Vrrrooom to Move!
Catching a Ride & Shooting the Breeze with Four Motorcycling Hotshots

Text and Photos by Margaret Michniewicz

Traveling solo by motorcycle along the Blue Ridge Parkway in West Virginia, Marilyn Morin Roberts, 60, had pulled over to enjoy the spectacular views and take a break from her long trip. Turning back to her cushy Honda Gold Wing Trike, the mild-mannered mortgage broker from Colchester was unnerved to find an ominous-looking character striding intently toward her.

"He was dressed all in black, with a long white beard, and long hair," Roberts recalls. "I just held my breath. There were other people around, but they were all Harley riders too, looking a lot like him. A few tough-looking women were in the group, but I somehow didn't expect any help from them, me being the old lady on the trike!"

The man stopped directly in front of her bike, crossed his arms, and appraised her with a serious look. "Lady," he said, "I don't know what they call you, but I'm gonna call you Trouble. Now that my wife has seen your bike, she doesn't want to put her ass back on mine. Would you mind terribly if we checked out your bike?"

In the four short years that she has been riding, Roberts has logged thousands of miles and already has numerous tales from the road of places visited and colorful characters encountered.

Here in the Green Mountain State with the weather turning summer-like, more motorcyclists are buzzing by than ever. Lurking beneath all that leather and disguised by their helmets, as of 2003, are an estimated 4.3 million women motorcyclists nationwide, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, a trade organization. We (barely) caught up with four riders from around Vermont, who became immersed in their cycling passion via different routes but who all revel in the thrill of the road whizzing below their feet.

The Italian Speed Demon

Judy Mirro, 49, works for the State of Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation, but there is nothing conservative about her passion for riding - fast - on two wheels. For as long as she can remember, Mirro says, she has "always lusted for motorcycles," a fervor that led her to pursue riding professionally in a number of capacities. She is president and owner of the Women's Riding School (WRS), a nationally certified Motorcycle Safety Instructor, and for over ten years has taught cycling safety courses for the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). But she also has an on-going gig as a "moto-journalist", with assignments as Roadrace Editor and Test Rider. "I'm always up for a manufacturer's test ride!" Mirro grins, describing one such day on the job in 2000 taking the new Honda RC51 for a 160-180 mph "spin" at the Laguna Seca Raceway. "They had race prepped RC51's set up for us and the more comfortable I was, the faster I rode. That has to be the fastest I have ridden, and the longest I have ridden that fast."

Mirro has had a "couple of street crashes - years ago." "But the worst," she describes matter-of-factly, "was at the race track during the last three laps of an eight-lap spring race (approximately 13 miles)."

"I was in third place, vying for the podium when a guy took my rear tire out and I high-sided. Not pleasant at all." Elaborating, she says, "You become the pea on the spoon and you are flung over the handlebars into the air."

Fortunately, Mirro was flung long and high off the track and onto a grassy slope beyond, that unfortunately was dotted with small rocks here and there. Amazingly, though bleeding profusely in spots, she didn't break any bones: "I had a few compressed ribs, badly bruised hip and shoulder," she says, adding characteristically: "Worst of all - my race bike needed a lot of work to get back on the track."

If it weren't for her damaged bike (and being physically restrained by the track crew), Mirro describes being so pumped up with adrenaline she was ready to try reentering the race, hoping to make it on that victory podium.

The incident has clearly left her with no apprehension about riding motorcycles, as she makes her 130+ mile daily commute to work from Quechee to Waterbury on her 2002 BMW R1150RS, rain or shine, generally from April through November - "or whenever the black ice ends and starts."

Mirro says she wears either her full leather suits or a full synthetic riding suit. "I have two full leather Vanson race suits (one vented/one not) and a Rev'It synthetic two-piece," under which she can wear regular clothes ("it makes heading off for work very convenient"). She always wears a full face SNELL-approved helmet, which gets replaced every five years for safety's sake; motorcycle boots and gloves finish out the outfit every day - no matter the weather, she notes.

On cold days (under 50 degrees), Mirro reports that she can plug in her electric jacket liner and turn on the heated hand grips for added comfort, adding, "I seem to be more of a wimp as I get older. I will plug in under 50 degrees and I generally do not ride under 28 degrees. That is my absolute cut-off."

Mirro traces the origin of her cycling obsession to her childhood. "I remember going on long car trips with my family, sitting in the back of the station wagon and counting the motorcycles I saw on our 14-hour car trips from New York City to visit cousins in Michigan," Mirro recalls. "And the boys around my block had choppers and I was mesmerized by them.

