Biker Chicks: The magnetic attraction of women to bad boys and motorbikes

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The male-dominated world of the outlaw motorcycle clubs has long been shrouded in secrecy and until now, even less was known about the role of women in these bastions of testosterone and powerful machines. Popular images of scantily-clad females who are little more than slaves don’t do justice to the rich history and culture of the many women who have chosen to ride with their men, or who ride in their own right.

When asked by her non-riding women friends what is the attraction to motorcycles, Linda, a College Dean from Arkansas in the United States, replied: “it was a chance to have something big and throbbing between my legs.” Linda’s tongue-in-cheek response to what must be the most commonly asked question of women who ride, encapsulates the spirit of the women featured in the new book, Biker Chicks: The magnetic attraction of women to bad boys and motorbikes. These women are aware of the negative stereotypes, but the truth is, women are attracted to motorcycles for the same reasons as the men.

Just like the men, these women love the freedom of being out in the elements and close to nature – a feeling no driver can ever really experience within the confines of a cage (the biker term for ‘a car’). Yes, there is an element of danger involved, but most will tell you the biggest threat they face on a motorcycle is a motorist who thinks he is king of the road.

Returning to our friend from Arkansas, Linda says she thanks God every time she arrives home safely from a ride. “The ride forces you to put all politics and petty issues in your life away, because riding the motorcycle requires your full attention; it keeps you sharp, it keeps you focused, and it keeps you alive.”

Linda’s story appears along with the stories of dozens of other women from across the globe in the new book, Biker Chicks: The magnetic attraction of women to bad boys and motorbikes. Written by Arthur Veno and Edward Winterhalder – two veterans of writing about the biker scene – the book paints a revealing portrait of the women who ride and the women who are attracted to the bad boy biker.

Recently I spoke to one of the authors, Arthur Veno, an authority on the Australian biker scene and the author of the best-selling book, The Brotherhoods. When I tell him how much I am in awe of the women who ride, Veno agrees the women featured in ‘Biker Chicks’ are powerful figures and points to the examples of Linda, Chuff from Scotland (pictured above), Annick from Belgium and Amy White from the United States.

“In the case of Amy, the guys all accept her because she is so much like them. She’s a hardcore biker chick and a very interesting woman,” said Veno. “Amy has Lupus and she says they’re going to have to take her dead fingers off her motorcycle.”

Some of these women belong to social clubs or ‘women only’ clubs and others prefer to ride solo. But Amy White is the exception rather than the rule in the male-dominated world of the outlaw motorcycle club, or as they are more commonly known – the 1%ers. This is hardcore biker territory and the world inhabited by the Hell’s Angels, Bandidos, Camancheros and others who have made news headlines for engaging in drugs, violence and socially deviant behaviour. These bad boys like their motorcycles fast and their women subservient.

“In front of the club these women have to be subservient and never be seen as being too assertive – and even if you’re furious, you are required to keep it in,” said Veno. “But the second they leave the club or the club members leave the home, she’ll tell her ole man off and not talk to him, not cook for him – and forget sex,” he said.

“If you’re part of the sisterhood and you get hit by your ole man, then the sisterhood will cut in and talk to their men about the problem and you’ll often find the guy will get a flogging out the back,” said Veno. “But if you’re not accepted by the sisterhood you’re isolated and some of these women do put up with abuse.”

But it must be remembered that although these women are required to be subservient to men, there is no evidence to support the view that domestic violence occurs more frequently in the biker scene than anywhere else.

So what does motivate a woman to enter a world where women are required to be subservient to men? As you would expect, many different roads lead to the 1%ers and the women interviewed for the book gave a variety of different reasons for how they came to be involved in the biker scene.

Victory Lynn said: “Well, they are so damned good looking. I love the long hair, the tattoos, and the whole package. To me, they are real men. They have charisma and power. The power is to be strong and reject the pansy filled straight society.” [p. 248]

The rejection of societal norms and middle class values is a common theme. Arthur Veno says for some it starts out as a conscious rebellion against their parents and for others, they have been exposed to the scene from an early age by virtue of the fact that a male relative was a member of a motorcycle club.

In his analysis of the women’s stories, Arthur Veno wrote: “Even good girls can find the bad boy irresistible. Many of the women physically attracted to the bad boy are educated and professional women. These women stray from the norm. Their emotional needs and deepest desires have led them to form attachments with the outcasts of society.” [p. 248]

Whether they stay for just a short period of time or for the rest of their lives, these women are not victims and those who choose to stay are content to take a back seat to their ole man’s motorcycle club, the brotherhood and the Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Which brings us back to the women who ride. As previously mentioned women riders have formed their own motorcycle clubs. The Chrome Divas is one such club and now has chapters all over the United States and Canada. In February this year, the Chrome Divas established their first Australian chapter in Victoria.

Another motorcycle club of note is Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA). The club has both male and female members and the BACA motto is: ‘Willing to ride to hell for one child’. BACA also has chapters across the United States and Australia.

Strong, independent and self-assured, these women make riding a motorcycle very appealing and if this book does well commercially, don’t be surprised if we see a sharp increase in the number of women riders on our roads. So get on your bike girls and let’s hit the open road!

For more information visit the website www.bikerchicksbook.com

Biker Chicks: The magnetic attraction of women to bad boys and motorbikes by Arthur Veno and Edward Winterhalder is published by Allen & Unwin and is available now from book retailers for the recommended price of AU$35.00.

YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:

Angus and Robertson Online – AU$31.95

SeekBooks.com.au – AU$31.50

QBD The Bookshop – AU$35.00

ABOVE: 'Biker Chicks' book cover and Arthur Veno

Arthur Veno photo credit: Alex Coppel, Sunday Herald Sun

Main photo of ‘Chuff’ from Scotland: Illustrated by Russell Katuin ©2009 Copyrighted Katuin/Illustration