Babes Ride Out, or “BRO” as a pretty hilarious acronym, standing for pretty much the dead opposite of the event goers... Has been going on now for 6 years. I was fortunate enough to attend since year one, when two ladies named Anya and Ashmore put together the standard So Cal grassroots campout - with one twist. No Boys Allowed.
(If you’re that dude who’s about to crack a rude joke, stop it! You’re just jealous that YOU can’t hang with 1500+ ladies at once!)
"BRO"
Babes In Borrego started on Instagram, and afterwards grew to monumental proportions. Ladies flooded the hashtag with all the fun - riding out to the desert, camping, sitting by the fire. And since then, it’s grown each year. I’ve been lucky to attend each year, despite moving across the country to Wisconsin!
My ride a 2000 Sporty I built in the kitchen with lots of Lowbrow Customs parts.
This year, with vacation time restraints and some pretty crappy weather along the way, I threw my bike on my fancy little trailer and towed as far as Arizona - after all, I had to cross at least ONE state line on two wheels! I took Route 66 to Amboy, CA, hung a left and cut across the desert to Joshua Tree, CA.
There are such beautiful sunsets in Joshua Tree.
The babes rolled in starting on Thursday, on all styles of bikes. I snapped shots as dirtbikes, dual sports, H-D Sportsters, Dynas, Softails, baggers, Triumph Bonnevilles, Tigers, scooters, vintage Hondas, Kawis, Yamahas, Indian Scouts, Moto Guzzis, and pretty much any other bike you can think of rolled past. Thursday night is always a favorite of mine - between the big hugs from ladies I haven’t seen all year, to the karaoke - both good, and bad, is belted out by women of all sorts.
Sandra on her cool chop riding in.
Friday morning brings early morning rumbles as the women head out of camp to hit up rides to beautiful desert spots like Joshua Tree, Idyllwild, Salvation Mountain, Big Bear, and more. As the afternoon sun sets, the ladies roll back to camp to catch the fun.
Megan on her Panhead in the desert.
Friday night was the Real Deal Moto Show, hosted by the Real Deal ladies - Jessi Combs (you know, she won the King of the Hammers, she was on All Girls Garage and a few other TV shows..) and Theresa, who is an incredible painter. As they taught classes in painting, MIG welding on Lincoln Electric machines, blacksmithing and leather, all sorts of “girl bikes” rolled in for the show. Modern, Vintage and Chopper classes hosted a variety of bikes to choose from! In fact, I lucked into the Real Deal Pick with my little Sporty chopper (which yes, hosts a variety of parts from Lowbrow, including the Stingray fender, the KustomTech master cylinder and.. I won’t keep going or we will be here forever!)
The Real Deal Moto show hosted all sorts of bikes even a Dirty Bird custom owned by Sara Shope.
Saturday morning was the same - sunrise revving and babes headed out for some miles on their odometers. Each group rolled past, anxious to see the beautiful desert. I personally headed to Pappy and Harriet’s to check out the new Indian FTR 1200S and then get in some miles through the National Park. Saturday night brought a ton of fun - from sumo wrestling to Yachty By Nature! Booths lined the show area, with a tattoo trailer, SENA bluetooth, Biltwell helmets offering pinstriping, MOTO FAM offering a killer raffle with all proceeds going to downed riders, and a small makers market. I spotted a couple Lowbrow gas tanks with killer paint jobs in the raffle too! Food trucks lined the other side with everything from coffee and vegan fare, to the best pizza in the desert.
Sadie from Bonnier Riding her Triumph.
Sunday morning brought some pre-dawn riders, and quite a few headed to the after party at the Saguaro in Palm Springs - this one’s a co-ed party, and it’s a great way to chill out after the weekend!
Virginia Cagney's Sporty spotted.
All in all, Babes Ride Out isn’t some giant pillow party in the desert.. It’s a legit riding event, inspiring so many women to take the MSF class, get licensed, and get a bike. I would say that BRO has built more female riders than probably any event - a few girls approached me and told me how much of an inspiration the event really was. They watched it, wanting to be a part of this, and they went out and did it. That’s inspiring to me, to see that girls are no longer afraid to do things we “shouldn’t”!
Joy L rolling out of camp on her custom Beemer.
Ladies, if you’re curious about going, Check out babesrideout.com - I promise, you’ll have a great time, and leave with new friends from across the country. And who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired enough to take a trip and visit them all!
Words and Photos by: Savannah Rose @themouseandthemoto
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