Bike India

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine

  • Home
  • News
    • Upcoming Launches
    • Latest News
    • New Bike Launches
  • Reviews
    • First Ride
    • Road Test
    • Comparison
  • Features
  • BI Garage
  • BI Videos
  • Subscribe
  • NG Auto
    • AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
    • CAR INDIA
    • COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
  • Brands

Interview: Leslie Porterfield – The Fast And The Fabulous

October 14, 2011 by Sarmad Kadiri 1 Comment

Tweet

Fastest woman on two-wheels

Interviewed By: Sarmad Kadiri

The number of the girls riding two-wheelers is growing fast, and what’s growing even faster is their self-confidence and riding speed. One of them has taken things to the next level by breaking all boundaries and records and entering the Guinness Book of World Records – not for her super-model looks, but because of her unparalleled biking skills. Riding at a breakneck speed, she set the Bonneville Salt Flats afire by recording an overall land speed record of 374.208 km/h on her Suzuki Hayabusa. Presenting (drum roll) Leslie Porterfield – the Fastest Woman in the World on a Motorcycle, who is now attempting to become the fastest person in the world!

 

THE JOURNEY OF A CHAMP

Leslie Porterfield virtually vanquished the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2008 when she achieved a land speed record of 374 km/h in the 2,000-cc modified class, making her way into the Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘Fastest Woman in the World on a Motorcycle’. The title was previously held for over 30 years by Marcia Holley, motocross rider and stunt woman, who had attained a top speed of 369.12 kph (229.361 mph) astride a single-engine streamliner motorcycle in 1978.

Porterfield was also honoured as the AMA Female Rider of the Year. Among her many achievements she has been featured in the Discovery channel documentary, ‘Speed Capital of the World: Bonneville’. This gorgeous rider tours the world as a public speaker and as an advocate and role-model for the rising population of woman riders. She is a member of the prestigious Bonneville 200 MPH Club and runs High Five Cycles, a used motorcycle dealership in Dallas, US.

 

Bike India: You have been riding for 16 years now. How did you get hooked to motorcycles?
Leslie Porterfield: I bought a beat up old motorcycle at 16 for transport. I did not know anything about motorcycles and didn’t know anyone who rode them. I loved learning how to ride. I had no idea how buying that first motorcycle would influence my life!

BI: It’s quite a feat for a novice rider to become the ‘Fastest Woman in the World on Two Wheels’. What other records have you demolished until now?
LP: I hold many records. From the Production Class 1,000-cc record on a Honda CBR1000, a naked (“No fairings,” she explains, so that people don’t get wrong ideas), to a 1,350-cc record of 336 kph that made me the first woman on a conventional motorcycle in the Bonneville 200 mph (322 kph) club. I also hold the record of 374.208 kph (232 mph) in the 2,000-cc turbocharged class with fairings. I set a record of 376.5 kph (234 mph) in the 1,350-cc turbocharged class with fairings in 2009.

BI: When did you realise that you could enter the Bonneville 200 mph Club? Why did you choose a conventional motorcycle?
LP: I like conventional motorcycles. I am a motorcycle enthusiast. I chose them over cars and streamliners. Bonneville had always been a dream of mine to go to. I was in awe my first time on the salt. It is like being on another planet. Pictures don’t do it justice.

Head To Page 2

Sarmad Kadiri – who has written 138 posts on Bike India.


Email

Related posts:

Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin Adventure Sports 2021 Launched in India
2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan To Be Launched This Month
Honda Hornet 2.0 Road Test Review - Hornet Stings
Tweet
Pages: 1 2 3

Filed Under: Features, News

Trackbacks

  1. IBW 2017 prices and ticket release dates announced says:
    September 19, 2017 at 5:12 pm

    […] The returning favourites will be augmented with a film festival revolving round everything two-wheels, food festivals, Strong Man and Women of Biking Competitions, and a huge meet ‘n’ greet involving India’s top two-wheeler YouTube personalities, called the Moto Vlogger Meet Up, and a whole lot more. What’s IBW without music, though? And as usual, the festival will have some hot bands and artistes strutting their stuff on dedicated music stages. The big guest at IBW 2017 is none other than Bonneville veteran Leslie Porterfield, popularly known as ‘the fastest woman on two wheels.’ (want to know more about her? We had an in-depth chat with her which you can read here.) […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

   ⟲  


* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

January 2021

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

15th Anniversary Special

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

Anniversary Ride to the Isle of Man with Freddie Spencer and Sid Lal

TVS Ntorq Ncounters I – Navigating the Night

BMW G 310 GS Explores Nagaland

SPECIAL Featured Story

Yamaha FZ-X 250 ADV Incoming

Yamaha FZ-X 250 ADV Incoming

India Yamaha Motor have filed a trademark for the FZ-X moniker, with the bike likely to be a 250-cc adventure-focused option.

More about this.

Car India and Bike India Awards 2019

Recent Posts

  • Benelli Imperiale 400 BS6 Long Term Review
  • Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin Adventure Sports 2021 Launched in India
  • 2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan To Be Launched This Month
  • Honda Hornet 2.0 Road Test Review – Hornet Stings

Car India

Car India Magazine - Get your Digital Subscription

Latest News

2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan To Be Launched This Month

Honda Hornet 2.0 Road Test Review – Hornet Stings

Hero MotoSports Team Rally Progress at the Dakar 2021 (Stage 1 to 5)

Ducati India Reveal Plans to Launch 12 New Motorcycles

Subscribe to Car India

Subscribe to our Car India Magazine

Bike India: India’s no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
SiteMap

Copyright © 2021 · BIKE INDIA INDIA’S NO. 1 TWO WHEELER MAGAZINE, BY FAR! ·