No matter their motivation, female bikers are embracing the pastime in history-making droves. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council's 2012 owner survey, 6.7 million (or 25 percent) of the 27 million U.S. bike operators are women. Whether physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, soccer mamas or whomever they may be, a growing stable of today's ladies is leading the charge into the ironhorse realm. Devoted wives/moms/professionals in their daily lives, these women aren't afraid to buck convention (translation: jump full throttle into a traditionally male-dominated space) and (quite unapologetically, thank you very much) snag their piece of the open-road pie. Here, we introduce you to 10 such area riders who are doing just that. Smart, successful, self-confident and sweet as can be, these local ladies are also 100 percent bad to the bone.
Amber Terry
Vice Presidentof Sales
KTM 200 XC
When it comes to riding, Amber Terry has earned her stripes. Starting with high-performance sport motorcycles at age 16, Terry since graduated to street bike riding and touring, road racing and off-road racing, which falls into two categories: cross-country and endurance. Since 2006, she's won nine championships spanning the various series. But she's nothing if not humble about her hardcore achievements.
"When I switched from street riding and road racing to dirt, I thought I was going to be a badass. But I wasn't. I was an amateur like everyone else," Terry said. (An "amateur," however, who caught on very fast.) "I love that you get to make all these discoveries as you improve. It's a neat experience to be at this age and still be able to learn new things."
Besides sojourning to some of the "most beautiful places" in Texas, Terry also loves the competitive outlet that racing provides.
"When you put your helmet on, you're 100 percent focused on what you're doing at the moment," she said. "That's not something you can experience very often."
Deborah Kernan
CriminalDefense Attorney
Harley-Davidson Street Glide
A demanding law career plus two kiddos ages 13 and 11 equals a jam-packed agenda. But that doesn't stop Deborah Kernan from springing onto the saddle. If anything, it inspires the Parker County resident to ride her Glide on a regular basis.
"It's empowering, it's invigorating, it's freeing, and it's a great way to reflect and let go of all the stress of work," said Kernan, who got her motorcycle license in November 2012 and started riding solo in February 2013. "But most of all, it's just a blast. A lot of times, I ride to work and take the long way home, which takes me about two to three hours. Man, by the time I get home, I'm good to go."
Kernan and two riding buddies (also women - one a certified registered nurse anesthetist and the other a top-level telecom exec) biked to Big Bend for a five-day stay in April. "We had a great time," Kernan said. "It was the ultimate girls" weekend."
Male or female, the bond between riders is immediate and crisscrosses all lines, she says. "It's automatic kinship. No one cares what you do for a living. Everybody is there to ride," she said. "It's so nice."
Jessica Johnson
IT ProjectManager
Royal Enfield G5 Electra
If you frequent West Seventh in Fort Worth, you've likely spotted Jessica Johnson tooling around on her Royal Enfield. She snapped up the cycle in December 2012 and has been nearly glued to it since. "Before that, I hadn't really ridden a bike," said Johnson, who "got the fever" after her brother bought one. "When I found this bike, I fell in love with it. It's different. It's kind of retro looking. It's a respectable-sized bike, but it's still manageable for me."
Like the rest of our ladies, Johnson cites "freedom" as a driving force behind her fascination with two-wheeled transportation. "There's also a strong sense of belonging and camaraderie that comes along with the [motorcycle] culture," she said. "No matter where I go, complete strangers come up to me and start conversations and invite me into their circle to hang and talk about bikes."
Barring any inclement weather, Johnson is quick to saddle up and cycle her heart out. "I put my purse and my computer bag on the back," she said, "and ride every chance I get."
Catherine Dikes
Ed.D., Educator
Harley-Davidson Sportster XL
The lone three-wheeler in our gang, Catherine Dikes bought her first Harley in 2008 and converted it to a trike. "It was out of sheer necessity," she said of her purchase decision, which happened purely on a whim. "I bought the bike to keep up with my husband, who had bought a Big Bear Chopper. No way was he going to have all the fun! Now I could join him on rides with my own set of wheels."
All it took was a little research and a quick test ride to hook Dikes on trikes.
"I learned to drive a stick-shift when I was a teenager, so learning to shift gears on the bike was a cinch," the Hurst resident said. "The steering was easy, parking was a breeze, no balancing act to contend with, and I could drive fast and feel the wind in my hair."
That open-air feeling - coupled with the "fun, adventure, people, places and overall experience - still has her hopping atop her Harley as often as possible.
"You see new things, smell fresh air and feel adventurous. When you ride, you think of nothing else but what a great ride you're having," she said. "What's not to love about that."
Deborah Knowlton
Contract Administrator
Harley-Davidson Road King
A full-time staffer at a local commercial and residential services group, Deborah Knowlton goes the extra mile to get the job done. But on select weekends, she happily jettisons her files for miles of a different sort. Over the past two decades, in fact, the Mansfield resident has ridden pillion (on the back seat) with her husband of 35 years, Bruce.
"It's not an everyday thing for us. We do it three or four times a year - just get on the bike and go," she said of their Hill Country excursions. "We like to putter on the back roads and look around. … You don't think about work, the kids, what you need to do at home. It's so relaxing to just let go."
