The early morning sun glints off the handlebars briefly as the motorcycle smoothly tracks through first a left hand, then a deep right hand turn. A flick of red flashes by as a cardinal flits out of the way and the lone rider smiles as she begins the first leg of her journey alone to places far away.
Ever dreamed of taking a trip by yourself on your bike? Should you ignore the dire warnings of well-meaning friends and relatives about traveling alone and just do it? Women from all across the country join in a resounding "yes" as they recount their experiences of riding solo.
Feelin‘ the Joy
Voni Glaves riding solo through the mountains above Boulder, Colorado, in July on her way to Oregon for a BMW rally.
Thirty-seven-year-old Chicagoan Sue Diaz spends about 50 percent of her riding time by herself. (She has four bikes: a BMW R 1100 RS for interstate and cross country trips, a 1991 BMW K 75S and a 1971 BMW R 75/5, for shorter, more leisurely jaunts, and a Yamaha TTR 250 off-road bike for playing in the dirt with husband, John.) Her first trip alone, in 1991, was aboard a Yamaha Virago. After a ride to Sturgis with friends, she broke off for a 1,500-mile ride home alone—by way of Montana. "I was a little worried about the bike, but no problems. I rode along the back roads in Montana and saw no one," she recalls. "What a feeling to be on your own, to have your bike beneath you and nothing but your own ingenuity."
A melodic voice from Lawrence, Kansas, shares some experiences gleaned from over a half million motorcycle miles on the back roads, most on her bike, Ruby B. Goin‘ Ya. "My mom would rather I didn't talk to strangers, but I've found that to be one of the greatest joys. I've learned so much from people I wouldn't have normally met. I remember a lady in Pennsylvania who took me home for lunch—fresh baked bread, garden tomatoes and provolone cheese—and taught me about the healing power of crystals; and the family of three who were camping for the first time and had a five course meal they shared with me. And then there is all the time I spent alone, inside my helmet, thinking about life and living and joy."
Those are the words of Voni Glaves, who with 73,660 miles in six months was the 1999 high mileage female rider for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Voni started riding as a family sport, as she and her husband each took one of their children on rides across the countryside, but she loves the experience of riding alone.
For the last 10 years, a motorcycle has been sports writer Karen Boehler’s only means of transportation, and she might be out on assignment for two weeks at a time as she covers games all across New Mexico. "That bike is a big hit with the parents and kids at the sports events," she says of her 1993 Kawasaki Concours, "Black Dragon." The 47-year-old lives alone and works odd hours, so she seldom has the time for group rides. "I’ve just always ridden my own ride," says Karen. Her first solo trip was 20 years ago on a Yamaha XS 400, which she picked up in Denver and rode to Santa Fe. "Heck, I live in New Mexico. Everything is a long ride for me.”
Speaking of long rides, Carolyn Fox spent three months in 1994 celebrating her 50th birthday by riding solo on her Harley-Davidson Softail Springer, "Gertrude," in all 50 states. The former attorney says of her trip, "I recommend it for everyone. American people get a bad rap; they are kind and gentle and the bike is the perfect vehicle for conversation." She says one of the reasons she began the trip was to be alone. "I was alone, but I was never lonely. I found myself out there on the road."
Alystar McKenneh has been riding since she was tiny and thinks nothing of an impromptu trip from Los Angeles up to Canada just to see what’s there. She can’t even remember her first long ride alone. "I think it must have been from Nebraska to Iowa when I was 18 or so, but I just don’t remember," she says. "Why a motorcycle? Driving a car you'll never know how wonderful the chill is when you sink down into it only to top the hill and get hit by the warm sun again. I doubt the commuters in L.A. know how sweet the flowers and foliage smell."
Aren’t You Scared To Be By Yourself? Alystar scoffed at the idea, "When I ride across this country I never get hassled. If a man were out to hassle a woman it would not be a woman riding a Harley. Women give me the thumbs up. Men give me that sly little smile and an accepting nod. Kids wave," she says.
"It’s such a mental game," explains Sue Diaz. "You can psyche yourself out with fears of things that might happen or you can decide that you can do this and just do it."
Carolyn Fox trusted her instincts about both people and places on her odyssey around the country. "The timing was just right for me. Though I only had a few years riding experience and about 12,000 miles before I started my trip, I was ready to do it," she grins.
While some women don’t think twice about setting out alone, Voni Glaves confessed her first solo ride had her in tears. "It was in 1991 and I was planning to go to a rally in Calgary with friends, but one by one they dropped out. My husband, Paul, encouraged me to go on my own and rode out to the edge of town with me." She remembers she was so scared that she rode for 600 miles before getting the nerve to stop at a campground for the night." I want people to know its OK to be scared and still take risks—first, just a little risk, and then another, and another, you don’t have to be superwoman," the middle school counselor explains.
While everyone has stories of fascinating people they have met and wonderful scenery, none advocate throwing caution to the wind. Sue takes along a cell phone and a list of friends along the route she plans to take. On her rides, the diminutive Carolyn (she’s only 5 feet 3 inches) never travels after dark and sticks near the truckers on the road. Alystar often grabs a moment of shut-eye parked in among the big rigs in rest stops. She feels safer there. Glaves said she always camps, for the same reason. She feels people look out for her.
