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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media

Tricia Helfer and Katee Sackhoff get their motors running

You know when you learn something about a celebrity you like that you wish you hadn’t? Like, I don’t know, they kick their dog or they call their children pigs or they vote Republican? Well, this is not one of those times. This is one of those times when you learn something about a celebrity you like that you wish you knew earlier. Like when I read this week in the Los Angeles Times about Battlestar Galactica stars Tricia Helfer and Katee Sackhoff’s love for motorcycles.

They report also includes a video of Tricia and Katee riding and talking about motorcycles. But, um, no one here would be interested in seeing the Battlestar babes decked out in tank tops and leather jackets while riding motorcycles, would you?


Wow, I’m not even that into motorcycles and that made me want to buy a Harley and unleash my inner Easy Rider. The report discussed the lack of female riders, a problem we’ve noted here before, both in real-life and the screen.

The women will help try to rectify that problem a bit by riding bikes in their upcoming TV roles. Helfner will ride in an upcoming episode of the USA show Burn Notice where she will play a “slinky spy.”And Sackhoff has worked her cycle skills into her character’s persona for her recurring appearances on the new season of Nip/Tuck.

Katee will play an anesthesiologist with a “fondness for body ink and bikes” who becomes the love interest of Dr. McNamara. Damn, now I have to start watching Nip/Tuck again.

Both women said their interest in motorcycles started young from driving all-terrain vehicles and the like. Now they said they ride because they were tired of sitting on the back of their boyfriend/husband’s bike. The friends said they would like to change the perception that women can’t ride.

As Katee said, people assume “that we’re on the back of the bike making sandwiches.” Nope, not a sandwich in sight. Just a bunch of cool women and their big toys. See, sometimes it’s good to learn things about celebrities.

TheWeyrd1's picture

Nice...and HOT!

But I've seen the aftermath of one too many motorcycle fatalities in the past couple of years.  So I'm not likely to buy a bike myself.  However, I'm not opposed to WATCHING hot women on bikes!

BTW...the video wouldn't launch until I was previewing this comment to post it...weird. 

idyphoto's picture

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Thanks for posting this. Sue Carpenter of the LA Times ROCKS for putting women riders in the spotlight, and now Dorothy Snarker does too. I love riding and have been doing so for 27 years. Believe me, fatalities from cars happen much more often than they do from bikes. If any AE readers want to ride, go take a class first to get the proper training.

 

See you later! I'm off to ride across the US for my annual summer trip! 

Glindared's picture

Yeah!!

I have a Yamaha V-Star 1100 Classic. I love it...The bike is built like a tank, and this past Saturday, While riding on I-91N enroute to Hartford, CT, an %^&*+ from three lanes over on the right crossed over and cut me off. I had NO WHERE to go...had a car in the lane to my right, the "New Jersey Barrier" on my left and the @#$% in front. Fortunately when I took my motorcycle riding classes 20 something years ago, I had learned how to lay down the bike to minimize the extent of the accident...never thought I'd ever have to use that knowledge, and was surprised I remembered how....the bike strangely enough is in better shape than I am. I was able to literally walk away...the bike was uprighted by two nice guys who had stopped, and I rode the bike home (75 miles), and while I am bruised heavily..I have only suffered four broken ribs, and for just a day and a half had a partially collapsed lung(its back to normal now) spent just two days in the hospital...I was very, very lucky(wasn't wearing a helmet). It shows that I am here for a reason, just need to figured that part out. I strongly recommend taking a motorcycle rider's class! They teach you, not only to ride the bike..they teach you life-saving defensive manuevers to avoid accidents, and last but not least, how to lay down your bike to just save your life, sacrifice the bike to save yourself! Which is what I was forced to do. I am 100% certain that if I had collided with that car at highway speeds, I would have surely died.

I started to ride when I was 19, and I am now 43 and STILL here! Motorcycles are NOT bad, just the other drivers being idiots. I believe that 95% of all motorcycle accidents that occur are the result of the OTHER driver, NOT the motorcyclist....and not all motorcycle accidents are fatal...if you didn't see the bruises, you'd never know I had an accident.

I LOVE riding my bike! I am MORE comfortable riding the motorcycle than I do a car...can't explain why. It really puts me in a zen-like state while riding the back roads...must, of course be more focused while on the highway. I am glad that women are making such strides in being motorcyle riders and not just passengers! 

