<div style="page-break-before:always; page-break-after:always">After years of driving cars, I decided to earnestly pursue my interest in riding motorcycles. I had attended a couple of beginners&rsquo; motorbike riding lessons in the past, but had never actually followed through with biking on my own. All that changed in 2019 when I wrote a list of things I had, in previous years, promised myself I would do but had let fall by the wayside. I then went about obtaining my learner&rsquo;s license but didn&rsquo;t tell anyone, least of all my 75-year-old mother. This was mainly because the culture of motorcycling doesn&rsquo;t harmonize well with the traditional expectations of who I am predetermined to be and what society says I am destined to do with my life as a black woman. Sadly, motorbiking is still considered the domain of tough, fearless and in some instances, rebellious men &ndash; which is also not necessarily who male bikers are. Women, on the other hand, are generally raised to be modest and delicate &ndash; characteristics that don&rsquo;t quite play out well with straddling a motorcycle. As a result, my venturing into motorcycles had more to do with silencing a loud voice within me that demanded to know why I was trying to fit into a societal mould. I understand the concerns about motorbikes dipicted as being more unsafe than cars. But this doesn&rsquo;t mean that as women we go into riding blindly. I did consider motorbike safety for myself. My bike has two traction control settings but I keep it set on full traction mode, which comes in handy in daily riding and more so in wet weather. It has an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) which prevents the wheels from locking in the event of emergency braking. Other safety elements include a helmet, jacket with protective padding on the elbows, shoulders and back; riding pants which include protective padding on the hips and knees; gloves which include protective covering on the knuckles and of course, boots with protective material over the toes, ankles and shins. I also wear a reflective vest at all times and have recently started wearing a pink tutu too - which has vastly increased my visibility. Motorists don&rsquo;t seem to pay much regard to bikers but I have noticed that since wearing my bright pink tutu they are more lenient and have more empathy because they can tell I am a woman. When I ride with men, motorists are aggressive towards them but when I ride solo they make way for me. By allowing myself to explore the world of 2-wheelers, I have since discovered many reasons to remain in the saddle. Here are a few:<div style="page-break-before:always; page-break-after:always">1. FREEDOM The &lsquo;she-must-be-rebellious&rsquo; hype around being a female biker worked to my advantage. Rather than explain myself to people who were determined to misunderstand my rationale, I proudly plastered the proverbial &lsquo;rebel&rsquo; sticker on my forehead. I then used it as an excuse to push through self-imposed cultural and societal limitations about who I am (or not) as a Black woman on a motorcycle. Thanks to the world viewing me differently, I have embraced the courage to become more of the woman I have always been inside, but have never been encouraged to express for fear of colouring out of the lines.2. ADVENTURE <div style="page-break-before:always; page-break-after:always">I ride a Honda NC750x which I&rsquo;ve christened &ldquo;The Blue Wildebeest&rdquo; because it is short, wide, powerful and well &ndash; blue! It is the vehicular equivalent of a soft off-road SUV; and allows me to go off the beaten track to explore places I would otherwise need a bakkie to get to. Being light on fuel, (approximately 350km out of its 14-litre tank) it allows me to go on adventures without the burden of hefty petrol prices. Plus, it has a handy luggage compartment that can store up to about 5kg of clothes, cosmetics and gadgets for my trips.3. INDEPENDENCE Face it ladies, there are times when you would like to just leave everyone and everything behind and be completely on your own. Nothing gives you more cost-effective independence than being able to strap on your helmet, crank up the engine and ride away to collect your thoughts. When I ride, I can feel the wind all around me as the Blue Wildebeest whistles along the road. I am more in touch with nature than when in a car. Riding allows me to be completely in the moment (even if riding in a group) without distractions from my phone, radio or talkative passengers.4. COMMUNITY Speaking of group rides, being on a motorcycle has opened my world to people from all walks of life. I have formed friendships with folk I may not ordinarily have met were I not on a motorbike. I have developed a network of sisters across the continent, and it has been interesting to share and learn from more experienced riders who relate to my newbie biker experiences.For instance, helmet hair is a real problem (that&rsquo;s when your hair just flattens against your head or spikes up in different directions when you take your helmet off) or finding protective gear that comfortably fits my frame.5. CONQUERING MY FEARS <div style="page-break-before:always; page-break-after:always">The saying &ldquo;there is nothing to fear except fear itself&rdquo; is absolutely true. I have discovered that what I had perceived as reasons not to ride (e.g. traffic, the weather, speed etc.) are what makes biking exhilarating. Unfortunately, motorists tend to drive as if bikers are invisible beings, but the sun, wind and rain all make for memorable experiences. As for speed, well, I ride as fast or as slowly as I feel comfortable and keep a strong sense of self-preservation high on my list of priorities.Motorcycling has become a large part of my self-love process and I wouldn&rsquo;t hang up my riding boots for anything in the world. I would strongly encourage women to give it a try, bearing in mind that you can&rsquo;t write something off until you&rsquo;ve determined what it is about. Who knows, the biking bug might bite you too and open you up to a life you never knew existed.

Riding with The wind

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