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Ann Leiseth
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Pat Lehman
I am Pat Lehman, I live in Kenmare, ND and this is my story on motorcycling:
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It all started in 1965. Ernie (my husband) bought a 150 Honda.  One day while he was out in the field I decided I'd try it out.  Well I liked it so much I asked if he'd get me one just like it and he did.  From then on we just rode around the neighborhood, the farm and went to Medora on them. 

     Over the years since that time Honda 150, I have had a 300 Honda Dream, 305 Honda Scrambler, and a 650 Yamaha.  From 1981-1983 I didn't have a bike.  Then I got Ernie's 750 Honda and he bought his first Harley.  So many times I would ride on the back of his bike when we'd go on a longer trip, like when we joined the Magic City Dressers Club in Minot and we went to Jackpot, NV and other places. 
     We went to Daytona, FL in 1986.  I sat on a Harley-Davidson Softail Custom and said "I'd sure like one of these" and by May of 1986 I had my first Harley.  When I went on the First Ladies Run, I really didn't want to go but Ernie MADE ME GO. 
     I enjoyed it.  I hadn't done much riding by myself back then.  Since then I have gotten a 1996 Harley-Davidson Heritage.  I really like that and I am still riding it (which is what I am on in the picture).  I've been to quite a few of the North Dakota Ladies Runs and have been to Sturgis many times (my 25th year & Ernie's 27th year).  We don't seem to get to go on many long trips. 
     Our son rides, our daughter, Pam Norris, rides and has been on the Ladies Runs with me (she's profiled right below me here on this website).  Our son-in-law & other daughter ride (she doesn't have a bike nor does she wish to learn), we have a few grandsons and a great-grandson that also ride bikes; so I guess we are very much a motorcycle family.    We have a lot of fun together but cannot seem to get together to ride much as some of the grandsons are in college and some are married.
 
Well I guess that tells it all; I'm 65 now so I don't know how long I'll be able to handle it, but I am going to try as long as I can!


Pam Norris
I have been riding since I was very young. My dad got us an old 50cc Honda to scoot around at the farm. We had a blast with it, and lots of miles on it!!!

I rode my mom's 650 Yamaha when I was in high school. Then I took a break as I had children and so much to do for them. Then in 1995 I learned to ride all over. I started out at 35 mph then worked my way up to takin my test.
Now I have a blast going with my mom to the Ladies Run. The first one I went to was in Tioga in 2000 - so at least we do a little, but it is a good time to see the gals from year to year. I ride an 1100 Honda Shadow that I got, well yah all know, when I got divorced!   -- Pam Norris


Ride on and be free, Shawna  "Tree Frog" Zastoupil

When my husband called to ask if he could buy a bike (1997), I said "only if I can ride it too." It was a cute little 200CC Yamaha. With the help of ABATE class, I finally could ride (it did not work to have my husband running beside me yelling "pull the clutch") HA!
After that, we both moved on to twin VLX 600 Hondas. I actually rode that bike around ND state in the WIND! My husband moved up to an 1100 Aero, which he let my mother ride bitch on the back when I drove to the ND Ladies run in Wahpeton (see "in memory page - Judy Van Tassel). I was hooked at not fighting the wind.
My final bike is the Orange and Cream 1100 Honda Aero. It is my love. We (just my bike and I) have been to Montana, Wyoming, Canada, South Dakota and work and back for the past 4 years.
 
To tell you the truth, it is not so much about biking as it is about the people you meet. Like the dreamy biker dude that helped me when I ran out of gas on the interstate (not my fault --- husband's bike and did not tell me where the reserve was and it was a dark night HA!) Or the amazing women at the ND Ladies run, who have been great support and "GO GIRLS" attitude! Even the little children that point and say "mom I want to ride like her when I grow up!"
 
Oh one last thing, I really feel empowered by my own bike. And to surround myself with other empowered women at the Ladies Run is Amazing!
 
Ride on and be free, Shawna  "Tree Frog" Zastoupil


Why I Ride

My passion for motorcycling began with a beat-up set of “training wheels”; an abandoned 1981 250 c.c. Yamaha Exciter. 

My husband Wayne hauled the bike up from his folks’ rental lot in South Dakota and began using it as a commuter vehicle as soon as it was reconditioned. 

<>He had fun with it, but I was missing out.  So we rode two-up on it a couple of times.  That was enough to inspire me to learn to ride on my own.  I didn’t feel comfortable as a passenger.  I needed to be in control.
Jane Peterson, Grand Forks, ND

I signed up for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider course in July of 2001.  In a span of three days, I went from not knowing anything about motorcycles to being a capable rider.  The rider coaches frequently joked I never stopped smiling while maneuvering through the cones. 

