Once upon a time female tattoos were rare, shocking, remarkable.

Tattoos were for dangerous men only: outlaw bikers and career criminals.
They made tough men look tougher.
Final tattoo quality was wildly varied, and hygiene standards were not even discussed.
Tattoos could turn out looking pretty rough… AND lead to infection or disease.

So for a long time, tattoos on women were hardly ever seen.

But way, way back in the middle of those dark ages, I turned 21.
And I decided I should mark this big birthday by getting a tattoo…

Our little gang of biker cats know a thing or two about motorcycles.

 
It’s not surprising.
They’ve grown up in a motorcycle obsessed household, where there’s often a bike in the living room.

So naturally, they’ve learned a lot about motorcycles, and they want to put all that knowledge to good use.
They do that by taking on highly technical tasks that help their biker humans out.

There’s always a motorcycle cat hard at work around here.
Let me give you some examples.

Not all biker chicks see selfies as a short-cut to breaking into porn.

 
You won’t find me lying naked across a motorcycle, smiling through gritted teeth while the front brake master-cylinder digs into my shoulder.

But motorcycles are breath-takingly beautiful.
They lead directly to fun and adventure.

Add these two elements together, and it’s natural to want to take some pics.

But selfies post a special challenge for biker women…

A biker beard means business.

 
There’s no two ways about it.

But not the 9-5, tie-wearing “yes, sir, no, sir” kind of business.

I’m talking about the serious business of feeling free.

Because if you have a biker beard, you probably also have a bike.
And you know that riding that beautiful beast is the very definition of freedom.

There’s no better feeling than roaring along a wide open road, and breathing in the vibrant landscape that you’re a moving part of.

A proper biker’s beard captures that very same feeling – and expresses it in furry form…

Here in New Zealand, a motorcycle road trip can get pretty weird pretty fast.

 
Sure, it starts out simple enough.

Pat and I decide we’re well overdue for a motorcycle road trip.
So we break out the perfect touring motorcycle, our awesome 1600cc Triumph Thunderbird.
We allow 5 days to get from the east coast of the South Island to the west coast – and back.

No problem. We’ve done it before.
We check the weather, and pick the coolest roads.
I even book a motel for our first stop.

Everything is completely under control.

Or so it seems.