Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn
Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn
The Joy of Motorcycle Life: Black Women Who Bike
Two longtime friends, Lenora Norman & Tiffany Knotts share how they built an unexpected sisterhood through motorcycle riding and the creation of Smok’n Jewl’z Motorcycle Club. Their journey reveals how finding your passion can lead to deep connections, freedom, and joy at any age.
The Besties encourage you to find your thing, find your people, and live your joy. Life's too short not to embrace adventures that speak to your soul.
Connect with Lenora & Tiffany here:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/smoknjewlzmc
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/smoknjewlzmc/
Get Angie’s eBook:
We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy http://joystrategy.co/ebook
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Hey Ange, hey Les, how you doing. Oh my God, the party has started already.
Speaker 2:Do you believe this? It has begun.
Speaker 1:Okay, you guys are going to find out where all this chicanery and laughing is coming from in just a few minutes. We have two lovely ladies as guests today and, omg, I'm already in love and we haven't even started the interview.
Speaker 2:You haven't even introduced the podcast.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to say first welcome to another episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn.
Speaker 2:I'm Angella and that's Leslie, my best friend of almost 50 freaking years. We are two free-thinking 60-something-year-old women who have decided to be more bold and joyful in our lives, and we invite you to come along with us. Come along with us Before we get started. Well, listen, let me just these two right here. When you find out how we met, how this all began, you're going to fall in love too. Before we get started, leslie has an ask for you.
Speaker 1:If you're here watching us now, I think you'll like us. I think you like us already, so I would love for you to click like and subscribe and also turn on notifications so that you can hear about when we drop all content. We come in about every week or so, but it's really good stuff. Tell your friends and hit notifications now.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you, all right, I'm going to jump in because I'm going to set up.
Speaker 1:I'm going to set it up, okay.
Speaker 2:You're going to set it off, I'm going to set it off. So a few. First of all, I love black women. I just Okay. This is one of the reasons. If you ask me why, why black women? Why what's the big deal special? We're special.
Speaker 2:So I'm having lunch, um, my friend, our friend kim coles, came to my city, um, on her way to another city, and they were like ang, let's get together was kim and her partner, and we're sitting at a restaurant that was local to me. We're eating, we're talking, kim is telling me some stuff. It's getting emotional. I go sit next to her. We're hugging, we're doing all the things, we're laughing, all the things.
Speaker 2:We finish eating and the waiter comes over to us and says, oh, your bill was paid for by that table over there. So we're like what? That table over there had these two women sitting there, and so we kind of gestured over really and they were like yeah, yeah, yeah, we did that. And I'm like who does that? They're usually Kim is a celebrity. That they're usually kim is a celebrity. They're usually just asking for things.
Speaker 2:It's never a giving stuff, it's a, it's a take. You know, requesting, can you do you mind? But these two paid for the three of our bill, right. So we went over to them to thank them and, of course, um, taking all the photos and all of that. And then other people at other tables came over to kim, but these two women I felt their energy and I was like let's go outside. And we went outside and just started loving on each other, like hugging, and just giggling, and oh my God, this is so amazing, this is this is so wonderful. What do you guys do? What are you into what? Why are you here? And they said that they were members of a bike bike women's bikers not, not these kind of bikers.
Speaker 3:Because you don't know how to ride a bike.
Speaker 2:I know how to ride a bike, these kind of I know how to ride a bike. I just don't like riding bikes. You don't know how to ride a bicycle. I don't like it. Neither do you know how to swim.
Speaker 1:I'm putting yourself out. These are two skills you just don't have. Okay, but back to the bike, motorcycles.
Speaker 2:Look at Tiffany. I mean they ride bikes. And I was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing. And there were so many things that we had in common and I was like, look, would you be guests on our podcast? And they were like, oh my God, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. We're going to insert some pictures so you can see, you can feel the energy when you see us grinning, grinning, just having met like five minutes before.