What If Your Bike Breaks Down? Karen Boehler’s solution was to learn how to fix it. She got a friend to give her lessons on basic maintenance for her Concours. The others said they, too, can do the basics, but as Glaves pointed out, there are guys who don’t know anything about mechanics and no one asks them what they would do. A good list of dealers, the number of a road assistance company or a book listing fellow riders willing to help should be in every saddlebag, but none of the women had ever been left stranded.
On one of her rides across a particularly desolate stretch of road, Alystar played the role of rescuer to a guy whose bike had run out of gas. With no passenger seat and no way to carry gas, she rode off to town, filled her tank and returned with a turkey baster, much to the male biker’s surprise. With the baster, she transferred enough gas from her tank to get the fellow rider’s bike to the next town. "I know for a fact that guy now carries a turkey baster with him in his saddlebags," she quipped.
What Was Your Biggest Problem? The weather in Karen’s part of the country is extremely unpredictable. On one trip, she saw clouds banking high at Chama and pulled into a gas station as the sky dumped six inches of hail on the ground. "Hey, I’ve got to get to Farmington," she told the other customers. Someone advised that a mile up the road the storm was gone. She picked her way through the hail to clear roads and opened the throttle.
Then, on the Indian reservation, it started snowing. Again, she pulled off. "Finally, a lady stopped and told me to follow in her car tracks and it will be fine a few miles up the road," recalls Karen. She made the game in Farmington.
Weather quickly came to mind for Carolyn, too. She was in a hurry to get to Billings, Montana, for a press conference and tried to push on in winds so strong, "I was afraid I’d drag my foot peg I was leaned over so far." She stopped at a rest park but the strong winds prevented her from dismounting safely. Finally, another biker helped her roll her Harley beside a truck out of the wind. Used to the temperate climate of her native Oregon, she advises, "Take a weather radio with you, and learn to read the weather in whatever part of the country you are in."
Advice? Know the skills. "Be sure to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation riding course," says Carolyn. The course helps riders master techniques that might take years to learn otherwise.
Get the right bike. Notice that nearly all these women’s bikes have names? When you ride for long distances, and especially when you ride alone, you and your bike become as close as a cowboy and his horse. While they ride different brands, each of our riders worked their way up to the touring-comfortable mounts they now ride. My own long distance ride, Petey, is a very shortened BMW K 75S, while Shorty, a Yamaha V Star, handles the weekenders. Alystar’s black Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail, Tiger Lily, will soon get a one-of-a-kind tiger stripe motif. Carolyn’s U.S. touring Harley Springer, Gertrude, gave way to a black Road King that won’t be blown around on the highway. Voni’s R 1100 RS BMW racked up 258,000 miles before she added her new mount, another red RS, Big Red, Too, to the stable. After riding several different kinds of bikes, Karen is happy on her Concours, Black Dragon.
Be sure the bike fits both your personality and your body. Both Carolyn and I had our bikes shortened to fit our vertically challenged legs.
Invest in proper gear. All it takes is a 40-degree downpour without a good rainsuit to dampen the best spirit as well as an onset of hypothermia. Leather or one of the excellent textile riding suits will not only protect you on the road, but also lighten the load. You only need easily washed cotton or spandex tights under your protective gear and throw in a couple pairs of jeans or shorts for hanging around the campground or motel. Remember that the protection is not just against road rash. Being covered up keeps the wind from drying out your skin.
Use your instincts. If a situation seems weird, ride on. Sue Diaz recalls one night, "When I set up camp in a little park no one else was there. I went off to see a movie. When I came back there was a guy in a van set up close by and something didn’t feel right. It was eerie." She packed up the tent and went to a motel.
Follow your passion. If you want to hit the road, then get out there and do it, but do it for yourself, not someone else. You never know what kind of influence you might have on someone else. When school counselor Voni Glaves saw a spark of success in a former dropout student, she was amazed when he credited her for the change. "At my house, the adults just sat around watching TV and drinking. Then I looked at you. You get out there, and you have such fun in life," the teenager told her. He is now on his way to graduation.
At first, Sue kept her riding a secret from her mother, but now her mom sometimes joins her. Recently, her mom, a breast cancer survivor, was Sue’s passenger during a Ride For The Cure charity run to benefit breast cancer research.
Carolyn has found that her adventurous spirit that led to her 50-state ride, and now has her selling airplanes, instilled a zest for life in her children. "They are both doing exactly what they want with their lives," she smiles.
If it is your dream to ride alone, with just you and your bike, then follow your passion, and wave a lot. You just might be some else’s inspiration to follow their dream, too.
Get a FREE Issue of Rider Magazine!. Enter your trial subscription and you'll receive a Risk-Free Issue. If you like Rider, pay just $12 for 11 more issues (12 in all). Otherwise, write "cancel" on the bill, return it, and owe nothing.
