Book Preview: Grace and Grit
One of the books Ive added to my collection because it features early female motorcycling pioneers is “Grace and Grit” by William M. Murphy.
One of the books Ive added to my collection because it features early female motorcycling pioneers is “Grace and Grit” by William M. Murphy.
Motorcycling enthusiast and pioneer Gloria Struck will be among the honorees that the American Motorcyclist Association welcomes to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame this October.
Gloria Struck to be Inducted into AMA Hall of Fame
In the summer of 1916, the U.S. was on the brink of entering World War I (WWI) as two sisters left New York on a cross country motorcycle trip.
Van Buren Sisters 1916 Cross-Country Motorcycle Ride for Womens Rights
Two women riders will hit the road on June 5 traveling from more than 3600 miles from New York to San Francisco retracing the historical route ridden by pioneering motorcyclists Effie and Avis Hotchkiss 100 years ago. Lisa Brouwer and Kris Haase are embarking on The Inspired Tour.
Two Women Riders Retrace History on Cross Country Trip
In the year 1900, Anne French became the first woman to be issued a license to drive an automobile in Washington D.C. Oddly enough, Washington D.C.s progressive stance on women driving cars did not include motorcycles. It took another 37 years before the first woman was issued a motorcycle license.
PIONEERS: The First Woman to Get a Motorcycle License
As Americans, when we think of the role of women in World War II (WWII), we often envision factories filled with women wearing headscarves, riveting together airplanes. That may have happened in the United States, but across the Atlantic in Great Britain, things were definitely more dangerous for the women that helped with the war effort.
PIONEERS: Female Dispatch Riders of World War II
After their marriage in 1934, Stanislaw and Halina Bujakowski decided that for their honeymoon, they would fulfill a lifelong dream and travel by motorcycle from their home in Druskininkai, Poland to Shanghai, China. They already owned a BSA motorcycle which was equipped with a sidecar, so all they needed to do was to pack and go.
PIONEERS: Honeymooning by Motorcycle in 1934!
Cris Sommer Simmons was the only American woman riding in the Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run that wrapped up September 26, 2010 in Santa Monica, Calif. Cris finished 20th overall. She spoke with me by phone three days after her history making ride from her home in Hawaii where she is relaxing after riding her 1915 Harley-Davidson across the country.
First Interview: Cris Sommer Simmons on her Cannonball Run
At age 20, Vivian Bales, a Harley-Davidson Enthusiast magazine cover girl, set out on a solo journey to explore the U.S.A. Read in her own words her experiences about being a woman rider in the 1920s, the special treatment she got along the way and the joy and excitement on being a girl on a motorcycle. Her fascinating story offers a glimpse into what it was like to be a woman rider in the early 1900s.
Vivian Bales: The Enthusiast Girl
Genevieve Schmitt is a leading expert on the subject of women and motorcycling. Genevieve is founder of Women Riders Now (WRN), this online magazine, the only large scale all-brands online motorcycle magazine for women, and