After leaving a job that was no longer fulfilling, qathet region resident Sue Bossley set out on an adventure that would change her life.
“I decided I wanted to do something motorcycle-related,” said Bossley. “I quit my job and went and rode a motorcycle around Africa.
“I had taken part in something called the Women Riders World Relay. There was a baton going all the way around the world, with women riders, in 2019. I did part of the Canadian leg and decided I would join them wherever it could work, so I joined them in Africa.”
Bossley said she rode on a motorcycle through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia.
“That really ignited a fire within me,” said Bossley. “I met all these like-minded women who rode, and it was an incredible situation. I just decided when I get back to Canada, I'm going to do motorcycle tours and events. I'd always wanted to put on a rally anyway.”
When she returned from her African adventure, four days later, COVID-19 hit. She wasn’t able to move forward with her planned motorcycle tour business as a result. She moved into the house she had in Powell River and became involved in the marine industry for a while and realized she is a “horrible boat driver.” As a result, she decided to get full-on with her motorcycle tours and events.
She named her company Adventure Pacific Motorcycle Moto Tours and Events. She wanted to put on a motorcycle rally because of the incredible meeting of like-minded women when she was taking part in the Women Riders World Relay, and she wanted something like that in Canada.
“I wanted that moment to live here,” said Bossley. “I started a rally. I called it Throttle West, and it takes place in Nakusp.
“I have women solo travellers presenting about their travels. This year I had Mary Jane Stein, who is on her second book about her solo motorcycle travels, so she did a reading from her new book. I had Rosie Gabrielle, who is a well-known motorcycle traveller. She actually inspired me to start travelling by motorcycle. I probably never would have ridden in Africa otherwise. I had the courage to do it because I was inspired by her.”
Bossley’s next big adventure will be leading a tour in Mexico in the winter of 2024. She went to Mexico this past winter for a solo ride, which formed the basis of what she has put together for the coming winter.
She and her group will start in Mexico City, then go down the west coast to Oaxaca. From there, they will be heading to the south coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Veracruz and back to Mexico City. She said her tours are co-ed, but she’ll put on women-only tours if there’s a demand for it, such as a Canadian Rockies tour that she’s done, and one in the United Kingdom.
She said a lot of women start riding later in life than men.
“A lot of men start riding when they are teenagers; they ride dirt bikes and do all that,” said Bossley. “I think the figure for women is 75 per cent start riding after the age of 40. The nice thing with a women’s tour is they can go for a ride, take the tour, explore their motorcycle skills, experience different countries, and not have to worry about the pressure of riding with men who have been riding for 30 or 40 years.
“That’s a beautiful thing for women riders who want to ride in peace without necessarily being pushed and it’s a whole sensory experience when you’re riding on a motorcycle.”
Community connections
On her solo trip around Mexico last winter, Bossley did not take her large displacement BMW motorcycle. Instead, she rented a little 250-cc dual-sport bike called an MB Hornet.
“I hopped on that and tootled around the 19 southern states of Mexico,” said Bossley. “I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to go. I didn’t have any problems at all when I was riding. Everywhere I’ve ridden has been a pretty cool experience on a bike. I’ve received such great assistance on my rides.
“In Mexico, I decided to take a shortcut through the mountains of Oaxaca. Google Maps said it was okay, so I went, and it was a pretty cool experience, but in one town, I needed to get out of town on this certain road, otherwise I was going to go far out of my way, but I could not find this road.”
Bossley said she was riding back and forth looking for the entrance. A woman sent her son after Bossley on a bike and he took her to the proper road so she could carry on.
Bossley also had a flat tire one evening during her adventure. She pulled off at a gas station and some “magic man” pulled up on his motorcycle and said: “I’m your brother, I’m a motorcyclist, and I’m going to help you.”
“The motorcycling community is so strong everywhere,” said Bossley. “He took my wheel off and went and got a new tire tube for me and put the wheel back on.”
Bossley said she had connected with a women’s motorcycling group in Mexico and checked in with them regularly. Because of her flat tire she reached out to the group and within an hour she had someone coming to meet her, taking her to their house to let her sleep there overnight.
“It’s just an incredible experience,” said Bossley. “The kindness of people you meet everywhere is counterintuitive to what North Americans tend to think of the outside world.”
Bossley said putting on the motorcycle rallies and getting more women into motorcycle travelling, she loves that, too.
“The point is to inspire that flame,” said Bossley. “It’s a sisterhood where people can get together and ride.”
Bossley’s websites are: adventurepacificco.com and throttlewest.com.