Speaker 2:But this is what I mean there is such a knowing that we have, as Black women especially, that just oozed out. The day was crisp and beautiful, the, you know, there was so much kind of joy everywhere and we just, I mean, you know, I'm a hugger and they were like it was, it was just beautiful. So I reached out, I'm like, yes, please gave them the information. And here we are and we're so excited because we want to hear all about how, and we're so excited because we want to hear all about how what configuration in your lives got you two to be this good friends and got you guys into this biker babe thing. We want all, all the stuff, all the juice.
Speaker 1:Right, and it's just. I mean smoking. Jewels, motorcycle club yes indeed.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:I'm looking at pictures of all of these beautiful black women in their garb and vests, and bikes and boots and I'm like and then here you are. So welcome.
Speaker 3:Thank you for saying yes, thank you for bringing your energy.
Speaker 1:And I want to introduce you to Elle Rocker Lenora and. Tiffany Natalie Welcome. Yes, yes, did I get that right?
Speaker 2:it's perfect, yeah this is how accommodating they are, right. So when I did the follow-up and I'm like lenora okay, um, I did, I get. I put natalie. I said Lenora, could you guys? I and I called her Natalie. And now, just because she's a sweetheart, she's like if you want me to be Natalie, I'll be Natalie.
Speaker 1:Tiffany, natalie. Oh my gosh, you guys. So we're keeping it.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I love this. I love this. I love this. Listen, I am still in Panama. This is my last week here. I've been here for over two weeks and I just listen. The first availability you had, I wanted to lock you in. First availability you had, I wanted to lock you in. So please just start with how you two met and how your friendship developed.
Speaker 4:Oh, it's one of our favorite stories actually Ever in life.
Speaker 2:Fight, fight.
Speaker 4:Literally, I made's move to South Carolina and there was this guy, maurice Muzik, if you're watching. Maurice Muzik and I said he was going to be my boyfriend. Well, he was already her boyfriend you're not about to do that so then we on the phone and of course, back in the day this was like the 80s. So it's the actual telephone with the cord and everything, but it's the movie. No fight ever happened. No fight transpired from it.
Speaker 2:But what did transpire?
Speaker 4:because I had a lot of mouth when I was new to the area was everybody else.
Speaker 1:I don't believe that it's shocking.
Speaker 4:It's shocking, but yeah, for whatever reason they asked me and she took pity upon me. She was like you know what, I'm not going to let you just beat her up like that. And we were friends ever since how long ago was that?
Speaker 1:Oh wow, and we were friends ever since.
Speaker 4:Oh my God, sixth grade. She was in the seventh grade, yes.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 4:Wow.
Speaker 2:That's a big old heart right there.
Speaker 3:It is.
Speaker 4:I didn't want to get beat up by the entire neighborhood because literally nobody looked.
Speaker 2:Oh no, and what happened to the guy? Did you find out, mr Mazik? Yeah, what's funny, nobody looked. Oh no, and what happened to the guy?
Speaker 1:did you find out what happened, mr?
Speaker 4:Mazzic, mr Mazzic you know, what's funny is, during bike week last week, we found out that he had a 50th birthday party and he's the one who was invited.
Speaker 3:We were I'm wasting my seventh grade year to not get invited to his 50th?
Speaker 1:birthday oh my god, you should have ridden up. You should have ridden up. No, that's the horse right. That's the horse.
Speaker 4:You got to put the arms out. That's what you should have done.
Speaker 2:You need to tune up. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:That's hilarious.
Speaker 2:And how did the riding begin? Tell us that part part, because that is joyful, living right there is getting on your, what kind of bikes you have. Let me pretend like I know anything other than a harley and what else I have a suzuki naibusa 1300 wow, and I have a Cruiser, so it's the Suzuki Boulevard M50.
Speaker 4:So we have different bike styles, yes, but through form. She's been doing this for years, okay, and I just got my license, like a couple months ago, oh, wow. So I am so not wearing like this shirt.
