Ladies! Get on your bikes and ride!

I first met Muriel Farrington in September 2018 in White Junction, Vermont, while on a BMW Motorcycle Club of Ontario ride. I was instantly mesmerized by her: Classy, plucky and with a grace and quiet determination that garnered her many top-three BMW MOA Mileage Contest wins. I didn't know it then, but I was meeting a fellow female rider who would bring me calm and peace every time I was in her presence. A bond formed instantly between us, and I would always find time to spend with her at every BMW MOA National Rally I attended. So many hearts were broken last year when Muriel passed, and I will never forget her funny stories, the inspiration I felt hearing of her cross-country solo trips, or our many phone calls about where we were each at in our mileage competition.

The last time I spoke to Muriel was on the phone before the Grand Opening of the MOA Historical Archives, where her GS, her gear and her awards were proudly on display. Steve Pelletier held the phone, and I told Muriel that Steve had spent hours cleaning and polishing her bike. She exclaimed: “OH! I wanted you to leave the bugs and dirt on it!” That was such a classic Muriel line! She sadly passed two days later.

Growing up riding on the back of my father’s 1975 Suzuki GT750 Water Buffalo in the '70s, I knew that I would own a motorcycle on my 16th birthday. Being Gen X, I always had after school jobs and saved my money. On my 16th birthday in April 1982, I asked my mother to drive me to the license bureau in St. Catharines, Ontario, to get my "driver's license.” She happily agreed, envisioning me taking my younger brother and sister to after school activities in her Ford Grenada. She stayed in the car while I went in to write my beginners test, and I came out waving my license, yelling: "I got my motorcycle license!” I will never forget the look on her face. My new-to-me motorcycle was delivered later that day (that I had paid for with babysitting money), a 1978 Honda CB400T Hawk. My dad was so shocked he refused to teach me how to ride, so I just got on it and taught myself, with some shaky shifts!

Riding in Ontario in the early '80s, male riders surrounded me, and it was rare to see another female rider. As a teen on a motorcycle, I was pulled over several times for speeding. But every time, it seemed the officer was so surprised to see the long, red hair fall out of my helmet that I only got a warning. One went so far as to tell me to get a smaller bike. There began the challenge of being a female on a motorcycle. Is this your boyfriend's motorcycle? You mean you ride on the back, right? Isn’t that bike too big for you? I have heard every single cliche out there when it comes to female riders. It was a lonely existence, and I rode for hours and miles and miles, solo. I reveled in the ride, each mile washing away the world's troubles, the wind blowing away my cares. Indeed, you never see a motorcycle parked outside a therapist's office…unless, of course, the therapist rides!

Fast forward to November of 2017, when I bought my 2018 BMW G 310 GS and found myself a few months later at the BMW MOA booth at the Toronto Motorcycle Show. BMW MOA Ambassador Terry Church signed me up to the MOA and invited me to apply to join the BMW Motorcycle Club of Ontario. I promptly joined the club, and met some pretty impressive female riders with a long history in the BMW MOA community in my first year: Jean Copas, Carol Taub, and Moto Legend Muriel Farrington. I was inspired and thrilled to meet other female riders! Soon thereafter I met and made fast friends with other local Ontario female riders, Beverley Lee, Kathryn Smith, Jane Westfall, Tracy Charles and Jennifer Camp. I went to my first BMW MOA rally and met other inspiring riders: Louise Colleen Powers, Kandi Spangler, Voni Glaves, Wendy Naessens, Marina Ackerson, Jan Pennington, Karen Salemi, Jayne Thompson, Sharron Zoyhofski, and more! I fell in love with every one of these female riders! Knowing I was no longer alone changed me in a way I cannot express. It encouraged me to get involved in my local club and the BMW MOA.

I have been the President of the BMW Touring Club of Detroit for the last four years, a BMW MOA Ambassador for three years and an MOA Board Director since last June. I met my new husband through the BMW MOA in 2018 and cannot do enough to give back to the MOA. I have ridden 99,000 miles over the last four years on my 2020 R 1250 GSA and recently upgraded to a 2025 R 1300 GSA. Neither of these bikes has a low suspension. I get asked often: "How do you ride that big bike?" I usually reply: "I step on the peg, click the red button, twist the throttle and GO!”

Now, let me address the females that enjoy the ride from the rear seat. I am always impressed with the female pillions that put their faith in the rider. It takes real courage to put your trust in the person controlling the bike, and I have such admiration for pillions. When I rode with my father, I wanted to kick his feet off the pegs and take control of the handlebar to control the bike! So, for those who ride pillion, you have my utmost respect.

As a BMW motorcycle salesperson, I take great pride in changing how female riders are treated in our showroom. I never assume they are not riders, and I always ask her directly what she is looking for, assuming she can ride any motorcycle on the showroom floor. I live for positivity and love to promote the BMW MOA to anyone who comes into our dealership. As a BMW MOA Member Forces Recruiter, I never let an opportunity go to sign someone up for a one-year complimentary MOA membership. My BMW dealership is the perfect tool to find new BMW MOA members!

Knowing the friends I have made through the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, I encourage every BMW MOA female rider to attend our National Rally in Lebanon, Tennessee. It runs from Thursday, June 19 to Sunday, June 22, 2025. There will be numerous seminars catering to female riders, including a Women Who Ride Seminar, a Women Who Ride Welcome Reception, and tons of amazing female riders! You will find female long-distance riders, off-road riders, GS Trophy competitors, Iron Butt riders, race bike riders, female mechanics, female ride instructors, and so much more. So if you want to meet other female riders, be inspired, find a place where male riders respect and appreciate you, and find a place where you belong, come to the rally.

My closest friends in the world are BMW MOA members, and in them, I have found a bond that I know I will have for life. So, ladies, in the words of Freddy Mercury: "Get on your bikes and ride!"