I must say that it really upsets me to see girl passengers on the backs of their boyfriends racing bikes wearing more skin than they are wearing clothes. My motorcycle boots protected my feet and ankles...because I was FULLY clothed is why I am only bruised and not 75% road burned!

When you play it smart, motorcycling is an incredible experience!

Kudos for a GREAT article.

be Well,

Patti

idyphoto's picture

One Correction

Sorry, but I really feel the need to make one correction to your post. In a motorcycle safety class they DO NOT teach you how to lay down your bike. You have no control when you lay it down. If you have not taken a refresher course since your first course, I suggest you do so promptly. The more you practice, the better you get. And just riding isn't practicing -- you have to actually practice hard braking and swerving to be able to do it when you need it.

 

Happy riding! 

Gillian's picture

not sure if you are

not sure if you are expecting sympathy or not, but i hope you don't get much/any. you admit to not wearing a helmet. that's illegal. or at least it is in this country...

and motorbike riders wonder why everyone thinks they're bad...

motorbikes are a pain in the ass. they think they rule the road, break the laws of the road ALL the time, and then complain because they are misinterpreted and treated bad. i wonder why!

any i've come across while driving, speed, overtake/undertake when they shouldn't, and just plain show off and disrespect other road users.

why should car drivers wait in a huge line of traffic, just for a motorbike to weave in and out of us all, just to get ahead and not wait like everyone else??

why should they drive between the two lanes of traffic, and then kick out at oncoming traffic for driving where they should be (and the motorbike driving where it shouldn't)?

having said that, i've also seen my fair share of idiot car drivers, and have much to say about them, but that's not the topic here, so don't think i'm just against motorbikes.

i fully respect those that drive properly, just they happen to be few and far between! which is a shame, because there are some amazing bikes around.

Mara's picture

Yowza!

Thank you for posting this! 

_ _ _ _ _

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." (Dr. Seuss)

Natazzz's picture

That's hot

Very very hot.

Enough said. 

- - - - - - - - - -

-Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

Who doesn't blog these days?

 

kandice's picture

nice

ive loved bikes my hole life and my 2 friends have one so i go on every day , maby when i have a beter job in a couple years il take the course and buy one lol or just find a girl with a bike. this video was hott
TheGentleman's picture

can't get any better

Tank top. Check

Leather boots. Check

Sturdy Bikes. Check.Check.

blood pressure after watching the video? skyrocketing!

thanks again for the lovely pics :)

The Gentleman

www.ladiesgentlemenandundecided.blogspot.com 

Life is too short to be lived hiding

Em's picture

I barely even noticed they were on bikes...

Katee and Tricia in tank tops? Um, yeah. I drooled the entire time.

You can't shake hands with a clenched fist.
[Indira Ghandi]

mimi's picture

One of their bike trips has

One of their bike trips has also been covered at Tricia's website. Tricia and Katee go Sideways is availabe at the following link.

 http://triciahelfer.com/blog/?page_id=256

It includes pictures of their trip through Solvang (where Sideways was filmed). It includes their significant others.

These two are too cool for words.

JustShorty's picture

Brilliant, I always knew

Brilliant, I always knew these two were cool, this is extra proof (as if any was needed)!!
Shasta's picture

Duuude, is that you with

Duuude, is that you with Katee Sackhoff?

Oh, I am jealous! Very cool!

And thanks for sharing the hotness with us, Ms. Snarker!

JustShorty's picture

Yes it is! :-) Best. Day.

Yes it is! :-)

Best. Day. Ever.
Shasta's picture

No kidding! I'm sure I'd

No kidding! I'm sure I'd have been incoherent or passed out on the floor. Katee's hotness juat gets the better of me!
Keeva99's picture

Nice

This is definitely going to help me make through the rest of my day. Cheers :D

___________________________________

Sarah Warn - "she's not unattractive according to conventional standards of femininity, which is Women's studies speak for...she's hot".

cosmiccowgirl's picture

Wow

That was frakking hot.
Nichole4FSU's picture

I ride a Honda Shadow too.

Shadow Spirit 750 and I absolutely love it.  Women riders are very cool people to know and I'm currently looking for a women's riding group located in the St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay, Fl area.

I also agree with the suggestion of taking a rider safety course before even thinking of getting on a bike.  I did it, loved it, got my motorcycle license, and bought my Spirit.  Really, riding makes me almost giddy.  I could just go and go and go.

