A new, women-focused Riveter Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America has scheduled a two-week cruise on the length of Route 66 in June 2022, called Chix on 66.
Karan Andrea, president of the Riveter Chapter, has been a member of the AMCA.
“I got the idea to ride Route 66 on one of my vintage bikes this past June on my way to Utah from my home in Buffalo, NY,” she wrote in an email last week. “When I mentioned the idea to some women I ride with, they all said they would love to do that ride with me.
“From there, it snowballed from a ride into An Event!”
She said the AMCA’s executive director advised her a “women-focused” chapter of the organization would be covered by insurance and other legalities. The chapter would “promote women riders and racers, nurture women riders who need it, be a source where the history of women in motorcycling could be found, etc.”
The AMCA officially approved the Riveter Chapter on Thursday.
The Chix on 66 page on Facebook stated this about the Riveter Chapter:
The purpose of this chapter is to give women motorcyclists an increased awareness of their own history, and an enhanced vision of their future in motorcycling. By bringing female AMCA members together in a single chapter, we intend to raise the visibility of women in the sport, and concentrate their talents under the aegis of a single chapter. Many women riders are unaware of the rich legacy of female riders, and may feel disconnected from their contemporaries. We intend to increase women’s awareness of each other.
We also intend to improve access to other women in the sport through visibility and networking. Many women may have never seen a female mechanic, nor have they seen another woman ride or race a vintage bike. For these reasons alone, a chapter containing powerful, talented, dynamic women helps to fill that void and fills the space with inspiring role models. The focus of this chapter will be on sharing the history of women in motorcycling, and supporting contemporary women riders. They will see women riding and wrenching just like they have been doing since not long after the first motorcycles were built. We hope this will challenge and inspire our members to reach for goals they may never have considered previously.
As the largest growing market segment in the sport of motorcycling, our past must press forward in order to shape our future.
“Meanwhile, we have been working on the Chix on 66 event,” Andrea wrote. “I have our itinerary, room blocks secured at all our stops, and we are working on nailing down a few more details. We are looking for sponsors to cover our overhead. Small or large. It all helps.”
She anticipates the Chixon66.com website will be live soon, and an Instagram account is planned, as well. The Chix on 66 page on Facebook is here.
(Images of the Chix on 66 cruise and Riveter Chapter of AMCA logos courtesy of Karan Andrea)
I’ve traveled Rt. 66 both ways Chicago to CA and back and I’ve seen many couples on motorcycles. I’ve never seen the woman in front with the man riding behind.