Behind The Rider

Electric Motorbikes

Originally Published: 6th May 2026

For many riders, the story starts long before the first bike. Before the licence. Before the first solo ride. It starts with someone who quietly encouraged it, supported it, or showed us what riding could feel like.

For some of us, that person was our mum.

Where It Starts

Motorcycling is often seen as independent. Solitary, even.

But most riders can trace their passion back to someone else. Someone who made the idea of riding feel possible.

Sometimes it’s a friend. Sometimes it’s a mentor. Sometimes it’s a parent who saw the joy in it before the risk.

For Chris Gaspardis, who leads production for the Savic C-Series, motorcycles have always been part of family life.

In fact, he jokes he might not even exist without them.

“My mum and dad met at a YMCA dance, when Mum stopped to look at a bike outside, which just happened to be Dad’s,” laughs Chris. “Today, riding is still something our whole family love doing together.”

Some of Chris’ favourite memories involve riding alongside his mum.

“I remember us doing the ride between Canberra and Batemans Bay together. Mum wasn’t feeling super confident that day, so she was taking it easy while I kept checking in on her. It’s one of those rides I’ll never forget, because it reminded us how much we love and trust each other.”

Trust, Support, and a Good Helmet

For lifelong rider and motorcycle trainer Rodney Lloyd [and proud owner of Savic C-Series no. 62.], support looked a little different.

Back in 1985, after Rodney had written off a bike the year before, his mum Rita made a decision he still remembers clearly today.

“Mum went out and spent a huge chunk of her savings on a top-of-the-line Shoei helmet for me,” he says. “She wanted me safe.”

It wasn’t about stopping him from riding. It was about making sure he could keep doing what he loved.

Today, Rodney has spent decades teaching people to ride safely and confidently, including a growing number of women entering the motorcycle community.

“Women are generally really focused and intentional as riders,” he says. “They usually know why they want to ride, and they approach it thoughtfully. I’ve got a lot of time for women who ride.”

An Evolving Rider Culture

Motorcycling has always had a strong identity. But the culture surrounding it is changing, and becoming broader, more welcoming, and more diverse in the process.

Amanda Phoenix, founder of Peak Moto and long-time advocate for women riders, has seen that shift firsthand.

“We’re seeing more and more women getting on bikes every year,” she says. A trend that’s boosted by supportive peers and a safety-conscious culture.

“The community as a whole has become increasingly more focused on safety and, as a motorcycle gear shop owner, it’s a welcome shift from when I started 20 years ago.”

So how about the influence of mums? “It’s so important to have strong female role models in the riding community – especially mothers,” says Amanda. “They have this unique opportunity to spend so much time with young girls and show them, in a really real way, just how strong they can be while they’re figuring out who they are.”

That shift is visible across the entire industry: