Tag Archives: girls on motorcycles

Girls and their Machines

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
13 Nov

I have written all sorts of Blogs on two wheeled machines but I am trying to share more info on the Amazing Women that ride Motorcycles too, I have a few Girl friends that ride and I couldn’t keep up with them, they need recognition, and a little insight to how and what made them have an interest into these 2 wheeled internal combustion engine machines.

I hope to feature some Girl riders more regularly, and with any luck they can tell me and you in their own words, what makes them tick, I don’t think there is anything cooler than a Girl on a bike, and my very own Girlfriend rides a Bonneville and has an old 550 Honda, as well as an 883 Sportster.

Below is a friend of mine that was a real Motorcycle enthusiast when I was in London, and still is as mad about two wheeled machines today. Karen Stephenson is an awesome Motorcycle aficionado and is handy with a Spanner and a paint brush.

Here is her explanation of what got her interested into the same scene I am into.

Originally from Canada, it took moving to England to awaken my passion for classic British bikes.

I moved there for work and was introduced to ’60s Triumphs and the Rocking scene.

I would go down to the 59 Club every month and go on the Rockers runs down to Brighton.

If ever there was a rockers do, I would be there. My first bike was a 1957 BSA bantam D1 which I rode from London to the south of France and back after one day’s training on a learner’s license. After that “on the road training” I went back to Canada to get my full motorcycle license.

Upon my return to England I bought a 1968 Triumph Tiger 90. I soon realized that the Tiger 90 was too small so my boyfriend at the time and I upgraded the engine to a Tiger 100.

I loved that bike. That started a passion in me that continues to this day. I have now had many Triumphs and a Triton and some Guzzis and a Ducati Monster. But the constant has always been a Triumph.

 

Work took me back to Canada 11 years later and I am now back to building Triumphs again and have just finished a 1969 Tiger 100 from basket cases and I’m just starting to build a 1963 Bonneville from scratch.

I think I will be riding triumphs until I have to trade it in for a Zimmer frame. Even so, I may put Triumph handlebars and a headlamp on it. Haha

Thats so cool that Karen is still building her Motorcycles and has as much passion now as she had back then.

How about a trifecta of ladies on their Ton Up Machines, awesome photograph taken back home.

There has always been something cool seeing girls and their bikes, especially when they are in full stride in kicking the motor over to hear it scream into life.

Karen does her own wrenching, so saves all that Labor money that garages and the like love to charge and she has built many Motorcycles over the years. A very talented Lady.

Its been many years since I have owned a pair of Black leather Gauntlets, but the British weather always called for them before the slimline fancy stuff was available, nice to see Karen donning the same style like I had for years.

What a Brilliant Photograph right here, these triplets are not to be messed with. Karen’s Jacket is so typical of the attire many of us wore with all them badges of honor and key fobs, love it. A really fun photo that I wish we could all see some more of.

Cannot get enough of these Nostalgic Photos of Karen and her steeds and hope you lot are enjoying as much as me? And am hoping that we get a lot more Ladies sending in their photos of them and their Mean Machines.

This photo is how I remember seeing Karen when I was going to an event like the Rockers reunion etc, a classic look and style and will be loved for ever. I do not know who took the photo but am forever grateful for them as its a Timeless shot that has travelled the globe many times for people to admire.

How many of us have done this over time? I know I sure have, I remember the ride to Hemsby on my little BSA Bantam or when I rode my T100 in rain and wind all the way to the east coast, no money to stop and stay somewhere nice, but I could pull in and find some shelter and lay on the bike to get some well earned rest, love this photo Karen.

Karen lives back in Canada and maybe we can pop in and see her when we get to travel more again, she is a super person and a very talented Mechanic and artist.

So, if you have a Wife, Girlfriend, Partner etc that rides MotorCycles, then drop me a line with some pics and lets do a blog on them, as I love to see as many girls on the road as possible.

