ASHMORE ELLIS

ASHMORE ELLIS

Ashmore is more like family than she is a friend. She has a “do-it-yourself” mentality about life that is contagious. Her independence and strength inspires others around her. When I first got to know Ashmore it started with her selling me her 1978 Yamaha XS360. What was her first street bike became my first street bike. We bonded over moto adventures and eventually went on to founding Babes Ride Out together. The journey has been nothing short of amazing and watching her become a leader in this community has been such an honor. Ashmore has encouraged many women to hop on two-wheels and learn to be more skilled riders. A purveyor of snacks, a lover of animals, a generous heart, she will stop anything she is doing to help someone out. Ashmore is one of the best road dogs you will find!

Where are you from originally? Panama City Beach, FL

How long have you lived in Temecula? I’ve lived in Southern CA for almost 10 years now.

Tell us about your childhood? I grew up with parents who didn’t mind if I got dirty. Our house was on a dirt road and we had horses and lots of chickens, dogs, cats. My best memories are riding my quarter horse Leah and taking naps on top of her while she walked around and ate grass. Sometimes I would just lay on her and read, she was so calming. We had huge oak trees and pines on the property and grew our own food (not all of it, but a good amount). My dad built us a swing that would catapult you into a corn field and when he built our tree house, he made sure it had electricity. We got our first hot wheels before we could walk (battery powered) and soon as I turned 3 we got this tiny 45 four-wheeler and we quickly learned how to take the governor off. I would load up my pound kittie stuff animals on the front grill of that thing and ride them all over the place. Imaginary friends? Yep, I had about 10 including a dinosaur. Did I mention we lived remote?

Do you have a nick name? “The Raccoon” because I am always rooting through things or stashing things where they don’t belong. Always snacking…

When were you introduced to Motorcycles? When I moved to California I started to really notice them, bikes were everywhere! I had a small group of friends who rode and offered to help me learn. That lasted for 5 minutes. I felt rushed, uncomfortable, and all around unhappy on two wheels until I took the safety class. That class saved me and made me love motorcycling.

What kind of bike do you ride and why? XL1200S. I wanted something light and fast. This bike was built based on camping, safety, and of course custom to my height, weight, how I like to sit, etc. It’s my dream bike and it’s clean as hell.

Best moto trip you have ever been on? I have different moments from different trips that are my favorite. One of the best trips I have ever been on is with Corinne Mayer aka my Road Dog. We rode Yellowstone and for the first half of the trip, it was just her and I until we met up with the Biltwell crew. We laughed the entire way, stopped at every waterfall, ate so many snacks, and had one of the best times just enjoying nature and the fact that we were alive and in this incredible moment in time together. EDR was also one of my favorite trips. It felt pretty cool to ride down to Mexico with 500 other motorcyclists. Everyone seemed aware of each other and always stopped to help one another if a bike looked out of commission. Some people’s bikes did end up on the trailer but when they got to the camp, 3-5 mechanics on the trip had all the bikes rolling within an hour (for free) so the riders could enjoy the rest of their trip…to me that is real motorcycling.

 

What is at the top of your list of destinations you want to ride? ALASKA IN THE SUMMER!! Can you imagine?! I’d want to attach some sort of bear tazer to the front end in case one of those things tried to be a hero…

What are you goals as a motorcyclist? To become a better rider in general and always acknowledge my own personal skill set to ride within my limits.

What would you say to new riders as a piece of advice? Welcome to an amazing chapter of your life. Take a safety class, ask questions, spend the money to make sure your bike is always properly maintained, buy an AAA membership with 100 mile towing, ride within your limits, and practice. If you can’t / won’t do all the things I just listed, you do not need to be on two wheels.

Riding a motorcycle is like ________? A magic carpet ride to a good time.

What else are you into besides motos? EVERYTHING! Thanks for asking, nobody ever asks me that! I love staying home, turning my phone off, fitness (spin, TRX, pilates, yoga), cooking dinner with my husband Mike, and watching something on Netflix while our 2 brussels griffons wedge themselves between us. I read every day for at least half an hour to an hour at night and usually in bed no later than 9:30 pm. We hike a lot, we spend time maintaining our home, ride bicycles, travel, hit the Jacuzzi H A R D, and we plan. We love to sit and talk about the future and what it could be. It’s been crazy to see what we’ve accomplished together in our marriage this far. I also enjoy running my own business and have been able to make it work for the past 3 years now. I also spend a lot of time planning Babes Ride Out stuff with Anya. It never ends..literally…but we love it!

What do you do for a living? For a living, I am a copy writer for Stance, contracted with IBML, and a freelance writer. For fun, I am co-founder of Babes Ride Out, we produce the world’s largest all ladies moto rides & campouts. This year alone we will have produced 6 events which is a personal “wow” to me as I’ve had to learn how to balance my marriage, fulltime career, friendships, etc. in between. The friends, connections, and experiences I gain from the events make life so much more interesting. It’s a ton of work but one of the most rewarding. I wake up at 4:30 am just to get ahead of emails but I try to stop work by 5 pm so when Mike comes home, we can just relax and be present.

What’s on your current music playlist?

  • Alaska – Maggie Rogers
  • James Dean – Jr. Jr.
  • Never Be Like You – Flume
  • Red Eyes – The War on Drugs
  • Runaway- the bird and the bee
  • Second Heartbeat – Sky Girls
  • Pretty Girl – Little Dragon

What is a pet peeve of yours? When people are late or waste my time. Time is literally the most valuable thing we have in this life. Whistling also annoys me beyond belief.

Snack of choice? My road snacks consist of ice cream, beef jerky, Swedish fish, and a strong cappuccino (make it a double)

If you were a crayon color, which one would you be and why? Stormy Waters Blue. To me, it comes across as peaceful in moments of chaos, I can relate.

Who inspires you? People who are selfless and love unconditionally.

What inspires you? The feeling that anything is possible. I try to tell myself that each day when I wake up.

Why is wearing technical riding apparel important to you? I am an extremely cautious rider. I know my limits and respect them but as we all know, that isn’t always enough. Wearing a helmet, pants, boots, and leather adds that extra bit of protection that could make the difference in me going home or not.

What is the most important thing to you when choosing something to ride in? It’s been really difficult to find protective gear that I’ve felt like myself in. I’ve always been a function over fashion person but until now, there has been nothing that was remotely comfortable, stylish, and protective. ATWYLD fills the void I’ve had since I’ve started riding and gives me confidence in knowing I’ve done all I could to protect myself.

What makes you interested in being an ambassador for Atwyld? Being a part of a brand that is pioneering the field of women’s protective gear is an honor. If one girl saves her elbow, avoids skin graphs, and rides with a renewed confidence by feeling like herself while staying protected, then this brand is a huge success and I will be behind it with full support.

What do you think of when you hear the word Voyage? 1977’s Titanic featuring Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet!

What do you think when you look up at a night sky full of stars? I am nothing but a brief moment in time in a galaxy billions of years old. The world will forget me and all my failures and accomplishments. All the pressure, obligations, and noise then vanishes because I realize how truly insignificant I am. It’s the most peaceful and calming realization.

Photo credits in order:

Photo: Mike Ellis, Virginia Hall, Corinne Mayer, Mikey Revolt, Corinne Mayer, AE, AE, Virginia Hall, Andrea DoSouto, Claire Sheprow, Mike Ellis, CM, AE, Taryn Kent