Taking over as the new Ladies of Harley^® (LOH^™) Officer for the UK and Ireland, Vicki Green has a clear vision for what she would like the group to become and the community she intends to further strengthen.

A welcoming environment
For Vicki, LOH is an important opportunity for women to find their identities as riders and H.O.G.^® members. “I think sometimes women come in [to chapters] just by default as someone’s wife, girlfriend, partner, sister,” she explains. “Now it’s definitely changing, and I love that – more women are coming by themselves, they’re finding motorcycling and Harley on their own.”

Vicki understands that LOH can be a contentious issue for some. “For me, LOH has never been about women only. It shouldn’t be about exclusivity and I’m very aware that I don’t want it to move into positive discrimination; it’s not about excluding men, and it’s not about making any kind of subculture within H.O.G.”

Nevertheless, women are a minority in both H.O.G. and the wider motorcycling community, so Vicki is keen to maintain LOH as a space for sharing, supporting, uplifting and encouraging women, regardless of whether they are a pillion or rider, and whatever their riding level.

“I want to encourage women to take H.O.G. and everything it offers and make it whatever it needs to be for them,” she explains. “I want to translate my experience of H.O.G. and how I was made to feel welcome, and make sure that it is standardised across the Group.”

Ventures old and new
One of the things Vicki would like to do in her new role is reinstate in-person group meets, which she feels are very important for bringing together officers from different chapters. “It’s really nice for women to hear what others are doing and take inspiration,” she adds. It’s at the grassroots level that she feels a real impact can be made, and she recognises that the demographics of chapters can vary significantly, meaning that LOH focus needs to be versatile.

An initiative that Vicki has seen great success with on a local level is the annual Ladies’ Day that she runs at her own chapter, Sherwood Chapter, which sees free taster riding sessions being offered to women. Every year, while some enjoy the experience but conclude that it’s not for them, others are hooked and go on to obtain their full licence. It's something that Vicki would like to see held at chapters across the country.

Vicki is also keen to boost the profile of LOH on a broader level. “I’d love to get LOH to go to events as a group; I feel there are events that maybe we could nominate, such as the Women in Motorcycling Exhibition, where we say that there’ll be a few of us going, turn up and say hi.”

One project that Vicki is particularly passionate about establishing is a series of ‘Ladies’ Tech Nights’, ideally hosted at H-D^® dealerships with technicians on hand to answer questions big and small. The aim would be to create a relaxed, unintimidating environment where no one feels embarrassed to speak up. Vicki sees it as offering “Harley^® riding 101, whether it’s for a 10-minute journey, or a 10-day tour – what are the things that you need to know to do? Checking your tyre pressures, filling up your bike, what happens if you overfill your bike...”. The list goes on and would range from the basics up to more complex questions about performance upgrades and modifications.

“It would be open to pillions [too], because they are very much part of the ride,” says Vicki. “If you have an accident and you need to pick up the bike, they’re a valuable pair of hands. If your other half is filling up and you notice your tyre looks a little funny, that’s another set of eyes.”

A changing landscape
Since Vicki started riding a few years ago, she has seen how the motorcycle world has changed in terms of female riders. “In such a short space of time, the number of women riding that is growing rapidly is fantastic,” she says. “I think social media has been wonderful [for that]. It's really elevated women riders in a really positive light.” She’s also been thrilled to see how women are becoming more represented in niche fields within the realm of motorcycling. “You're hearing more about women that are competing in hard enduro, they're doing desert rallies, they’re doing track racing, they're doing trials. There are some really amazing women out there, pushing the boundaries, and I think that's incredibly inspirational for anyone that is thinking about riding.”

Although Vicki loves her regular rides out with her husband, male friends and mixed groups from her chapter, she admits that there is something unique and special about riding in female-only groups. “I can’t put it down on paper exactly, but the feeling of riding with a whole group of women only is very different and empowering,” she reflects.

Despite the great gains that have been made by women in the biking world, Vicki still feels that there is a need to offer support to female riders and pillions. “You hear some horrendous stories where women have been told they shouldn’t be riding, and stuff like that just needs to stop. If there are women out there who feel that there’s no need for LOH and they’ve never felt any different, I'm so happy for them... but that’s not the case for everyone.” Vicki herself has encountered people who comment that her own bike – a Road Glide^® named ‘Big Red’ – is a big bike for a girl. “I’m the Head Road Captain of my chapter, I’ve led international tours and I still get [those comments] – it amazes me,” she says.

Looking ahead to the future
Vicki is optimistic for what the future holds, and her hope is that the landscape will continue to change for women riders: “I am all for equality. My aim is to elevate women so much that maybe one day there isn’t a need for LOH. I would be the first person in line saying ‘Hold on a minute, I can turn up to a bike meet and there’s an equal chance that I will see women or men – I don’t think we need this anymore… But we are still very much a minority.”

Moving forward, Vicki wants to make sure that inspiring stories from women riders get as broad a platform as possible, and would love to see these featured regularly in the newsletter and The Enthusiast^®, so encourages female members to get in touch. She also stresses that she welcomes conversations about LOH and its direction.

“I have an open mind; I welcome people to come and fill it, feed it – direct me with their opinions. I 100 per cent don’t feel like I have all the answers, so I'm very open to evolving what LOH needs to be for everyone.”