Harley Davidson

November 7, 2014

10 Year Harley-versary

This fall marked 10 years since I bought my first Harley-Davidson.

10 Years

Harley-Davidson has been in my blood since I was little.   The loyalty to Harley bloomed early on, thanks to my dad.

Live To Ride

Ride To Live

Those words signed every letter written between my dad and I.   Harley-Davidson was the only connecting piece for a period of time.

In some ways, it still is.

Harley’s; the lifestyle, the dream, the freedom.  It goes much deeper for me.  It isn’t about being a woman and “hearing me roar”.   It isn’t about making a statement.

Harley-Davidson is me.

Harley-Davidson is us.

I made a promise to myself that I would buy my first Harley as soon as I graduated with my Bachelors degree.   And I held to that promise.

October, 2004, my first beautiful blue baby came into my world.

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And my world forever changed.

In that first year of riding, I met some INCREDIBLE people.  Several of these folks remain a very large part of my life to this day, one even a best friend.  My Best Biker B!tch. ❤

I learned a lot about myself that first Harley year.   That open road… I’m telling ya.

It does magical things.

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I also learned that I looked like a dude with short hair and a do-rag.  Buying my first Harley also meant it was time to grow back out the hair.

I kept my Sporty until 2008, when I traded her in for a bigger, meaner, faster bike.  Why?  Because my Sporty was becoming uncomfortable.   And, because my boyfriend, now husband, had bought a new Chopper and I was immensely jealous of the newness and the attention his bike got.  I wanted a head turner too, darnit.

Enter Harley #2: The Rocker C.

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She was a beauty.   She was fun to ride in the city.  And she got a lot of head turns with her “floating” back fender.  People were intrigued.  This was a new venture for Harley-Davidson.  It was a risk.   They were following the Chopper trend and attempted to make one of their own.

Just look at the big back tire.   Be still my heart.

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I loved riding that thing.  It was fun riding around the city.  It hugged the corners on the back roads.  It had some get-up-and-go.   People asked me a lot of questions.

And then we went to Sturgis.

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And Clint proposed.

This has nothing to do with the Rocker C itself, but, I can’t start a post about my love of Harley-Davidson and not include this incredibly precious and important moment in my life.

Clint and I bonded over bikes.  Our friendship began thanks to the two-wheeled lifestyle.  He and I never would have established a relationship, or even met for that matter, if it hadn’t been for two-wheels.   Remember when I said my love of Harley goes so much deeper?

Well, it just keeps getting deeper.

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Let’s go back to that Rocker now.    After Sturgis?

I HATED it.

Dude.   That ride sucked.  That seat sucked.  That suspension could take a hike.

I was SO OVER IT.

Sorry, baby #2, but you’ve gots-ta-go!

Time to make room for my beautiful, sexy, old-school Baby #3.

My Softail Deluxe.

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swoon.

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I am in love with Baby #3.  She and I are going to have a long relationship.

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I mean, she married me off, after-all.

I love my two-wheeled babies.  I love the life it has given me.  I love the people I’ve met.  I love everything that is Harley-Davidson.

It isn’t the brand to me.

It IS me.

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Cheers!

September 12, 2014

Women of Harley: Lora J.

Harleys & Heels | Biker Bitch Feature #4 | Lora J.

 

Meet: Lora J.

 

Lora J
1. How long have you been riding?

I grew up on mini bikes, but I was always just a little scared of riding back then.  When I was 18, my husband would let me give him rides on his dirt bike.  On Mother’s Day, seven years ago, I got my first bike and have been riding my own ever since.

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Lora’s First Bike

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2. What do you currently ride?

Harley Davidson Heritage Softail

Lora

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3. How many bikes have you owned and why did you choose your current model?

I have owned two bikes.  My first one was an 1100 V Star.   I have since purchased my Heritage Softail, which I got for a screaming great deal.   I kept my V Star for my 16 year old son who has now been riding a few years.

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Lora’s son on her V Star


4. Does your bike have a name?

I haven’t gotten around to my new bike.  Any ideas?


5. Tell us the story behind why/when you decided to ride your own bike.

I love riding my own bike and I feel more safe when I am in charge.   I actually had my first street bike before my husband got his.  I have always felt free riding my own bike. Riding is like Prozac.  It relieves a lot a stress.

Riding is something I had wanted to do for a long time, but I waited until my kids were old enough to watch themselves.  Kids first, riding second.

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Lora with some of her riding sisters.

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6. Do you have a biker who is your inspiration?

All women riders are my inspiration.  I have found that women tend to ride safer then men, and women always form a bond, no matter the age difference.

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7. What are some of you favorite things about the biker lifestyle?

The freedom.

Meeting new people.

Motorcycles are always a great ice breaker.   There is always a story.

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8. Give us one of your favorite two-wheeled stories.

My favorite two wheeled story was my first women’s trip with about 20 ladies.  The oldest was 66 and the youngest 32. We rode to Wisconsin, got rained on and ended up drying our clothes out at a Casey’s along the way.   We rolled into the Dells in matching shirts and people everywhere wanted to take our pictures with them.   It was my first time to go on a trip on my bike with only women.

