Her Story. A series of blog posts telling the stories of 'women who ride' from all corners of the globe. We hope that by sharing these stories we can help encourage other women to build their confidence, learn from others and inspire others.
This month we have a joint story, by Audrey and Dalia, from Oregon, USA. They met while working at the same hospital and quickly grew from co-workers to best friends.
Audrey has been riding for years and eventually inspired Dalia, who had always admired riders, to take it up herself. Their shared passion for motorcycles led them to create Moto Babes Co., an Instagram page and YouTube channel dedicated to reviewing the best of female riding gear.
We hope you enjoy their story!
Dalia's Story
My name is Migdalia Michaud, but I go by Dalia. I’m 41, and live in Forest Grove, OR with my husband Ryan, our dogs Oliver and Charlie, and our cat Shadow.
I always thought motorcycles were super cool, but never saw myself as someone who could, or would ever have the opportunity to ride. Ryan sold his dual sport when we moved out here to help with the purchase of our house, and I just never thought motorcycles would find their way back to me.
When I met Audrey, she quickly grew from a co-worker to a best friend. She had been riding for years, and I absolutely loved watching her, as a female rider, killing it. Her stories of how much joy riding brought to her started to light a fire in me, but I still saw it as “wishful dreaming.”
One day, something made me push my husband to buy another dirt bike for himself. At the store, I was obviously sitting on every bike, and that’s when I spotted a real black beauty. It was a matte black Honda Rebel 500, which I initially thought was a 300. A 500 seemed intimidating, but Audrey said that if I was to start riding, I’d get over a 300 in a matter of months.
In that conversation, I felt my bond grow even stronger with the only female rider I knew. I bought that Rebel the next business day. I had never ridden a motorcycle before, and had no idea what I was doing, but self-doubt didn’t win that time – I had to have it, even if it just meant I got to sit on it in my garage.
I took the class to get my endorsement, then started going on rides with Ryan, which got longer and longer. And then I crashed. I put my black beauty in a deep, muddy ditch. It was terrifying. In that pinnacle of a moment, I realized I could gracefully bow out and say, “I tried, but this wasn’t for me.” Instead, I immediately got back on. We pulled my bike out of that ditch, and I rode her back home with a bent handlebar and a twisted fork. I took ownership of what had happened, and even refused Ryan’s offer to wash the bike to do it myself.
This first crash had deep meaning for me. While I wasn’t too injured, what did hit me hard was realizing how much I needed this. Seeing that I could, even at my age, learn from something and move on gave me the strength to keep going. I have since ridden long distances in the cold and heavy rain, which shows me I can, and will continue to push and grow. My bike is the way I do that, without anyone’s expectations but my own.
My Rebel has since gotten new handlebars, and Ryan fixed her forks. She also got saddle bags and a windshield. I have a ding on the gas tank from that first crash, which reminds me of the potential for anything to happen, and of the ever constant need to be present.
I am still very new to riding, and absolutely love my journey so far. It has been less about having a bike and riding, and more about pushing myself to become my own person; stronger, wiser, tougher, and more badass than I ever thought I could be.
That’s how deeply motorbikes have impacted my life, and the continuous gift is the freedom of riding. It’s also amazing to be a woman making her mark in a historically “man’s world.” I want to inspire other women to get out of their “fear zone” and embrace riding like I did. Audrey and I want to make a mark in the female riding scene, that’s why we created the Moto Babes Co. Instagram page and YouTube channel.
If you are wondering if you should ride, do it! Take a class, then build from short to longer rides. And if you are blessed enough to have a partner and/or best friend who will ride with you like I do, then definitely do it. Learn from them and enjoy bonding in ways that only riding can do. It will be something that is yours, but also special to a whole community of people who truly understand the freeing feeling of being on a motorcycle.
Audrey's Story
My name is Audrey Maud Egbert. I’m 35 years old and live in Hillsboro, OR with my husband Bryce, and our furry baby Frankie.
I learned how to ride a motorcycle when a friend from High School gave me a crash course on his 250 dirt bike. I started off pretty good, but when it came to stopping… Well, at 5’2, my feet couldn’t even touch the ground! My friend promised me he would be outside to help catch the bike so I could get off, but that proved to be easier said than done, and no, he wasn’t.
I tried jumping off, but ended up throttling it, and spinning in circles with the bike laid down. What a sight to see. You’d think that would turn me away from motorcycles, but after it was all over, all I wanted to do was jump right back on and try it again. That’s when I knew I was born to ride. From then on, anytime a motorcycle was around, I was on it.
Almost four years ago, I decided to buy my first street bike. I had always wanted one, and at that particular time of my life, I just really needed something to call mine. I bought a Honda Rebel 300 off craigslist and rode that thing every day that entire summer. I quickly outgrew it, but damn, that Rebel was fun!
There was only one type of bike I was missing in my life, and that was a Harley. In 2020, I finally purchased my Harley Sportster 1200, and it’s been a wild ride ever since! This year, I won an exhaust on a raffle, and as soon as I got it, I had a “stage one” done on my sportster. That thing is now so badass and loud, you can’t miss it coming!
I feel like the motorcycle world has definitely changed my life. In it, I’ve met so many cool friends, been to so many rad events, and ridden through the craziest of roads.
I love it that I now share my love of riding with my best friend Dalia. I especially love that, because we’ve been blessed to explore that passion together, we were able to create a business out of it. Moto Babes Co. has been another wild ride, and without motorcycles, none of this would be possible. We want our Instagram page and YouTube channel to cause an impact in the female riding culture.
To anyone thinking about riding who hasn’t done it yet, especially women: just get on the damn bike! Trust me, you won’t regret it!
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