Daily Slideshow: 10 Vintage Photos of Babes on Bikes

Nothing is sexier than a woman on a bike

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." - Mae West

God made some women perfect. The others he put in cars. So, what sets them apart? Why do we find it sexy to see an attractive woman on a motorcycle? History reveals that the first women to mount a bike were considered radicals, hell-raisers, and in some cases, witches. These ladies wanted to take the establishment and shove it up their collective asses and let the conservative majority know they could ride alongside any man. And maybe that's what we love about them -- the "bad girl" who takes off her apron, dons a helmet, and steals daddy's bike to feel the wind blow through her hair; the "rabble-rouser" who casts aside her makeup and skirt for a new wardrobe of tattoo and leather. For decades men have been fascinated by the women who have had the balls to climb onto a bike and ride. So let's take a look at a few of these motorbike pioneers, and appreciate them, because if we are being completely honest, we love ourselves some hell-raising, rabble-rousing, badass women! 

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The Militors

The Militors were an all-women paramilitary organization in Melbourne Australian during the early part of the 1940s. The women who volunteered for this unit were generally of a younger age, fit, and healthy, and able to undertake training and discipline. Similar to the Women’s National Emergency Legion in Brisbane, the Militors were trained in first aid, military drill, rifle shooting, Morse Code communications, transport driving and other military skills. Training was often done under the supervision of male serving or reserve military personnel. By 1941 the Militors numbered about 300 volunteers. But there was little or no encouragement or support from the Government for the organization and by December of that year, the Militors disbanded.

Blonde on a Harley

Back in the late 1930s, times were tough in the United States thanks to the Great Depression. Both men and women worked to try to stay afloat, but the women who worked outside of the home were looked down upon as taking work away from the men. Society, in those times, wanted women to stay in the household, be a good wife, and raise the children. There were a handful ladies in that era that went against the grain, however, ladies that couldn't or wouldn't settle into the expected mild-mannered housewife lifestyle. 

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Dot Robinson, First Lady of Motorcycling

Two of the most adventurous of the iconoclastic women were Dot Robinson and Linda Degeau. In 1941, through a shared love of motorcycling and adventure, these two women founded the oldest all-women riding group in the US – The Motor Maids. Dubbed the "First Lady of Motorcycling," Robinson also opened doors for women riders in the competition arena. A regular competitor in endurance runs in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, Robinson's desire to race came under attack. Attempts were made to prevent her from participating in the sport she loved. But she persevered and was allowed to compete, making it possible for other women to race in later years. 

Dot Robinson passed away on October 8, 1999. She was 87 years old.

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Linda Degeau

In 1940, Degeau (shown above) and Robinson launched a search to find other women motorcyclists. They wrote to local dealerships, other riders, and anyone they thought would know if there were other female riders out there. Their efforts paid off, and soon they had gathered 51 women to join this new all-women’s riding group. Since then the Motor Maids have dedicated themselves to a simple goal – increasing ridership among America's women -- and they are still in existence today.

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Dot Smith, Motor Maid and Stunt Rider

Though they started small, the Motor Maids made a point to have both local meet-ups with other women riders, and to get everyone together in one spot by holding an annual convention. The club’s first gathering was held in 1944, and they’re held in different city and state every year. Vintage biker Dot Smith, who is shown above with her 1939 EL Knucklehead, was a member of Motor Maids, and she also rode with the San Francisco Motorcycle Club. The coolest part is that she worked as a stunt rider during the 1930s and 1940s.

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Honor Blackman, Dispatch Rider and Actress

It took another twenty years before women could ride alongside their male counterparts, but even then men believed that women belonged in the household rather than out tearing it up on a motorcycle. Honor Blackman (above) was an English actress known for her role in The Avengers TV series (1962-1964) and as Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger (1964). Born in 1925 in Plaistow, Essex, England, she attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1940. Aside from acting, Blackman was also a biker.  In the photo above, she is posing on her own Norton ES2. During World War II, she volunteered as a dispatch rider, rushing secretive packages across London while air raid sirens sounded.

She recalled: "I was only just old enough to ride a bike and my mother was terrified, but I thought it was heaven. It was pretty dangerous because we were in the midst of war and had to mask the headlights during the blackout.

"Bombs were falling, but the roar of the motorbike engine used to drown out the sound of the doodlebugs so we never heard them coming. It seemed terribly exciting to me."

Blackman is 92 years old.

