Fast Babes Featured Rider: @tamaraisanerd

Name: Tamara

Instagram: @tamaraisanerd

Tamara is a founder of the Temecula Litas based out of Southern California. She rides a 2023 Honda Rebel 1100 and spends her free time planning fun get togethers for the group and enjoys getting to empower more women to ride and support each other. Keep scrolling to read more about Tamara!

Where did you grow up and where do you currently reside?

Born and raised in Alaska, I moved down to the lower 48 in 1999. I have lived in several states over the years but spent 17 years in Portland, Oregon before moving to Menifee, Ca in the spring of 2022. Deciding to make the move to southern California to be able to ride year round and live in sunshine for the first time in my life has been the best decision.

How did you initially get involved with motorcycles?

I didn’t grow up around motorcycles. My family in Alaska hunts and has property so we had 4 wheelers and side by sides growing up.  I met my partner, @motogluten, in 2019 and he lives for riding and works in the motorcycle industry so that was the first time I was really introduced to that world. I started riding 2 up with him and also got a 50cc Piaggio typhoon scooter to rip around Portland. Almost instantly I wanted to ride something faster than the scoot and got tired of asking to go on 2 up rides so I decided to sign up for a riding course to get my motorcycle endorsement. I was officially endorsed in April of 2021 and picked it up very quickly. Within the first 5 months I was going on 200+ mile twisty coastal solo rides, leading and planning women only rides, and doing 700+ mile moto camping weekends.

When did you get your first bike and what was it? 

I was initially riding a 1999 Triumph Legend to learn but it didn’t quite feel comfortable for me so I ended up buying a new 2021 Honda Rebel 500 in May of that year.

What do you currently ride and why?

After putting almost 15k on my 2021 Rebel 500 in under 2 years and starting to do a lot more long distance trips, it was time for something with more horsepower and a slightly bigger tank so I bought a new 2023 Honda Rebel 1100 in May. I love the Rebels for the Honda reliability since I do 3000 mile solo trips and don’t want to be messing with a bike that’s going to break down and have issues. The new  1100 comes with some bells and whistles that work great for my riding style like electronic cruise control, riding modes, ect.  The low seat height (27.5 in) and a stock weight of under 500 lbs is awesome for me since I’m pretty small at 5’4” and the surprisingly beefy power plant puts out numbers that rival most twin cams.  I have it set up for big trips with varying weather with oem heated grips, the Memphis Shades gauntlet fairing, SW Motech legend side bags, T-rex tail rack to easily tie down a duffel with camping gear, TBR exhaust, Rox risers for my short t-rex arms, and my Baja Designs s1 auxiliary lights that have changed my life for riding at night and in low visibility.

What is your happiest memory that involves motorcycles?

One of my happiest and def the most life changing memories riding was my first big solo trip. In August of 2022 I rode 2,911 miles in 10 days and camped most of the way on my Rebel 500.  I ended up doing a big figure 8 loop of the west coast with a weekend at The Dream Roll campout in Washington state in the middle and rode most of the 101 in California, Oregon, and Washington. I saw so much beautiful shit on that trip that it brought me to tears quite a few times. The biggest thing about that trip was how much I went through physically and especially mentally. There is the fatigue of both of those for sure but it’s also the day after day and mile after mile of being alone in your head riding that changed me. It’s hard to put into words how different of a person I became after that trip but I healed a lifetime of pain and really found out who I am by the time I was done.

Another one would be when I moved to southern California I had a hard time finding any other women who ride so I reached out to The Litas HQ and found out that there used to be a local branch but it had been inactive for almost 2 years. So I jumped at the opportunity and I started up The Litas Temecula in February of 2023 with 2 other gals. It has been bringing me so much joy to help bring together and empower more women to ride and support each other. The response has been so powerful and for the past year we have been planning and leading monthly women only group rides and monthly not ride meetups. We've been growing very quickly and have some really cool events planned for 2024.

Outside of motorcycles, tell us a little about yourself?

After high school I left Alaska and moved to Lake Tahoe by myself. I had never even been there before but I wanted to chase the snowboard dream and that’s where you went back then. I spent 5 years traveling and competing in snowboard contests and getting to ride 200+ days a year. After an insane amount of broken bones and knee surgery I decided to retire that dream at the ripe old age of 23.

I’ve also been a hairstylist since 2008.  I had a very successful business in Portland, OR and was an educator for the hair product company Kevin Murphy for 9 years. After the rough year that was 2020 I knew it was time to take a break from my career and move to the sunshine. I will be starting my hair career back up in the near future.

How have you become a more confident rider? Things you’ve done to help you gain confidence? 

I ride a lot and always try to get off the highway. You don’t become a better rider from riding in a straight line. I set monthly mileage goals for myself which helped a lot when I was a newer rider and currently I average 1,000+ miles a month. Constantly riding twisty roads even when I used to be afraid of them was one of the best ways I built confidence and skill. If a road seemed challenging, I would ride it over and over and over again till I figured it out. 

I try to take an advanced riding classes as often as I can. I did an all day Ride Rite intermediate riding class the summer of 2022 that changed my life. Practicing quick stops and swerving is always important but learning about how changing your body position can help you be more stable on turns and take them faster changed everything for me.  

Wearing full head to toe CE rated motorcycle apparel with armor helps with confidence for sure. I’m a big supporter of wearing full gear 100% of the time. Just trying to mitigate as much risk as I can while doing something I love.

What is your dream trip/bucket list ride(s)?

I’m always working on planning my next big trip and dreaming up ideas. I’ve been on a National Park thing lately and am trying to plan a 2 week trip every summer to hit up a bunch of them.  I did a 15 day 2,817 mile trip in the summer of 2023 and saw some really cool national and state parks that I’d never been to. On that trip, Lassen Volcanic National Park was my fave and I highly recommend it if you’re ever in northern California.  At the end of October @motogluten and I did a 5 day 1,300 mile trip and hit the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park and a bunch of other smaller parks on the way. Zion was absolutely mind blowing and now I’m on a mission to explore more parks in Utah. Summer of 2024 I’m planning a trip that will be over 3,000 miles and want to hit some parks in Utah and head up to Yellowstone since I’ve never been there. I’m in early planning mode but getting really excited for that trip.

How do you think motorcycles have changed your life?

There is nothing about my life that has been the same since I started riding. I moved somewhere where I could ride all year. The amount of confidence and self-worth I have gained from riding motorcycles is insane. I plan my trips and vacation time around where I can get an epic ride in or ride to. The amount of powerful and totally bad ass women I have met from riding motorcycles is the coolest thing. I found this adventurous side of myself that I had lost a long time ago and it’s been such an amazing journey to rediscover that.

Do you have any upcoming motorcycle trips/rides planned?
I always have A LOT of trips in planning mode. Smaller ones I’d like to do before the weather gets hot are to Death Valley and also to do the extraterrestrial highway.  I’m going to Babes Ride Out Borrego this spring. I’m starting to plan a Litas Temecula moto camping trip for sometime late spring/early summer. And I have a 2 week 3,000+ mile trip in summer of 2024 up to Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah to check off some more national parks. And that’s just the notable current plans I have in the works!