Speaker 1:I get it, I get it.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:So tell me, tell us again the name of the club and what made you start it. So, lenora, you started the bike club. Yes, motorcycle club. I'm going to say that is correct.
Speaker 3:Smoke and Jewels Motorcycle Club. We were started back in 2015. I was in the club prior to for about five years and that club folded, started smoking jewels. We have our 10th anniversary coming up in August. Yes, so it all started with me as far as riding. When I was five years old, my uncle was a motorcyclist down in South Carolina and I burned my knee trying to climb on his bike. Oh no, at five years old, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:So ever since then I've been sold. I love living on the edge, apparently, yes, clearly.
Speaker 2:Because a burnt knee could mean I will never get near another bike.
Speaker 3:No, not this person.
Speaker 1:Wow, I just have so many questions about that. Yes, so where are you based, or where's the club based, or is it everywhere?
Speaker 3:It's where we have two chapters, one in Virginia and one in Atlanta Georgia.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay. So for me there's a leap. There's a big leap between getting bit by that bug of bikes, you know of a motorcycle, the burn bug.
Speaker 1:I was going to say burn by the exhaust, the burn by the exhaust, the burn by the exhaust that happened to me once and that just made me want to get back on but it didn't make me like run towards it.
Speaker 2:So what? Like? I mean, you went from that and I guess you started riding as you got older when I was about 14, my uncle kind of taught me a lot with motorcycles he was actually in a motorcycle club called King Cobra's in South Carolina, so I watched him ride, ride, ride and I wanted to be a part.
Speaker 3:And actually his daughter was one of the first females to ride in Myrtle Beach.
Speaker 2:Oh, they call it Merge's.
Speaker 3:Community. Yeah, so I was inspired by a lot of that.
Speaker 1:Right, right, wow, okay, and then it's funny, I'm going to interrupt you for a second, because my dad was a rider as well, okay, and he was part of a motorcycle club in New York City. In fact, I still have his jackets and his vest.
Speaker 1:Oh nice and I remember he took me and my friends out for a ride like around the neighborhood or whatever. But as exhilarating I guess as it was, I never thought that that was something that I could do. I could never see myself riding the you know, powering the bike myself, riding the you know, powering the bike I could be a passenger perhaps, but not the main person.
Speaker 1:So I think it takes a different mindset to be in there first. You know, owning a bike and riding a bike and getting a license and all of that.
Speaker 2:So it almost sounds like it speaks to.
Speaker 1:That's what I was going to say. It speaks to the person that you are, both of you.
Speaker 4:Yes, but I'm a little bit more like you. I'm a little bit more like you. I kind of don't believe that. Oh, she has been trying for years to get me on it. Like I'm talking about years.
Speaker 4:She and her husband took me to a parking lot this was a couple of years ago and they were like oh, we can teach you it's fine. I? This was a couple of years ago and they were like, oh, we can teach you, it's fine. I did a loop around the parking lot and I was like, yep, and I'm good. I think I'm good on this. I don't need to teach anymore.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 4:And then she invited me last year to Bike Week and I got to see a different side of what happens there, and it was then that all of that was born. I was like you know what I can do this? Wow, it's again still new.
Speaker 4:I just got my license because I'm going back and forth, because pain and falling seems like it's going to be painful. No, that doesn't sound good enough. And the burning on the exhaust? I tattoos, but not that kind. So I wrestled with it for a long time like I was really asking myself those questions. But the more I'm around it because I'm called a hang around right now, so the more I'm around the world and I'm seeing it and I'm seeing all of these wonderful ladies on these bikes, it does. It kind of just pulls you in. It like the experience pulls you in. It's like a real bonding experience Us in the house together, all that. It is a really beautiful experience.
