Wendy Schneider’s recently released film, “Angels of Dirt,” is a true labor of love. The 90-minute picture focuses on Charlotte Kainz, who, as a child, embraced the male-dominated sport of flat-track motorcycle racing. One of the challenges, Schneider tells “Driven to Ride” host Mark Long, was explaining the rich history of this “go fast, turn left” form of two-wheel competition to a new audience.

While Schneider interviewed a number of top former racers, both men and women, Kainz is at the heart of the story. “This is somebody, who, at a very early age, was carving out her destiny,” she says. “Watching her emerge as a contender, who said, ‘I want to race a Harley-Davidson XR-750. I want to race it at the Springfield Mile, and I want to win.’ She was her own compass.”

Kainz was a force, says Schneider. “All of us who were friends with her over the years loved watching her become who she became. That pairing of this young person on this monstrous motorcycle meant something that was bigger than both of them. It was really quite beautiful to be around. Why not celebrate it?” Why not, indeed. Watch the film at angelsofdirt.com.

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Motorcycling has opened nearly every door imaginable for Heather Wilson Schiltz, both personally and professionally. Schiltz heads up High Gear Success, a communications and marketing firm that caters to motorsports companies, event organizers, and racers. She is also the host of “Momentum: A Motorsports Podcast.” And, borrowing from her childhood dreams, she teaches others to ride.

Schiltz was quite literally born into motorcycling. Her father was an avid off-road racer. After high school, he opened a KTM/Husqvarna dealership in central Ohio. “Our lives revolved around going to the races and being in the dealership,” she says. “I don’t think he expected it to be a lifelong thing, but that’s what it turned into.” Heather’s parents recently sold the dealership after 48 years of operation.

Schiltz has been riding since she was five, but the actual behind-the-handlebars aspect of the sport takes a backseat to the many relationships she has forged. “I enjoy riding so much,” she admits. “It’s really freeing—a great experience. But I love the community and the family aspects that surround it. When I think about motorcycling, that’s what comes to mind for me.”

High Gear Success

Momentum: A Motorsports Podcast

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Beachman Motor Company makes one of the coolest-looking electric motorcycles you’ve never heard of. It may legally be considered a moped, but don’t get it twisted, you can actually ride their ‘64 model on the road.

It’s the brainchild of Ben Taylor, the co-founder of the Canadian company, who’s got a soft spot for the classic designs of the 60s and 70s, whether its fashion, cars, or motorcycles. He had a dream to combine the cutting-edge technology of the EV world with the timeless styling of classic small-displacement Japanese motorcycles…think a cafe’d Kawasaki KZ200 or a Honda CB250, with a battery and electric hub-mounted motor instead of an internal combustion engine. After meeting his co-founder, Steve, who was already building cafe-racers for fun, Beachman was born.

But Ben’s aim is higher than just cramming a battery into a classic-styled bike, he wants folks who would normally never throw a leg over a motorcycle to try a Beachman, introduce a whole new crowd to just how fun two wheels can be, and prove to the world that small electric motorcycles can be a viable form of transportation.

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Every July, tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts descend on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Morrow County, Ohio, to celebrate and honor the history of motorcycling in America. AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is a long-standing tradition and the largest fundraiser for the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which supports the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.

“We have vintage racing—off-road, trials, motocross, flat track, road racing, you name it,” explained AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “We also have the world’s largest motorcycle swap meet. We have, if you can imagine this, over 850 vendor spaces. It’s just gigantic. We try to add new elements or do something a little different each year, and it continues to grow.”

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days caters to all motorcyclists, and the event can get a bit rowdy after the sun goes down. “It was crazy,” one attendee told “Driven to Ride” host Mark Long. “Things got louder. There were a lot more two-strokes on the pipe. There were fireworks. There were, let’s call them, festivities.” Next year, VMD is scheduled for July 24 through July 26. Put it on your calendar.

