Women of Color Blaze New Trails in Motorsports

Black Girls Ride Founder Porsche Taylor has made it her mission to increase the number of female motorcyclists across the nation, provide safe riding adventures and inspire riders through safety education and celebration.

Two hundred twenty-five unapologetic, fearless and trend-setting female bikers, brought together by Black Girls Ride (BGR), will ride nearly 200,000 miles, collectively, from more than five states for the largest African-American music and entertainment celebration in New Orleans on July 5-7. The rides, powered by Indian Motorcycle and Polaris Slingshot represent the growing emergence of African-American and female motorcyclists in the U.S.

“This is the ultimate girls trip,” BGR Magazine Founder Porsche Taylor said. “We are celebrating our femininity, individuality and showing the world that there’s an indescribable feeling of accomplishment and freedom that women get when they conquer their fears on a high-quality motorcycle.”

As reported in a 2018 Motorcycle Industry Council study, female motorcycle ownership doubled in the U.S. in the last decade, with nearly one in five motorcycle riders being female. Among African-American motorcycle owners, women dominate at 53% over men, according to another 2018 survey of American consumers.

The majority of the riders, some of which will be riding Indian Motorcycles or the three-wheeled Polaris Slingshot vehicles, will make the multi-state journey from five states: Texas, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana. Other riders will come from as far as California. Riders will either make the joy ride solo or in a group. The 225 riders will bring their mission to the largest African-American female festival in the nation.

“Polaris has fueled the passion of riders, workers and outdoor enthusiasts for more than 60 years,” Polaris Marketing and Customer Engagement and Growth Manager Joey Lindahl said. “Indian Motorcycle and Polaris Slingshot are proud to support and celebrate the growing national sisterhood of riders as they blaze new trails in the industry.”

“Women continue to break barriers and defy stereotypes in motorcycling, and the sport has brought us together like never before,” Tayor said. “Our fellow biker sisters come from all walks of life. We work in boardrooms and classrooms across the nation but on the free road, we are one. We are a family.”

Link: Black Girls Ride

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame recently named Marilyn Stemp and Steve Piehl to its board of directors.

Stemp is a pioneering figure in the motorcycle industry, founding IronWorks Magazine with her late husband, Dennis, and becoming the first female editor of a nationally circulated, mainstream motorcycle magazine. She also revived their trade magazine, Iron Trader News; edits the monthly Kiwi Indian News; contributes to several powersports media outlets; and is the founding editor of Sturgis Rider Daily. Stemp is a noted editor and writer of several motorcycle-focused books. Her consistent support for charitable efforts in the industry include the annual Biker Belles Celebration, Las Vegas BikeFest and as campaign chair for the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum’s development plan in 2014. She co-founded the Flying Piston charity events taking place in Daytona and Sturgis each year and is a National Ambassador for All Kids Bike. Stemp was inducted into both the Las Vegas Motorcycle Hall of Fame and the Sturgis Museum's Hall of Fame in 2018, and in 2022 she was recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Powersports by DealerNews.