Speaker 4:So that's pushing me more towards it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a real sisterhood. I mean, we have another member in Georgia and she was like I will never touch bike, I will never ride a bike, and you can't get her off of it now, because she's seen the sisterhood and seen us riding. You know, you got 10, 15 females riding. It looks really nice and you want to be a part of that. Yeah, your pictures look amazing. Thank you, so I want to like tell us more about the emotion of that, when you say that there's a sisterhood and when Tiffany says that that being around this convinced her that this was something for her.
Speaker 3:Like if I just walked up and saw you guys together, what would I be looking at? What would be happening? You'd be looking at real sisters, even though we're not blood related. We laugh, we cry, we argue, we fuss, we get on each other's nerves, but I think it's more the love, even on the guy's side. They're like brothers to us. There is nothing that they would not do for us. We have people that we could call outside of family, like I don't have blood family here, like Tiffany's here, but I don't have any blood blood family. But this motorcycle community is my family. You can call them for anything.
Speaker 3:If I'm broke down somewhere I can put it out in a community chat for bikers. Somebody will be there immediately. Wow.
Speaker 4:It's a different.
Speaker 3:I can't even explain it. It's so much love. People think it's like they're gang members.
Speaker 4:It is nothing like that they will protect us, though they 100% will protect us.
Speaker 3:It is.
Speaker 4:I remember this during the wintertime I had an electric car and my car shut off. There's lots of guys in the group that are mechanics. They were like listen, google it, we'll figure it out. And they came and fixed the car Like it was nothing, and that's just genuinely who they are. They don't want anything in return. It's just that. It's people that you know you can depend on at any moment for anything.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. I would run towards that. That's making me Les. You think I could do it.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 2:You see how quick she shut it down. Listen, I could do it before you could do it. I need some new besties we could ride together on the same bike.
Speaker 1:That we could do. We would probably be laughing so much that we would crash, it wouldn't it might not work. Listen, El Rocka, I'm riding with you.
Speaker 3:Come on, she probably did last week, I sure did. Really.
Speaker 2:We got a video of it and everything we need that. We need that. Okay, we need that video. So I don't know a whole lot about bikes, but you said you have a cruiser, so does that mean you have those? It's kind of like a touring bike or no? It's not one of those big. My model is what they call like a sportster.
Speaker 4:So it's still it's you sit up on it. So sports bikes are more like leaning forward my bike you're still sitting up. Okay it? It doesn't have like the saddlebags and some of the other things like the touring hats. But it's just more the way it's designed. It's designed to be more comfortable.
Speaker 2:Okay, I see, got it, got it, got it, wow, wow. And what colors are they? Mine is white.
Speaker 4:right now I call it Big James.
Speaker 3:Yes, and mine is gray and orange, and I call him Joseph Jesus Daddy.
Speaker 1:Jesus, daddy, joseph, oh my gosh, yeah, we're going to need to get a lot of pictures of these things.
Speaker 2:Wait, okay, explain, rick James, first Tell us about that.
Speaker 4:Okay, because you know know, Rick was a little partial to the white. He was partial, he was a little partial to the white, to the white women, to the white power, to all of it.
Speaker 1:So, rick James.
Speaker 3:Rick James. He liked the white, he liked the white.
Speaker 2:That's hilarious.
Speaker 3:And Joseph Jesus' daddy, yes, he had raised Jesus, he was blessed. And Joseph Jesus daddy, yes, he had raised Jesus, he was blessed, he did All right.
Speaker 1:All right, oh my gosh, I love it. How does one I have so many questions how does one go into picking a bike Like how do you know what kind of bikes that you would like?
Speaker 3:Do you try different types? Do you test drive?
Speaker 1:different types.
Speaker 3:Once you sit on it, most of the time you'll know it feels good Wow.
Speaker 2:Rick.
Speaker 3:James was my first bike Really.
Speaker 1:You know what You're killing me here, tiffany? Rick James wasn't my first, so it wasn't your first bike. So you're a rather new rider, but yet it was not your first bike.
