Women's motorcycle club draws 'moms and regular people'

DEKALB, Ill. -- Gigi Beaird doesn't look like the leader of a women's motorcycle group.

Sitting in her office at Northern Illinois University, she looks like the 45-year-old grants and contracts administrator she is. She's wearing a bubble gum pink suit that covers her tattoo, and photos of her two children adorn a filing cabinet in the corner.

But directly behind her, a red motorcycle helmet stands ready for her commute home.

"We're just moms and regular people," she said of the North Central Illinois Wild Roses. "Our chapter is mostly women in their late 30s and up, and they come from all walks of life."

Beaird started the Wild Roses, a chapter of international motorcycle organization Women On Wheels, earlier this year. An avid motorcyclist for more than 20 years, Beaird was intrigued when she was introduced to Women On Wheels last year but was disappointed to find the nearest chapter was in Crystal Lake.

"It's a family-oriented group I wanted to be involved in," she said. "There's a difference in the way men and women ride. We have different points of interest and offer more support."

For member Mary Lynn Buckner, the club is a way to enjoy her hobby with like-minded women.

"Motorcycle riding is often dominated by men, and I was just looking for some kindred spirits to ride with," she said. "Just like I would like to go shopping with girlfriends or do any other recreational thing with other women, this is one more thing to do with girlfriends."

'It looked like fun'

Buckner, 43, is also a mother of two who took up motorcycles later in life. She bought her first bike when she turned 40.

"I had a relative who would ride to family functions, and I started asking for rides around the block because it looked like fun," she recalled. "Eventually, I decided I didn't want to have to wait until the next family function to ride."

Both Buckner and Beaird are used to people being taken aback when motorcycles come up in conversation. Beaird said the helmet in her office has caused more than a few double-takes, and Buckner, a special education teacher in the DeKalb School District, enjoys the surprised reactions she gets from co-workers.

"It's fun to break the mold," she said. "I would definitely say our group does not fit any mold."

Buckner's husband and twin sons aren't involved in the organization, she said, but for Beaird motorcycles are a family affair. She first started riding as a passenger on her husband's bike, Beaird said, before buying her own. She stopped riding when she became pregnant with her son, now 14, but three years ago found herself riding his dirt bike around the yard.

"On my 43rd birthday I got my own bike again, and I've been riding nonstop ever since, in all weather," Beaird said.

Women On Wheels Illinois state ambassador Rusty Harmening said the organization exists for women who like motorcycles but don't fit the stereotypical biker culture.

"We do a lot of unofficial mentoring, help the girls learn to ride and encourage them," she said. "You don't have to go out bar-hopping with your husband to go for a ride. We go to restaurants, we go to parks. We do lots of stuff, and it's all safe."

The Wild Roses just had its second chapter meeting and are now 12 members strong, Beaird said. She would like to see the group grow, but will just take things as they come, she said.

"Everybody I've talked to has just been really ready for this," she said. "So many people have been looking for a group of women to ride with."