Staff Editorial
Full Throttle: Going against the grain as a female motorcyclist
RACHEL D’SA // ARTS + CULTURE EDITOR
As much as I love talking about motorcycles, when someone becomes the fifth person in a day to point out that I ride a motorcycle only to ask for my number, I already know they’re not the one. Don’t get me wrong, if you see me around campus and you’re genuinely interested in riding, do approach me – I just can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to fill the ultra sexy stereotype that a lot of people have in mind. Though feeling like a total badass has a lot to do with why many begin riding, personally, and as a female rider, the sport acts as a meditative outlet.
My secret long list of extreme and absurd goals was cultivated in the angsty, grunge days of Grade 11. The moment I turned 16, I was pressured into getting my driver’s license. Yet, the more I drove, the more I began to feel suffocated. From the inability to see everything around me, to the ideas that I’d be stuck in a pile up if an accident were to ever occur and to the notion that I had the power to take a life. Everything made me uneasy. Every bolt, sheet of metal and glass became a part of my body (no, not in a Transformers way) and I mentally evolved into bulk machinery.
My solution to getting over my fear of the road was to face it head-on, in a way that would be both cost effective and piss off my entire traditionally-minded family. Therefore, I set a goal to learn how to ride a motorcycle. I prepared myself for the road rash, road rage, costs and the comments. The moment I purchased my first helmet, I started receiving a hilarious amount of doubt from those around me. Unlike everything I’d purchased up to that point, the expensive piece of equipment was unreturnable.
Illustration by Rachel Wada
Even after I enrolled myself in a training course, my dad continued to question my bravery and determination with sarcastic comments regarding my future in the sport. There are a few stereotypes about women who ride, and while in my case, some of them are true, I’ve learned to deflect others’ opinions and assumptions of me. In this sport, females are typically the minority. Though there’s been a major shift in race, gender and age demographics, marketing strategies inside and outside the industry continue to utilize the hypersexualized perception of the female rider to sell whatever it is they need to.
Set Gear tailored for a “female fit” – which basically just signifies a smaller fit – comes in obnoxious pinks and purples, stamped with tacky and slightly generalizing nicknames and phrases regarding gender. In this case, we also see a lot less selection and worse, less protection. My abilities on a bike have been questioned in the past, regarding whether I’m capable of driving a “death machine” everyday. I can understand my loved ones’ concern for my safety, and while ripping down the freeway as a tiny dot next to industrial trucks sometimes physically drains me, you can bet I won’t lose sleep over it.
Growing up in a relatively conservative family, through which I’ve received endless comments about my lack of regard for a “feminine” attitude and appearance has given me a refreshing perspective. It’s intrigued me into doing more of what I want to do instead of what I am often told. While flat-out doing whatever you want to do isn’t the most conscious way to live, I think it’s important to challenge the odds in order to reach your highest potential.
The New Year not only brings a time for change in physical goals. It also brings along the perfect time to mentally revaluate what we’ve been told we’re suitable for and capable of achieving, and reflect on our overall attitude towards mindfulness. I’ve begun to make that change over the years with what others consider simply acts of rebellion — though I know, helmet on or off, that’s not the case. And the times where I’ve had to check my mirrors were the only times I’ve ever looked back.
Jessica, I am also a female student rider at Cap. I am sadly not surprised by your close friends and families reactions. However my experience has been drastically different, when I got my first bike at 14 a little Honda cbr 125, it was fun to scoot around in the backyard. Then at 16 I bought myself a 2005 Honda 250 rebel from their I rode everywhere. The therapeutic benefit is amazing and always a fantastic feeling when your bodies perceptual boundaries cease to exist and the bike feels like an extension of your own body. I imagine that my problems are chasing me and I am vrooooming away from them into the roads and skies ahead. I did eventually get a car due to needing to transport more than just my personal body and have more than one passenger. I was quite saddened by the switch to a car. I also could not afford the gas! So after running out of gas twice in town due to lack of funds I decided that I needed to do something differently. On a random thought I was reminded of the 101 dalmatians screen with the crazed men riding their motorcycle with sidecar and thought I wonder if thats a thing? So after a short craigslist search I was standing in a driveway at my new best friend for the next 8 years! Put down all the cash I had at the time and sold my car for a significant drop in value, however I never looked back.
With my new 1983 Honda 1100 Aspencade with 1985 Friendship 2 California sidecar I was off to travel across Canada for 6 months. It was always amusing when my boyfriend and I would walk up to get on the bike and all the guys would ask him what year his bike was and have them discover it was mine and then put his little ass into the sidecar where it belonged. I sold my bike to pay for my education here at Cap. Last summer however I did treat myself and got a 1979 Honda CBL 750. Burnaby has a great 100 years of motorcycling exhibit and I have been looking for another interested party to join me if your interested?