Speaker 4:No, because I chose wrong. What did you have before? I had a Victory Crossroad. See, I didn't even have a name for him or anything.
Speaker 2:Right, you weren't committed, I wasn't.
Speaker 4:I wasn't committed to him, it just didn't feel right. I took it out on a couple of test drives, but it just felt bulky and it just didn't feel like me. So the bike sat for several months like several months, it just sat there. And then finally, I was like I'm going to sell it and I'm going to find the bike that is for me and that's how I got her.
Speaker 2:I see, I see Gotcha, gotcha, wow, that's kind of crazy.
Speaker 3:And El Rocka. How did you choose your bike? I always love cruisers. My first bike I mean not a cruise, I'm sorry Cross Rockets. First bike was a Cross Rocket. It was too small, it was a 650. I was tearing that bike up. I mean I would ride it it couldn't keep up with me. So I said I need to get a bigger bike. So I went and got my 13, my habusa. I always wanted a busa, so I have two of them oh. Oh wow, and I love my high boozer Wow.
Speaker 1:Tiffany, you mentioned El Rocker's husband and, if or not you're partnered, what do your partners think about your this passion of yours.
Speaker 4:Oh, I think it's, I think it's bad-ass too. They like, they like women on bikes. It's sexy, right, yeah, I think it's bad-ass too.
Speaker 1:They like, they like women on bikes. It's. It's sexy, Right? Yeah, I can imagine it is it really, is it really so?
Speaker 2:okay, all right. So you love to ride, that's clear. But then, larocca, you decided well, I want to create a club, that's a whole nother. You know, that's not writing, that is creating a community, that's management, all the stuff making paperwork. Yeah, what took you all the way to that?
Speaker 3:This being around the Black community, I started hanging around first, kind of like Tiffany, just to see what it was about and seeing the sisterhood, and I'm like okay, there are other females out here that like to ride, like me. So I went ahead and was like you know what, let me go ahead on to start this little club and see what's going on.
Speaker 3:And we had up to about 15 girls at one time Wow. And now we're up to about seven girls at one time Wow. And now we're up to about seven and a half waiting on Tiffany.
Speaker 2:Right, what do you mean? Why are you waiting? She's a hang around.
Speaker 4:So there's rules to this, believe it or not, there's rules to this thing Politics and you have to have. First of all you have to be comfortable and ready to ride, but then you have to have a certain number of bike miles with a member of the club before you can like graduate into other stuff got you, got you.
Speaker 2:Wow. Is that standard? Like that's kind of biker biker club rules where you have to yeah, yeah, I guess you got to show a commitment.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, it's definitely a commitment.
Speaker 2:So is fear and danger. Should those be the first things that we think about when we think about motorcycle riding? How would you change that? Why should we not think that fear and danger should be should?
Speaker 4:be the first.
Speaker 3:I live on the edge, so I like bungee jumping, I like things like that. So to me, when you'll take it up, tiffany, I'm riding with you.
Speaker 1:I'm riding with you. I'm riding with you. I'm riding with you. Fiona, ride with Tiffany. Never mind.
Speaker 4:Well, my wife.
Speaker 1:Wait a minute. Okay, so go ahead, Elvaca.
Speaker 2:But you're a mother of two. Yeah, you have two children. I do, yes, and Lenore two. Yeah, you have two children I do yes, and Lenore, I know you have children also plenty me and my husband have like a basketball team oh and what do they think about this?
Speaker 3:not that you know my 11 year old has a mini bike. My one year old has a mini bike. I can't wait to he start riding my daughter knows how to ride my son knows how to ride, so yeah well motorcycle family.
Speaker 4:Yes, um, I have a son and a daughter and they're both like um, it's cute, but I think it's a little dangerous and maybe you shouldn't be holding her Right, right, so I've had to tell them. You know again, safety first. So they made so many jokes about what they call the Terminator, all by himself because he had one full metal jacket. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the chest pad, the helmet and everything, knee pads, all of it. I'm not trying to describe the danger of the metal stuff, because it happens, it does.
