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A week or so ago, I wrote an article on Women and Motorcycles in which I mentioned Bessie Stringfield as one of the women who pioneered womens motorcycling, today I would like to expand on her story a little.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica and brought to Boston as a child, she was orphaned at age 5 and later “raised by an Irish Lady”, whose name is not mentioned in her biography. “She gave me what I wanted” said Bessie, “and even though good girls didn’t ride motorcycles, when I wanted a motorcycle at age 16, I got one”.
From the beginning she was a natural, without any former knowledge of riding, she taught her self to ride the 1928 Indian Scout. This was to be the only Indian she ever owned, although she did own 27 Harley Davidsons over the course of her lifetime and once said that as far as she was concerned “Harley was the only motorcycle ever made”.
Within a few years she began her adventurous campaign to travel anywhere fate led her by tossing a penny on a map and then just going where it landed. Along the way she became a carnival stunt rider and participated in hill climbing events. She even entered and won a flat track race disguised as a man, then was denied the prize money when they learned she was a woman.
Being a black woman on the road in those days was not an easy life though, and her deep Christian faith got her through many a lonely difficult night. “When I couldn’t find black folks to stay with, I would just sleep at a filling station on my bike”, using her leather motorcycle jacket as a pillow and resting her feet on the rear fender.
She of course worked for the Army during World War II as a civilian motorcycle dispatch rider and made 8 solo transcontinental tours delivering messages between domestic bases. Racism was an ever present danger in those days and she was even run off the road once and knocked off her bike by someone in a pickup truck. She always downplayed these events saying, she had her ups and downs. Such was the bravery and spirit of this unstoppable woman.
Bessie Stringfield was so instrumental in the breaking down of barriers to women and African-American women in particular that when the American Motorcyclists Association opened the Motorcycle Heritage Museum in 1990, Bessie was featured in it’s inaugural exhibit on Women in Motorcycling. And she was officially inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:01 am
The Legendary Bessie Stringfield | Cycle Leather…
I’ve been drooling over your cool motorcycle jacket designs. I love wearing these leather jackets, especially when I’m out on bike rides with my boyfriend. I got one for my honey and another one for myself….
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:00 am
It is so nice to see so many write ups about Bessie. I live in Newfoundland, Canada and had the honor of meeting Bessie who actually came to Newfoundland for my sister’s wedding. Bessie was a great family friend of my brother in-law. My first ride on a motorcycle was with Bessie back in the 70’s. I was in Florida visiting my sister and husband when Bessie drove up on one of her Harley’s and took me out for breakfast. She was a beautiful woman and will be fondly remembered. And….I will never forget my frist bike ride.