Photo by Jared Matthews

Linda “Pinky” Brown is a force to be reckoned with on her Harley V-Rod Pink Motorcycle

“Wherever I go, I let people sit on her, take pictures, tell my story. Kids and women really love it!! Men stop and typically stare at her and then come over. I have a bottle of NOS attached to the side, not hooked up. ‘Pink Storm’ attracts everyone’s eye. Once one person comes over…. I have a crowd.”

In the 90’s a woman motorcyclist was not a common sight on the road. Even less common was to see a woman on a pink motorcycle motoring down the road with a group of guys. But that is exactly what you would see if you happened to glimpse Linda Brown on her Ninja 250 back then.

When she first started riding, it was her unique pink motorcycle that earned her the name of “Pinky” when touring with the boys. To this day the pink Ninja is tucked inside Linda’s garage.

But it is now owned by one of her friends, who takes it out and just keeps it at her place. Linda insists,

“Pink makes you go faster!”

Over the years Pinky has had several bikes, but her favorite is the Harley Davidson V-Rod Muscle.

Spreading a Message About Distracted Driving

Tragedy struck Linda on September 1, 2015 when a distracted driver hit her while riding her 2011 V-Rod Muscle pink motorcycle. Consequently, it was also the day Ontario had first introduced the Distracted Driving law. Unfortunately the accident left her with a permanent injury to her leg and foot. Plus, other challenging symptoms from the accident continue to affect her.

While recuperating at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto she started a Facebook page to keep in contact with family and friends in her hometown of Karwartha, Lakes Ontario. Soon the page exploded with people from all over sending her well wishes. Even the media came to the hospital. Thus began her campaign to promote awareness on distracted driving.

When a friend said “I pinky swear not to drive distracted,” she adopted the remark for the name of her cause.

Pinky’s courage and determination have turned her life-altering accident into a positive and worthy cause spreading the message about distracted driving.

#iPinkySwear Awareness Tour

Several years later while she was at a Midwest Thunder Rally in Ohio, Linda and her friend Nicole Luttrell decided to step up her “I Pinky Swear” campaign on social media and take this message on the road.

Starting June 1, 2019 Pinky and her friend Nicole start their Awareness Tour. This tour will have them stopping at every Harley Dealership across Canada to promote the “I Pinky Swear” campaign on distracted driving.

You can read more about her #IPinkySwear story in “A Taste of the Kawarthas,” a local magazine promoting her story. And if you are interested in donating or sponsoring Pinky, please visit the IPinkySwear website.

Creating the Electrifying Pink Motorcycle called “Pink Storm”

“My current bike, Pink Storm, I use as my legs. She gets me around, relaxes me, clears my head. Also a great way not to feel nauseous is to ride. I frequently get yelled at for parking in handicap parking. I have to ignore it and walk away. My plate has a handicapped sticker on it. People just don’t get that someone disabled can still ride.”

Pinky describes her life after the accident as being like a storm, hence the name “Pink Storm” for her bike. Even with the challenges she endures from being disabled, that didn’t stop her from getting another motorcycle. In March of 2016, she bought the 2014 V Rod Muscle 1250 and began Pink Storm’s transformation.

She is certainly an inspiration and proves that having a disability doesn’t limit your potential to continue to follow your passions. Pinky has such a positive outlook that she laughingly says,

“I was riding before I was walking. When the warm weather hits and I’m riding, I feel like me…normal. Until I get off and try to walk, lol. You see me riding and I don’t look different or ride different. I think it’s the only normal I have left.”

A Custom Shifter & Other Bike Mods

Modifications to the V-Rod Muscle’s shifter needed to be done to her bike to accommodate her disability. She enlisted the help of her friend Scott and his crew from Fitzgerald Motorsports in Ohio. They moved and angled the shifter to allow Pinky to easily shift gears again.

Next, Fitzgerald Motorsports designed and installed a custom exhaust. It is lightweight, gives added power and has a badass look with a sound that makes Pinky’s presence known.

Pinky’s friend from Sweden made the custom swingarm cover and cam covers using pink skulls and the #iPinkySwear campaign logo.

Just for fun she likes to enforce the image of speed that Pink Storm portrays and has a bottle of NOS (Nitrous Oxide) attached to the side. It is not hooked up as it really is just for show.

Pinky enlisted George’s Custom Paint to powder coat the wheel rims and accents on the bike in a vibrant pink. The tank and fenders are wrapped in an electrifying pink lightning design.

Music and the open Road

“The winter is hard because I can’t get in the wind. But I am a musician. I play several instruments and sing. I force myself, sick or not, to go out and socialize and play with my music family weekly. Music is a great way for me to keep positive.”

She loves to strap her guitar to the back of her pink motorcycle and leisurely ride the country roads through Bancroft and Haliburton. She likes to rest near one of the many lakes in a tranquil setting while playing a tune and taking in the breathtaking views.

Pinky also makes a point to go to the yearly Midwest Thunder V-Rod meet and greet in Ohio where she catches up with friends and other V-Rod riders.

Pink Motorcycle Gear with a Message

While not picky about any particular type of gear, she will be wearing the “I Pinky Swear” clothing line for her Awareness Tour provide by Bulldogg Custom Apparel.

Linda did opt to start wearing a modular motorcycle helmet rather than a half helmet like she was wearing in the accident.

“I can lift it up to get the air I need for chronic nausea and put it down to reduce the amount of bugs I eat while singing away when I ride.”

Accolades & Achievements – Pinky Style

Linda won an Extraordinary Determination Woman Award from the Women’s Resources in Lindsay, Ontario. She wore her motorcycle boots with a dress to accept the plaque.

Linda and Nicole were the first civilians to take their motorcycles onto Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. Special thanks to Jamie Schmale MP for making it happen.

Connect with Linda

Website: www.ipinkyswear.org

Instagram: @IPinkySwear1

Twitter: @IPinkySwear1

Facebook: @sweartosave

Do you have a bling’d out bike? Are you fashionably styling while you ride? Then check out How to get featured as a Biker Girl Bling’n It.