"But it was my parents' best friend Joe, a retired motorcycle patrolman from New York, who made me insane for motorcycles. Every so often he would pick me up for a ride - I was barely able to touch the rider foot pegs and could never get my arms around him. He would go faster in the corners when I asked and we would ride around until he had better things to do with his day. He would tell my Mom he was just going to grab a pack of cigarettes or something and we were gone. Hours later we would return. I never remember him ever stopping for the item he claimed to be out looking for either," she smiles.

When she was nearly 18, Mirro bought her "very first" bike, a Honda 175cc, and has, as she describes it, "never looked back: I have always had at least one motorcycle and ridden continuously since," adding that all told she has logged over 300,000 miles on a motorcycle, many of which were criss-crossing the United States. "I currently have three - a '96 Ducati 900 Supersport and two BMWs - and have had as many as six bikes at the same time. Once, for two weeks I was out of a ride - and was a basket case."

Mirro is a self-taught rider from before the days of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. "I remember riding for years in my dreams before I ever got behind the controls… And then, when I did get my bike - I got on and just rode off. Just like that. It felt so natural, so perfect. I never wanted to get off and I still feel that way now."

After taking an Experienced Rider Course with MSF in the 1990s, the instructor recruited Mirro to teach, which she has been doing ever since. "I really believe the MSF Basic Rider Course is the safest way to approach motorcycling," she says. "You don't even need to own one to take the course in Vermont. You ride the state's bikes and we provide a helmet for you. If you take the course and love it, you are all set to go out and buy your own. If you take the course and absolutely hate it - you've lost nothing but the appreciation for a motorcyclist on the road."

In addition to teaching everything from basic to experienced rider courses for the VT DMV, Mirro has owned and run the Women's Riding School since 2005, whose classes are held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) in Loudon. "I like to think of the WRS as the 'next step,'" Mirro says in relation to how the school differs from the DMV classes. "The state-offered courses are excellent, but they all take place in an enclosed parking lot and in first- or second-gear. One instructor for every six students. The WRS goes way beyond and teaches riders how to build their confidence with better braking, cornering, body position, visual leads, all-around smoothness - and all at street speeds on their own motorcycles."

Mirro's height has prompted moments of amusement for colleagues. "I am five feet one-half inch tall and do not reach the ground on any of the motorcycles I ride," she noted, which drew the attention of Japanese engineers while she was test riding a 2000 Honda RC-51 V-Twin. The RC-51 weighs 441 pounds, has 126 horsepower, and has a seat height of 32 inches. "I don't think anything of it, but I forget that for people who have never seen me mount one of my bikes, it must look rather odd. I put the bike in gear with my right foot, hold the clutch in and then, as I begin to ease out the clutch, I throw my right leg over the seat - as I continue to roll on the throttle to get the bike to straighten up and roll forward. Voila! I am riding.

"The Honda engineers got such a kick out of my technique. They could not get over the fact that I needed to wax the seat before heading out. They could barely speak English, but had no problem understanding what was going on. Keeping the seat slick with Pledge made it easier for me to slip on and slide off to the left side once I needed to stop. They took notes as they hovered around me. I giggled and proceeded to ride the bike as it was meant to be ridden: very, very fast.

"I guess I am somewhat of a novelty - even after 30 plus years of riding," Mirro muses. "They acted as if I was their child going out on my bicycle without the training wheels for the very first time - and I wanted to make them proud."

Riding Tall in the Saddle

"My husband and I stopped at a gift shop in New Hampshire," recalls Pat McDonald, 64, of Berlin. "Three elderly women were just leaving the store but backed up in sheer terror when they saw us coming towards them. My husband is 6'5" and I am 6' so with our leathers and boots on we do appear larger than life. They were obviously totally shaken. We smiled, said hello, and kept walking but we could hear them mumbling about 'those bikers.' We wondered what would have happened had we told them that I was the Vermont Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and my husband was a Captain in the Vermont State Police?!"

Since her retirement from state government in 2006, McDonald's place of work has shifted to the other side of State Street - she is now a Republican legislator representing Berlin and Barre City - but her enthusiasm for riding and advocacy for motorcycle safety have remained constant themes.

