By James “Hollywood” Macecari
It’s Monday and I like to take Mondays to highlight the good that Motorcycle Clubs do. We all know that most of the time when a motorcycle club is in the media it is almost 99% bad or the media just towing the LEO line “All clubs are gangs” crap. Well we know this is furthest from the truth. If you look around at the activities of most motorcycle clubs, most if not all, always step up to help someone in need. They do annual toy drives, protect children from abuse, talk out against bullying and the list can go on and on. Bikers and motorcycle clubs in general have done more for local communities then the media will ever give them credit for. So being able to highlight the efforts of motorcycle clubs to better the community is something I really enjoy getting out there.
Caramel Curves Women Motorcycle Club
Watch out down in New Orleans because Caramel Curves Motorcycle Club might just give all you men a run for your money. Caramel Curves is an all Female Motorcycle club who is tearing it up on the rocket scene with class, attitude and heels. Caramel Curves was started in 2004 by non other than ” Caramel” and “Coco”( I’m sure there was others I’ve not listed). Caramel Curves Women Motorcycle Club was started back up right after the devastation that rocked Louisiana by Hurricane Katrina. As “Coco” puts it “You have to have a Motorbike and Vagina, No dudes allowed”. My favorite quote though from the above video and one that describes what the Caramel Curves are about comes from “Candi” talking about when a man challenges her to a race.
“Boy let me tell you whats going to happen, listen to me very well ok, I’m going to swallow you whole, shit you out, and then pull you back up again cause I will never leave you behind, just don’t forget that” Candi Caramel Curves Motorcycle Club
Now that is some sass right there and Caramel Curves backs up the talk on the asphalt. From burnouts to races, Caramel Curves know how to handle a motorcycle. The Caramel Curves are local celebrities in their community which is pretty damn cool. Bikers are rarely looked upon in any good light when it comes to public perception so it’s nice to be able to do an article on a club that is recognized as a valuable asset to the community. Whats even cooler is the City of New Orleans represented the Caramel Curves on their mural.
What is really cool about this group, they inspire all those women and little girls to get into the biker lifestyle, jump on a bike and be freewheeling strong women who take on the world with determination and strength. Hurricane Katrina took a huge toll on New Orleans, to see a Women Motorcycle Club get out there and take care of the kids and the communities is great stuff. They give away 2 bikes away each year at the annual bike blessing as well as hold school supply drives to help the local schools.
Make sure you take the time to drop them a note on Facebook and say hi and to check them out.or follow them on Instagram caramelcurvesmc
Source ABC NEWS
NEW ORLEANS — Welcome to 2018, the age of recognizing a woman’s place in this world — right next to men.
Meet the Caramel Curves, an all female biker group joining the female empowerment movement by motorcycle. This is not your typical biker group.
“We’re girly, but we like to get dirty,” said co-founder Tru. “We dress up in heels, wear make up, get our hair and nails done, and race the boys.”
They’re fearless, they’re chic, and they rip through the streets of New Orleans in 4-inch stilettos.
“We’re the coldest chicks on bikes,” said co-founder Coco, who wears Chanel gloves with her hot pink bike. “You don’t see anyone doing what we’re doing. We ride bikes, two wheels, in heels, we come through, we burn rubber, we pop wheelies, we race, we do whatever boys can do, but better. And, we look cuter while doing it.”
They’re mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, and they’re demanding respect in a typically male-dominated hobby.
“It’s very empowering only because a lot of guys think there’s only certain things women can do, like cook, clean, drive cars, but we do it all,” said Caramel Curve member Icy Baby.
You may have seen them during Mardi Gras; they rode in Femme Fatal. They’re hard to miss with their colorful hair, matching get-ups, and the pink smoke that follows when they do a burnout.
As for their riding outfits, they say as long as you can walk in heels, you can ride in them.
“It’s easier actually, they lift you up, make you taller, and you can balance on your bike better,” said Foxy, a Caramel Curve.
But there is one rule of the group.
“If you’re not a broad you can’t ride with us,” laughed Coco. “What dude is going to want to wear heels anyway!”
They are inspiring girls everywhere, one wheelie at a time.
Source: Rideapart.com
Meet the Caramel Curves Co-Founder: A Women Who Ride Profile
New Orleans is known for its rich history in food, booze, and music. For those who live there—or frequent the city often— it’s also known for things such as terrible roads and temperatures that are suitable for Satan. Neither really help to encourage motorcycle riding. I’m actually still surprised that I got into bikes while living there…
The few motorcyclists I saw when living in New Orleans ranged from those on sportbikes to choppers. These were also mainly men. During my time spent in the city, I personally never saw a woman that wasn’t a passenger on a motorcycle. I’m sure they existed; I just never came across any and didn’t really put the two together. At that time, a woman riding a motorcycle in New Orleans was so rare, I felt you had a better chance at getting drunk with Harry Connick Jr. on Bourbon Street than seeing a gal on two wheels.