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Mike Mullaney might not be a household name, but if you follow NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racing, you’ve likely seen his world-class work, albeit briefly as it flashes past the grandstands en route to a sub-7-second pass. Mullaney designs and builds chassis for “Flyin’” Ryan Oehler, who has already pocketed not one, but two “Wallys,” professional straight-line competition’s top honor.

An accomplished drag racer himself, the 35-year-old husband and father of two got his start a decade ago with Vance & Hines Motorsports. “I knew I wanted to be a fabricator,” says Mullaney, “but I had never turned on a TIG welder. I had never turned on a lathe. I had never turned on a milling machine. Matt Hines, Andrew Hines, and Eddie Krawiec taught me a lot of what I know today.”

When COVID led to staff reductions at V&H, Mullaney struck out on his own, forming Mullaney Cycle Works. Before he cuts metal, Mullaney creates the entire frame in CAD. Why? One, he doesn't want to waste material. Two, he needs to know exactly where everything goes, down to the millimeter. Career highlight? That’s easy: Oehler’s 200.77-mph pass this past May at Route 66 Raceway.

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Chances are your motorcycle bucket list just keeps growing and growing. Sure, you’ll eventually cross a few off our list, but to be honest, the hardest part of any motorcycle trip, is just starting. That’s where Dax Harlow and MotoQuest come in.

Dax has been riding basically his whole life, and was determined to get into the motorcycle industry - or specifically to get paid to ride motorcycles - one way or another. And by pure determination and persistence, he’s living the dream.

Dax’s official title is Chaos Coordinator, which means he runs the Portland branch of MotoQuest, a worldwide motorcycle tour company that was originally founded in Alaska, back in the 90s. Since then, they’ve expanded to offer tours all over the world, like South America and Japan, but they’ve also curated some of the best rides in the United States as well.

Whatever trip is on your radar, both Dax and MotoQuest love to help people achieve their bucket list rides, whether that’s going on an all-inclusive, fully guided tour, as Dax has led in the unparalleled American Southwest, or maybe something as simple as helping plot out GPS points on BDR routes in the just-as-unique Pacific Northwest. Or, if you just want to rent one of their BMW’s and make your own ride, you can do that too.

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Lots of folks fantasize about following their dreams. Most ideas, however, never get past the initial imagination phase. Some years ago, Tim de Jong was backpacking in Southeast Asia. He rented one of the small-displacement motorcycles common to that part of the world. “I really felt the freedom,” he says. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is the best way to travel, actually.’”

After returning to his native Netherlands, however, de Jong fell back into his daily routine, which didn’t include motorcycles. A friend proposed a two-wheel vacation in Colombia. De Jong didn’t have a motorcycle license, but that inconvenience was soon resolved, and his life changed forever. “It was so addictive,” he tells “Driven to Ride” host Mark Long. “I was totally hooked.”

De Jong and his small team now own and operate “Donkey Sunrise,” Colombia’s gateway to all sorts of adventures, including motorcycle tours. Here’s the fun part: Tour difficulty is based on the “banana system.” One banana equates to “pavement only,” while five bananas means you’d better bring your off-road “A” game. How many bananas are you feeling?

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As adolescent introductions to motorcycling go, author and podcaster Ted Kettler’s first two-wheel experience probably isn’t unique. But, as he tells host Mark Long on this episode of the “Driven to Ride” podcast, that moment in time more than half a century ago left an indelible mark on his consciousness—in the shape of Harley-Davidson’s iconic bar-and-shield logo, no less.

“I can remember standing on the front seat of my mother’s car,” he laughs. “We were at a traffic light and a motorcycle pulled up in the lane next to us. I said, “Wow! What’s that?” And my mother said, “That’s a Harley-Davidson.” I remember it was turquoise and white. Then, the light turned green and he took off. From that moment on, I was all about Harley-Davidson.”

Kettler has hosted the “Motorcycle Men Podcast” for a decade, and in 2024, he published, “The Road Most Traveled: A Motorcycle Ride Along the East Coast of America.” Whereas most riders seek out the best back roads, Kettler set off on his trip with the polar-opposite intention: to follow the busiest highways, from the northeast to the Florida Keys. Beep, beep! Honk, honk!

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