I always wear a full faced helmet, but I'm not always good about wearing my riding jacket.  Mostly, it depends on how far I'm riding and what roads I'll be on.

I really can't say enought about the pure serene joy of riding a motorcylce.  Bliss, pure and simple.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm not sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for what I didn't do."

 

kbeen1's picture

motocycles are cool and it

motocycles are cool and it is a great exprience to ride. I can no way afford one , so I ride my mountain bike. love it. I don't really trust other driver on the road...especially where I live people are just scary on the road. I think defensive motocycle lessons is a great idea,b/c accidents will happen. parents work in the medical field and they have always had stories for me about bike riding, so that has me hiesatant to ride. I have ridden on the back and its the best feeling in the world...I felt free. I love to hold on ...bikes are fun. and hell yes women can ride her own bike!
4sakenshadowxsoldierlette's picture

hotness! now

it would be absolutely perfect if lucy was right along beside them! :p

 

i so have wanted to get a bike since i first saw one! 

~*~"That's what we all dream about isn't it? Someone who looks so deeply into our soul that...they'd find something worth dying for."---Gabrielle~*~

Glindared's picture

Response to the replies to MY post

First, my comment is going to be directed to the two different bloggers in one response. I will not point out to each blogger individually. So the answer will be blended.

Finally, my response will be that one of clarification and counter points.

I have taken those classes...and I was saying that classes ARE important, as you have clarified. I didn't write my comment to gain sympathy. I was being honest, and I wasn't going to white wash the fact that it can be dangerous. I feel I must counter that what you did in your comment is paint motorcyclists as a whole with a very broad brush, of being ignoramist clods! There are several thousands, I am sure of, motorcyclists who are respectful of the rules of the roads, and the laws of the land. Yes, the use of helmets are on the books of laws, but its in the enforcement of that law that gives its strength....There is one fundemental issue here at hand and that is the exercise of free will. The freedom in making choices in ones life, and how they choose to live.

I also want to clarify that the classes I have taken then, are of course different to the classes given now...the classes now are more comparmentalized, and they have motorcycles for you to learn on...then, we used our own bikes. I agree that refresher courses are a neccesity. However, It is my personal opinion that for a "true" driver's ed class..they should teach the drivers how to operate ALL classes of vehicles! I have a Commercial Driver's License as well as the license for a motorcycle, and a car. I have seen idiots in all catagories of drivers. So if motorcyclists must take a refresher course, so should ALL drivers take a course. In the course of my riding bikes, I have ridden several different makes and models and each rides and handles differently.

I didn't write my comment to spark any arguements. That's not the purpose of this blog. I wrote in an honest way, and chose to not romantisize the motorcycle experience. I will agree to disagree. No flaming here.

Motorcycling is not for everyone. While I can relate, and can commiserate with other motorcyclists...my riding experiences are uniquely my own, as theirs are their own.

Be Well,

Patti

not only but also's picture

Oh my.

Oh my oh my oh my.

Oh my.

Umm...there's just something I ... I mean, I have to go and... *coughs* I just have to go and do something right now...

Not Only But Also

Torchwood_Operative's picture

Cute

Awww, the girls are so cute when they hug.

 

Cherry / Torchwood_Operative

Everyone should have the right to say "yes", and the right to say "no". Marriage should be based on love and relationships that work, not tradition

LostSoul's picture

Mmmm

Katee and Tricia...You just cannot not love these two gals...It's not possible...

And, they definitely get the motors running...

honeyb's picture

Catherine Bell too

Hm, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Catherine Bell (from JAG/Army Wives) rides too and has worked riding into a couple of her scenes too.
Magik4Me's picture

I too ride (and love BSG)

I got my first street bike when I was eighteen and have been riding for the last 23 years.  Things have changed dramatically over the years with more and more  women riding.  I can now find gear specifically made for women and that’s a huge difference ;-)

 

Please remember to watch out for us when you’re driving in your cars.  Most accidents occur because drivers never see the bike before the impact. 

If any LA area AE riders want to hook up for a day trip, I would totally be interested.  

 

Lezliemac's picture

Can never get enough

of women, tanks and bikes. Yay, again.

Car drivers, please watch for us defenseless bikers.
Riders, don't be careless.
Everyone, stay courteous, the road is for sharing. And for hot babes on wheels...