If you're on the road between Alberta and Nova Scotia from August 14 to September 19, keep your eyes peeled for Belt Drive Betty on her 2007 Street Glide Harley Davidson motorcycle.
She is hoping to ignite an awareness campaign with the Foundation for Injured Riders, Rights and Education (F.I.R.R.E.), an Alberta based national organization that focuses on injured riders, rights and safety issues, by riding her motorbike across the country.
Renee Charbonneau, a.k.a. Belt Drive Betty, will begin her journey in her hometown of Grande Prairie, Alberta, and head across the plains to Ontario—stopping along the way to meet with clubs and organizations to speak about the awareness campaign.
"We've lost too many brothers and sisters to accidents," said Charbonneau. "We need to stop and be there for each other."
From Ontario she will continue through Quebec, P.E.I, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, ending her trek in Digby to attend the Wharf Rat Rally, which is the largest gathering of motorcyclists in Atlantic Canada. Along the way she'll meet up with many groups and organizations, such as the Biker’s Church and Biker’s Coffee Company in Ottawa, in addition to visiting friends in P.E.I. and attending the 10th Anniversary for the National Motorcycle Ride for Dad in Kenora.
According to Charbonneau, F.I.R.R.E. was created to provide a sense of community for motorcyclists, to tackle safety concerns, and support injured riders. The group is taking a stand against an Edmonton noise bylaw targeting excessively loud motorcycles. They feel the law is discriminatory because it only targets motorcycles and not cars or trucks. That's not to say there aren't people out there who revel in using excessively loud machines, but the intent is to identify those individuals and ostracize them from the riding community.
"Rude behaviour, is rude behaviour, is rude behaviour," said Charbonneau.
She's been around motorcycles her whole life, as her father rode them and a close family friend, "uncle" Ted, was part of the Canadian Daredevils precision riding team.
"There's just something poetic and magical about what [Ted] did," she said. "I remember being five or six years old and mesmerized by it."
She grew up as a self-described gearhead and began riding by the time she got her license in her late teens.
Charbonneau earned her moniker Belt Drive Betty because her husband told her she's always going, like a belt drive, and her favourite aunt is her Aunt Betty so it eventually stuck. She was a part of the Association for Injured Motorcyclists but got together with a group of Alberta riders and was involved in creating F.I.R.R.E. when the national A.I.M. organization disbanded.
Membership with F.I.R.R.E. automatically includes entry into the Never Ride Alone program, something that means a great deal to Charbonneau. Riding alone can be dangerous because there is no one around to call for help in rural areas if there is an accident. Charbonneau says the program is a useful tool for riders who don't have riding partners. Lone riders can call up a hotline, give their destination and time of arrival, and the hotline will check in with the rider at the specified time. If the rider fails to check in after an hour, the hotline will send someone out to look for him or her.
Training goes a long way in preventing accidents and Charbonneau wants increased options for more advanced rider training in rural areas like Grande Prairie. Vehicle drivers need to be more aware of motorcycle safety as well, because small things like kicking up gravel or failing to tarp down truck loads can result in flying debris and cause accidents.
Charbonneau is the editor of the Busted Knuckle Chronicles, a weekly newspaper for motorcycle enthusiasts.
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