KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 ― It is Friday evening and Norcilla Omar, 45, has just shut her office. She rushes home to Shah Alam to prepare dinner for her family.
After doing the dishes, she dons her leather jacket to go for a quick ride on her Harley Davidson Dyna.
Yes, she is not your average mum rather a jack of all trades ― a businesswoman, a housewife, and a biker.
Norcilla is part of Momxys Motorcycle Group an all-women group in Malaysia that organises charity rides and share a similar passion for motorcycling.
Momxys MG is made up of businesswoman, lawyers and housewives.
Biking has given them another outlet to have fun.
Most of them started off as pillion riders with their husbands who are from Cigaros MC ― a group of bikers who love riding Harley Davidsons and charity rides.
Norcilla said she started riding in 2010 after being a pillion rider with her husband for more than 20 years.
Her passion to be the one behind the handlebars started when they did a biking tour in the United States eight years ago.
“There were about 25 of us on the tour and two of them were women who were riding their own Harleys and I told myself ‘if they can do it, I can too’.”
“What triggered my passion was when these two told me they couldn’t even cycle a bicycle but could ride a big motorbike.”
After the near three-week ride ended, Norcilla returned to Malaysia and proceeded to tell her husband she wanted a motorcycle licence.
“He looked at me in disbelief and thought I was joking, but I wasn’t.
“We went to the driving school and I registered myself to take a B Full licence (a class for superbikes in Malaysia).
After about a month, she secured her licence and that was when her husband got her a Harley Davidson Sportster 48.
“Even my husband was impressed. He had to take his licence twice over a span of more than a month,” said the electrical contractor.
Her passion for motorcycling has seen her travel around the world, from Cambodia to New Zealand.
“My most recent trip was a biking trip we did in New Zealand where we rode from Auckland to Christchurch.
“Our US trip in 2010 saw us ride from New York to Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
“What I enjoy the most about riding is I feel free compared to being boxed up in a car,” said the mother of three.
Riding bikes is also a time when the family gets to bond.
“My son, husband and I usually ride to Muar in Johor for breakfast from Shah Alam and we return back by noon.
“Now my younger two ― daughter and son ― are practising motocross before they can get a licence to ride on the road.
“It’s best to learn from a young age to avoid unwanted situations in the future.”
There are even times when people stare at her when she rides a bike ― simply in disbelief.
“I don’t care, it’s my passion and as long as I can do it, I’ll do it.”
Project manager Nur Khairani Khairuddin, 45, also started off as a pillion rider before eventually controlling the two-wheeler on her own.
“I just liked the style and personality of owning and riding a Harley. That’s what got me into it at the start.
“We can still dress feminine and ride a Harley, where else with a superbike, you can’t be too fashionable,” she said.
After seven years of staying abroad ― five years in England, Scotland then Jakarta ― her husband got into biking in 2011 and a year later her “calling” came too.
“At first I was really scared but confidence grew and it has helped me even in my daily life.
“I feel stronger and have better stamina. You can’t ride if you’re unfit.”
At most times, Nur Khairani can be seen burning rubber of her Sportster 883 Superlow around the Klang Valley but together with Cigaros MC and Momxys MG, she has been to various parts of Asia on her bike.
“I’m still kind of new compared to some of the women in the group but I’ve rode as far as to Singapore and Thailand’s famous Thousand Corner route in Mae Hong Son.”
Off the wheels, Nur Khairani loves spending time with her family and just like Norcilla, her family is also into biking.
“I do everything at home and when I’m free, I spend some time checking my motorcycle.
“My eldest son helps me a lot with my bike as he used to work in a Harley garage for sometime after he completed school,” said the mother of three.
One of the few women in the group who is not married is 32-year-old Alison Grün.
Grün grew up in the Harley scene as her parents rode and owned a couple of the motorcycles.
“My dad would take me on the back of his bike since I was three or four years old. I grew up in the biking world.”
She moved to Malaysia in 2015 and in July 2016, bought her very first Harley here, a Sportster 883 low.
“I’ve been riding for about 13 years and owned a Harley Davidson in Paris since I was 19.
“What I love the most about riding a bike in Malaysia is the roads, especially those little stretches in the kampung.
“In Paris, I need to ride about three hours to go to the countryside but here it only takes about 30 minutes to reach a nice countryside.”
Her furthest ride since she has been in the country is to Thailand.
Her most memorable trip in Asia was a ride in India with a Royal Enfield group ― a bike company known for its signature design of the Royal Enfield Bullet.
“When I first came to Malaysia I remember how frustrated I was when I did not have a bike.
“When I finally got one, I was pleased. Also, I felt it was the best way for me to meet Malaysians.”
Customer service agent Linda Suryani Abd Hamid, 38, has been riding motorcycles since her teenage years but only switched to a Harley Davidson a year ago.
“My brothers got me into biking at first because I usually bugged them to take me around and they got tired of it.”
Linda learned to ride just like any other kampung kid ― on a kapchai.
“I started off with those 90cc bikes and slowly fell in love with a Harley over the years.
“I still ride a Yahama RXZ to work daily and my husband and I share the Harley whenever we feel like taking it for a spin.”
Linda and her husband had to plan out a budget before purchasing their Harley as it was somewhere in the figure of RM80,000.
“We needed to set aside a budget for maintenance, monthly instalments and regular servicing.
“It has been our dream bike as it is one you can enjoy with a very different riding experience.”
