Women Who Ride – Brenda Chapman

Fat Bottom Girl. That’s the name of Brenda Chapman’s 2014 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim motorcycle.

Brenda has been riding for over 10 years, first as a passenger on the back of her husband’s bike. “One day I was just sitting back there, and I was like, ‘You know what? I want to be up front,’” Brenda says. “A couple weeks later, my husband was getting my bike in, and I took it to class, and there I was, ready to ride.”

Brenda’s first bike was a 1999 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom. She first learned how to ride on her friend’s dirt bike, but when her Sportster came in, it was time to practice. “When I got it, I learned in our driveway that wasn’t even 20 feet long,” Brenda says. “I would drive it up, pull it back, drive it up, pull it back. I put three miles on doing that.”

After taking a motorcycle safety class in Kansas City, Brenda was ready to take her bike on the road. She took trips to Arkansas and Colorado. Her favorite ride was the 19-hour trip to Beaumont, Texas for the Sisterhood of the Asphalt Ribbon rally, which brought in female bikers from all over the country.

There are now over 10,000 members of the Sisterhood. The goal was to have the most female riders in one place to beat the world record set by Australia. Sadly, the rally fell short by about 200 riders. This September, the Sisterhood of the Asphalt Ribbon is trying once again to beat the world record, and Brenda fully intends on being a part of the history.

Until then, Brenda continues to drive around the twists and turns of Highway 94, her favorite road to ride in Columbia. Her advice to anyone considering riding? “Go for it,” Brenda says. “I can go out and ride when I want to. I love the independence.”