 

 

 

carpy@carpyscaferacers.com  OR at carpysgarage@aol.com

 

 

Beryl Swain- First Woman to Compete on the infamous Isle Of Man

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
26 Jul

Beryl Swain: The First Woman To Compete As A Rider In The Most Dangerous Motorcycle Race In The World.

 

IN most peoples opinion the most dangerous motorcycle race in the world is without question, the Isle of Man TT.
Its a point to point 38 mile race that is held once a year on the public roads of a small island located in the Irish sea between England and Ireland.
The first race took place back in 1907 making it one of the longest running events as well. Its an all out sprint where riders can reach speeds well over 200mph while traveling just inches away from cobblestone fences and houses littered along the course, or I mean roads.
Since its debut there have been almost 250 reported casualties both from competitor to spectators lines up along the route. You can only imagine loosing control of a bike at even 100mph, its going to slide a long way and hit something hard. For a point of reference, the current record held on a bike is 16 minutes 58 seconds set by Michael Dunlop at this years running of the TT. If you average that out, its over 133 though the entire 38 mile course (well 37.73 mile to be precise)! Now don’t go thinking its virtually a straight line the entire course, there are said to be more than 200 turns, some of which sharp 90 degree turns.
Now that we have an understanding of just how intricate and dangerous this race course is, you can better appreciate Ms. Beryl Swain. She made history by becoming the first woman to compete in the mighty TT in 1962. She wasn’t riding the powerful superbikes, instead she rode a 50cc Itom made by a small Italian manufacturer. Now the bike was highly tuned by Beryl and her husband Eddie Swain who was also an accomplished motorcycle rider.
She had worked in the pits for Eddie at races since they got married in 1959. But on this momentous day, it was him that was prepping the bike for her. It was reported that Beryl was a complete natural from the first moment she threw her leg over a bike, which apparently didn’t happen until after she and Eddie got married. If that’s accurate, that would mean she would’ve had less than three years experience on the bike when she entered the TT.
Now technically Pat Wise was the first woman to be a part of the Isle of Man in 1958 when she rode in the side car for Eric Olive. But Mrs Swain was the first to compete as a rider. Now this was during a time when men hadn’t yet realized that women secretly run the world and are not only as capable of doing almost any thing a man could do, but some things even better. (Insert sexist joke here, for example “what..laundry?) That includes Motorsports, just look at the Force girls dominating the NHRA drag racing championships. I’m getting sidetracked, Mrs Swain did exceptional well for her first time, even finishing the race which is not something that is a given.
At the end of the race a reporter managed to catch up with her where she said ” my hands were frozen round the twist grip, but I was told I managed to get within three seconds of the lap record for the 50cc class”.
She had every intention of returning to the race the following year to increase her expertise and possibly get closer to that lap record. But unfortunately her racing licence was revoked by the International Federation of Motorcycling preventing her from being able to legally compete.
It was reported the reason for the revocation was the death of a female rider would be very bad press for the event and IFM. They went on to say that having a man racer get injured or worse is one thing, but race organizers were not prepared to take the risk of something like that happening to a woman.
Swain campaigned with everyone she could in order to get her license reinstated, even getting the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man involved.
But even with help from friends high places, as well as many other racers, she was not able to race again. It wasn’t until 1978 that another woman rider would compete on the famous TT.

 

Also a few years before, the Girls were Just starting to make an impression on the Race circuits. love seeing girls racing its awesome.

 

Anke-Eve Goldmann – Cycle Worlds Coolest Journalist.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
29 Jul
                                                             BIRDS ON BIKES!!!!!!!
Well, you have to admit, if you are a bloke like me, there is nothing better than seeing a Girly on a motorcycle, Black leather, curves in the right places and blasting down the road hitting the Magic Ton is something many of us have hoped to see, and now- things are indeed changing and we see more and more Birds on bikes.
Women have ridden bikes for years i know but back in the 50’s and 60’s you didnt see many on them in magazines, unless they were just modeling for the company, this now brings me to the infamous Anke- Eve Goldmann!
What a Girl, a great rider, a great looker and one of the top Journalists in motorcycling history.
Goldmann taught German to airmen’s children at a U.S. Air Force base in Germany. She was the first woman to ride a motorcycle with a one-piece leather racing suit, made for her by German manufacturer Harro. She rode BMW motorcycles and became a spokesperson for the marque before buying an MV Agusta.
Anke-Eve Goldmann was a journalist for Cycle World, Das Motorrad in Germany, Moto Revue in France and other international motorcycle magazines.

