harleys while next to my bestie, all the while keeping up, just meant it was time to step into some bigger shoes, as they say. We also got two of our best friends to get motorcycles, making our rides even more interesting and fun. Being able to teach a friend how to ride is such a joy. With all the Moto Babes review content and just enjoying the summer, we were able to learn how to do burnouts which are, let's face it, super freaking cool. We gained over 100 YouTube followers, and we are over 1000 on our Instagram. So much has happened.
Out of all that we have to say, our highlights are buying the Harley Davidson and our Moto Babes launch party. Meeting so many people that support us all while creating a dynamic duo-type feel for our viewers has been such a blast.
We plan on adding more miles off-season and for the summer, but we can not wait to go back to The Dream Roll. The drive from Oregon up to the event and the experience will become a tradition for us. No trips are planned exactly, but wherever we go, you can be sure we will capture the ride.
Over the summer, we realized that we could not live without our Fantik air pump. We use it before every ride, and just because you never know when having that essential item on a bike can make the difference between a great ride or a nightmare. While at The Dream Roll, we had the opportunity to help some fellow riders with our travel battery charger pack. Saved the day for some fellow California riders and is an absolute must on a long ride. The headset/ intercom has helped me, as a new rider, and Audrey, who was riding as a lone wolf in the past, learn to ride safely, with real-time critique, and allow our music and ride experience to combine for riding bliss. All that is great but the ability to charge your phone is a no-brainer, maps, music, videos, and pics, cause you know we gotta do it for the GRAM.
Modifications on our bikes…..Hmmm well, I added a fairing, headlight, power clutch, and new footpegs, as well as completed my first stage by changing out my air sucker. Audrey added a one-finger clutch. The bigger question is, what are we up to next? We are in the process of starting our front-end builds on both bikes, and we are doing the builds ourselves. Over the summer, we realized the help we could offer other riders by showing how we did our modifications and helping others to do the work themselves. We are excited to bring this to our viewers, and we can not wait to enjoy the process of getting hands-on with our Harleys. We want to keep creating and adding more content, ride the hell out of our bikes, and continue to be on the lookout for how we can grow as content creators and just be Bad Ass Babes On Bikes.
We can’t wait to attend the One Moto Show, which for me, was the beginning of it all. There are ideas of a chopper build and so much more to come. Thanks for allowing us to look back and see what an amazing year it's been and what we can keep doing to continue to highlight female riding culture and how BADASS we ladies are."
A U G U S T . Shauna
"I love meeting up with fellow enthusiasts and going on rides. I have a close group of rider friends who are always down to meet up spontaneously for a ride. I've made a lot of great friends since getting involved with the motorcycle community and have started to plan events that bring more of us together."
S E P T E M B E R . Karolina "Lola"
LOCATION: Dalmatian Coast, Croatia
BIKES: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650
"What I’ve recently discovered is the fact that I just simply love riding and I will attempt to ride each kind of motorcycle, without labeling (and limiting) myself to be a certain kind of a biker. Sometimes I want to cruise around on my Interceptor, look at the people, feed my soul with the beauty of dalmatian nature, and wear the retro-looking clothes, but sometimes I feel like hopping on the Ninja and losing myself in the focus of riding them twisties as technically as I can. The next big goal for the upcoming months is to go for some track days to develop skills and understanding of the bikes further."
O C T O B E R . Julie
What was your highlight of 2022?
The highlight for my riding calendar of 2022 was the 4,700km trip I did on my red PX200 in March. The furthest point was Silverton then riding back down through the winery region of SA to Bordertown then across to Horsham for a 1,000km Mille before riding back to Melbourne. Then doing another 1,500km ride a week later on my GTS300 vespa to Coolamon NSW with my Club members. I was a little exhausted after all of that.
Did you go on any road trips?
I have just returned from a VCM 5 day 1,200km round trip from Melbourne to Penola, SA It was cold, wet and extremely windy, but this didn’t stop us from having fun. We were well prepared with good wet weather gear and spare gloves. The pot holed back roads were a challenge also, but this was the first big ride I have been on since earlier in March when I rode to Broken Hill and nothing was going to stop me from doing this ride.
My next big ride will be on a Honda NMAX 150 touring Bali for 3 weeks with my husband over Xmas and the New Year.
Any cool moto news you want to share with us?
VCM will be holding our annual Charity Round the Bay ride on 18 December after a few cancellations the past couple of years. We expect up to 150 scooters for this one. We also have our first ever Vespa Club of Australia (VCoA) Australian Vespa Days 2023 3 day event to be held in Wangaratta in March. This will be a ride up to Wangaratta, but it will also be a ride for a couple of hundred vespa riders from all over Australia, which will be sensational.
N O V E M B E R . Tânia
Have you joined a riding group?
As I told in my "her story", this year I was a Petroleader at the Petrolettes' Lisboa Rally, which took place in June. And since then, the group has remained united and lively. We regularly do tours, where we bring together different women, of all ages, with all styles of motorcycles, united by the same passion. And the experience has been very good and happy.
Do you have any road trips planned for 2023?
I still don't have any trips scheduled, but this year I will definitely be traveling by motorcycle, whether alone or accompanied. Whether on vacation or weekends. It's what I love to do most, what makes me happy. I have some destinations in mind, such as Andaluzia in the south of Spain, the Picos of Europe and in my country, Portugal, areas that I really want to explore on a motorbike, such as Douro and Gerês. Let's see what next year has in store for me!
Any cool moto news you want to share with us?
Yes, I have wonderful news! I just launched a brand, with three friends, who share the same passion for motorcycles and freedom. We launched @wildheartsistersclub, with clothes for women with a soul and restless spirit like us and we are very focused and excited about this project, which we want to reach all the wild hearts in the world!
D E C E M B E R . Kimmy
"When I try to explain what I love most about motorcycles, I have to first explain what it feels like for me to ride one. And if you haven’t ridden a motorcycle before, you might not yet know. But there is a rawness to traveling by motorbike that you don’t quite get traveling any other way. There are no walls or windows or roof above your head. You feel every bump, crack, and twist in the road. The perfect summer days with the cool wind, or the tougher stretches through heavy rain, hail and snow. You feel, smell, hear, and see all of it. I believe that the vulnerability you have when you ride a motorcycle really forces you to have an increased awareness of your surroundings, which completely changes how you see and experience things. I could travel the same road ten different times by car, but it always feels like the first time by bike."
We would like to say a huge thank you to all the riders who took part in our Her Story blog series for 2022. You are all truly amazing and we are so very proud to share these stories with our readers.
If you are a reader and want to share your story please do get in touch via the link below.
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