I’m hankering for a ride. The weather will eventually catch-up to my dreams and I’ll be on two wheels again. In the meantime y’all who are riding enjoy!
Take a Dirt Road
See Where It Leads
Search for Adventure
See What’s Over the Hill
Take Your Shoes Off
And Play in a Stream
Run through the Woods
Be Wild and Free
Take a Break from the Chaos
Of Everyday Life
Take Some “Me” Time
To Discover the Sublime
And While Exploring the Back Roads
You Might Even Find
More of Yourself
Than You Ever Dreamed
Was Inside
~ The Traveler
My next guest stumbled across my blog and was totally excited about finding stories about other women motorcyclist! Yay! And she wanted to share her profile too. Fasten your seat belts we are flying to the other side of the world to Puhoi Village, Auckland, New Zealand to meet Polly Whimp a.k.a. Buellbunny … and yes, that is her really named!
Polly and her baby!
How long have you been riding a motorcycle? At least 10 years
How did you learn to ride? We have to go through a learner course to get a proficiency certificate, then a year (I think) learner license, a year on a restricted license (means you don’t have to have the L plate on the back and can ride at night and go over 70 km per hour!) and then finally your real license. It is all a learning experience … the way I learnt to ride was with my best mate and partner, an avid bikist for many moons.
Polly and her man – it is a rare occasion to find her on the back of a motorcycle!
What was your first motorcycle? My first bike was a Yamaha FZR 250… I hated it and thought it would kill me.
How many have you owned? I have owned 4 bikes. The Yamaha FZR 250, Honda VTR 250 (I got rid of the Yammy and got this one … FAB bike to learn on), a Buell 500 Blast and my Buell Firebolt XB9R.
Polly and friend Suzy
Why did you want to ride a motorcycle? I have always wanted to ride, but my parents said no, then when I got older my mother didn’t want me too, so I capitulated. She was frightened for me … then I had a baby, so I had to put up with the responsibilities rant … and then finally I decided enough was enough and off I went! I actually was a pillion for a while until the chap I rode behind nearly killed us by speeding and almost splatting into a turning truck. That was when I decided that I would rather be in control of my own bike and there was the beginning of my life as a motorcycle addict!
Tell us about your riding. I used to commute because it was the cheaper option, although, even on the bike it was always stressful being in motorway rush hours every day. My main use is pleasure and holiday riding now. My partner and I LOVE heading off camping … loading up the bikes with all manner of gear. The best ride was to the South Island of New Zealand … great roads, weather and places to stop!
At the start of a trip to the shores of Lake Rotorua
What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle? Go for it … but you have to be confident and make decisions quickly. Its not a thing for women who are timid on the road.
What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle? It was 3 weeks down to the South Island of NZ. My dream trip is the US and Canada.
Do you belong to any motorcycle groups? I do. Kiwibikers.co.nz and Fat Bikers Motorcycle Club for fun.
Polly at Arthur’s Pass
Do you have a favorite riding story? Every ride I have is great … but the South Island trip was the best … except for the day after crossing the Cook Straight and the weather turned foul. We got SO wet that we had to find a warm place to just get our stuff dry and warm up … we looked like drowned rats!
What do you do when you’re not riding? I am a designer and illustrator of kids books. We live on a rural property so another cool thing we like doing is getting out on the deck with a wine or sitting in the spa watching the stars.
Strap on your helmet, grab your jacket, gloves and boots because we are taking a trip to the other side of the world to meet our next lady rider! Pune, India to be exact so we can meet Firdaus Shaikh, nick name Dos, and on Twitter @EinsteinReload. She also writes for two blogs. One is an automotive blog and the other on topics Firdaus likes! Check them out: Autozing51’s Blog and TheWandererMind
Meet my new friend Firdaus!
How long have you been riding a motorcycle? I started riding a motorcycle at the age of 4. Back then I’d try the mini-bikes that my cousins would ride. Post that by the age of 7 I was riding scooters and then progressed to riding full-fledged motorcycles by the age of 10. However given that I come from India where women riding motorcycles was not a pleasant thought until a few years back, I managed to get myself a motorcycle only when I turned 22.
How did you learn to ride? I learned to ride via observation. No one taught me how to ride a motorcycle. I would observe my cousins while riding and one day just asked them what the various visible parts on the motorcycle did. Once my cousin told me what the functions of an accelerator and brake are, I was sorted. I soon figured things out and was riding without any guidance within 15 minutes of getting on the bike for the first time. I only faced one problem – I never learned how to brake well. I face that issue till date, but I am working on it 🙂
What was your first motorcycle? The Honda QR was my first motorcycle. I had to share it with my cousins though. But post that my Bajaj Pulsar 180 Classic is my first motorcycle. It took me a while to convince my mom to get me one, but I have loved it since the time I got it. In India higher cc motorcycles have been introduced legally just 3 years back, until then people would have to import higher capacity vehicles via the grey market. So for the longest time we Indians have been riding motorcycles under 250 cc. Back in the day when the Bajaj Pulsar 180 was launched, it was the most powerful machine one could get their hands on.
