Interview: Leslie Porterfield
We had a chat with the Fastest Woman in the World on everything from her first bike to her favourite bikes, the mental fortitude required to make record attempts, and gender perceptions in the two-wheeler world, among other things
we speak to the Fastest woman in the world about her journey into the record-books
Bike India (BI): How did you get into motorcycling? When did it all begin?
Leslie Porterfield (LP): Well, actually I started riding motorcycles at 16. I bought a motorcycle, I’d never been on a motorcycle before and I’d never even really touched one. But found one for 200 dollars, needed a lot of work, it was in boxes! So I brought it home and everyone said, ‘First you’ll never be able to get it running and, second, you’ll never be able to ride it. You’re a teenaged girl.’ And I think that made me even more determined to do so. I got it running and I rode all over the country on it, and fell in love with motorcycles. From then on, I actually got quite a few speeding citations! This led a friend of mine to say, ‘You really should go and try racing. Go to the track.’ And that was the perfect suggestion. I fell in love with that. And from there, I’ve always had a need for speed and decided to go to the Bonneville Salt Flats and that was a long journey to make that happen. But in 2007, I got the bike prepared, and headed out to Bonneville, but, unfortunately, on the last day of the event I had a horrible accident. The bike was going 227 [mph] and got way out of shape, back end came around on me and I came off the bike at over 100 miles per hour. Broke seven ribs, punctured a lung, and had a concussion. Helicoptered into the hospital...so there was a big recovery there, not just physically but mentally. Do I want to do this again? And, of course, I decided, ‘yes’!
BI: And you decided to go back the very next year?
LP: Exactly! The very next year, on the very same bike. Although it was rebuilt, of course. It had a lot of damage, too, so the bike and I had a whole lot of work to do that year and we were back in 2008. And I set my first record, which got me into the Bonneville 200 mile an hour club, and I was the first woman on a motorcycle to do so. So that was huge history for the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats and then from there, I proceeded to break the top world record, which got me into the Guinness Book of World Records as the “Fastest Woman in the World on a Conventional Motorcycle”.
BI: Walk us through the record attempts, what goes through your head when you’re about to make a pass, especially knowing that you had crashed at the same place, on the same bike, the previous year?
LP: I think the biggest thing for me to come back and do it again is that I couldn’t think of that accident. Of course, beforehand, I prepared the bike, I tried to do everything to make sure I had the best gear. Always be as safe as possible, but I couldn’t go into it thinking that I might crash. Just the emotional recovery and the mental part of it is huge. And for each run, I’m so busy looking at...body position, ’cause even an elbow or anything, a shoulder in the wrong position can cost several miles per hour. I also have an enormous amount of data on the dash, a lot of different sensors so I have all the things that I’m monitoring. So I’m actually pretty busy during my run on the
motorcycle so I really focus on doing the best I can and being in the perfect position, watch all of my controls, making minor adjustments very carefully at those speeds and when I’m done with a successful run its a rush unlike any other. Its something that is so hard to describe, I’ve not felt that way about anything else. But going so fast on a motorcycle; it’s amazing.
BI: Tell us a little bit more about your very first bike, the one that made you fall in love with motorcycling.
LP: The first motorcycle I had was a Yamaha Virago 1000. It was a 1,000-cc cruiser.
BI: Wow, so you didn’t even start out small? Go big or go home?
LP: No, I did not start small, and I think that’s why I had so many people that said, ‘You’re never going to be able to ride this’, ‘You’re never going to be able to fix this’. And, you know, I was very determined, very determined to ride it. Fix it up and ride it, and I did. And size doesn’t make as big a difference. You can hurt yourself on a 50-cc scooter just as easily as on a Hayabusa.
BI: There’s still a stigma attached to motorcycling; it’s perceived as a little bit of a boys’ club. Do you see this changing? What message do you have for women thinking about learning to ride a motorcycle?
LP: I agree, but the stigma is changing so much around the world. When I first started riding motorcycles at 16, I hardly saw any women on bikes. They were just the rebels and the outlaws, and now my doctor has a motorcycle. I think we’ve seen so much change and now for women to be getting involved in motorcycling is such a great trend. I see more woman racers, more woman riders, and I love being part of that trend. I feel very fortunate to be part of that and I think it’s so important. I think that stigma is definitely changing. We have so many different motorcycle clubs and so many different lady riders. It’s such a great thing to see. That’s one of the things I enjoyed about Bonneville: there’s no women’s class and men’s class; it’s just...this machine fits into this record and you ride it. So, all those records that I hold were not just for women, there were some accomplishments as a woman on a motorcycle. But those records, all of them, were previously held by men. So I was the best for that class. I think there are a lot of great woman riders, great female racers, and the stereotype is changing.
BI: On a lighter note, what bikes would we find in your garage? What do you ride?
LP: I have several. I have a Honda CBR 1000, an old 1960s model Yamaha 180; it’s small but it’s so fun! A little twostroke and I just love riding it. I’ve got a Yamaha YZ250. I have a pretty big selection and a lot of times I rotate them. I just sold one of my Ducatis and I think I’m going to add a Monster to my collection pretty soon. I want an adventure bike. I’m looking at, maybe, a new GS. So I have a pretty wide variety because I love all types of riding. I mean, I love racing, but I also like dirt bikes and adventure riding. I love to take trips across the country. I travel a lot. I do a lot of touring and trail-riding and putting around the city or getting out into the country. I love so many different styles of motorcycles. People ask me what my favourite motorcycle is and I don’t have one; don’t ever make me have just one motorcycle, that’s not fair!
BI: What are you thoughts on India Bike Week and India in general?
LP: Oh, this is my first time to India, and I have to say I’m just blown away. India Bike Week is amazing. I’ve been kinda following a little bit of this culture and learning more about the motorcycling here and I was still blown away even after reading and talking to people. Coming here and experiencing this has been a trip of a lifetime. India Bike Week is amazing. Everybody has been so warm, welcoming and friendly, and I’m seeing some amazing motorcycles — from all the custom bikes to all the stock bikes. People here have this great passion for motorcycles and I’ve met people from all over the world at this festival.