S a s h a   M u l l i n s

August 2000

Lady Bikers, divas on the open road. Why do we possess an unbridled passion for riding motorcycles? How do we possess the strength, fortitude and independence necessary to straddle thunderous horsepower for endless miles, through the most difficult riding situations, facing inclimate weather conditions and enduring impossible repair scenarios? The answer is sheer femininity.

"If they tell me I can’t do something just because I’m a woman, that makes me want to try all the more to prove I can," laughs entrepreneur and biker babe Playmate model, Malysa Wyse. She tosses her blond hair as she purses her lips together and coyly reflects upon her statement. Sitting sidesaddle in a brand new Harley-Davidson that she’s thinking of adding to her collection, her long legs cross and a booted foot assuredly taps the air of confidence surrounding the vivacious southern belle.

Malysa grew up in Pensicola, Florida, riding dirt bikes, which spawned her love for two-wheeled travel. At six-years-old, she built her first mini-bike with her brother, Dennis. Malysa’s mother, Inez, had always supported her daughter’s love for motorcycles. "I just see you shine when you get on that bike," her mother would say while handing Malysa her helmet as she strolled out the door for a ride.

"A lot of guys think a woman’s place is on the back. Some men believe women can’t ride and I say, ladies, get out there and ride because once you do, you’ll love it." Malysa’s hobbies include repairing and designing motorcycles, deep-sea fishing, and helicopter-flying lessons. Her dream is to have a garage stocked with every tool ever made. She also enjoys interior decorating and marketing. Her love for motorcycles combined with her genius marketing efforts landed her the role of spokesperson for Pro-Long Super Lubricants, All Harley Drag Racing, Titan Motorcycles, Milwaukee Motorclothing and others.

Destined to make her point as a strong and beautiful female biker, Malysa decided to pursue her dream to create a biker babe pictorial with Playboy. The idea of combining a woman’s uninhibited beauty and strength with the raw power and grace of a motorcycle appealed to the enterprising Malysa. "I wanted to be a good leader and make a mark in the motorcycle industry as an accomplished female motorcycle rider." A mark she makes everywhere she goes as lines form past several vendor tables leading up to the Playboy booth where Malysa signs endless autographs. But after meeting literally thousands of people over the course of a rally, Malysa turns to riding to relax. "It gives me my time alone, it’s my sanctuary and gives me the freedom to daydream. You can do your best thinking on a motorcycle."

In the land of sunflowers, Black Hills and wild Badlands rides Pierre HOG Chapter Director, Leah Whaley. Statuesque at 5’10" Leah leans over into the bike’s right side mirror and checks her lipstick for bugs that may have met their death in the bright rosy glaze. "I don’t run with a windshield because I don’t like the look," laughs Leah as she reapplies some lip color.

Having racked 38,000 miles on her ‘98 Heritage Springer, Leah has more miles than a typical cage commuter. "I’m a rider," Leah proudly declares adding with a hearty laugh, "I loooove passing a man in a minivan because he’ll look over with an expression of ‘Oh s*&t’ when he sees me cruise by. Some folks think, ‘She’s riding all by herself? She’s either crazy or mean.’ I laugh because I’ve ridden for so long now that I’m used to traveling alone."

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Leah’s family migrated to South Dakota when she was five. Leah considers herself a true Midwesterner and connects with her surroundings. There is no road where Leah will not travel and she’s never concerned about traveling alone. Her first solo trip was a 2,000 mile journey to the Four Corners Rally. "I got a wild hair and just left. It was liberating, a true sense of empowerment."

It was love at first ride for Leah while passengering on the back of a blind date’s new ‘84 FLHS. Her first bike was a used ‘75 candy purple Electraglide that she bought when she was twenty-two. Her vivacious personality, excellent riding skills and Midwestern charm paved the path to becoming director of Pierre’s HOG Chapter, a position she has held for the past two years. Leah commands the roads on which she travels and loves to play host to riders visiting Pierre. "South Dakota is a rider’s paradise. We have roads that lead you through the most gorgeous places on earth."

