Christine
Vaughn has learned much about the industry over the years.
She has been a motorcycle enthusiast since the age of 10.
She is a spunky blond now in her late 30s and had such a fascination
with motorcycles when she was a child that she would often
pretend to be a boy so that she could race against them. And
when not racing, she taught herself how the parts on her bike
operated, as well as how to assemble the bike.
“One of the first things I did with
my bike was to take it apart,” said Vaughn, who last
year formed Wicked Women Choppers in Herrin, the only female-built,
designed, and owned motorcycle manufacturer in the country.
“When I asked my father and brothers
for help, they told me, ‘You took it apart, you can
put it back together.”‘
Having to develop such independence at an
early age helped to make Vaughn the person that she is today
- a free-spirited, yet savvy businesswoman with an eye toward
the future in the motorcycle industry.
“I’ve
been building or creating bikes for the last seven years,”
said Vaughn from her chopper shop on the far north end of
Herrin. Vaughn explained that she began tinkering with design
work mostly out of frustration. She said most motorcycles
are built to accommodate the average-sized man, not the woman.
“I have built a number of bikes for
my own use and always had to fabricate parts to make the bike
comfortable and safe to ride,” Vaughn said. “Having
to slide forward to reach forward controls is not only uncomfortable,
but unsafe. Having to balance the bike on the balls of my
feet when stopped is the same. All of those issues and more
have been addressed in my designs.”
Vaughn said that her Shady Lady line of motorcycles
is suited for the average-size woman. “Keeping in mind
that the average woman is about 5 feet, 5 inches tall, the
Shady Lady’s drop-seat frame lowers the seating position
while maintaining ground clearance and full-range function
of the rear suspension,” she said.
Because an estimated 15 percent of the motorcycle-riding
population is female and a larger percentage are passengers,
Vaughn knows there is a market for her line of bikes.
And it’s not only women who like the
design work and styles created by Vaughn. It has been largely
men who have contacted her to date.
“Go figure,” she said. “That’s
why I’m hoping that our Black Mariah line, which features
no suspension in the rear, will be popular with men.”
Vaughn said she doesn’t want anyone
to buy a Wicked Women Chopper simply because it is made by
a woman.
“I want them to buy my bikes because
they are innovative and a great value for the money. The fact
that I am a woman does give me some insight into the needs
of the woman rider, but my skills as a designer and builder
are what I want people to look at, not my gender.”
“These bikes are made to turn heads,
but are also made to be ridden,” Vaughn said, adding
that customers don’t have to purchase a fully loaded
Shady Lady. A more scaled-down or stripped-down version is
available at a lesser price.
Now a bit about the main production
bike..
SHADY
LADY – The Shady Lady is the first model being
introduced by Wicked Women Choppers LLC. You will notice that
there are very few options and upgrades available because
what is an option from other companies is Standard Equipment
on our motorcycles. All parts and components used in the production
of our bikes are of the highest quality and from the leading
manufacturers in the American Custom Motorcycle Industry.
We use a Drop-Seat Frame to provide better
control when stopped and safer and more comfortable positioning
of the Forward Controls when riding. We also use a Right-Side-Drive
Transmission as Standard Equipment to provide better overall
balance.
Avon tires are used on both Front and Rear
and we use a wider 120/70 on the front as opposed to the 90/90
used by some other manufactures because too much of a difference
between front and rear tire sizes could cause the motorcycle
to over or under steer when cornering. You still get that
Big Beefy Tire look in the rear and gain the benefit of more
tire on the front, which increases stability and improves
overall handling.
STANDARD FEATURES
VIN Numbered Manufacturers Title
2 Year, Unlimited Mileage Manufacturers Warranty (Engine and
Drive Line)
S&S 96” Polished Motor
6-Speed, Polished, Right-Side-Drive Transmission by Rivera-Primo
Chrome Enclosed Primary Belt Drive by Rivera-Primo
WWC Drop Seat Frame - Stretched 4” in the Lower Legs
and 2” in the Backbone
“Phantom” Swing arm (Hidden Progressive Shocks)
Custom Paint and Graphics
Color Matched, Painted Frame
Fully Chromed 41mm Front End
WWC/Climax Cycle Controls Handlebar Controls and Switches
(All Cables and Wires are Inside the Bars – Very Clean)
Chrome Forward Controls, Brake Calipers, Rotors and Pegs
Integrated Rear Brake and Pulley Assembly
250/40x18 Avon Rear Tire
120/70x21 Avon Front Tire
Chrome Billet Wheels With Matching Rotors and Belt Pulley
8.5”x18” Rear
3.5”x21” Front
WWC “Daisy Duke” Shorty Exhaust
OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT/UPGRADES
S&S 107” Polished Motor
S&S 113” Polished Motor
Electronic Compression Release (Available on 107” and
113” only)
Passenger Pad
Passenger Pegs
Combination Driver/Passenger Seat
Primo Brute “IV” Open Belt Drive
Legend Air Suspension
Dakota Digital Tach/Speedometer
For more information
visit their website at www.wickedwomenchoppers.com
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