A couple of weeks later I earned my motorcycle endorsement and got to ride the old Yamaha Exciter myself.  Shortly thereafter, I bought my own bike, a 2002 750 c.c. Honda Shadow A.C.E. Deluxe.  She’s red and black.  I call her my “Lady Bug” after a colorful insect of the same name perched herself on my windshield and rode with me through town.  It’s supposed to be a sign of good luck when a lady bug lands on you.

Learning to ride my own motorcycle is an accomplishment I’m most proud of.  It has inspired me to keep challenging myself to learn new things.  I feel confident, in control, exhilarated. Motorcycling awakens my senses, keeps me focused, and provides a much more intimate perspective of the world around me. 

I enjoy the unobstructed view of landscape changes and sunsets; the aroma of the prairie grasses, lakes, and trees; the athletic challenge of maintaining control while battling North Dakota’s brutal crosswinds; even the sting of rain, hail, rocks and bugs, not to mention the up-close-and-personal whiff of road kill.  Think of all the things you miss behind the wheel of an air-conditioned car! 

I am also inspired by the many women I have gotten to know and ride with at the annual North Dakota Ladies Run.  My first run was in East Grand Forks, MN in 2002.  At the time, I had no idea there were so many women riders.  I couldn’t believe I was actually a part of this impressive caravan of lady motorcyclists rumbling down Minnesota’s back roads.  I still get goose bumps on every run.  You will never meet a group of women more self-assured, carefree and fun-loving.

I haven’t traveled as far as I’d like on my motorcycle, but no matter the distance, every ride is a joyful experience.  There is a quote from the French writer Voltaire that sums up exactly how I feel whenever I’m on two wheels…“Paradise is where I am.”

My Motorcycle Memories
              I started riding in the summer of 1979. The first motorcycle I ever owned was a 100 Kawasaki dirt and street bike. The first time I rode it I was so proud of myself because I didn’t stall the engine. Well I thought that I should blow the horn to let my husband know what a good start I’d made. I hit a button and the motor died. Yes, I’d hit the kill switch and over I went into the dirt. It has been a long time since that happened and many miles have been put on but I will never forget my “kill switch” days.

Gloria Threinen
Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada
aka Glo
This is my best friend & cousin, Debbie, her husband Jim, my
husband Jerome
and I (Gloria) am in the red Canada jacket.
 We are standing outside the Franklin Hotel in Deadwood.
            Since then I’ve owned a 400 Yamaha, a  1985 750 Honda Shadow and a 1992 Harley Davidson Sportster—the hugger model. That little Harley has been my companion through rain, snow, wind and many adventures. The first adventure we had together was a May long weekend trip to Calgary, Alberta. This is a 10-12 hour drive and as we rode closer to Alberta the weather got cloudy, then misty, then, rainy and finally it started to snow. I had on many layers of clothing… long-johns, jeans, leather chaps and finally a one-piece snowsuit. We decided to stay in a hotel for the night and my poor little bike didn’t really want to go onto the off-ramp but with some coaxing it made it. Through all those layers, I was wet to the skin and shaking like a leave. Then next morning my cycle had almost a foot of wet snow on the seat. On the way home, three days later, we ended up in our shirt sleeves.

            I’ve run out of gas with a teardrop tank so upsized to a 3 gallon and personalized it with pictures of my family history which is in the coal mining industry. Starting with my great-grandfather right on to my husband and one son all are in coal mining. My tank depicts an underground coal car with a pick, shovel and hard-hat along with a dragline and steam locomotive. My father ran the last working locomotive in Canada.

           Our adventures really started with my 750 Shadow. My husband and I have 3 children, a girl and 2 boys. Well, in 1985 our daughter had other things to do. It wasn’t cool to be seen with the parents. So off the rest of us went on our first of many years traveling by motorcycle. I had one of the boys and my husband had the other. Those are the most wonderful memories I will have of any of my years on this earth.

          We’ve had many adventures, seen country from Northern Alberta to the farthest point west in Canada on down into New Mexico. Yes, we took our sons with us and today one of them owns his own motorcycle and his wife is a willing and mostly happy passenger, who wants her own motorcycle. They will both have to ride as another generation of riders is up and coming. They have twin sons and are planning the same kind of vacations as our son grew up with.

          I’m not sure what year I went on the first Ladies Run but it was a year that Bismarck was flooded and it was held in Minot. I was a bit uncertain about venturing out on my own but Oh Look At Me Now. I’ve made lots of lifetime friends amongst the gals on these wonderful runs and I thank Kathy Enders for making her dream a reality. May we all be so lucky!

Gloria Threinen
Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada

    This is a picture of my new bike and myself. It was taken in 1992 in front of
our patio window at Christmas time.
    The bike went from showroom floor to my dining room It stayed there until Febuary of 1993.  


I got to start doing the break in riding. I wore a one piece snowsuit to make sure I stayed warm. Keeping in mind, I live in Canada, the temperatures in Febuary were cold but the roads were clear of ice/snow. 

Thanks, Love Glo



Page updated 08-20-06
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