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 story by Ashley, 26, from Southern California, USA. Ashley grew up in the desert riding quads and dirt bikes, however it wasn't until a few years ago she got her first road bike and became a co-founder of The Litas San Diego.
We hope you enjoy her story.
Hi I'm Ashley Juliet Murillo-Beene, 26 years old from Southern California, living in sunny San Diego where I can ride year round.
I grew up in the desert riding quads but got my first dirt bike at the age of ten. Since I was a kid, seeing groups of motorcycles riding down the old highways always made me excited. I always knew that I wanted the freedom of 2-wheels on the road.
My first time riding a quad by myself was when I was about 3 years old, it was a tiny automatic Suzuki 50cc. Then at 7 years old I got a Honda 90cc quad which taught me gear shifting and my younger brother got a dirt bike 50cc which I would steal every once in a while.
At 10 years old I was given my first dirt bike, a Honda CRF 80F and I remember it like it was yesterday, my pure excitement to start riding! We stopped at my Aunt's house in Jamul ( California) on our way home from picking up the bike. She has a huge lot on a hill with few flat areas and it was raining but that didn't stop me. My Dad gave me zero to no instructions since I knew how to use the clutch and gear shifting so I just took off.
I want to say the biggest challenge on that bike was kick starting it but it was also the most satisfying. My second dirt bike was perfect, a Honda CRF 150F. Riding dirt bikes since I was a kid taught me a valuable life lesson which is to push hard and when I fall I need to get back up and keep going.
I started riding road bikes back in 2018 when I was 23 years old. I practiced in a parking lot twice before hitting the road, after that you couldn't get me off the road! Living in a city, I had to quickly learn to ride on the freeway and split lanes. It wasn't until six months later that I decided to take the Beginners Riding Course for insurance purposes.
I ride a 2018 Honda Rebel 500, my first cruiser and my baby. When I first started riding I wanted to go fast and immediately upgrade from my Rebel but as I started riding with groups and became a wiser rider, I realised that my Rebel 500 was all the power I needed. I have her equipped with saddlebags and a sissy bar for those long rides and camping. My Rebel has taken me on the best adventures, such as Babes Ride Out, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and even down to Mexico.
I grew up feeling like an outcast and the motorcycle community gave me a warm welcoming. Through social media I was able to meet and connect with other girls who share the same passion and all we wanna do is go ride. I slowly started making friends and going out to Babes Ride Out, a motorcycle women camping weekend event, which then introduced me to The Litas.
The Litas is a group focused on building the local communities of women who share the love for two wheels. It's inclusive, not exclusive and you can find these groups worldwide.
In 2020, I was invited to be a co-founder of The San Diego Litas and it was my honour. Since then I have helped and created events to get women riders together in these hard times and our events usually get from twenty to thirty lovely ladies to join us and this is just the beginning of a great chapter with The Litas in San Diego.
The advice I always give out to friends who want to start riding is to take the Beginners Riding Course. It's a great way to get comfortable and have proper instructions from the beginning.
Thank you to Ashley for sharing her story.
Since writing this story Ashley has decided to take the step in upgrading and bought a classic 2001 Harley Sportster XL1200C which she is very excited to start working on! Her plans are to make her into a show bike, a chopper of some sort.
If you would like to follow Ashley's build and adventures, you can reach her on Instagram here.
If you would like to follow Ashley's build and adventures, you can reach her on Instagram here.
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