Fortunately, things have changed and I’ve found quite a few women who ride in the Big Easy. Not only that, I stumbled upon the first all-women’s riding club in New Orleans: The Caramel Curves.
These women are riders I’d never seen in the city, so naturally I reached out to them in order to find out more about this club. Thankfully, I got a response by one of the co-founders, Tru, who loves two wheels and the Crescent City.
Meet Tru – Co-Founder of the Caramel Curves
Shanika Beatty (aka Tru) started riding in the Big Easy thanks to her father. However, it’s not what you are thinking: he didn’t take Tru out on a motorcycles and show her the ropes.
Tru’s dad stopped riding motorcycles five years before she was born, and did so because he lost a lot of friends along the way. He did, however, leave his old 1970s Honda in the garage for years; it’s still there to this very day. So, growing up, every time Tru’s folks parked in the garage, she saw his bike. She told me that this old parked Honda is what made her want to ride herself.
“I’ve been wanting to ride ever since I was a little girl,” she said.
As for why the bike is still in the garage, Tru explained: “To this day it’s still in the garage in the same place. His passion for bike riding was so great that he refused to sell the bike.”
After he learned of his daughter becoming a motorcyclist, though, he wasn’t too thrilled. He urged her to get loud pipes because, as they saying goes, they save lives. She conceded in order to make him feel better. In the time since then, her father has come around to the idea of her as a rider.
“He was really so super excited about me riding and being a biker,” True said. “I guess it’s because I’m following in his footsteps.”
Tru started riding motorcycles in 2003 and on a Yamaha YZF-R6. Back then, there were hardly any women riding, so she relied on the guys to get her up to speed—literally.
“My skill level comes from the guys—definitely—because they would leave me!” Tru laughed. “You had to keep up with them or fall back. I was tired of getting left behind.”
She upgraded to a Yamaha YZF-R1 and rode that for a while before the inheriting a Suzuki Hayabusa.
“My husband had the ‘Busa. When he passed away, I had two bikes for a while. Eventually I sold the R1 and kept the ‘Busa. I think I’d still be on a Yamaha if I wasn’t left with that bike.”
The Caramel Curves Comes Together
In 2005, Tru was able to find a few women who also rode.
“As far as the girls go—we were few and far between [back then]. The ladies that I started the club with, I first saw them on the scene with their boyfriends. They rode because their boyfriend rode. That’s how we even got to know each other—it was because of the guys,” Tru said.
She and five other ladies decided to start an all-women’s riding club in 2005. They brainstormed to come up with what they would call themselves.
“We wanted a cute, sassy name that fit bike riding. So curves came about because we can take the curves better than the guys… so one of the members came up with the caramel part and another girl came up with the curves part and it just fit.”
“Some of the girls didn’t even come back after Katrina,” she said.
It wasn’t until almost three years later, in 2008, that the Caramel Curves became official.
“We got our paperwork filed that year and said we’re going to go ahead and do this thing,” Tru said.
Short-Lived Road Racing Run
After about eight years of riding and two years as a member of the Caramel Curves, Tru decided to try her hand in amateur club racing with the Central Motorcycling Roadracing Association (CMRA). Unfortunately, that was short lived when she crashed.
While racing the R1, another racer tried to pass her on the inside. His front tire hit her back tire, causing her to go down.
“When that happened my bike went flipping, I went flipping and to say the least my bike was jacked up. I wasn’t really tripping about my bike because it was a track bike, but my body! Oh my God, it hurt so bad!”
The CMRA tumble was her worst crash to date. She did have a close call on Interstate 10 in New Orleans, but she avoided falling off the bike, and walked away a bit sore. She admitted that that incident was a bit traumatic.
“I am not meant to hit the ground!” Tru lamented. “But I just love [motorcycle riding]—it’s in my blood. My dad had the strength and courage to let it go, but I can’t.”
Riding in Stilettos
When I asked Tru why she wanted to start the Curves in the first place, she explained: “Most girl bikers, when we saw them, would be out, wearing all black and in leather. And don’t get me wrong, they would be sexy and cute. I’m not saying that all females that ride aren’t trying to be sexy, but our approach was different. We’re girly girls. Even though we rode motorcycles, we still wanted to wear pink and purple and red. And we rode in high heels. So, that what’s brought us together because we were girls that had the same idea when it came to riding.”
And as Tru stated, that idea included the ladies wearing heels—well, stilettos if you want to be specific. That was a difficult idea for me to imagine. I asked Tru how the heck does she ride a motorcycle—in her case, a Hayabusa—in stilettos? She answered as if it were the easiest thing to accomplish (And perhaps it is. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it, right?).
“I feel comfortable on the bike wearing heels. It’s not difficult. You just rest the heel on the footpeg and shift with your toes,” she explained.
Doesn’t shifting hurt her toes, I asked. After all, the shifter often leaves dents in my shoe at times. She told me that there’s a rubber cover wrapped around her shifter to make it a bit softer.
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