All posts by Imir Leveque

Why I Ride… Jazzy

Why I Ride... JazzyvGrowing up as a child, I remember every summer standing near the gates watching the groups of motorcycles riding pass. I would stand there in awe up until the very last bike passed. I would then tell my best friend, “that’s gonna be me someday. Im gonna be the only female riding with the guys.” She would laugh and tell me how crazy I was.

As I got older, the passion to ride grew stronger and stronger. In 2004, my cousin had a terrible motorcycle accident. He actually died 3 times and was bought back. He suffered a fractured skull, broken neck, broken knee cap and broken elbow cap. Hospitals said he would never walk, talk, let alone ride again. I vowed at the time that the only way I would ride was if he survived and rode again. Through the power of prayer & family, he pulled through and started riding again. Cool.

Next on my list was to have my cousins best friend, now my President, teach me to ride. He agreed. Before he had a chance to start my lessons, he went down. Broke both of his fibulas. He swore off riding. Said he was done, would never touch another motorcycle. In my mind, down went Frazier. That was it. No riding for me. I would just buy a motorcycle for the sake of saying I had 1. A few months later, I go on fb and what do I see, this guy, now My President, had just brought a new motorcycle. Booooooooooom, I’m back on track.

I bought my motorcycle in 2011 and havent stopped riding since. It’s in me. It’s in my blood. I love riding.

Why I Ride… Jenn Brewington – Lil Tigger

Why I Ride... Jenn Brewington - Lil TiggerI ride because of the freedom! The freedom leaves me feeling like I can take on the world! It’s a great stress reliever. With speed added makes it even better! It’s a rush in my blood!

My bike is my best friend. It’s always ready, never late, no drama, no lies, gas and go! A friend that’s ready to keep me excited and full of fun!

Yes, I talk to myself and answer in my helmet time! Why not…I get to think of good and bad times. Problems and solutions…and what happens if I don’t return home.

Every ride becomes another learning experience. Every ride creates another reason to ride again!

Be careful they say…I say Pray and ride!

Why I Ride… Firecracker

Being the only girl with 4 brothers I was kind of forced to be a tomboy. I had to always compete and be better than them at everything just to get treated as somewhat of an equal with any level of respect. Also, being the only girl raised with 4 brothers I was very sheltered and wasn’t allowed to do anything without them.

Riding a motorcycle is the ultimate expression that as a girl I could do anything.
Fast forward a few years. I am now a young wife and mother so I didn’t get around to getting my motorcycle license until I was 25 years old.
I got my first bike in 2000 after giving birth to the last of my 4 daughters. Unlike most women who stop riding after giving birth, that’s when I really got started. Some people in my life made it a point to try to make me feel guilty about this, but no matter.

I ride because I was told that I couldn’t.

So me being the competitive woman I am I didn’t stop at just riding. I had to take it further. I would cross multiple state lines on a whim and I decided to take up endurance riding. I knew this was for me. So in October, 2014 I entered the Iron Butt Association’s Saddle Sore endurance challenge. This challenge requires you to ride 1000 miles in 24 hours. I completed the task in 18 hours and 19 minutes. I felt like I was on top of the world!

I ride because I can.

It’s therapy for me. It’s the only thing that I have that is just for ME. Being a full-time wife, mother, and employee, I have yet to travel all across the country, but hopefully that will change sooner than later. I’m looking forward to it. I know it’s coming. I think about it every day.

I ride for the love of the ride and for the freedom it provides.

Why I Ride… Angry Bird

Why I Ride... Angry BirdAfter obtaining my Bachelor’s degree, I had no desire to unite with classmates nor walk across a stage. I am a Loner and enjoy my own company.

After all that hard work and all the obstacles that I had overcome, I wanted to reward myself. My graduation gift to me was a motorcycle.

Apart from the obvious reasons of: low cost fuel efficiency, adventure, the dangerous exhilaration, the culture and camaraderie;

The reason why I ride is because of the mental fitness that riding provides.
My patience, strength, determination and stamina are all tested each time I get on 2’s. This mental fitness allows me to see what I am really made of.. helps me to broaden my views and expand my horizons, not take things for granted and also a great reminder that there is still some beauty in this world.. Whether it’s a sunrise, sunset, a river or a forest.
I ride to be be physically and mentally free!

ML&R

10 Motorcycle Safety Tips for New Riders

10 Motorcycle Safety Tips for New RidersMotorcycles are fun and fuel efficient. That’s not news to anyone who’s ridden one. But neither is the fact that they’re also way more dangerous than a car. The cold reality is that motorcyclists are 30 times more likely to die in a crash than people in a car, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). And nearly half of all motorcycle deaths are the result of single-vehicle crashes.

The numbers are even scarier for older riders, who are increasingly taking up or returning to motorcycling after many years. Because of slower reflexes, weaker eyesight, more brittle bones, and other disadvantages, riders over 60 years old are three times more likely to be hospitalized after a crash than younger ones.

Still, many enthusiasts enjoy a lifetime of riding without injury. The key to optimizing your odds is to be prepared and avoid risks. Keep in mind that 48 percent of fatalities in 2010 involved speeding, according to the IIHS, and alcohol was a factor in 42 percent. Eliminate those factors and you’ve dramatically reduced your risk.