It's the freedom of riding unenclosed (vs. being cramped up in a car) that lures her - as well as the chance to spend some quality time with her main man.
"I'm kind of a pipsqueak so I've never really wanted to drive. I'm not comfortable holding an 800-pound bike while on my tiptoes," Knowlton said. "But I like the big, heavy bikes and the comfort you have. So I'm perfectly happy in the passenger seat, sitting behind Bruce, hanging onto his belt loop and going where he goes. That's part of the joy too."
Lisa Jennett
LandscapeCompany Owner
Harley-Davidson Custom Deluxe
To be sure, "going fast is very appealing," but motorcycling's mystique runs much deeper than MPH, according to lifelong rider Lisa Jennett.
"It's a leveling thing; everybody is the same," Jennett said. "It doesn't matter if you're an attorney, a physician, a landscaper. Everybody is part of the fraternity, the sorority. Nobody talks about what they do for a living - they talk about their greatest ride, longest ride, scariest ride. It's all about what they do with their bikes."
And what Jennett does with hers is escape from the everyday. With husband Tank aboard his Harley Ultra Classic, the couple take to the less-traveled roads, turn up their stereos and just chill.
"Nobody can get to me. It's just the noise of the music and the noise of the pipes," she said. "One of the coolest things is you smell everything: wildflowers to dead animals, you smell it all. And you get every single temperature change, from cool to intense heat. Everything that's going on is right in your face. And you're not destination driven; you don't care when you get there."
Kim Briggs
General Manager
Harley-Davidson Street Glide
A motorcycle enthusiast since she was a young girl riding a homemade mini bike, Kim Briggs parlayed that passion into a profession. General manager at Fort Worth Harley-Davidson, Briggs says she's seen the number of women riders like her increase markedly over the past decade.
"It's a huge sport for women, and it's grown so much over the last 10 years," she said. "It's a great way for women to let down their stress levels and be empowered to feel strong, to feel capable and to express themselves with the customizing they can do, what they can wear. It also gives them a sense of connection - not just to other bikers but to the world we live in."
That "we" factor is a big draw for both sexes, she notes.
"It's a brotherhood of two - or three - wheels. Male, female … it doesn't matter," Briggs said. "I have men come up to me and ask about my motorcycle, what rides I have scheduled. Suddenly we're on the same playing field."
Kathleen Garza
Art Specialist
Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster 72
An avid backseat rider in the "90s, Kathleen Garza packed up her motorcycle gear after the birth of her first child. But with her two daughters now grown and more time to do things she's never done before, Garza is back in the saddle - and this time she's in the driver's seat. The Fort Worth ISD art specialist got her motorcycle license in April and scooped up a "sparkly purple" Sportster the following week.
Whether you're in the front seat or the back, though, the camaraderie of the motorcycling community, Garza says, is nothing short of spectacular.
"I think the impression that many people have of bikers is that they're troublemakers or unsavory characters. But in all the years I've been riding, I've never met a rider who's been that way. They're the nicest people you'd ever meet," she said. "It's almost like a brotherhood. If you have a bike, you're part of it. … It doesn't matter who you are. You have the love of riding on two wheels."
Regena Whaley
Retired
Suzuki V-Strom
When she was 13, Regena Whaley asked her dad for a motorcycle. "He got me a 400cc Kawasaki, and I learned to ride on my own," Whaley recalled.
Now 40 years hence, and Whaley doesn't just ride on her own. A certified rider coach for Harley-Davidson, she also teaches others the art of motorcycling. "It's really neat to see people who don't think they can make it, make it," said Whaley, who's retired from a state job but has been in the military reserves for 20 years.
Her favorite thing about riding: the freedom and independence. "It's just you and the bike. When you're riding, you have to think about what's down the road or around the next curve," Whaley said. "There's no room for the burdens and tears of what's going on in your life because you're always looking ahead and around you and engaging in your environment."
As for being a woman rider/instructor, yes, she gets the occasional eyebrow raise, but it doesn't faze her one bit.
"A lot of men think you shouldn't be riding or shouldn't be teaching. But it's a sport for everyone," she said. "I'm a woman who drives a car, rides horses, loves dogs and, yes, I ride motorcycles. And with the women, they say, "Wow, you can ride that? I could never ride that." And I say, "Yes you can. If this is your dream, you can do it.""
Emily McLaughlin
Physician
Harley-Davidson 1200 CustomSportster
And finally, Emily McLaughlin, our freedom-loving, "girly biking" physician, enjoys nothing more than revving up her Harley for a weekend trek with husband Jeff and his H-D Heritage Softail. His wife's passion for their pastime, however, garnered Jeff a very special addition to their personal fleet two years ago.
"I got him a custom bike for his 60th birthday: a Dirico Speedster. The Dirico is made by a company owned in part by [rock star] Steven Tyler," she said. "As a hardcore, lifelong Aerosmith fan, a bike in the garage signed by Steven Tyler is almost too much to think about. Sometimes I just want to go out there and sit on it."
As for whether any of these 10 lovely ladies intends to hang up her helmet anytime soon and retreat from two-wheeled rolling, we think Mr. Tyler's über-famous power ballad sums it up best …
Dream on.
