Rider Feature: TORI LUBECKI

OCT 25

Do you consider yourself a thrill-seeker? As motorcyclists, we fulfill that internal need to put ourselves in just the right amount of danger, sitting astride metal machines traveling 80 miles per hour with little between our bodies and the quickly disappearing road below us. What could be more exhilarating than that? Gracefully flying through the air over astonished onlookers, night after night, perhaps...?

Meet Tori Lubecki: a former Cirque du Soleil aerialist, Tori caught our eye with portraits of her impressive poses on her Softail. She rides with The Litas Las Vegas, and she recently took the time to tell us a little bit about her life as a circus performer, and how she got into motorcycling.

Q: How did you find out about The Litas?

Tori: I needed more women in my life so I did an internet search for female motorcycle clubs in Las Vegas and boom: instant friends.

Q: What do you ride? Tell us more about your bike and why you chose it.

Tori: I ride a 2013 Harley Softail, matte black with gloss black pin-striping done by a friend. I chose the bike for its low seat height and then lowered it another 2.5 inches so I'm very comfortable on it. Also, it looks so badass and I feel like a boss when I ride it because it's so much bigger than me.

Q: Why did you begin riding motorcycles?

Tori: I was married to a lifelong motorcyclist who encouraged me to get riding lessons. I had always been afraid of motorcycles, and I even cried in my riding class because I was so scared of dropping the bike and getting hurt. But when riding becomes second nature and the bike has become an extension of your body, there is nothing more exhilarating than flying down the road and feeling fully in control.

Q: Tell us more about your past life as a professional aerialist. Do any of those skills transfer over to how you ride?

Tori: For ten years I performed an aerial straps duet with Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. There is definitely an element of thrill seeking involved in such a career. It is risky to fly through the air over an audience with no safety. But what makes it all possible to do safely is being in control and trusting yourself. The minute you think, "Oh no, What if...", you run into trouble. That decade was an exercise in committing fully to what I'm doing in the moment and not being distracted by outside circumstances. I would say that prefaced the way I ride. I am hyper-focused without even trying when I ride. Twice I have been hit by a car without dropping the bike. Instinct just took over because I was not thinking about a solution, which would have taken time to find. My body just knew what to do in order to stop safely.

Q: What advice would you give another womxn who is interested in learning to ride a motorcycle?

Tori: Definitely take a riding class! And take as much time as you need in empty parking lots; getting comfortable before you get out on the road. When I first got my bike, I would practice for at least 20 minutes a day in the miserable Vegas heat, until I could get in and out of my driveway safely, do U-turns and stop on a dime. This went on for about six months until I was brave enough to ride any actual distance. But definitely face your fears, because anything worth having or doing is just on the other side of fear.