A New Ride on Life: Jennifer Lewis Finds Joy in Riding Motorcycles
It was June 29, 2014 when a farmer found Jennifer Lewis’ 19-year-old stepson Nathan on the side of the road. Nathan had wrecked on his motorcycle, and tragically lost his life. Nathan had ridden motorcycles ever since he was young and was super excited to have just purchased his first one a few weeks prior. His father, and Jennifer’s husband, Michael, had ridden motorcycles in his younger years, but hadn’t rode one in a long time.
A few years later, seeking a way to cope with his son’s death, Michael decided he wanted to get back into riding again. While Michael is an experienced rider, Jennifer had never been on a motorcycle before, but she decided that she was going to do it with him. “I had never ridden before, but I was game,” Jennifer says about joining her husband. “I felt that it would bring him closer to Nathan, and it did.” After riding on the back with him a couple of times, though, she decided that she was going to learn how to ride herself.
In the spring of 2019, Jennifer purchased her very first motorcycle, a used Scout Bobber, from Smoky Mountain Indian Motorcycle in Waynesville, NC. Jennifer and her husband have been loyal customers of Smoky Mountain and have bought a total of 5 bikes from them so far. “They are amazing!,” she says of the staff. “They are so personable and so easy to deal with; they are really there to help you!”
Soon afterward, Jennifer went to the DMV to obtain her permit, but she still did not feel safe riding, so she enrolled in the Motorcycle Safety Basic RiderCourse at A-B Tech over the summer. The class gave her all the confidence she needed, especially because out of fifteen students, ten of them were women. “I think women would feel more comfortable knowing there are other women doing this,” she says. “I know I sure was when I arrived that Saturday!” Jennifer adds that the instructors and the class are very helpful. “It’s an amazing class!,” she expresses. “The instructors are amazing. They are there to teach you and support you and get you to where you need to be.”
In 2020, she traded in her Scout Bobber for an Indian FTR Sport in 2019. Jennifer remembers the experience of seeing the bike for the very first time when she walked into the dealership. “It reminded me of the motorcycles I rode in class. When I went to test drive it, it was so comfortable and so smooth,” she gushes. A year later, Jennifer upgraded again to her third bike, an Indian Challenger Dark Horse in the summer of 2020. She said it took a while to get used to because it was so much heavier than her Indian FTR. “I dropped it on the second day, and I got my first scratch,” she laughs. “But I haven’t dropped it since!”
General Manager of Smoky Mountain Indian Motorcycle Denise Sheppard says she is excited for Jennifer and how far she’s come. “She hadn’t ridden before, and then she goes from one bike, to another, and then graduates to the biggest bike in a very short amount of time! I think she is awesome,” she says of Jennifer.
To anyone who is interested in riding, Jennifer highly recommends they take the motorcycle safety class at A-B Tech. “They teach you the signals, how to use your breaks, how to park it,” she explains. And to any young women interested in riding, she encourages them to just go for it and not be afraid of what others think. “Women can do anything men can do, and ninety percent of the time, even better!” she says confidently.
But Jennifer doesn’t ride to prove this to anyone. Riding makes her feel closer to Nathan, and provides her and Michael with a sense of closure. “If Nathan was here right now, he would be 26, and he would be out riding with us every day,” she says. “He would be ecstatic to know that we are both riding together.” With that knowledge, Jennifer keeps riding on.
Written by Rosa Linda Fallon