The Vintagent Selects: A collection of our favorite films by artists around the world.
THE ENTHUSIAST GIRL (2026)
Run Time: 16:16
A Film By: Archive Moto
Key Cast: Vivian Bales
FILM MAKERS
Archive Moto Is An Ongoing Research And Publishing Project Dedicated To Rediscovering America’s Rich History Of Motorcycle Culture, One Story At A Time.
SUMMARY
The minute I got that single, I knew I had the keys to the entire United States.
The Enthusiast Girl, Miss Vivian Bales, Harley-Davidson’s eternally lovely, fearless, and unwavering first lady was a pioneer American adventurer who defied the conventions of the Roaring Twenties and defined for herself and a century of riders since what it meant to be a woman and motorcyclist.The minute I got that single, I knew I had the keys to the entire United States.
In the Summer of 1929, Bales clocked over 5,000 miles alone on a Harley-Davidson Model D, the first in Milwaukee’s famed “45” lineage. Without as much as a single flat tire, Bales and her trusty Model D triumphed, both over the miles that lay behind her as well as the conventions that girls simply shouldn’t ride motorcycles. Throughout her 78-day, 5,000+ mile adventure covering 14 states, the White House in Washington D.C., and a bit Canada, Bales blazed a trail for all future female motorcyclists to become a good will ambassador for enthusiasts everywhere. She had shaken the hands of more mayors than she could count, met the President of the United States, the founders of the company she had chased her dream onboard, and charmed the hearts of thousands along the way.
Like so many of America’s pioneering women, Vivian Bales never set out to become a symbol, she didn’t ride for sponsors or followers; she paid her own way, trusted her own hands, driven to see what waited beyond the horizon. A product of the Roaring Twenties, she was America in motion: determined, unafraid, and beautifully unwilling to wait for permission. She was equal parts brazenness and poise, and for that her story lives on, having inspired countless enthusiasts to follow their hearts into the winds of adventure. Moreover, Bales remains an icon for female motorcyclists the world over, having exemplified the spirit of freedom and equality at a time of wonted subjugation. Vivian Bales was more than a cover girl, or a novelty, she was an American trailblazer and a motorcyclist in every sense, living life on her own terms with grit and grace. – Archive Moto: The Enthusiast Girl
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I once had a subscription to The Enthusiast.It was mostly advertising for H-D stuff disguised to look like a regular magazine article.Not much stuff about motorcycling in general.When I moved I didn’t bother telling them my new address
Weird digital glitch … the video keeps trying to start at the end … the only way to get it to play from the beginning is to do it ‘ manually ‘ .. ahhh the &$!#% of the digital domain .
As for the film … a bit dull … albeit informative … but more than a bit mistaken historically ..although still interesting enough to watch .
The historical reality in the teens and twenties was that women were moving over from bicycles to motorcycles almost as quickly as men … as the original M/C’s were pretty much just motorized bicycles … and more women were riding bicycles than men .. because a bicycle was for them … a window to freedom … yeah … from us men . I mean … looking around today … can you blame them ?
Not to mention…. many a lady were doing cross state and cross country rides well before Mz Bales …. especially after WWI … as many many women both American , Canadian and British / European had been riding M/C messenger service for the militaries all across the western and eastern front … so when they came back …. well …. a riding did they go .
So though Mz Bales is of interest … there’s a long line of women before her that set the standards she strove to meet .
Sigh …. but once again … Celebrity trumps genuine Accomplishment … even when it comes to the women .
And sad … that once again the women equal or out do the men … only to be ‘ put in their place ‘ by a bunch of weak minded low self esteem scared silly religidiot xenophobic misogynist gutless males .
Damn … sometimes my gender truly makes me sick … especially in this current space we’re in
So I say to the women …
Rock On – Ride On – Remain Calm ( despite the male idiots amongst us ) and do … CARRY ON …. riding that is
And to anyone critical of my words I give a huge …
4Q ….