Our trip was full of adventure.  We had a couple ladies wreck, we lost stuff along the highway, people left their blinkers on (apparently this makes a few ladies really bitchy).  For the record, it wasn’t my blinker, but it was a lesson!  I now always make sure my blinkers are off and I learned how to ride in formation.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience.

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9. What advice would you give other females who are thinking about riding their own?

My advice would be:

  1. If you lay your bike down get back on.  
  2. Don’t buy a brand new bike to begin with get a nice used one.
  3. Ride alone on less populated back roads so you can get in uninterrupted practice.
  4. Never let your bike get dusty.

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Lora and DeAnn


10.  There are many “Biker Codes” out there. If you had a favorite what would it be? Or, if you were to add your own code, what would you say?

Always ride like a lady.  Keep it classy, girls.

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11. Final words?

Ride every chance you can, you never know when it might be your last.

Lora 5

 

Cheers!

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Keep up-to-date on all Biker Bitch Features:

#1: Ashley H.

#2: Jen M.

#3: Chris Y.

 

You might also be interested in:

The 9th Annual B!tch Ride

The Making of the Biker B!tch Crew

 

Follow Harleys & Heels on Facebook!

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September 10, 2014

Cheers to Year 3!

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Happy Anniversary to the guy who makes my heart the happiest,

the one who gets me to smile the largest,

and the one who allows me to love the deepest.

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Cheers to many more years of love and laughter.

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Links to Our Wedding Recaps:

Our Harley Davidson Wedding Part One

Our Harley Davidson Wedding Part Two

September 5, 2014

Women of Harley: Chris Y

Harleys & Heels | Biker Bitch Feature | Chris Y.

Meet: Chris

 

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1. How long have you been riding?

45 years

2. What do you ride?

2003 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider

 

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3. How many bikes have you owned and why did you choose your current model?

3 bikes

4. Does your bike have a name?

No .. I think that’s silly.

 

5. Tell us the story behind why/when you decided to ride your own bike?

I was never a girlie girl like my older sister.  Riding dirt bikes was far more appealing and began riding with my dad and brothers at a very young age.   I always rode dirt had a 50, 70 and 125 Honda, then added on Yamaha, Bultacos and Benellis.  I also rode a Yamaha 500 TT.  That thing had a compression release that if you didn’t get the head in the right position to kick start it would throw you clean off.   At the age of 16 I was legal to take the bike out on the streets, however, the first love always took me back to the dirt. 

Fast forward several years after teaching and riding dirt with my son.   It would take me too long to recover from riding and he was getting to be the age where being with your mom was not cool.  So, I decided to get me a street bike and landed with a Harley. They said that once you sit on a certain bike you will feel it.  So, off I went to kick some tires with one of my brothers at Dillon Harley-Davidson.  I must have sat on almost every bike there. I felt the “aha” moment when I sat on my 2003 Dyna Low Rider.  I said in an instant “I’ll take this one”.  Lately I have been looking at Street Glides. Maybe next year?
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6. Do you have a biker who is your inspiration?

My Dad and older brothers

7. What are some of you favorite things about the biker lifestyle?

  • Biker always have your back.
  • The looks.   What?  A girl riding her own bike? 
  • Freedom and empowerment

 

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8. Give us one of your favorite two-wheeled stories.

1) I remember being the only girl in Council Bluffs, IA that rode her own bike and the guys would always want to ride. Of course, I always responded with “If you let me ride yours”.   Their response?

“I don’t have one”

2) I have fond memories of riding dirt bikes down by the river with my dad and brothers when I was a kid.   I remember trying for the first time to cross a 2X4 board that was across the stream, and I didn’t make it. Needless to say, I got the bike out but was muddy from head to toe. All you could see were the whites of my teeth and eyes.  

I have many other stories, but those stand out the most to me.

 

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Chris and her son when he first started riding at age 7.  He is now 20.

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9. What advice would you give other females who are thinking about riding their own?

 I say go for it. Do NOT wait for a man to take you riding. But don’t start riding for the wrong reasons.  Believe me when I say that you can tell if a person (man or woman) is comfortable on a bike by the way they ride.  Don’t let anyone stop you if its what you want. But don’t get cocky once you start riding.  You may ride well, but don’t get over confident.

Remember: it’s not IF you go down, its WHEN.

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Chris Y 1


 

10.  Final Words?

Ride and ride like you stole it. Don’t wait. Just do it. Before you know it you’re old and standing there saying “I should have or could have”.

Not this chick.  I did it.

I love to see women riding.  When I first starting riding as a kid, there were none.   Now there are many.  I call them my wind sistas. 

 

chris y 8

 

 Cheers!

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Keep up-to-date on all Biker Bitch Features:

#1: Ashley H.

#2: Jen M.

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A Few Words From Jordan:

I have to take a moment to echo Chris’ words.  The biggest piece of wisdom given to me when I first started riding a Harley years ago:

There are two types of bikers: 

Those that have been down and those that are going down.