From 9 am to 5 pm many of these ladies may give off an aura of motherly innocence, but when they hit the road, a wild side gets the spotlight. Many are breaking out of traditional roles to pursue this hobby that brings them back to the carefree days without family and job responsibilities. Like the motorcycles they ride, they come in different sizes and shapes with varied histories and reasons for loving the open road.
Barbara Ouellette stands about 5-foot-1 and doesn’t try to wear heels to make herself feel taller. “I am who I am,” she says while her radiant skin gleams and her 2007 Honda Rebel sits patiently in her garage. “I turned 40 two years ago and I hadn’t done much for me,” she says.
Some of her co-workers at Plastic and Hand Surgical Associates had scooters and Ouellette thought “if they can do it, so can I.” So she did. It began with a purple metropolitan scooter that she had for just eight days. “I saw a woman riding a motorcycle,” she says, “and it was then I said to myself ‘if I love my scooter then I will love having a bike even more,’ so I went that very night and bought it and have never regretted it once.”
Two daughters, a fiancé and a 40-hour work week in a high-stress job keep her busy. When she needs a break, she rides.
Despite having a sophisticated piece of rumbling 350-pound machinery between your legs, there’s something primal about being exposed to the elements. There’s something about the wind in her face that really does it for Ouellette. In a world where many people’s schedules are micro-managed, Ouellette says, “It gives me time for me.”
Sheila Speckin is one of Ouellette’s inspirations for riding. Last year, on a rainy April day, Speckin’s slightly impulsive husband came home with two bikes. But though she has always been a thrill seeker, riding a motorcycle had never really crossed Speckin’s mind.
Though she’s a strong, independent woman, there is the hair to think about.
“My hair is the one thing that takes the longest ... it’s so frustrating but a good hair day is worth the time,” she says. But when mounted on her machine, a white helmet sits on her head — and messes up her hair. It’s worth the tradeoff. Occasionally, she’ll sport a do-rag just for fun, because she loves to get a rise out of people.
“When I ride,” she says, “I feel hot, sexy almost.”
Having just hit 45, Speckin, an office manager for Dead River Company, knew something was missing but she didn’t know what. Then her Yamaha V-Star Classic entered her life. Maroon with a plum pinstripe, it’s not too flashy and not too manly, and it suits her personality. This isn’t her first bike: She passed her 2000 Rebel on to her daughter. “I love it and I love the rumble it makes ... it’s not quite a deep Harley growl but more of a mid-range snarl,” she says.
“After dealing with people all day, I need serenity and solitude. When I ride, I let my mind just go and I pay attention to what’s around me, nothing else,” she says.
Riding has given her a new perspective on life through a smaller windshield. “When you ride, everyone waves to one another, it’s a special biker thing I suppose,” she says, “but I feel good, I feel accepted and accomplished.”
Cindy Decosta knows that feeling. Her days are spent in a billing office at the University of Southern Maine. On her desk sits a Harley Davidson calendar, which annually helps her count down to the beautiful days of spring and summer.
Decosta started riding our of necessity when she found herself in rural Texas in 1981 with a light blue, two-wheeled Honda. “I was kind of forced to learn, otherwise I would have had no way of getting around,” she says, “but I really started to like it once I started. I mean, I guess that’s obvious now.” Her husband also rides and she’s passed her love of motorcycles on to her daughter.
“We like to leave the house at 7 am for a ride and not return until after dark,” Decosta says. She’s ridden in Europe and done a motorcycle tour of Greece.
Recently she turned in both the Honda and a 1972 British Trophy and treated herself to a 2007 Triumph America, 900 cc in New England White and Atlantic Blue. The bike rumbles like a Harley, but the sound isn’t quite as intense or low.
For each of these women, one of the greatest pleasures in life is to be out in the air, feeling every cold and hot spot and smelling everything from BBQs to lilacs. And like Decosta says, being behind a big truck or city bus may be an unpleasant experience, but it’s easily solved at the next crossroad.
Want to get a motorcycle license?
Anyone over the age of 16 with a valid Maine driver’s license can get a motorcycle license. All you have to do is take an eight-hour Maine Motorcycle Safety Education Course, which will teach you about the rules of the road and the basics of your bike. Classes will be held July 12, Aug. 2 and Aug. 23 at AAA, 68 Marginal Way in Portland.
After the course and a brief written exam, you will have your permit. The permit allows you to ride within daylight hours in the state of Maine, with no passengers and a DOT approved helmet. When you’re ready, send in for a date with your local DMV office for a road test (just a few left turns and a hill stop). Or, take the National Motorcyle Riding Course which is a 15-hour classroom and road oriented course which will allow you to leave with a license.
Check out:
Greater Portland Driving Academy: 797-6818
AAA Driving School: 791-8577
Motorcycle Rider-Ed of Maine: 941-9587 (Offers 2-day or 8-hour classes)
Can-Do-Driving School: 793-8277
Mullen’s Driving School: 892-8851
Southern Maine Driving School: 324-3443
Reynolds Motorsports: 839-5522 or 929-6641
Most places offer classes weekly or monthly.
The cost is about $50-$75 for the required Maine Motorcycle Safety Education Course or the Riding and Street Skills class, plus $10 to apply for the permit and license and take the exams, $30 renewal fee (every five years), $5 replacement fee (if lost or stolen).
But think how much you’ll save on fuel. Most bikes get around 45-65 miles per gallon.
Vroom.