FIU Magazine issue 1

Personally, there’s no cell phone, no
music or other distractions that interrupt
this timeless magic on my motorcycle; just
the smells and the excitement of the ride.
No matter how long or how short the ride is,
I look forward to ‘time in my helmet’. Mostly
I’m riding with my besties, so a doublewhammy
happy place!
Whilst riding is often about independence,
I appreciate the brotherhood and sisterhood
of the biking community. When I first started
riding with a club as a single women in my
twenties, I was respected, treated equally
and at the same time looked after so well
– without feeling inferior. There was no
intimidation, just a bunch of like-minded
people with the same crazy desire to ride
and have fun! I welcomed the support and
still ride with that core group today. My club
celebrates 30 years this year and the same
people I met then, are still riding with the club
– from strangers to friends; these people are
now my family. I’m so proud to call them that!
I realised that if you can master your
motorcycle, you can master anything. It
changed my entire way of thinking and my
outlook on the world that I too encouraged
more women to ride. Women on motorcycles
are a beautiful and powerful thing!
The last 26 years of riding, I have been
involved with many riding communities
including official dealership chapters,
cruiser riding communities locally and
internationally.
In 2000, I started a riding academy with
renowned Grant McCleery at Gerotek which
we ran for 10 years. I sat on the board of
AMID (Association of Motorcycle Importers &
Distributors) representing Harley-Davidson
SA. I was involved with Cancervive as Lead
Rider for many years. Over the years I got
involved with adventure riding & tours, and
later on Enduro clubs and tours – locally
and internationally. I’m deeply grateful for
the privilege of being fully involved in the
motorcycle fraternity.
I have arranged and attended motorcycle
launches over the years, it even took me to
Sicily two years ago to test ride a new cruiser
tyre for Metzler. There is so much that
encompasses the moto-life that riding and
being part of the riding fraternity becomes
your life – could a girl get any luckier?
So why all this banter? Well – we now
have a dedicated column to share all things
relevant for biking ladies embracing things
like biker fashion, perceptions, where to go
& what to do from a beginner to an advanced
level with simple riding tips and anything
that we find hip and happening!
Oh and if there’s anything you a woman
need to know – feel free to reach out, that’s
what we are here for! See you on the road x