Speaker 3:It happened to me.
Speaker 4:Yes, she put it in a serious accident and still to me. Wow, yes, she went in a serious accident and still on there, right.
Speaker 2:Really. Yes, ma'am. Wow, oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:I had four accidents.
Speaker 1:Really yeah you live on the edge.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you know it's like I get it.
Speaker 1:I understand that different things turn different people on, and you know, I guess that wind, that speed or whatever. You know, my nephew is a biker and he's had an accident. My dad has had a couple of serious accidents as well. They didn't stop riding, though, you know. Yeah, so I understand if it's in you, this is what you feel you need to do, or? You want to do, you know.
Speaker 2:Right, right, I can see the exhilaration of it, though. I've been a passenger on several bikes One we actually drove from Pennsylvania to New York and I was, and I trusted, I fully trusted the person who was driving, so I was able to kind of relax in that, but it was really like just full, like the heart just racing, really invigorating, like I could feel it right now just thinking about it. I could feel that kind of excitement of it. Ooh, god bless you it is very exciting. It's freeing Right it is.
Speaker 2:Wow, especially in this day and age, anything that we can choose to do, that feels free, that feels like, yes, I'm making this choice for myself, we're doing this, this is how I'm showing up, you know, yeah, I love it. I love it for you guys, I love it for you guys. What would make me, would you say, I'm a thrill seeker? I'm not a thrill seeker, really, Les, but I do some things. Ways that I would never seek yeah, so let's be clear about that.
Speaker 1:You're an entrepreneur. I could never even think to have my own business, to quit a great job and, just you know, go down that. I couldn't do it. I need more security.
Speaker 2:I'm moving abroad. I'm moving abroad, that's.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, I love that Packing up selling stuff.
Speaker 2:Packing up selling stuff. Packing up selling. So my house just never been. Don't speak the language, so okay. So do you want to re-answer the?
Speaker 1:question. So your thrills are different. I'm saying and you know my thrills are different.
Speaker 2:But you had that look on your face like oh God, no.
Speaker 4:Oh no.
Speaker 1:I was concerned. So here's a funny thing that I was thinking Like at the time at my old age I still get hot flashes. So I was thinking like, what if I got a hot flash while I was riding? I would raise up the visor and just go faster. At least it's windy I just like snatch off the jacket. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Wow. So has there been ever a time when you've second guessed like maybe this is too much, maybe I should stop, and if so, what made you keep going?
Speaker 3:Older I get, I'm like okay. Being a part of a club, I can kind of be a member because I've been a president since the club was founded.
Speaker 4:So just to be a member, I wouldn't give up riding, I don't think I would give that up.
Speaker 3:But I probably give up some of the responsibility of being the president Okay, okay, got you.
Speaker 2:Do you have a succession plan that you're working on? No, okay, she's not probably you might want to start that it can? It can strike.
Speaker 1:I love the girls but the the beauty of what you're doing. It's ageless, it seems it's like you can ride as long as you have the ability you know, our oldest member is 70 wow, wow, wow and she's spicy.
Speaker 2:She's so spicy yeah see, it's never too late now. It's never too late to live a dream it certainly is, do you?
Speaker 1:ride locally, or do you do distances? We do distances. Do you ever come to New York City? We have yes. Now you have to let me know when you come to New York City area.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, you have to let me know.
Speaker 1:This would be amazing, absolutely.
Speaker 2:So they're going to come up.
Speaker 1:This is between us Anne, We'll talk off camera. Don't include her.
Speaker 2:What will you do, Les? What will you do?
Speaker 3:When they come on up and say, Les, we're in town.
Speaker 2:Les, we're in town. We're in town.
