Superbike Clubs And Associations: Joining The Community
Superbike Clubs And Associations: Joining The Community – The Chrome Kitty Motorcycle Club gathered in Derby last month. Janice Friedman, front, and other members of the Chrome Kitty Motorcycle Club prepare to head to the Derby on a ride. Left to right, second row, are Kathryn Langier and Milena Faris; third row, Sonja McCall, Cindy McGuire, Pat Sherry and Bobby Cole; Third row, Nellie Taylor and Lily Nordik. Photo by Joe Stump
When Janice Friedman saw four women riding bikes into a Harley-Davidson dealership in Wyoming, she was intrigued.
Superbike Clubs And Associations: Joining The Community
“I had never seen a female Harley rider before. But I was the last person you would think would do it,” Friedman said. “I’m not going to lie, I was kind of high maintenance.”
Detroit’s Buffalo Soldiers Using Motorcycle Club As A Force For Good
In fact, she did not even enjoy riding as a passenger on her husband’s motorcycle. “It ruined my hair,” she said.
But there was something about seeing women in command of all his power that resonated with her. She turned to her husband, who had bought his first motorcycle in the 1990s, and told him she intended to learn to ride his own motorcycle. His answer: “You just want to do it for the nice clothes.”
For 18 years, Friedman has not only amassed an impressive cycling wardrobe, she founded and leads an all-female cycling club, the Chrome Kitty Motorcycle Club.
Members describe the club, which started in 2004, as a tight-knit support group that enjoys organized rides, social gatherings and charity work.
Bexar’s Eye: ‘full Throttle’ Pastor Finds Calling Ministering To Motorcycle Clubs
“I have sisters, but the Chrome Kitty Club has brought a whole new group of sisters that I didn’t know I needed,” said Jennifer Patterson, one of the group’s newest members. “The support is unreal.”
The creation of Club Friedman’s motorcycle safety course wasn’t long after seeing that grass dealership in Wimbledon.
“Some people take it for granted,” said Friedman, who retired in 2015 as a managing director at the Haight Fanning & Honeymons law firm. “I wasn’t that girl.”
In 2004, Lori Gibbs, a neighbor who saw her tools around the neighborhood, joined her on her ride. Then another friend joined the two. Friedman created a logo and designed a t-shirt.
Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club Celebrating 45th Anniversary
By the end of the 2004 riding season, the Chrome Kitty Club had grown from three riders to 31. It now carries the entire line of club-branded gear, available for members to purchase through the club’s website.
It is, as far as members know, the only club in the area restricted to female riders. Male significant others and females are allowed to join chrome kitty riders once a season for the club’s annual Tom Cat ride.
“Over the years, 140 women have found us and joined us,” said Friedman, whose biker name is Queenie. She put her skills to work as a former human resources director and law firm manager, maintaining detailed club records.
The club currently has 50 active members; 21 are 55 and older. Catherine Langreher, 70, who started riding at age 50, is the club’s oldest member, followed by members aged 69 and 68.
Guide To Motorcycle Club Group Riding Formation
“I was happy to find a group of female riders,” Langerher said. As a rider or just one of a few.
“I think women are easy to ride. Believe it or not, guys sometimes have a lot of drama,” the anchor said with a laugh. She moved out of Kitchie to Hutchinson five years ago but still participates in as many Chrome Kitty activities as she can.
Kim Jones, a nurse at a Wichita medical clinic who has been riding motorcycles for 34 years, said she felt a connection like no other when she went to ride her first Chrome Kitty four years ago.
The club has regular monthly rides of about 100 to 120 miles from April through October, weather permitting, as well as “meow mixers” where members get together for lunch or dinner.
Meet New Orleans’s All Female Biker Club
Members also get together during the winter to stay connected. These events are usually held at the Douglas Avenue Assembly of God or the Fire and Iron Motorcycle Club, which is considered a type of fraternal club. The membership of the Fire and Iron Club consists of active and former firefighters.
“We’ve gotten so involved that I don’t feel like the riding season really stops,” Jones said. “We’re still together, just not on bikes.”
Usually, the club makes a big annual trip, covering about 500 miles in three days. Destinations include Pueblo, Colo., and Route 66 in Oklahoma.
Membership costs $40 a year and is open to women who have taken a motorcycle safety course or have held an active motorcycle license for two years. Locally, safety courses are offered by Motorcycle Rider Education Driving School in Wichita and the Twister City Harley-Davidson dealership in Park City.
Wwii Vets: America’s Biker Club Heritage
To remain an active member, members must participate in at least two organized rides per season. Members who record perfect attendance for the riding season are rewarded with a Kit Kat candy bar. To kick off each riding season, the club holds a bike blessing every April.
Since 2020, the Chrome Kitty Club has supported Family Commitment of Greater Wichita, a national charity that works with faith-based communities and groups to provide shelter, food and other support services to homeless families. The club helps the Douglas Avenue Church by providing food, overnight hosts, financial support and more. The club also raised money for the Women’s Family Crisis Center in Wichita.
Patterson, who got her mom’s cues when she joined a motorcycle club with her 10-year-old daughter, said her daughter sometimes joins her in volunteering for the family’s Pledge, For Another Generation. It provides an opportunity to witness the strength of a sister and help others. society
Raising awareness and creating a safe environment for her fellow club members is very important to Friedman. The club’s motto, according to its website, is safety first, fun second. Every year, the club holds an annual safety meeting during its Kitty Conference. No alcohol is allowed during club rides.
Nabstmc Tampa Bay Florida
Recently, a club member was involved in an accident that resulted in an amputated leg. The member was riding alone in Douglas, Friedman recalled, when a car turned into her path. The rider avoided hitting the car head-on, but it hit her anyway, fatally injuring her leg. Also this year, another member suffered a broken back and facial injuries when a car turned into her lane.
Friedman said he is creating an awareness campaign for motorists to pay attention and consider motorcyclists.
“I want drivers to know that this person is not just a bicycle. This is someone’s daughter, mother, sister. Indeed, there are drivers who give us a bad name, who start shouting on the road, but every No one walks like that.”
‘You’re not too old’ Jones, the youngest member interviewed for this article, said she enjoys inter-generational relationships with her fellow Chrome Kitty members.
Motorcycle Club Helps Men Stay Sober
“For me, having this older generation of women in the club helps me mature,” said Jones, who said she was surprised Langerher was 70 when the club celebrated her birthday in September. “I never saw her like 70.”
“I don’t have a tattoo. I look like a little old lady you’d see in church. A lot of people are surprised to learn that I ride. I didn’t even start as a teenager. Some Sometimes, people think I’m too old to do that. Well, if you can do it, you’re not too old. Sometimes you have time Or don’t have the money when you’re young to start something, there’s always a sense of ambivalence about them, while for some they’re a source of fear and inspiration, for others they’re just on two wheels. It’s plain old problems.
Regardless of how people feel, being part of a group of like-minded people certainly has its benefits. Here are our reasons, why we feel you should join a motorcycle club
No biker group can remain active and vital without following a very specific set of rules and principles of conduct. Being part of a group means you have to rise above your personal biases and think for the whole group and respect everyone’s opinion. This kind of behavior simply creates a sense of responsibility in you, and makes you a more disciplined person, a quality that you then carry over to other areas of your life. It is a sense of discipline that is not enforced out of fear of discrimination or punishment, but rather self-imposed by a shared love for freedom and two wheels.
Find A Club
Let’s admit it, while we all love our colleagues and families, it gets boring; Following the same routine every day with the same faces every day. And it’s not so much the faces that bore you, but the things they say and do.