Porsche Taylor puts women in the driver’s seat.
Porsche Taylor is a force.
Porsche Taylor finds wind and the freedom on the open road as therapy.
Porsche Taylor has influenced the motorcycle industry in more ways than we can count. Aside from being powerful rider, Porsche created “Black Girls Ride” bringing together a community that reaches women and even men globally through hosting educational workshops and rides all across the country.
International Female Ride Day® (IFRD) is a globally synchronized ride day celebrating women riders and their passion for powersports. Covering six continents and in over 120 countries, IFRD has become a powerful movement and will be celebrated May 7 this year.
IFRD and the “Just Ride” call-to-action were created in 2007 to focus on motorcycle riders. As female ridership grows within the powersports industry IFRD welcomes female riders of all types of powersports including off-road vehicles, snowmobiles.
Polaris is one of those that joined the movement and encourages all females to “Just Ride!” As the industry expands with new riders, Polaris created the Empowersports Women’s Riding Council made of 12 powerful women from all backgrounds to aid in ushering in the most diverse off-road community including Taylor.
The Empowersports Women’s Riding Council is composed of distinguished women who are riders, adventurers, leaders, and entrepreneurs who bring unique perspectives and insights to the powersports space. They are champions for advocacy, empowering women, building community, sparking adventure, and fostering safety.
As International Female Ride Day (IFRD) approaches, this is her “Behind The Action” story.“My first time riding a motorcycle alone could have gone better,” Porsche said. “That first ride, I had absolutely nothing on right. My helmet was too big, I didn’t own a jacket. I might have had on some baseball gloves; everything was just totally upside-down wrong. But I wasn’t afraid, it was exhilarating. It was trying something new, being in control. It was that initial feeling of the freedom of the wind.”
Porsche is vocal about the need for more representation for women in the motor sports community, and she says that things like IFRD and social media visibility have helped women who may have felt alone in their shared passion find each other.
Thanks to women like Porsche, the world of motor sports is changing. “When I first started riding, I did not feel like women were represented well in the community. I knew I could write and with my UCLA education background and my marketing experience, I could create something but there was no platform to write for. This idea is in part what inspired her to found Black Girls Ride, a magazine and community originally launched as a place for women of color who ride, which has since grown to include all women.
“We’re witnessing the explosion of the all-female ride movement, where women take it upon themselves to create rides that cater to them instead of being a subset of an all-male ride. It’s where we get to take our power back.”
Traditionally, women in motorsports took a literal backseat to men. In fact, Porsche’s first experience on a bike was sitting behind a man, on the back of her cousin’s bike. “I didn’t so much like the feeling of being a passenger…but I loved the feeling of riding. I loved the idea of riding when I was a child, but my parents were not fans of motorcycles growing up so that desire had left. But sitting there on the back of this bike, it came back with a burning passion. Then the movie “Biker Boys” came out and I could see myself in the film riding. I was working at adidas and I used money I received from a bonus to buy that first bike.”
Now women all over the world are connecting to the Black Girls Ride brand. “We have readers in London, Nigeria, France, just about every country you can name. I’m motivated by these women,” said Taylor.
Black Girls Ride has become more than a publication. Porsche hosts trainings, workshops and events. And while both men and women are included, it’s Porsche’s focus to make sure women riders are invited to the table and that they are given the same representation, advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
Most of all, she just wants women to feel welcome in this world.
“I want women or even men to be able to visualize yourself on the bike and know that you are not alone in the community,” said Taylor. “I am an advocate for rider information and education. By doing so we have created an emotional connection with all riders. The goal is to connect with riders at any level and meet you where you are no matter what level of experience you have.”As new riders are flooding into the industry Porsche wants you to know that you are welcome, and you are being noticed.
“Come to our platform and get as much rider education as you can. Remember to ride your own ride, it is not a race. Get comfortable and get educated. We will help you grow. For years women were learning bad habits from those that were teaching us. Women teaching women has proven to be so valuable in meeting them on level of understanding. From how to ride, what to wear or what bike fits their riding style, we understand how to arm women with the information they need to make the best decision for them.”