#1 Athena Ransom - Vagabond Choppers

Vagabond bikes have a stellar reputation for “reliability and performance” – a testimonial from the men who ride them. With the competition so fierce in the custom bike building world, Vagabond Choppers are not only quickly gaining a lot of respect, but a lot of attention, too. Just might have something to do with the owner, Athena “Chickie” Ransom, who has won and entered many a bike building competition. Her latest build was for a Breast Cancer Awareness charity project, which involved four other women - making it the first all-women bike build in history. Did we mention they built it in less than seven hours?  www.vagabondchopper.com            

#2. Christine Vaughn - Wicked Women Choppers

Christine’s unique concept and business savvy catapulted her company, Wicked Women Choppers, into the national spotlight in 2004, when she became the first “known” custom bike building company for women. Christine also built the first TV bike as part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, which is currently traveling the rally circuit. As an official LLC, with real “VIN” titles, these high-end choppers are not only insurable, but maintain their resale value. Business is expanding for Christine, as WWC now offers six custom choppers in their line up. For more about WWC’s bikes, go to www.wickedwomenchoppers.com .  Read Helmet Hair’s™ July 2005 Interview with Christine.

#4. Sara Liberte – North Hills Cycles  

Sara lives a double fantasy life: not only does she photograph some of the most famous bike builders in the business, she also happens to be competing with them.  Along with her partner, Ron Tonetti, she is co-owner and co-creator of RT’s North Hills Cycle, where they recently completed a build for Pittsburgh Steeler, Barret Brooks, and entered “The Axe” into the freestyle category at this year’s AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building.  With dozen’s of feature articles and photo spreads, Sara is quickly becoming a star in this Industry. She’s even written a book, “How to Repair and Maintain American V-Twin Motorcycles,” and has given seminars to teach others her trade.  Visit www.northhillscycle.com  to view their work, and then go to www.saraliberte.com  to see the other side of Sara.   Helmet Hair’s™ July 2006 Interview with Sara.

#5. Vivian Charros – Biker Build-Off Winner

Vivian “Gypsy” Charros will go down in history as the first female winner of the Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off –   not too shabby considering that was also the first time Biker Build-Off  featured a women builder.  Vivian entered the moto scene as a freelance writer for a motorcycle magazine and worked odd jobs as a bike mechanic in local garages. But it wasn’t until she met Berry Wardlaw of Accurate Engineering, that she later realized her bike building dream would become a reality. The master engine builder invited Vivian to use his shop at her disposal for the TV build, where it was later aired in October 2006 that she and her team created the winning, one-of-a-kind bike.  Look for Gypsy and her stunning bike on a whirlwind promotional tour. 
 

#6. Jayme Gray - Huntington Beach Hogs and Choppers

At the age of 26, Jayme headed to Arizona to attend MMI, where she earned her motorcycle mechanic degree. After graduation, she went back home to California and had the opportunity to work alongside a master mechanic giving her the experience necessary for her next job at Huntington Beach Hogs and Choppers. In 2006, Jayme was invited to participate at the Labor Day Board Fest, where she promoted women in alternative professions. Jayme was one of five women to participate in the very first all-women bike build during Fat Fest 2006, hosted by Open Road Radio. Yep, the one that Athena "Chickie" led.  www.hbhogs.com

#7. Katie Putman – Mad Dog 

 After graduating from the Motorcycle Mechanic Institute (MMI) in 2003, Katie traveled back home to Wisconsin putting her new wrenching skills at work in a local motorcycle shop. In 2006, she landed a dream job with Mitch Bergeron of Mad Dogs (one of the winners from the TV series Biker Build-Off), where she’s been servicing bikes ever since. Katie was also among the historical all-women bike build mentioned above. http://www.mitchbergeroncustoms.com/

#8. Sarah Lyon - Female Mechanic Calendar

It was in 2003, during an 8,900-mile trip alone on her Yamaha, Sarah realized that her bike required a lot of work along the way.  Her experience working as a mechanic in motorcycle shops back home in Kentucky would prove handy, so with her tools in-tow, bike shop owners across the country lent her space to work. That’s when her epiphany hit: she’d not encountered one female mechanic in any of these shops.  She wondered how women in the field of mechanics dealt with being an anomaly, as she'd experienced. So in the summer of 2006, this photographer set out on a 6,000-mile journey through 12 states in search for subjects to “create empowering documentary portraits” for the first-ever Female Mechanics Calendar. Sarah’s story traveled through the grapevine, and soon she too was invited to assist with the all-women’s bike build during Fat Fest 2006.  http://www.sarahlyon.com/calendar/
 

#9. Terri-Lynn Link - Siren Custom Cycles 

Terri-Lynn knew she was on to something big after the success of her fist bike build, Pirates Booty, in 2004. The ultra-sharp, ultra feminine build was unveiled during Sturgis, and has won major awards around the country ever since. Hence, the creation of Siren Custom Cycles took fruition, now with a real storefront and two new concept bikes on their way designed for women. Terri-Lynn is not only the “Head Siren” at the shop, but also is the brainchild behind these captivating designs. Read more about her story at www.sirencustomcycles.com

#10. Street Diamond Motorcycles

According to their web site, Street Diamond was formed in 2003 to “offer high-end, custom looking motorcycles for women.”  Their site also states that “they are built by women,” so we thought we’d phone them for an interview, but to no avail. Street Diamond has an impressive line of bikes indeed, but we can’t confirm that they are actually built by women. To give them the benefit of the doubt; however, we’ve placed them on the list in hopes that one of our readers can provide a testimony about this company and its bikes.  www.streetdiamond.com