All-women motorcyclists network revs up

BREWER – These aren’t stereotypical biker babes, content to ride along behind their man. Increasingly, modern female motorcyclists are revving up their own powerful machines.

Saturday, six local women took to the open road in hopes of starting an all-girl biker network in central Maine, taking their cue from groups that are springing up all around the world.

“Five or 10 years ago, women rode on the backs of the bikes. Now, there’s a lot more [of us] riding,” said Brandie Lopes of Winterport. “Every day, on the road, you see it more.”

The smallest motorcycles – the “sportsters” that many women drive – weigh 500 pounds. But customization kits can lower a bike to make it more comfortable for shorter legs.

And with new safety courses offered in Maine, the sport is a lot less intimidating, to men and women alike.

“They’re serious riders,” said Daryl McCuberey, parts manager at Plourde & Plourde in Caribou, who has seen an increase in female bikers since he started working at the store four years ago. The training course makes a big difference, he said.

“Now, a woman can come in, get on a bike, and by the end of the weekend, she’s an established driver,” McCuberey said.

“I’d say [the numbers of] female drivers have gone up 20 percent in the last two years,” agreed Robin Cummings, general manager for Central Maine Harley-Davidson.

“It’s catching on,” Cummings said Saturday. “They see other women out there driving, and they say, ‘Why can’t I ride?'”

That was precisely the experience of Dawn Drew, who bought her own bike after riding behind her husband for seven years. Riding together is fun, but it’s limiting, she said.

“I was tired of sitting home on a nice summer day just because my husband was at work,” Drew said.

And thousands of women worldwide, from recreational bikers to serious racers, are feeling the same way.

In Seattle, an all-female group called “Chrome Divas” meets regularly. In the United Kingdom, a group called Bikegirl Ltd. aims to create an all-female championship motorcycle racing team by 2006.

And Sportbikegirl.com is dedicated to the memory of a young biker and skin cancer victim, whose pet peeve was “chicks who pose on bikes that aren’t even theirs.”

“Female motorcycle riders epitomize sexy, beautiful freedom and empowerment,” said Sasha Mullins, while promoting her book “Bikerlady: Living & Riding Free” in 2003.

Last year, Drew and her friend Tammy Mills of Bangor participated in a ride with 100 other women in Waterville.

Driving in an all-female pack was an entirely different experience – something they wanted to re-create at home, the women said.

Riding in a group is always safer than going it alone, but sometimes, male driving styles can sometimes be a little aggressive for their taste, they said.

“My husband rides. Almost every girl I know of has a spouse that rides,” said Drew, who lives in Eddington.

“This is just more relaxed. Instead of having an argument, you just ride with the ladies,” she said with a laugh.

Drew and Mills hope to build connections between local women, so they will always have another female biker to call on.

“You’re always looking for a lady to go on a ride with, so you can just go at your own pace,” said Mills.

Next year, the women hope to draw a larger crowd, and use the ride to raise funds for the local homeless shelter or Humane Society, they said.

But most importantly, they hope to encourage other women to give motorcycling a try.

“The only thing better than seeing a woman ride, would be seeing her husband on the back,” Drew said.