The American Motorcycle Association has many reasons to celebrate motorcycles and riders from month to month throughout the calendar year.

July is unique, though, as the association celebrates one of its fastest-growing membership ranks: women riders.

With so many women shifting from the backseat of bikes to the front, many riders are reporting wholesale changes in the industry and its aficionados. They cite a growing network of women who ride dirt bikes and street motorcycles.

They also point to an expanding outreach from the motorcycle industry that includes advice from professional women racers and promoters.

These boots were made for riding

Debbie Sullivan of Hemet rides her 2006 Harley-Davidson Deuce while representing the Black Sheep Harley-Davidsons For Christ (HDFC).

The Black Sheep HDFC is an internationally renowned national and international ministry of Christian Harley-Davidson riders of both sexes and all ages. The nonprofit group was launched a decade ago from a Murrieta home base.

"We ride and we serve," Sullivan said in an interview. "We believe in God and share the gospel with people who are interested."

Local Black Sheep chapters support local HOG (Harley Owners Group) chapters by helping them with events, rallies and blood donation drives. The HOG umbrella organization boasts 1.3 million members worldwide.

"I was the first lady chapter president in the ministry’s history," Sullivan said. "I was elected in 2006 for the Hemet chapter and served for one year. I loved it. It’s like one big extended family."

She said the group’s goal is to link a Black Sheep chapter with every Harley-Davidson dealer in the world.

Marty Edwards, founder of Black Sheep HDFC, said the organization has 14 chapters in Southern California and 38 in other states.

It also has chapters in Germany and Australia and members in New Zealand and Canada who have not yet cobbled together formal groups.

"Our total membership is about 1,200 wonderful people worldwide," Edwards said.

Dominic Armato, who serves as the president of the group’s Hemet chapter, said it’s time for gender parity behind the handlebars.

"I think it’s time for women to get out and enjoy the same culture that the men have enjoyed for all these years," she said.

According to Armato, chapters have also been formed in Lake Elsinore, Riverside, Temecula and elsewhere in the Inland Empire.

Group members typically meet for breakfast once a month and then go for a spin. For more information, visit www.blacksheephdfc.org.

Modern American grassroots girls

Sisters Marianna and Autumn Sky Rivera like to spin up some dirt.

Marianna, 11, does it on her Kawasaki KX 85 and Autumn Sky, 6, tears it up on a KTM 50. The girls live in Riverside.

Their mother, Wyonah Rivera, said riding has turned into a family function.

"My husband, Anthony, is so dedicated to our girls riding, and I’m so supportive. We make a good team," she said in a telephone interview. "We absolutely love it. We get some good family time together."

Marianna said riding rounds out a busy life that also centers on home schooling.

"I get to learn a lot. It’s fun – reading, writing, math, piano and riding dirt bikes," she said. "I’m still working on my fear. My dad is talking to me about that. The jumps are the challenge."

Autumn Sky said she shares many of her sister’s tastes and dreams. "It’s fun to ride dirt bikes. I want to be like my sister," she said. "She’s very nice and kind and she has good sportsmanship."

Spanning new horizons

Denise Roberts of Canyon Lake is a former barefoot water-skiing champion affiliated with the American Water Ski Association.

She learned to water ski when she was in her 30s and her kids were young. Her husband helped steer her interests into the dirt.

"My husband, Randy, wanted me to learn how to ride [a dirt bike] so we could ride together," she said. "Ocotillo Wells was my stomping ground at first. At 47 and a half, I started riding at the MX track. Now I race motocross. MX and desert riding are two completely different things."

Two years ago, Roberts set her sights on entering the Elsinore Grand Prix. She soon found herself practicing at the Lake Elsinore MX Park.

"Last year, when I raced the women’s class of the grand prix, I could hear [top-tier racer] Sara Price coming up behind me to lap me," Roberts recalled. "That was a thrill to hear her come up on me, pass me and disappear. She’s fast."

Roberts said she is constantly setting new goals and honing her skills to hopscotch from one level to another.

"Now I’ve got this age factor thing going on. My husband is turning 50 soon, then I’m next. When I turn 50, I want to race in the 50-and-older class," she mused. "This is what is funny: I’ll qualify to compete in the older division and I can race with my husband. How romantic is that?"

Roberts added that she likes the way she looks in leather.

"My Fox Racing gear is so darn cute!" she exclaimed. "I recently learned [the hard way] that I needed a chest protector that fits a woman, and now I’ve got girl’s boots. It sure makes it a lot easier to feel safe on my KTM 250F."

Corporate clout

Jan Plessner, public relations manager at Kawasaki USA’s corporate headquarters in Irvine, said she has seen many success stories during her 15 years with the company.

"Really, there are no barriers out there anymore for the women when it comes to riding. That to me is pretty exciting," Plessner said. "My little niece rides with me on the back of my bike. We go all sorts of places. She’ll never experience the barriers that once were. They are gone. She’ll never have to live or experience that aspect that we’ve had to."

If riders simply focus on safety – on and off the road – they can enjoy motorcycles and accessories of all types and sizes, she said.

"Racing is great and a lot of fun, but the majority of people just ride to have fun," she said. "You don’t have to be the best at racing to enjoy riding."