From Hate To Passion
Sadgirl
Riding a motorcycle, or much less being a biker never crossed my mind. I’d
spend most of my life raising my six kids and working as an education/communications
developer throughout different churches and ministries in the United
States, Central America and the Puerto Rico. I was pleased with my
lifestyle and enjoyed my hobbies. I had no intention of changing it.
My husband, Jerry Bigham was a hard working auto mechanic and like most
guys, he always wanted a Harley but couldn’t afford one. I didn’t care
for him having one because I was one of those women that was jealous of
a man’s motorcycle. “If you get a motorcycle, I’m going to be very upset.”
were my words to him. But that never stopped him from saying “One of
these days…” every time a Harley drove by. I’d just roll my eyes and
ignore him. He grew up in a poor family and never had much of anything.
As a teenage, he worked from daylight to dawn and went to school.
I loved my husband very much, so one Father’s Day I though I’d surprise
him with an extra nice present, so I bought him a 97 Road King. I didn’t
know how to ride a bike so I rented a U-Haul truck, went to the dealer
and had it loaded.
That same day I drove home straight from the dealer, picked up our kids
and headed towards his job. When I got there I told him that I had
bought a brake lathe for our shop and I needed him to take a look at it.
The kids and I were standing at the back of the truck waiting for him
to open the doors. He thought it was strange that I had all the kids
with me. I toll him that I was taking them out to eat.
When he opened the back door of the U-Haul, there was the Harley he
wanted his entire life. He took one look at it, clutched his face with
his hands and had a good emotional breakdown.
We all wished him a Happy Father’s Day and helped him roll the bike off
the truck. He started it and for the first time in his life he rode a
Harley and his wish had come true.
I still didn’t like motorcycles and no interest in learning how to ride
one. Jerry rode everyday as much as he could. But on September of 2000
as he was riding his best friend’s Harley he took a fatal turn and was
killed instantly when he struck an oncoming vehicle head-on.
Sad as it was, I gave him a biker funeral and had his ashes scattered to
the sunset off a dear friend’s Heritage Soft tail.
I was left with his bike so I had to make the decision of selling it or
learning to ride. I opted for the latter, enrolled in the basic safety
course and learned the general basics of motorcycle operation. There
were many people who encourage me and those who’d say that a Road King
was too big for me. Well, needless to say, you never tell a Scorpio that
he/she can’t do something because it serves as negative motivation. So
with the help of former ABATE Dist 14 president, Bob Cook and his wife,
Lyn, I mastered the riding skills needs to hit the road. I had fallen in
love with Harley Passion Quinn (my bike’s name), and understood why so
many people love to ride. I had a custom paint job done and some engine
work to my specifications. I could not believe that I was the owner of
custom Road King.
I took a year off work and rode (not trailered) my bike all over the
country including Sturgis and Daytona. It was then when I realized that
I loved to ride and could be a biker for the rest of my days. Jerry had
left me with the gift of riding and I wasn’t about to throw it away. I
began attending bike rallies and meeting different kinds of bikers.
After riding for almost 2 years I realized that there were other women
like myself who loved to ride but were not welcomed in a man’s world.
My friend, Debbie Tedder, whom was also a biker, had the idea of
starting a women’s motorcycle club.
She contacted me concerning the idea, and it wasn’t long after that we
had our first meeting. After going through the correct protocol with the
established biker clubs in the area, and obtaining their acceptance and
approval, the “Highway Chicks Biker Club” was officially established as
a 3-piece patch female biker club in Arkansas.
“Today, there are more women motorcycle owners than ever and the
numbers are increasing daily. We have found a passion for riding that
has taken the monotony out of everyday living. We don’t want to change
anything…we just wanna have fun.

Jennifer Bigham-Vice President & Road Captain-Highway Chicks WMC
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