Women’s motorcycle adventure : at 70, Martine travels the world on a Royal Enfield

Like Anne-France Dautheville, author of ‘La vieille qui conduisait des motos’ (The Old Lady Who Rode Motorcycles), Martine Manya, in her early sixties, listened to her desire to hit the road and got on a Royal Enfield.

Freedom and discovering the world

Martine will soon be 70, but she didn’t wait until retirement to live life on her own terms. She started riding at 18, on a 125cc bike, to get to medical school in Montpellier. In the 1970s, she and one other woman in her circle rode motorcycles. Of course, people looked at them and perhaps judged them. But she didn’t care and continued on her way. For her, motorcycling is not a statement, it’s a natural extension of her personality. Ever since she was a little girl, Martine has loved movement, she needs to be on the go!

Then came family life: marriage, three children, a full-time job. Motorcycling took a back seat, but it never completely disappeared from her mind. Years later, having moved to the Caribbean for the last ten years of her career, she rode a three-wheeled scooter. A compromise.

One day, she went to a dealership to have her scooter repaired. In the showroom, it was love at first sight with… a Royal Enfield Classic! The famous Indian motorcycle: timeless. ‘I want that one.’ The salesman replied, ‘You need a licence.’ She answered without hesitation, ‘I’ll get one.’

Within a few months, everything was sorted. She had to retake the theory test, though. She already knew how to ride, but more importantly, she knew what she wanted. She bought that famous Royal Enfield in Martinique. Then an Interceptor 650. Next, a Triumph 900. Now, back in the Pyrénées-Orientales, she’s moving away from Enfields a little and towards a Bonneville 1200, perfect for long distances in Europe. But her Royal Enfield remains her favourite bike for travelling.

Ride on, girl!

Martine has always loved travelling, whether skiing, trekking or walking. She knows what it means to push herself and she loves it. So motorbikes became an obvious choice. Why not consider motorcycle tours, if it’s in her nature?

In 2019, with her motorbike licence freshly in hand, she set off for India, heading for Ladakh. It was her first trip with Vintage Rides. On the agenda: high altitudes, tracks, famous mountain passes, and two weeks of riding every day. Many would have hesitated, but not her. It was amazing, incredible, she says. Without trying to be a heroine, just the pleasure of discovering and riding in the Himalayas. It’s easy to ride a motorbike, anyone can do it, she adds.

Since then, she has taken a turkey motorbike tour, Morocco, Peru and, most recently, Madagascar. Each trip confirms that motorcycling, far from complicating things, makes the journey even more beautiful. On the contrary, it helps you talk to people, she explains. The locals approach you and conversations begin.

It must be said that Martine intrigues people. With her helmet on her head and well equipped, she blends into the landscape. But in the evening, when she takes off her helmet, people look at her differently. The young people in the group notice this: they say to me, “But my mother is your age!”. She is no longer just another biker; she shows that you can be daring at any age.

The zest for life

Contrary to easy clichés, Martine did not ‘liberate’ herself late in life by taking up motorcycling. For her, motorcycling is not a form of revenge. It is the continuation of the journey of a free woman who has always had a thirst for discovery. The advantage of her age is above all that she is free from the constraints of working life and has time. What changes with age is also the way others see her. At 20, people found her unusual. Today, they find her impressive. She, however, still rides with the same simplicity.

In Vintage groups, she enjoys the team spirit. She likes small groups, the organisation and the bonds that are quickly formed. In Madagascar, she shares the road with other women. They are lucky, there are four of them in the group. She becomes friends with Isabelle. From there, ideas begin to form: why not a big motorcycle tour in south America next year? Or a month between India and Sri Lanka? She looks at different places in South America, Asia and Africa. She dreams of getting away during the winter.

And then there’s this anecdote. During the screening of the film about her motorbike tour in Madagascar, her son was in the audience. She had asked him to come. At the end, she turned to him. He had tears in his eyes. Mum, what you did is amazing. In his eyes, you could see the pride of a son, but also admiration for a mother and a free woman.

You mustn’t set yourself limits, she says. To those who think that certain things are age-related or not for them, Martine simply replies: boldness is something you maintain. And like all habits, it needs to be cultivated.

When she starts her motorbike in the Pyrénées-Orientales, between the sea and the mountains, another woman may watch her go by. And think to herself that it’s possible. Quite simply.