Why I Ride: Skully

Sisters Eternal WMC, Calavera, Skully

Monnouth, Or

Nurse LPN/ going for RN

I got my road name because I love skulls and started collecting them when I was in my teens. One day I was with my grandfather driving down a country road when I saw a skull and asked him to pull over. I hopped out,walked over to the skull, discovered it was a cow skull, picked it up, and brought it home with me..

When I was ten or eleven, I started riding dirt bikes and scooters around the neighborhood to go hang out with my friends. When I was about 13 or so, I had a boyfriend who was labeled as “a bad boy.” I dated him all summer long, and he and gave me rides on his Honda for fun.

I started riding my own because I love riding; and, for a long time, I was just a passenger. I got sick and tired of waiting and feeling like I was begging. I didn't like it. I decided I wanted my own independence so I could ride whenever I wanted, even if I had to go alone.

My first bike was a 76 kickstart ironhead sporty. I was living in Idaho at the time and visiting in Portland. A guy I had dated some years ago owned a shop, and a friend of mine suggested I wear a lowcut shirt so I could possibly get a deal. Not wanting to have my clothing send the wrong message, I went wearing a turtleneck and bought my first motorcycle. The owner took it to my folks’ house for me, thinking we were going to start dating again. I wasn't there so he turned down the points camm because he was ticked by wrongly assuming I was interested. I had left the bike at my folks’ house for a short bit. When my folks brought it to me in Portland, and my (now husband) boyfriend couldn't get it to kick over. So we put it up for sale, and he bought me a 94 883 sporty. After some days of troubleshooting and tinkering with the sporty, we realized the camm was in the wrong place. We put it where it belonged then it worked and kicked over just fine when I bought it.

Currently I ride a 2008 Heritage named Blue; he is paid off and he is mine, all mine. An average ride for me all depends on what the day has in store. On a busy day I’ll only get in about 60-70 miles just tooting around close to home. On a planned day I’ll go a couple hundred miles. My favorite ride is to take the freeway, open the throttle, and just go. I'll find a place to stop for a bite to eat, rest for a bit, and head home. I'm not a huge fan of the twists and turns.

My favorite thing about being on two wheels is that it makes me super happy to feel the freedom and independence.

My worst bike memory is when my husband and I were on a ride and we rode over some railroad tracks. All of the sudden while on the tracks, my front tire just dropped out! I went down, the bike went spinning in circles, and to top it all off I broke my left arm. I was thankful no train was coming.

My best bike memory is in 2014 I rode my own bike from Portland all the way to Sturgis. I had been there four times before as a passenger, but then I decided I have to do this as a rider, or I was going to regret it for the rest of my life. I felt this was a good opportunity for me so I decided I was going to do it, and boy am I glad I did. In 2017 we decided to go to Sturgis again, and I rode my own. A friend of ours was widowed the previous year and asked us to spread her husband’s ashes on Bear Butte Pass which is 11,000 feet above sea level; we did so happily for her. It was such a special ride for me; I will never forget that day. That is one of my proudest moments; not only did I learn to appreciate my bike and discover my abilities, but I also found so much more confidence in myself I didn't know I had.