HER STORY | Jaimi Muggeridge

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 Jaimi Muggeridge, 31, from Queensland, Australia. Jaimi grew tired of watching everyone else have fun on their motorbikes so took the next obvious step and got two wheels of her own!

We hope you enjoy her story.

Hi! My name is Jaimi Muggeridge, I’m 31 and live on the glorious Gold Coast in Queensland Australia. One of the best things about the Gold Coast is that we get the pleasure of riding all year long with some world renowned roads right on our doorstep.

I started riding back in 2016, I was doing loads of 4WD trips, camping, hiking and all things outdoor. I live just minute from Springbrook Mountain and the more I travelled over the mountain pass, the more envious I became of how much more immersed in the experience everyone on a motorbike was. It soon felt like the natural next step so I went all in and booked my test in.

I had no one to ride with and through social media I happened to find an old friend who was keen to take me out on a couple of rides (thanks Yetti!).

Trying to keep up with his sports bike on my Street 500, was no easy feat. I had my street 500 for two years and did a bunch of DIY mods to it, removed the cowl and fork socks, soldered in new front indicator lights, wrapped the exhaust (my favourite feature) and changed the handlebars a million times 'til I found a set up I loved.

When I got my license I was able to get on my RE Opens pretty quickly so I learned to ride solo through the Gold Coast Hinterland, I’d fill the tank and disappear for hours on end with no real plan. They are still some of my most memorable rides. As much as I’ve loved leading group rides and being able to peek in my side mirror to see the road come to life with riders snaking and rumbling through twists and turns, there’s something to be said for the peace and freedom of a solo ride.

It didn’t take long though to meet a bunch of really amazing people in the bike world, some of whom will be my bridesmaids in our upcoming wedding.

Speaking of, I was very lucky to have met Steve in my early riding days as he was also a mad addict to his two wheels (a beautiful black quartz sportster 72).

In the years since, particularly once I upgraded to my 2014 Dyna Street Bob, he has gifted me with many words of wisdom from his 15yrs of riding to help me wrangle the size, weight and power of my 1690cc black beauty.

Side note; suspension is made for your average 80kg male, so being lightweight women it’s a whole different ball game setting up a bike for a certain type of ride style!

My Dyna has morphed a few times with different combinations of bars, exhausts, fairings and accessories. We are lucky on the Gold Coast to have Karupt Customz just around the corner who made all of my odd custom requests come to life, like my epic slightly too large sound system we managed to somehow fit in my current fairing.

One of my favourite additions though are some Thrashin Supply saddlebags that I bought second hand from a mate in Tassie. They can fit SO much and meant that bike camping trips were now on the cards without relying on someone in the group to drive!

I treasure the memories I have made on two wheels, from riding through paddocks with three girls squished onto the street 500, to terrorising Tyalgum on pit bikes, through thick fog and 0 degree Celsius country rides to creek side camping in the middle of summer.

We are also so lucky in Australia to have a small group of badass women who put together the most epic all female moto event, Sheila’s Shakedown in Victoria. I have met a bunch of fellow wild women who even rocked up to the event alone. You make friends in no time at events like that so when you join the moto community, go all in!

My tips to new riders is just spend time in the saddle, start by playing with your clutch and once you’re comfortable with that, RIDE! Experience is everything and the only way to get it is to invest time on two wheels.

If you’re just thinking about getting your license, what’s the wait? I started without knowing a single soul that rode, now I’m helping friends learn. I mean, no ones going to do it for you, so you might as well just start!

See you at Sheila’s Shakedown!! xx

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