Anke-Eve Goldmann was a journalist for Cycle World, Das Motorrad in Germany, Moto Revue in France and other international motorcycle magazines.

Goldman was a friend of author André Pieyre de Mandiargues and the inspiration for the main character, ‘Rebecca’, in his most popular book The Motorcycle (1963).

 

The book was adapted for the 1968 film The Girl on a Motorcycle starring Marianne Faithfull. From the 1950s, she competed in endurance and circuit racing, at the Nürburgring and Hockenheimring but being a woman, was barred from higher level competitions.

 

In 1958, she helped found the Women’s International Motorcycle Association in Europe.

She gave up motorcycling after the death of a close friend.

 

At 6 feet tall, she stood out in any crowd and especially clad in Black leather, she was a natural with Motorcycles and could ride the socks off the damn thing.

This did not dissuade her from seeking fast motorcycles and race tracks; in many photographs she is hurtling down the tarmac, and mixing with other motorcyclists at Hockenheim and Nurburgring – such as here examining a Norton Manx at Nurburgring.

 

 

Her ‘pass’ at the tracks, beyond her riding ability, was a facility with writing a good story for the press, and she regularly sent racing and riding reports to Moto Revue in France, as well as publications in Spain, Sweden, Germany, the US, and Japan. Here at Hockenheim, she waits for track time with a pair of Jawa two-strokes and a Zundapp outfit – her suitcase strapped to the parcel rack of her R69.

 

She worked at a U.S. Air Force base, teaching German to the children of soldiers stationed there. She also spoke other languages, and her command of English was good enough to write two articles for Cycle World magazine in 1962. ‘An Invitation to a Lap Around the Nurburgring’ was published in the June issue of 1962, and a report on women racers in the Soviet Union (!) was printed in October of that year [and yes, I will definitely post it]. In this photo, noted motorcycle author Erwin Tragatsch, author of the definitive ‘Illustrated History of Motorcycles’, stands with a group visiting Anke-Eve with her late-model R69S, now with a British ‘Peel’ fairing (distinguishable by the clear panel in the nose – the headlamp is not mounted to the actual fairing, but is retained in the standard position. The clear section is elongated for a full sweep of light).


And don’t you wish your Elementary School teacher rode a motorcycle like Anke-Eve! She cut quite a figure in those drab days of the late 1950s, and had a bit of an exhibitionist streak.

 

find it especially interesting that Goldmann designed her own motorcycle racing leathers. Apparently she worked with German leather riding gear manufacturer Harro in designing her custom riding gear. I’m presuming there wasn’t much in the way of motorcycling gear available for women in the 50’s so she helped create her own.

The custom summer one-piece riding suit she designed had a distinctive diagonal zipper starting at the neck and angling across her upper torso. A look that is certainly current today in women’s fashion. Harro went on to manufacture her designs for public consumption.

In winter her jacket featured a wide multi-buckled belt, too large to be merely a kidney belt. Perhaps it helped keep her warm in cold temperatures. Her winter riding suit was significantly bulkier and larger than her svelte summer cat-suit, and clearly accommodated woolen under layers.

After her closest friend died in a riding accident, Anke-Eve Goldmann seems to have given up motorcycles altogether, and began to travel with a backpack to remote Asian locations. Traveling alone, she trekked through Burma, the Sunda Islands, Vietnam, and Cambodia, not many years after the conflicts there had ended.

 

 

So Below, a few cool pics for you to look at of this Bird on a bike, hope you like them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I shall be doing other blogs of ” Birds on Bikes” So stay tuned…….