Women in Ontario Motorcycling

A NorthernOntario.travel Special Feature Part 1 | Part 2 |Part 3

Jennifer

Occupation:
Insurance Underwriter, Motorcycle Instructor, Professional Motorcycle Racer

Why She Rides:
Jennifer got into riding on the back of her husband’s bike. “Now you can’t get me off them,” she proclaims. This is evidenced by her other career pursuits: Motorcycle Instructor and Professional Motorcycle Racer. She’s been teaching others to ride for 11 years and racing for 5, finishing 1st after an undefeated season in 2013. Additionally, she was the only Canadian rider to attend the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) Women’s Racing camp in Spain in February 2014. Check the FIM Facebook page for more.

Despite her on-track accolades, Jennifer still loves riding on the street. Due to her hectic racing schedule, she misses her annual bike trips with her husband. This year they will take 2 weeks in August to hit the road on their motorcycles. She loves the open road, the smells, meeting new people along the way, riding roads you wouldn’t try in a car, stopping for breaks in little towns or along river fronts just relaxing on a blanket!

Favourite Rides:
Jennifer loves to explore new roads - the curvier and twistier with less traffic, the better! With 3 beautiful riding seasons in Ontario, she enjoys the fresh smell of blooming flowers in the spring, the fast pace and competition of racing in summer, and the fireworks of the changing fall colours. 

Imparting advice to women getting into riding, “Only do it if you have the passion for it. If you are content with sitting on the back then don’t let anyone force you into riding.” And if you do have the passion for it, “Don’t let anyone force you into buying a smaller bike.  If you are a confident rider you can ride any type of bike.” She also urges people to, “Take a rider training course to learn how to ride and continue to practice and ride with responsible people.”

Lindsay

Occupation:
Business Analyst

Why She Rides:
Lindsay is an adventurer at heart. She admits getting into motorcycling as “something fun and random to try.” She soon realized there was more to riding her Ninja 250R than hanging out at Timmie’s: long road trips were calling her. Two years ago she completed a 10,000 km, 3 week transcontinental road trip on her 2010 BMW F650GS from Toronto to the Beartooth Pass in Montana and back with her husband. The highlights for her were the stunning natural wonders in the National Parks and of course, the amazing roads.

True to her intrepid spirit, she loves the adventure of riding. She considers "lowlights" like getting lost, bad weather and “slabbing” it across the seemingly endless kilometres of the plains or through rush hour traffic all part of the motorcycle experience.

Favourite Rides:
Start in Caledon and head north for some beautiful scenic roads with sweeping curves and rolling hills. Hockley can be busy: instead a little north hit Mono Centre Road in Mono and River Road in Mulmur. Highway 507 in Buckhorn/Gooderham is also fun. Continue on to nearby Glamorgan Road and Elephant Lake Road.

As part of the adventure, she likes to combine her motorcycle road trips with camping. She recommends Tobermory which is a straight but scenic 4 hour ride from Toronto as a good camping destination. While she’s ridden through Algonquin Park many times, she hasn’t “motorcycle camped” there; she would love to especially during the fall colours.

At 5’2”, being petite “shortens” the number motorcycles that are comfortable for her to ride. Her first bike was a lowered Kawasaki Ninja 250. Her next and current bike, a BMW F650GS, was specifically chosen for its factory lowered suspension and low seat options.

Lindsay’s advice for women who are interested in getting into riding: “Do your own research. Don't take any one person's advice. Listen to everyone, read a lot, then make your own decisions. Everyone has an opinion but ultimately it will be you on that bike. Don’t be afraid to take it slow.”

“Also, if you don’t know many riders, especially females, you might find it helpful to join a local riding group or check out websites for female riders such as Motoress.com. Aside from moral support and a chance to meet fellow riders, I’ve found such groups and websites helpful resources when researching things like gear that’s actually functional and fits women.”

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