It was only 14 years ago that McDonald ever started riding a motorcycle: "My husband got me into it, for which my mother has never forgiven him!" McDonald grins. Her husband, Vermont State Police Captain Bruce McDonald (retired), wanted to take a cross-country trip on his motorcycle. "Up until that time I had always just been a passenger," she says. "I decided to take the motorcycle safety course [just] to be better prepared for the trip. It actually took me two tries. The first time, I dropped the bike on my foot. But the second time, I passed and decided right then and there to buy my own bike. I haven't been on the back of my husband's bike since."

McDonald has a 1200cc 1984 Honda Gold Wing Standard. Last year she had it stripped, chromed, polished, and repainted, she says. "I had graphics put on both sides of the tank: a yellow rose, which is my favorite flower, and two ladybugs, which represent my grandchildren."

These days, most of the riding she does is for pleasure - given the timing of the Legislative session she refrains from using her motorcycle to commute to the Statehouse. However, during her tenure as DMV Commissioner, it was not unusual to find her motoring not only to Montpelier, but in some cases out of state. "I served as both the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and the Secretary of Transportation for Vermont, and I rode my motorcycle to conferences out of state. I would have to ship my business and evening clothes in advance since the amount of luggage one can carry is a little limited on a bike. But, it was always well worth the effort. I think people love [hearing about this] not only because of the positions I held but also because I am a woman who has celebrated many birthdays with too many candles to count!" she says.

"It was a challenge riding to work. I dressed more formally for the office so traditional motorcycle outfits don't quite fit in. And then of course there is the problem of 'helmet hair'! However, when I did ride to work, I would wear pantsuits underneath my rain pants and leather jacket (and always, helmet, boots, and gloves). I would pack my shoes and dress jacket in my saddlebags and bring enough hair products to ensure a reasonable look. And off I would go!"

Even in New Hampshire where they are not mandatory, McDonald (and all the women we interviewed) wears her helmet. "I never take my helmet off, no matter where I am riding - for safety reasons," McDonald explains. "Also, because I am a State Representative and was the former Commissioner of Motor Vehicles I want to always be able to testify at the Legislature that I wear my helmet at all times." She adds, "I want to make sure that Vermont retains its current mandatory motorcycle helmet law."

McDonald and her husband ride primarily for pleasure around Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine (where their daughter and grandchildren live) as often as they can. She says they also go on at least one major motorcycle trip annually: Last year they rode to Cape Breton, rode the Cabot Trail, and put on approximately 2400 miles, she reports.

"I love the sense of freedom that comes over me when riding my bike and I love the way it makes me more aware of my surroundings and gives me quiet time to think, or listen to the radio," McDonald says, adding that her favorite music to listen to out on the road is opera. "On occasion I sing to my heart's content!"

North Country Cruisin'

Forty-five year old Anne Loijas of Essex started the North Country Lady Cruisers (NCLC), a local chapter of the national group Women on Wheels (WOW) about nine years ago. "I had just purchased a new bike after taking a hiatus from riding to raise kids," Loijas recalls. "I would use any excuse for a ride! After a while of riding by myself, I knew there had to be other women out there who want to ride together. I started seeing more and more women on the road, so that's when I started the Lady Cruisers."

Loijas urges other women motorcyclists to join in on the fun. "There's nothing to membership with NCLC. Just come out and join us for a ride! We typically ride during the week and on the weekend. Currently, we ride on Thursdays, meeting at Taft Corners in Williston at 6pm, and will ride to a restaurant - our motto is 'Ride to Eat, Eat to Ride.' For the weekend ride, we try to do something longer." She adds that WOW's application and membership fee is offset by perks including an insurance discount that can save a motorcyclist hundreds of dollars.

Like Mirro, Loijas commutes by motorcycle virtually daily to her job in Burlington as an intel analyst for the U.S. Marshals Service: "After all, I do get around 50 miles to the gallon!" she notes (though she playfully admits to having a "lead hand"). "I wear leather chaps, coat, and boots over my business suits, and put my heels on when I get into the office." In addition to her full-time job, Loijas is also a First Sergeant with the Vermont Air National Guard, and returned recently from a tour in Iraq.

"My season is typically from March (if weather cooperates) or April, until November. When it gets cold, I break out the heated gear. I ride a 2000 BMW K1200LT, a big touring bike! It has all the bells and whistles, and the quality of a good German product," Loijas says. "I've had it since 2001 and I have 59,800 miles on it."