Speaker 1:We would meet, I would take them out, we'd have dinner or something. And then Tiffany and I would get on the cruiser, the real seeker over there.
Speaker 2:Not so much yes.
Speaker 4:That's what I'm thinking. I got GPS. I'll meet y'all.
Speaker 1:I'll be there. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I would go with with Lenora because of her experience. Thank you, I would be like she ain't gonna let nothing happen to me and she'll know what to happen when I act the fool and mean right when I'm supposed to leave, like ejection, there's an ejector seat.
Speaker 1:Leave you on the road.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna go with the experience and the thrill-seeking experienced one that is my choice.
Speaker 1:I hear you. Do you find that car drivers respect you all?
Speaker 3:No, I hear that that's been a problem, it is, so you must really ride with a lot of anticipatory driving. Yes, I'm always thinking ahead. If the car does this, this is what I'm going to do. You have to think ahead and drive for everybody else.
Speaker 4:They teach you that in the classes too. You just have to drive for everybody. You have to constantly be thinking, thinking, thinking.
Speaker 1:And assume that people are not going to respect you. Correct and see you. Perhaps They'll see you yeah, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Yeah, most of the accidents I've been in.
Speaker 3:it was somebody else's fault because they wasn't paying attention.
Speaker 4:Oh, Wow, wow, that's a lesson I'm sorry it's gotten so dark in here respectful, but we see you well, ang.
Speaker 4:Okay, good, tell me a little bit about what the lessons and classes are like go ahead, tiffany, you're fresh so it's a two-day course, um, and you'll go and it's literally all day long and you have to come there in your gear. But they already have motorcycles there for you to ride on, so and they're they're the little smallest motorcycles, but I think they do that really so that everybody feels comfortable, because bikes can get really heavy yeah, so they're all like these 250s, so they're not going to go super fast and they're not super heavy, but it gives you all the things that you need, like learning how to switch gears, um, start stops, uh, get switching gears, all those things like it.
Speaker 4:Just it gives you a good overall. So for someone who's never been on a bike, you'll leave knowing how to ride a bike. Really in two In two days, two days.
Speaker 2:I think I would do that, les, I think I would do that. Everybody does it fast.
Speaker 4:Realistically. So let me just say that I went to the class and there were people there that did not pass they had to do a redo and all of that, I may have a little extra time. Yes, because if you take the class and you pass, you can take this car with you to the DMV, and then you don't have to do the actual driving test. Oh, you have to do the racing test.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow. And do you buy a bike before. When do you buy a bike?
Speaker 4:That was my problem. I bought a bike before I even went to the class.
Speaker 1:That's what I would do. I was like, oh yep, I'm going to do it. Then I I even went to the club. That's what I would do. I was like I'm going to do it, then I'd run out and buy a bike. Yes, Well, Tiffany's very impulsive Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding ding. Oh, you and me girl.
Speaker 2:That's right so impulsive.
Speaker 4:I'm like, yeah, like, I'm like, so like this, this house is more, I think it was a little a little. A little a little True story. Yeah, wow, Bikes, anything Like. Yeah, okay, this house is good and I'm going to get it. And she's more like well, it's fine to watch you move around. I'm like that's cute.
Speaker 1:I think that. Yeah, that's for me already.
Speaker 4:Which is why you held on to the bike and then had to sell it when it didn't work for you yes, right which it didn't take long to sell it like. Literally it took me maybe a day to get and I had multiple people trying to come and get this bike, because it was it was a really nice bike. They kept telling me oh my god, you're gonna regret this, you're, you're gonna want a bigger bike and I'm like, first of all, we don't talk like that.
Speaker 2:First of all, what? What'd you say?
Speaker 3:I was like we don't talk like that, we're going to regret it. We don't talk like that, just smile.