Personalizing her bike and making it unique is important to Lori "Angel" Minor of Melbourne, Florida. In fact, she took her first bike, a Honda Rebel, and chopped it beyond foreign identification. As soon as she finally got her Harley-Davidson, a 1988 Sportster, she did the same thing. A work of rolling art created by her own hand and heart, with the help of some artistic mechanics.

But the modifications were not only aesthetic, they were functional to accommodate Angel’s young daughter, Sarah. Angel created a special safety belt that attaches around her waist and her daughter’s. She also modified a helmet to perfectly fit Sarah. Footpegs for her daughter’s small legs were bolted on top of the shock mounts, creating the perfect passenger setup for a little lady biker.

The spunky seven year-old, who began riding at eighteen months, can’t get enough and wants to ride every chance she gets, exclaiming, "I get to ride on the back and I get to be with my mommy!" Daytona Bike Week is the longest distance the ladies will ride until Sarah is older and able to endure more miles. Intimidation is a feeling this young lady has conquered long ago, at the teaching of her mother who also advises any new rider to, "Just get on the bike and ride. You can’t be intimidated. Riding is such a great thing to do. There’s nothing like it."

Angel, a single mom who works full-time running a computer software office, seeks her freedom riding at night embraced in the scent of Florida’s tropical flowers and fruits. Living in a year-round riding climate, mother and daughter attend charity runs and countless biker gatherings and events. "Riding is a wonderful bonding experience with friends. Never have I met such great people as bikers. They’re better than some Christian people I know because bikers will do anything for you, men and women alike."

The roar of a Harley is an invitation for all to saddle up in the Marafioti family, where mother, father and children ride their own. Diane Marifioti encouraged riding to her kids early on when she would saddle up all three young daughters with her to the grocery store on the banana style seat of the family ‘69 FLH. Today, Diane, who can flawlessly apply lipstick while in a full-face helmet, rides an ’85 FLHT. The Marifioti’s love for motorcycles spawned the American Motorcycle School in New York, where mother Diane, daughter Christine and Diane’s sister, Lee are MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) instructors. Mother and daughter are also licensed pyrotechnicians and enjoy sky diving.

It was a cold October day in 1981 when sixteen-year-old Christine went for her motorcycle and car license. The motorcycle test was a breeze, but the car road test she flunked. But no matter—she soon met the love of her life, a ‘79 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead Lowrider, affectionately named Gandalf, still her main steed today. The ambitious teen took her first solo trip to Texas at nineteen where she arrived a diva on her Harley, loud drag pipes and New York plates. Many miles in the saddle as an adventurous young woman provided a sturdy teaching foundation for later on.

The Marifioti’s enjoy teaching men and women students alike. "The exhilaration and passion for riding strikes the same chord in women as it does in men," explains Christine. Women naturally have the balancing power in their hips, akin to the center of gravity in the saddle. "Women can choose to ride any bike they want! With a few simple and inexpensive modifications, you can make any bike fit," says Diane. The Marifioti’s teach maneuvering skills that abolish the need to have brute strength to manipulate several hundred pounds of metal. Although their female students come from different walks of life, they seem to have a common reason why they want to learn to ride, "It’s about freedom, power and control."

Genevieve Schmitt’s collective talent as a television producer, on-air reporter, editor and writer has been creatively woven into her new role as Editor of the new magazine Woman Rider, a sister publication to Rider Magazine, American Rider Magazine and ThunderPress.

The riding bug first bit ten years ago while working as a segment producer on Good Morning America. The segment was "Career Women Owning Their Own Motorcycles." Unfamiliar with the sport, Genevieve rounded up fifteen women riders to feature on the show. During taping, the feeling of freedom and empowerment crept into the unconventional, creative producer. As she taped their riding tales, she knew that she would become one of them. Her first bike was a Honda Shadow.

