I see this photo (or it’s similar counterpart) at least weekly while I’m looking through my favorite blogs, checking instagram feeds, etc… and the first time I posted this to the motolady site, I didn’t have a backstory. So here we are, with some history.
The photograph of three women riders at the helm of a group of solo riders dates back to 1949 according to the LIFE photo archives.
Riders enjoying a Sunday afternoon jaunt in Griffith Park: (1st row left-right): Lucille Meeker (on a Triumph), Betty Drafton (on a Velocette) and Cecilia Adams (on a custom-made bike); (2nd row l-r): Frank Cooper, Chuck Parkyns, Dr. William Eschrich and Frank Erling (unsure of spelling of last name).
Eight decades of rumbling engines, two-wheel travel, exhaust smoke, and total badassery. Gloria Tramontin Struck has been blazing trails in the world of motorcycles since 1940 as one of the original members of the Motor Maids.
Posted on May 15, 2014 in Blog, History, MotoLadies by Alicia Mariah Elfving