Speaker 4:It literally was like you're going to regret getting a smaller bike. You're going to regret getting a smaller bike. You're going to want more power later. What a power. I see I understand, I'm in it for the fun, not the facts, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Is it an expensive hobby?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, that was emphatic.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:Because, even that was emphatic yes, because even going to these events like literally just the Myrtle event alone, because you got to have your outfits, you got to pay for the room, you got to like food, all of this stuff I know individually we probably spent upwards of about $1,000, $1,500 a piece. Wow, just to do that, Just to go to events.
Speaker 1:And then you have to have your bike, you have to have your clothing and your protective gear. And that was just the one event, and there's several events that you know you go to throughout the year.
Speaker 4:And all of those events. Call because you got to get a hotel room Like there's all these shows. Tickets, Not to mention the maintenance on the bike. You know if something happens. You got to replace tires, paint jobs, Because she just got a beautifully paint job Customizations are expensive.
Speaker 2:Yep, I see, I love this, though, I love this listen it's different strokes for different folks.
Speaker 2:The point of it is like there's so much joy to be had in life. Choose, choose your thing. Yes, choose something, step out, Choose something and do it. Listen, Lenora, this has been her thing for so many years. Tiffany is just starting and she's found this piece of a sisterhood that is beautiful for her. There's never like a. You can't. There's never like a I don't know how to find my joy Like. Are you trying? How much are you trying? People I'm talking to, as Leslie said, I'm talking to our public right now.
Speaker 4:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Find your thing, find your thing, find your people and do the thing.
Speaker 1:And I'm sure that you hear so many people thinking you shouldn't be doing this and don't get on this and don't do this, don't do this. I know that that's a buzz in your ear, it gotta be, you know. But but yeah, yeah, no, you know what?
Speaker 4:And I can't speak for for Elle, but I. What I think makes it worth it is when you see these little girls, cute little girls, five, six years old and they are in awe of seeing these women on bikes it happened at a gas station. We're all over there, this little girl. She was like just her face lit up to see that it's like it makes them know that there are things out there that are possible and they can do those things. That's the thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:You know, I don't know if I told you. I might have told you, Lenora, when I was texting you. But my brother he's two years older than me, he lives in Texas and maybe a couple days after I met you guys, he sent me a text with a picture.
Speaker 1:Oh yes.
Speaker 2:Yes, and he says look, look, look, look. I just saw at the gas station this group of black women bikers. It was so inspirational, and this is my 64 year old brother, who's inspired by you.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 2:You know, what I mean. So it's the young and the old yeah, he old. It's the young and the old that are inspired, because just to see again is to see people living free. Living free is nothing but amazing and inspirational.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and that's why, when Ange met you guys we she knew and I knew that you all were the perfect guests to come here today to talk about this joyful part and corner of your life, that you found and I see the joy in the way you speak and how you talk about this endeavor and the friendship and it's like, yeah, yeah, we step out and then we leave the naysayers back there and wow.
Speaker 2:God bless you, ladies.
Speaker 1:Not one. Yeah.
Speaker 2:All right. So how do people learn about your club and when you guys go out riding and all of that Can you share it with us?
Speaker 3:Yes, they can go on Instagram to Smoking Jewels. M-c-s-m-o-k. Apostrophe N-J-E-W-L. Apostrophe Z. Smoking Jewels.
Speaker 4:Yes, and that's on.
Speaker 3:Instagram and Facebook. Our events are up there. You can follow me on Instagram under El Raka El Raka, yes, and that's on Facebook as well. Okay, we have everything up there, all types of events where we'll be car washes, whether we're having any charity walks, fundraisers, anything will be up there Beautiful, and we'll be sure to put that information in the description.
Speaker 2:So check it out. There. We'll have links. And yeah, what do you think, les?
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, ladies, thank you.
Speaker 4:Thank you for having us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is just wonderful and I'll say this has been another episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn, brooklyn.
Speaker 4:Brooklyn. You're not from Brooklyn. Honorary, honorary Thank you, I'm with her.