Next would be a magenta colored Sportster to reflect her giant enthusiasm about getting her first Harley. Genevieve wanted the world to hear the rumble and see her gliding in the wind with her long brunette hair sailing. A picture of catch me if you can. Her current ride is a chromed and magged ‘94 limited edition Dyna Lowrider. Genevieve's first solo trip was an adventure and quest to conquer traditional modes of thinking that a woman shouldn’t travel alone. "I love the word empower and that’s what motorcycling is all about."

Squashing the stereotypical TV/cable reporter image and defining an untapped production niche, Genevieve also lets her hair down each week as an on-air reporter for Speedvision’s "Bike Week." She embraces all types of motorcycles and sees women riders as a sisterhood. "The common bond is not the brand but the fact that we ride." And this fact is the basis of Women Rider Magazine. Genevieve’s favorite road trip is to explore old ghost towns with her dear friend and riding companion, Betsy. "Ghost towns give a sense of people blazing trails." And trailblazer defines Genevieve as she creates community, bringing female motorcyclists to the forefront of the industry in her role as editor of Woman Rider Magazine.

Eleven thousand miles in eleven days is poetry in motion to Phyllis Lang, a veteran competitor in the Iron Butt Rally billed as the world’s toughest motorcycle competition. The endurance rally, held every two years, requires extreme mental focus and physical stamina. Phyllis, a mother of five children and grandmother to eight, rode her first Iron Butt challenge in 1993 on a restored Sportster after reading about the rally in a magazine.

Before the Iron Butt, her longest trip was 900 miles from her Pennsylvania home in 1989 to the Women on Wheels rally in Ames, Iowa. Originally planned as a foursome, three of the ladies cancelled last minute. Unfazed, Phyllis was determined to make the ride. Not wanting to hear a discouraging word, she didn’t tell a soul about her intended solo journey until the night before she left. Her surprised husband made her call every couple of hours while he followed her journey on a map. "I just had the best time all by myself out there." That was the beginning of her long distance love affair.

Eventually, Phyllis traded in the Sportster for a brand new ‘94 Dyna Glide—a motorcycle that could, according to Harley literature, "be ridden long and hard." 74,000 miles and two more Iron Butt Rallies later, Phyllis traded it in for a ‘98 Dyna Super Glide which now has 27,000 miles including miles from last year’s Iron Butt. Phyllis uses her motorcycle as her main form of transportation and shuns any reference to a "cage." Nathan, one of her grandsons, purposely misses the bus so grandma can ride him to school on the back of her Harley. "I’m the only kid that rides to school on his grandma’s Harley."

The rumble of the engine keeps Phyllis company during the endless miles of her long distance affairs. "What I love most about riding is when you and the bike are one; it becomes a part of you and you’re out there in the environment, you’re part of it, not in a capsule going through. You see, hear and smell things that you don’t experience in a car."

Equestrian, model, actress and stunt lady, Brenda Fox, rides a Fat Boy like a café sport-racing bike. Her clever riding talents are second nature and never cease to amaze people. "When guys catch up to me and they see that I’m a woman, they think, ‘Oh my God,’" Brenda giggles. But motorcycle riding was a natural progression for Brenda, a former equestrian championship rider.

Brenda evolved from an equestrian stampede to an iron steed. As a model and actress her agent didn’t want her to ride, so Brenda hopped on an ATV. She became so good at riding the three wheeler she began racing them. Becoming a championship ATV rider, she was asked to race cars. It wasn’t long before she would finally ride an iron horse.

"I’ll show you babe!" said Brenda. "How hard could it be, one down and four up?" she thought. Her date called her bluff and stepped off the bike. "I took this custom Softtail with ape hangers and just started riding." Brenda coaxed the iron animal to bond with her. Riding horses made riding bikes come naturally for Brenda because the center of gravity is the same. Her first bike at 25-years-old was a Shovelhead with ape hangers and a kick-start. The bike died at all the intersections and the gas had to be feathered because of a funky carburetor. "All I knew how to ride was a difficult bike, so after that everything else was really easy."

