Mid-Life Rider

I met Terrie through a friend (actually the same chap who pointed me towards Susan Carpenter).

My guess is most days Terrie doesn’t think about it this way, but she’s living the dream . . . she owns and runs a motorcycle dealership. As she points out, it’s a business just like any other, but there has to be something special about dealing with people and their passion vs. say, working at an airline check-in counter just to pick another choice.

I have to admit I’m awed by the superwoman aspect of Terrie. Putting two kids through college, running a business, dealing with a divorce, supporting good causes, teaching on the side. It’s an impressive list of things to juggle.

Like so many people I talk to about riding, Terrie has a story in the background of a mother not keen on the riding thing. That was my case. And as a Dad, I know that my sensors fire off when I’m riding with my son. You just can’t stop when it comes to your kids. At least some of us can’t.

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Tell me a little about yourself. What do you do, do you have family, that sort of thing.

Where do i begin? I am 51, just divorced. I write and teach journalism classes at Southern Oregon University, but I also run a Harley-Davidson dealership. (It helps pay for my two kids — one is a neuroscience undergrad at USC, the other will graduate from Stanford Law School this spring.)

I’m also an entrepreneur so I’m interested in people who make a living, or at least try to, from motorcycling. Say some things about owning a dealership.

My dad bought D&S Harley-Davidson in 1970. I worked behind the parts counter in high school, but then went on to college and writing for a newspaper. I got pulled back into the family business about 15 years ago when the business began growing too fast for dad to keep up with it. And teaching wasn’t going to pay the college bills. My dad retired seven or eight years ago, and now I run D&S with my two sisters.

I wouldn’t work in retail if I wasn’t selling toys all day long. It is a business like any other — with employees and bookwork and customer service issues — but the people and the passion make it pretty unique, and unpredictable. You never know what will happen day to day.

Do you remember your first bicycle?

The bike I remember is a gold and white stingray with a banana seat and tall handlebars. I remember my first ride on a 3-speed that had hand brakes. I hit a curb and had to go the hospital for stitches on my head. Of three daughters, I was not the athletic one. I was the one usually in the house, curled up with a book.

When did you first ride a motorcycle?

Dad started bringing home the little Italian-made Harleys in the 1970s. We learned how to ride them in the field behind the house. I used to do loops around hay bales on a 100cc Baja.
What was the first bike you owned?

I didn’t start riding street until I was 40 and had worked at the dealership for a couple of years. I got tired of people asking me, “What do you ride?” So I took a rider safety course and started off on a purple 1200cc Sportster Custom. My mom was not happy. She had ridden behind my dad on a Harley for 50 years, but she wasn’t too comfortable having one of her daughters out on the road — especially me. She wanted me to start on a smaller bike, but I figured the day I pulled up in the parking lot on a 250 I’d get laughed out of the building.

I should note: I am the only one of the daughters who rides.

How many bikes have you owned?

Just three. The Sportster, a 1999 FXR2, and a 2005 Softtail Deluxe.

How many bikes have you ridden?

Not enough.

How many miles do you expect to ride this year?

Again, not enough. Summer is our busy season at the dealership, so it’s harder for me to get away for long trips. I ride a lot on Sundays with the girls in our chapter of Women In The Wind. I get away for a few weekends and try to do one long trip a year.

Riding gear (street) of choice?

Harley-Davidson, of course. The FXRG line is great for protection, but to be honest, I prefer summertime riding in jeans, a tanktop and leather vest.

How would you describe your involvement with motorcycling now?

I’m around motorcycles all day, so the challenge is to keep it fun.
What attracted you to motorcycling? Why do you ride?

Every time I get on my bike I ask myself, why don’t I ride every day? I love curvy roads and leaning through corners. It makes me concentrate — and forget whatever else is happening in life.

What do your kids think?

My kids are still a little nervous about it. My son used to think it was cool when his mom would show up at school on two wheels. I think my daughter was, and still is, a bit embarrassed by the fact that her mom rides a Harley. Oh well.

What do you think about when you ride?

I try not to think about anything. I just concentrate on the road and the hills and the trees and the sky. I used to get songs stuck in my head until I got an ipod.
This is perhaps an indelicate question, but how do you think about the “dangerous” part about riding?

I can’t say I am ever afraid when I’m out there riding. I know things can happen. I’ve witnessed a few accidents. I try to be super cautious in the mountains because of deer. But I think that sense of “danger” is what makes riding fun.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone coming to motorcycles for the first time? I’m thinking about the “mid-life” rider now?

Take a rider safety course. They will help you get past your fears and concerns, and give you good feedback about your abilities.
What bike would you recommend (and why)?

I think it’s important to match the person to the motorcycle. Harley-Davidson makes over 20 different models, and even then you still need to customize the bike you choose to make it fit you and way you ride. If you love curves, I still think my FXR is the best handling bike Harley ever made.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve done on/with a motorcycle?

In July our WITW chapter holds a fund raiser called “The Corset Cruise.” Women of all shapes and sizes dress up in leather and lingerie and raise money for local women with breast cancer. It definitely turns some heads.

If you could pick one place you’d recommend as a riding destination / experience, what/where would that be?

I love to ride through the California redwoods. The huge trees create these vertical lines and they grow right next to the road. So that when you lean through the corners, it feels like the trees sway with you. It’s wild.
If someone handed you a blank check and said “go buy a motorcycle you’d enjoy riding (not just collecting), what would you pick?

I’ll admit, I’d like to have a Vrod in the garage. Just because.

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Tags: D&SHarley-Davidson, Women In The Wind, The Corset Cruise, Vrod, FXR