Motorcycle Safety Foundation Announces Ride On! Write On! Contest Winners

IRVINE, Calif., November 3, 2009 – More than 2,300 votes were cast in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Ride on! Write on! contest, and the winners are:

        1st Place, submitted by Denise Porterfield of Kernersville, N.C.:

Save a marriage, let a professional teach you to ride. 

MSF saving marriages since 1973.

        2nd Place, submitted by Peggy Strickler of Lake Zurich, Ill.:

Your curves look better when trained.

Take an MSF class!

        3rd Place, submitted by Terri Brents of Sherwood, Ark.:

Women on motorcycles are positive female "roll" models. 

Strike a pose!

The MSF chose 10 semi-finalists from over 550 submissions. It was then up to the public to vote for their favorites. The top three winners were awarded gift certificates from Whitehorse Gear. The MSF congratulates the winners and thanks all who participated and helped to make the contest such a success.

Given her “Save a marriage…” slogan, it’s not surprising that first place winner Denise Porterfield is married and the mother of a 16-year old daughter. She works as a senior medical claims examiner and says she just started riding three years ago.

“I ride 24/7,” said Porterfield. “I bought a Honda Shadow Spirit the day after I completed my MSF course and put 28,000 miles on it. Then last summer I bought a Kawasaki ZZR600, and I’ve put 17,000 miles on that.”

“I constantly run into women who are so excited about bikes, but scared to learn. The MSF courses give women a chance to learn to ride without any commitment, and no pressure,” Porterfield continued. “I had so much fun the weekend that I took the course, and it's important that we spread the word so that women know what's available for them to experience.”

Peggy Strickler, a 50-year old medical technologist who penned the second place-winning slogan, started riding in 1998, and became an MSF RiderCoach in 2003.  She rides a 1995 Harley Davidson (FXSTS) Springer Softail and 1994 Honda Shadow VT1100C, logging about 10,000 miles a year.

“We have taken all of our family vacations on motorcycles since 2000 when my son got his endorsement at age 16. Our 14-year-old daughter rode with my husband until she was old enough to get her license,” said Strickler. “I thought it would be cool to come up with a slogan that might inspire others to learn to ride right. Nothing is better than riding sweepers and tight curves with the knowledge that you do know how to do it safely.”

Third place winner Terri Brents is a 47-year old legal assistant who took the MSF Basic RiderCourse in 2005, and who now splits her riding time between a pair of Kawasaki Ninjas, a 2006 250 and a 2006 650R.

“I entered the contest because I'm a word junkie and I love a writing challenge,” said Brents. “I'm a fairly new rider. I've been piloting my own bike just shy of five years, now.  I spent about eight years as a passenger prior to that.  I try to ride every weekend that the weather permits and occasionally I even ride to work. The MSF course has made such a difference in my life.”

“Women riders often share a strong sense of camaraderie with one another,” said Dr. Sherry Williams, MSF director of quality assurance and research. “We were thrilled to receive so many great slogan entries and will look forward to using the winning slogans to inspire other women to find out more about motorcycling.”

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation promotes rider safety through rider training systems, operator licensing tests and public information programs. The MSF works with the federal government, state agencies, the military, and others to offer training for all skill levels so riders can enjoy a lifetime of safe, responsible motorcycling. Standards established by the MSF have been internationally recognized since 1973.

The MSF is a not-for-profit organization sponsored by BMW, BRP, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory and Yamaha.  For RiderCourseSM locations, call (800) 446-9227 or visit www.msf-usa.org.