As Tracy “Nice Lady” Brouwer leans down to adjust the straps on her leather motorcycle chaps, a group of men clad in similar fashion passes by and each claps her on the back, greeting her like an old friend.
“I’ve been riding for 45 years,” said Brouwer. “I was one of the first woman riders, and I’ve really racked up some miles over the years.”
As Brouwer leans against her special edition 2002 Harley Davidson Dyna at Daytona Beach Bike Week, she explains that in the world of riding motorcycles, especially as a woman, you have to earn your respect.
“I’ve put on over 105,000 miles on my bike, I ride more than any man I know,” said Brouwer. “2,500 miles is usually the average that most men I know hit.”
I spent the afternoon following Brouwer around Daytona’s Bike Week on Main Street. As we weaved our way through the crowds, Brouwer gave me some advice on how to tell the difference between women riders and passengers. An older couple was passing by and Brouwer tugged me to a stop so she could break down the woman’s outfit for me.
“You see that lady over there? She’s an older woman, she’s stayed in shape and she looks good, but what she’s wearing is where you can tell that there’s no way in hell she owns her own bike, which is a shame,” said Brouwer. “The shoes are always a dead giveaway. If you look down at mine, you can see that I’m wearing boots. If you look at hers, well, her heels aren’t going to do her very good on a bike. You don’t dress for the ride, you dress for the slide.”
The roads are closed off along Main Street and hundreds of motorcycles are parked along the sidewalks with crowds of people going in and out of the local bars and bike shops, some stopping to watch the parade of chrome thunder driving past.
After stepping foot onto Main Street, it’s clear that men make up the majority of the motorcycle riders in attendance.
“Back in the day, they didn’t make women’s biker clothes,” said Brouwer as we passed Biker’s Pride Clothing Store. “I had to either buy men’s clothes or kids clothes. The chaps I’m wearing right now actually are men’s, size medium. The industry doesn’t know what women want.”
In the windows of the biker’s clothing stores, it’s easy to tell which clothes are reserved for women. Black leather corsets, fishnets and short, skimpy skirts are on display for the women to buy, while men have a wide range of protective riding gear to choose from.
“There’s absolutely a stereotype when it comes to women riders. People seem to think that there aren’t any [women riders]. That’s why I’ve been working hard for the past 45 years to improve that image. To have you even walking around with me here asking me about my experience as a woman rider, that just proves that what I’ve been working hard for has paid off.”
Although riding has been her passion for 45 years, teaching has taken up a large portion of her time as well. Brouwer has a doctorate degree and has been teaching business at Virginia College in Charleston, South Carolina.
“Teaching is great, it’s a good career to go in to, but it doesn’t give me the same thrill as riding does. I always said that I fit in with the motorcycle gang cause I’m a garage girl, I grew up working in garages. That’s another thing that’s helped me earn my respect, I can take apart my motorcycle and put it back together again, no problem,” Brouwer said.
Brouwer and I continued walking down Main Street, occasionally stopping to say hi to bikers that she met at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, an event that her and her husband, nicknamed “Da-weird”, attended for 22 years in a row.
“Real motorcyclists have nicknames. They’re names they’ve earned in one way or another, and they’re given to them by any other member of the biking community. Mine is ‘Nice Lady’ and I think it fits my personality pretty well,” Brouwer said.
Walking around Daytona’s Bike Week for the first time was overwhelming for a newbie to the motorcycle scene, like myself. It was intimidating to see crowds of rough men and women walking towards you, clad in heavy leather gear with menacing tattoos. A few different bars along Main Street had signs in their windows and on their doors specifically stating that minors, weapons and ‘colors’ were not allowed inside.
“Biker gangs are a real thing, but they’re not really like what you would see on TV,” said Brouwer. “Everyone you meet here is really nice and they’re all more than willing to talk to you, especially the women riders. They know that they’re breaking the stereotype, and I love being a part of that.”
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