Are you ready for Profile of a Female Motorcyclist Meet Christie? About a year ago I profiled Krystyna (KK), or on Twitter @KK352, a true lady motorcyclist! I tweeted once again asking for help finding more female riders and KK responded with a recommendation to contact her friend Christie a.k.a. @Christieland. I did and she said yes!! Christie has some amazing skills you can check out her blog Passed by a Chick!
Profile of a Female Motorcyclist Meet Christie
How long have you been riding a motorcycle? 7 years
How did you learn to ride? MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation)
What was your first motorcycle? 2003 Suzuki SV650S
How many have you owned? 5
Why did you want to ride a motorcycle? I initially wanted to learn how to ride simply to know the skill and see if I might like it. I had this idea in my head it’d be cool to know how to drive well, ride motorcycle, fly a plane, James Bond stuff like that. In case I ever needed to make a quick getaway and that was the only vehicle around!
Tell us about your riding. Turns out I really liked it. I had so much fun in my MSF class that I knew I wanted to buy a street bike. I got the Suzuki SV650S and started joining group rides in the mountains and occasionally commuting through gnarly Silicon Valley traffic to my job at Google.
A friend suggested a track day, which turned into another track day, which turned into racing lessons, and then racing. Four years later I quit racing, and at that point I was fast enough at Sonoma Raceway to qualify for AMA SuperSport but declined to make a run at the pros, deciding instead to cash in my chips and walk away in one piece.
What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle? Take an honest look at your driving ability, if you can. Everyone says they’re a good driver, naturally. But are you, really? Do you know how to drive defensively?
When unexpected things happen on the road, do you blame others, or think about how you could have avoided the situation better? If you feel you’re a good driver and can also keep your ego in check, go for it. For me, motorcycling changed my life.
What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle? I rode my niece’s boyfriend’s Harley from Omaha, Nebraska to South Carolina two summers ago.
Do you belong to any motorcycle groups? Off or online? No
Do you have a favorite riding story? They’re almost all favorites.
What do you do when you’re not riding? Ride my bicycle! I race road and mountain bikes now.
No more motorbike racing for me! My husband, a former pro motorcycle racer, and I are expecting our first child in late August, so I’m not racing anything right now (except to the bathroom, about a million times a day) but am still logging lots of miles on my pedal bikes.
So many things to learn from this Profile of a Female Motorcyclist Meet Christie! I appreciate the fact that she is comfortable walking away from racing. Whether it is for a season or forever ladies, do what is best for you!
Thank you for stopping by Helmet or Heels female motorcycle community! I am always looking for more stories like your adventure into motorcycle riding. Your experience, knowledge, and insight will encourage women in their motorcycling journey! Fill out the contact form and let’s connect!
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2 Responses
Great story. I admire people courageous enough to ride at the track, let alone race there.
Hello Christie and congrats on your new little racer to be.
I am always in awe of women that choose to race bikes after getting into riding. And good on you for knowing when to say you’ve done it enough. That takes a lot of courage to walk away from the pros.