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Elke Sommer, Actress and Artist

By the 60's, women on bikes found their way into the Hollywood movie scene. Elke Sommer is a German actress, entertainer, and artist who starred in many Hollywood films. Blonde and beautiful, Sommer is known for her trademark pouty lips, high cheekbones, and sky-high bouffant hairdos while making 99 film and television appearances between 1959 and 1975.

In the photo above, Sommer is chilling on an Excelsior during the filming of A Shot in the Dark a slapstick comedy in which she co-starred with Peter Sellers. In the film, Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Sellers) investigates the murder of a chauffeur who was having an affair with one of the maids (Sommer). She is a suspect but Clouseau is convinced of her innocence. 

Elke Sommer was born Elke Baronesse von Schletz in Berlin, Germany, in 1940. She's 77 years old.

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Ann-Margret, Actress and Daredevil

Even Swedish born actress Ann-Margret cut loose in the motorbike scene, riding bikes in the movies as well as in her personal life, loving nothing more than hopping on her lavender-and-daisy Harley and "canning it." Above we see her riding a Triumph T100 in the 1964 film The Swinger (left) and seated atop her Honda Dream (right).  At 76 years old, Ann-Margret is still quite fond of motorcycles. “My uncle rode bikes and when I was a young child, we lived very close to the Norwegian border so we’d travel from my village all the way over among the fjords and mountains,” Ann-Margret said in an interview with Modern Times Magazine. “I loved it, and later when I saw The Wild Ones with Marlon Brando, it just blew me away. I had to have a motorcycle. My father owned an Indian motorcycle, so he really couldn’t say anything when I wanted one of my own.”

At the 50th anniversary screening of The Cincinnati Kid (in which she starred with fellow biker Steve McQueen), Amm-Margret discussed her kinship with McQueen. “Steve had such animalism; he was like a cobra,” she says. “Like me, he loved speed. I was single then and rode a Triumph 500. I could identify with him because I’m a bit of a daredevil too. I love a little bit of danger and he felt the same." 

Danger is clearly in her blood. Ann-Margret confessed that the fastest she's ever gone was 120 mph on LA's notoriously twisty Mulholland Drive. On another occasion, she suffered three broken ribs and a fractured shoulder when she was thrown off a motorcycle she was driving in rural Minnesota.

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European Scream Queen Edwige Fenech

European “Scream Queen” and sex goddess Edwidge Fenech had a fruitful career making commedia sexy all'italiana (sexy Italian comedies) films such as Ubalda, All Naked and Warm, and Giovannona Long-Thigh. She was also a regular in giallo (Italian horror/thriller) films such as The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972) and Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975). She most recently appeared in the Quentin Tarantino/Eli Roth film Hostel: Part II in 2007.

You can see Edwige Fenech riding in scenes from her film, Il Vizio Di Famiglia right here on YouTube. One of the scenes shows Edwidge with another woman riding the pillion and let's just say that this clip is not for the kids.

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Hell's Belles - The Movie (1969)

Tagline: Meet The Debutante In A Leather Skirt!

Synopsis: When Dan (Jeremy Slate) wins a motorcycle worth $2,000, he plans to sell the bike for a down payment on a ranch and settle down. After the motorcycle is stolen by Tony (Michael Walker), Tampa (Adam Roarke) takes possession of it. Dan is soon after the thugs who took the bike and who are on the way to Mexico. One by one, Dan eliminates the crooks with boulders, fists, and ropes, and he makes grisly and effective use of a pit of rattlesnakes to exact his revenge. His girl Cathy (Jocelyn Lane, pictured above) shudders in terror as the men beat themselves into bloody submission in this manic macho motorcycle movie. 

If you want to see the film, it's available right here on YouTube.

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Samantha West and DJ Shakashay

Vintage photos have such an appeal that even our contemporaries want to get into the action, creating images that look like they've been around for seventy years. Samantha West (above with Shay Nielsen) is a New York City born and bred Amazon who recently relocated to Los Angeles. She is a full-time photographer who loves to indulge in her passion for music when the moment allowed.  Her sets interweave various musical genres, from new to nostalgic, pulling from the most delicious sounds to be found around the world.

Shay Nielsen, aka DJ Shakashay, a native Californian and Los Angeles based Casting Director, is without a doubt, a connoisseur of good jams. She has been Djing eclectic tunes and conjuring up dance parties in the US for 20 years now, from BK to LA. Many know her as DJ Shakashay who's set lists range from Italian disco to good ol' rock’n'roll.

Here’s to the women who hear the song of unbridled freedom, and whose hearts light the fires of inspiration for other women. May you keep on rolling.

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