As a sought after model for various custom bike builders, an actress and stunt women, Brenda keeps herself active and in the spotlight. Riding across a movie set on the way to the make up trailer Brenda was told, "you’re so glamorous, Brenda, and now you look like a tom-boy." She was shocked, but then thought about the comment. "Riding is a duality. I like to have the ability and knowledge to know my engine and work on it if I need to. But if I just had a manicure done, I’ll have someone else detail my bike for me."

Behind the successful H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) Tales publication is managing editor and avid rider, Christine Sperling. Blessed with a job that combines wind and word, the tall, willowy, soft spoken beauty travels to rallies around the globe meeting thousands of H.O.G. members. "I’m grateful for the opportunity to ride to events and meet so many people who share my love of the sport and the Harley-Davidson brand."

It was her father who first inspired Christine to ride a Harley. Together they rode to Sturgis on H.O.G.’s Run to the Fun in 1998. Her first solo trip, however, turned into a "getting lost" ride due to a construction detour and series of wrong turns. A frightening predicament cruising around country back roads trying to find a town to quench a low fuel tank with darkness descending turned into a sense of peace for Christine. "The golden glow of my motorcycle’s lights gave me a feeling of serenity that I’ll never forget, and somehow I knew I was going to be okay."

Inhaling the scents, feeling the temperature changes and being a part of the environment is what Christine finds most pleasurable about riding. She finds it inspiring to work at a company where her passion and belief in its products are shared by "family," the employees. "One of the neatest things about working at Harley-Davidson is the camaraderie of riders that exists not only among its customer base, but among its employees as well."

The number of ladies riding Harley-Davidsons has grown significantly over the past few decades. There are more than 70,000 H.O.G. members who have Ladies of Harley (LOH) affiliation. Christine notices more women riding their own motorcycles, and more riding the Big Twins. "I think the involvement of women in the sport of motorcycling, whether as a rider or passenger, aboard any size bike, is a positive thing for the sport."

Inspiration from riding a Hog is usual commentary. But inspiration shines in the smile and gregarious personality of Michelle Dell, the 31-year-old proprietor of New York City’s favorite honky-tonk biker bar, Hogs & Heifers. A born and bred New Yorker, Michelle was raised by her single, loving, hippie mom who empowered her daughter and son with an incredible sense of independence and strength—the foundation for Michelle’s success as a talented rider and as a bar owner in a male dominated business.

Because Michelle owns a wildly successful establishment where many of her patrons are bikers, she thought it was high time to get her own bike – a life long dream. As soon as she got her license, she practiced on her boyfriend’s Fat Boy, riding from Manhattan’s lower west side up to Harlem and back. "I’m not at all intimidated riding in the city. You have to be aware, you have no choice but to pay attention and know that cab drivers are out of their minds," laughs Michelle, "You learn how to handle the busiest scenario, the craziest scenario and the most hectic, stressful situations. Then everything else after that is a cakewalk."

Michelle’s "virgin ride" on her new Dyna Super Glide was cause for celebration. Twelve close friends cancelled their plans and took her on a daylong drive through the country. "I was so excited to get my bike. We all had a blast that day. I work seven days a week and now whenever I get a chance to ride, I say, let’s go!" A cross-country trip is currently being mapped out for this summer. Her enthusiasm for riding has influenced several female patrons to saddle up on their own chrome.

The same principles that Michelle uses in her business life, applies to her riding, too. She looks to hire women bar maids who share a similar perspective as Michelle does about herself. "I look particularly to hire women who have a strong understanding of their power as women, of their femininity, yet they’re tough and strong, but sexy, brazen and sassy."

© 2000

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