Loijas' love of motorcycling began by riding mini bikes as a kid. "My mother wouldn't let me get any kind of motorized bike, so when I went and slept-over at a friend's house, we rode her brothers' mini bikes. We just basically tore up the lawn with them," she says. "We never wore any gear, but we didn't take any spills, either."

Loijas attained her motorcycle license in 1984. Now, as the mother of an 18-year-old daughter, Loijas is in the role of protective mom, saying of her daughter: "She's busy trying to earn money for college, so she doesn't have much time for riding… I think I'd be scared to death if she started - I'd rather she get a few more years of driving in general under her belt. She is the perfect passenger. I told her when she first began to ride on my bike that she can't fidget when she sits behind me, as it can throw me off. She sits so still that I can't tell she's back there." Mother and daughter have been on a number of long trips together, and it seems the only trouble that arises is the battle over what radio station the two will listen to.

Loijas has never had an accident, but says she has "dropped" her motorcycle a few times. "It happens to all of us sooner or later, and usually happens when you're going really slow, like turning into a driveway and your wheel is cranked and you hit a divot in the road. You start to fall slowly and end up just laying the bike down. The biggest hazard is inattentiveness," she cautions. "You have to constantly be aware of your surroundings. It's the other drivers that get you!"

Loijas has taken several long trips on her own through the years between Vermont and Florida, Alabama and Texas, and speaks of the "long looks" she gets when people see her license plate and notice she's so far away from home. "The one encounter I'll never forget is when I stopped to gas up somewhere in Virginia or North Carolina," Loijas says. "The woman who was running the cash register was amazed by me as I walked in. She couldn't believe that I was a lone woman biker. She said I was inspirational and wished she had the courage to do the same. I told her she just needed to have the desire, and she could do it too."

Easy Rider

The desire to ride hit Marilyn Roberts at the age of 56. An acquaintance had explained that the reason he loved riding a motorcycle was the feeling of anonymity and solitude he could feel while still being in a crowd, and that appealed to Roberts. "Outside of my work environment, I'm an introvert, really rather shy - so the idea of a hobby that got me outside, in a non-competitive environment really appealed to me," she says. "It's a good thing I've gotten over that," she adds, "since I now ride a trike that stops traffic and starts conversations wherever I go."

With the decision made to pursue riding, on Roberts researched bikes, classes and gear and found Loijas at the NCLC, who invited her to join in on some of the group's activities, whether she had a bike or not. When Roberts took the test for a motorcycle license, she failed, due to "balance issues." "The whole group was so friendly and encouraging, that when I failed the class, I didn't want to give up my connection to my new friends," she recalls. A few weeks later, while at a motorcycle trade show in New York, Roberts found the Voyager kit, essentially a large set of training wheels. "That enabled me to still ride, and by the end of the year, I was hooked on long distance riding and moved up to the Gold Wing trike," she says. "I love the trike because it won't tip over and I don't have to worry about sliding on sand or leaves. The bike is extremely comfortable for long rides. I have all the comforts of a car with the open air of a motorcycle."

Roberts has become active in the NCLC group, noting that she appreciates how nurturing they are. "When I first started to ride, they took me up a very steep, windy road. I stalled the bike! One of the ladies blocked the way behind me and another stayed on her bike, not far from my side, guiding traffic around me. They were determined that I would learn how to start on a hill if it took all afternoon. Luckily, it only took a few tries. I would have given up riding out of frustration in the beginning if it was not for their encouragement."

Roberts says she often rides with no music, either listening to the sounds of nature, like the birds, or tractors, or kids at play. "My bike is exceptionally quiet. When my husband rides with me, it's a chance to have a conversation, undistracted by sports on TV. We have a communication system so we can talk to each other: if the radio is on, as soon as one of us speaks, the radio turns itself down. Now, if we only had that at home!"

"I love riding because there is nothing to block my view. I can take in all the scenery and the smells. In the spring, the smell of lilacs, fresh bark mulch, rain. As the seasons change, the scent of new mown hay, the smell of the salt air near the ocean and wood smoke in the fall. Riders are really a part of the environment, not just an observer.

"Quite often on long trips, I meet families when I pull into rest areas. It's generally the grandmothers, in their 70s and 80's who look at me wistfully and tell me they wish they'd had the courage to ride when they were younger. Their brothers or fathers rode, but women just didn't ride then. They sound so sad! I get questions from men about the gear or the cost of the bike. Young boys want to know how fast it goes. Young girls just take it for granted that we girls can do anything we want to!"

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