How many have you owned? I’ve owned two motorcycles so far- Honda QR and the Bajaj Pulsar 180 classic. However I like scooters too and have two of them. A 1987 Kinetic Honda and the TVS Wego. I prefer scooters during my daily commute to work as they are light weight and offer ample space while carrying groceries back home.
Why did you want to ride a motorcycle? A motorcycle is a symbol of freedom, expression, adrenaline and speed. And I have always been attracted to these things. Also motorcycling has been in the family for years, so it was pretty obvious that I would get attracted to it. Each time I’m astride my bike, it takes away all the stress. I guess it’s the dose of adrenaline that always works. Being rebellious, the motorcycle was also the obvious choice for me. Riding a motorcycle is like having a love affair with your bike, just that this affair always lasts a life time.
Tell us about your riding. I am a bit of all- commuter, tourer, stunter and racer. However commuter and tourer is where I focus more these days. Given the whether in Pune, touring is something most riders tend to enjoy, especially during the rains. And since in Pune, one cannot go places without a vehicle commuting also forms a big part of my biking. I don’t get to race very often since the race tracks are in another state down south and it is not always feasible fly down for the races.
What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle? For women who want to start riding motorcycles, I think they should by all means pursue their passion. People may come and tell you that a motorcycle is heavy- well that is the case for men as well. A motorcycle is heavy only when stationary, when it motion it is as light weight as it can be. About your feet not touching the ground or you tip-toeing the bike- you don’t have to ride the bike with your feet down! Just shed these thoughts and inhibitions and follow your heart.
Always remember to choose a motorcycle according to your riding style and comfort level. Try to get to know your machine and always ride with proper gear and most importantly don’t get bogged down. Ever.
What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle? The longest trip I’ve done so far is my journey from Delhi to Ladakh last year. It was 2000 km (approximately 1242 miles) long journey on a Royal Enfield which I organized with my club- The Bikerni. This ride was the first-of-its-kind in India, since never before has a ride of this magnitude with an all women biking club ever been done in India. We also registered the ride with the Limca book of records which is the like Guinness book of records for India. I was instrumental in planning, strategizing and implementing the plan with fellow Bikernis. It was a memorable ride since I had been wanting to ride to Ladakh for the past five years and the feeling of riding to Khardung-la, the highest motorable road in the world was mind-blowing.
Do you belong to any motorcycle groups? During my initial biking days I was a part of two motorcycle groups – RSA (Rubber Smoking Angels) this was a stunt and drag race group. I learned a lot about stunting here and it has helped in many ways over the years. The other group was Stunt Ride Gurlz, this was an all girl stunt group. I used to over see the events for this group. Unfortunately the group was dissolved a few years back.
I then co-founded The Bikerni with my friend Urvashi. In January 2013 The Bikerni turns 2 years old and this has been a major achievement for us! In the past year itself we have got tremendous response from the media and other biking clubs in the country. The Bikerni also represents the Indian chapter of WIMA (Women’s International Motorcycle Association). It is an online and offline club with a pan-India presence and over 120 members across India. We have regular club meets and rides and try our best to bring women with a passion for motorcycling together. It is our dream to make ‘The Bikerni’ one of the most popular and elite motorcycle club in the country.
Do you have a favorite riding story? Honestly no favourite riding story yet.
What do you do when you’re not riding? When I am not riding, I am usually working. I work as a PR and communications executive and handle quite a few automobile brands. Besides that I am an avid photographer, writer and a serial tweeter (pun intended). I love writing and motorsport. I make sure I don’t miss a single MotoGP or F1 race and actively tweet during the race as well. I love traveling and racing. I have worked as an auto journalist and during this stint have been extensively exposed to motorcycling. Have raced for dirt events, drag races and one-make events as well. I am one of the few women in India who have had the opportunity to ride almost all the superbikes available in the country – Honda, Harley, Suzuki, Ducati, Yamaha. I am yet to get my hands on the Aprilia, BMW and Triumphs though.
Below is the link to our TV show. This show documented the Bikernis ride to Ladakh. [Friends you need to take the time to watch this!]
Most of us know “R & D” stands for research and develop. Marketing people would say R & D stands for research and duplicate. Watch when new product hits the market, before you know it you begin to see their competition with a similar product. Yes. That is R & D. Don’t believe me? Snuggy. How many clones are out there now? Yup. That’s marketing R & D at its best.
So what’s my point? Have you been to Visited States Map? You click all the states you have visited and it generates a map that you can download. Here’s mine.
The States I have visited.
I would have created a map of the states I’ve been to on my motorcycle but that would have been lack-luster because it is only one. Well, I did cross the border into Wisconsin once, but I really didn’t “ride” the roads.
Back to R & D … this map thingy wasn’t my idea … I found it over on Adventurous Wanderings (I found Amy because she just started following my blog) who saw it on BikerMonkey who saw it on My Ride Blog. Kind of a blogging R & D. I now have three more blogs to check out and a desire to start a map with the states I’ve rode my motorcycle through!
How many states have you visited? Check out Visited States Map and let me know when you post your map. Cheers!
Have you seen the hottest motorcycle apparel from the Swedish company, Mo'Cycle? Motorcycle airbag jeans! What?! Yo… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…1 week ago
Helmet or Heels: I'm comfortable in either! 