Profile of a Female Motorcyclist: Meet Julie

Our next fabulous lady rider is Julie from Moorhead, MN. She is serious motorcyclist with some very valuable advice! Julie is active on Twitter — a must follow. Find her here @bonnyface. Julie also has a blog, One Wild and Precious Life where she writes about her travails and triumphs of a newbie Harley rider.

Julie and her 2009 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL883C

How long have you been riding a motorcycle?  I started riding in 2009, so this is my 4^th season.

How did you learn to ride? I took the Rider’s Edge course at a Harley-Davidson dealership.

What was your first motorcycle? 2009 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL883C

How many have you owned? Just the one. So far.

Why did you want to ride a motorcycle? I repeatedly saw another woman riding on my way home from work. I decided if she could do it, I could do it. And no better time than right now.

Tell us about your riding.  I am an everyday rider. Due to circumstances, I have been without a car for two years now. I ride my motorcycle everywhere, in darn near any weather. I use it for daily commuting, running errands, and out of town trips – both business and joyrides.

What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle? If you have any nagging thought that you want to try this, go take a course. No shame in taking a course and deciding this isn’t for you. But find out. Don’t say “I wish I had…”  Also, there’s a saying – “Ride Your Own Ride” – which is good advice. You can get a lot of opinions from a lot of different places, but you’re the one that is going to have to ride the bike, the road, the rally. Take some time and figure out what you’re comfortable with. Know your limits. And don’t just “go along for the ride.” Make your own decisions.

What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle? Sturgis. It’s only about 500 miles one way, so it’s not that big as far as “epic” rides go. But there is some epic country between here and there that makes it a great ride.

Do you belong to any motorcycle groups? Not really. I’m a member of HOG, but not a local chapter. I have a group of friends on Twitter that are riders. I value their (varied) opinions and recommendations. But for the most part, I ride alone.

Do you have a favorite riding story? The very first day of the very first time I went to Sturgis, I was having breakfast at the motel. Sitting next to me was an older lady and her daughter. We started chatting and I found out that she was Gloria Struck. She was there because she was being inducted into the Sturgis Hall of Fame. She was 84-years old and had ridden from New Jersey. Her goal when she turns 90 is to ride the perimeter of the US. I really had no idea who she was, but she was very welcoming and encouraging. When I did some research later, I was absolutely blown away by my chance meeting. She’s a living legend.

What do you do when you’re not riding? Sit at a computer. 🙂 I work with websites, blogs, and podcasts – both personally and professionally.

Julie and Harley!

P.S. Ladies if you’d like to be featured, leave a comment and I’ll grab your email address and send you the questions!