Below are some more tips to help you stay safe on two wheels. Learn more in our motorcycle hub, buying guide, and in our reliability and owner satisfaction report.

1.  Don’t buy more bike than you can handle. If you’ve been off of motorcycles for awhile, you may be surprised by the performance of today’s bikes. Even models with small-displacement engines are notably faster and more powerful than they were 10 or 20 years ago.

When shopping for a bike, start with one that fits you. When seated, you should easily be able to rest both feet flat on the ground without having to be on tiptoes. Handlebars and controls should be within easy reach. Choose a model that’s easy for you to get on and off the center stand; if it feels too heavy, it probably is. A smaller model with a 250- to 300-cc engine can make a great starter or commuter bike. If you plan on doing a lot of highway riding, you might want one with an engine in the 500- to 750-cc range so you can easily keep up with traffic. (Before buying, see our report on motorcycle reliability and owner satisfaction.)

Check out the other 9 Safety Tips for New Riders at ConsumerReports.org

Where To Go For Advice

Dear Gemma

Dear Gemma,
I’m an independent rider. I hear so much about protocol and outlaw clubs that I’m always a little nervous when I go to a bike party. I’ve only gone when I’ve been invited by my friends. A few of them are in clubs. But I’m so afraid of doing something wrong and being approached by one of these men. I don’t mind learning but not sure who to ask because I’m not in a club. I hear club business is club business said often by my friends so I don’t even know if I can ask them.
Where To Go For Advice

Dear Where To Go,
It’s good that you want to learn to feel more comfortable in the motorcycle community. It’s not always easy for independent riders, and depending on the area, not all are welcome as civilians (non club members). It seems as if your area is accepting of the Indy rider. Now, being that you are around the patched (club) crowd you should know some fundamental protocol. Protocol is not inherently “club business.” For example; how many riders to start a club, how to ride in formation, the dominant (outlaw) club for your area, are basic information. Club business consists of specific material that pertains to that club, such as; what is spoken during church (meeting), how officers are elected, how many members in that club. You said you have friends already in clubs. Who ever you are most comfortable talking to, and who you think has a firm understanding of the rules that govern the community, that is the friend you ask questions of. There are also a few educational pages on social media that discuss protocol and traditions. Take what you hear and read and match it with what you see. Protocol in one area may vary when you travel into the next area. Do not be afraid to ask a question or to say you don’t know something. Do not get turned off if someone tells you that’s none of your business – at times what seems like an innocent inquiry may actually be club business. Watch and listen to everything going on around you – visual education can be just as enlightening as verbal education. Good luck. May your destiny take you to a better place.
Gemma

Why I Ride… Leggs

Why I Ride... LeggsI began riding in 1993, shortly after college. It’s kind of funny but I saw a woman in some track leathers and was bound and determined to have a pair of my own. I said to myself, “I’d look hot in those!”

LMAO! Still to this day I haven’t tried on a pair of track leathers or tried doing an actual track day. What seeing that woman in track leathers did was ignite a fire within me to learn how to ride a motorcycle.

Unlike others, my parents didn’t own motorcycles or know how to ride them; in fact they tried to discourage me from riding.

During the time I learned to ride, you saw few women riding and more women riding as a passenger. Once I learned to ride, I was hooked.

Yes, I have been down; once as a passenger and the latest being in 2011 when I ended up in ICU with a major laceration of my liver and a cervical fracture. Most would say I’m surprised you are still riding but I tell them riding my motorcycle is like breathing, if I’m not able to ride my motorcycle I would feel as though I’m dying.

So I ride:
– because I can
– because I love the freedom
– because I love the comraderie
– because I love the adventure and

I LOVE MY MOTORCYCLES!!!!!

Why I Ride… Denise “KA” Morin

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I grew up in the country, our next door neighbors were dairy cows we were so country. Growing up my parents had friends who would ride their Goldwing down to our house from the “city”, when they got there Bob would take me out and the feel of the sun and wind hitting my face was amazing. I always wanted to ride, but I was “a girl”.

Fast forward through life, a marriage, a kid, a divorce, another marriage and a retirement, I found myself bored and craving an adrenaline rush. My mentor and I got talking one night (he had just purchased a Goldwing and let me sit on it) and I confided to him that I wanted to ride, but had been told I could never do it because my throttle hand did not bend. After getting home that later that night, I started getting texts and pictures showing me that I could in fact ride with some modifications. So after speaking with my husband and son and told them what I wanted to do, I started looking for a bike.

The first bike I had was a Honda VTX 1300, orange and sexy as hell! I started riding it around my house practicing, then I would come home so excited I was like a kid on Christmas morning. The adrenaline rush I was seeking was available anytime I wanted it…just sitting there in my garage.

Four months after I started riding I went and bought my dream bike, a Road Glide, and 1 month after that went to Deal’s Gap and rode the Dragon! HOLY SHIT, what a trip, rode my ride and didn’t sleep that night I had some much energy flowing through me!!!

Riding is the outlet I needed to stay sane, become one with myself again, and to keep me young.

Not much of a story, but that is why I ride.