Girl Power!

It seems that everyone is building motorcycles these days.  Just about every night you can find at least one motorcycle show on cable television.  Personally, I think it is great.  As a 'home builder', I pick up a few techniques, tips, and ideas.  Yeah there is all the drama.  You've just got to get through that and focus on the bikes.

What does this have to do with our 'Girl Power' headline?  Last month I met an amazing girl at the Northeast Motorcycle Expo in Boston.  She is only 7 years old and has already built her SECOND custom bike.  Yup, she is only 7! 

Angelica Barretto built a New England Patriots themed mini-chopper with some help from her father Anthony.  She ended up meeting a couple of the players and was featured on Fox news and Boston's WHDH Channel 7 News.   (Photo provided (photo provided by Angelica's father, Anthony)

After seeing that bike, the local chapter of Biker's Against Child Abuse (B.A.C.A.) asked Angelica if she would build them a theme bike.  She jumped at the chance!   They dove right in.   Angelica, under her father's guidance, did most of the work.  She didn't do the welding and other tasks too dangerous for a child.  However, she did most of the assembly, bolting things down, sanding, and the painting.   "My mom got mad at me once when I came into the kitchen all covered in red paint dust" laughed Angelica.  When asked what her next bike will look like she said that she wants a pink and gray bike for herself.  She has met with many of the country's top bike builders and talked about her bikes.  Dave Perewitz, Arlen Ness, and Cory Ness are just a few.  The producer of the Discovery Channel's popular "Biker Build-Off" show spent some time with Angelica in Boston talking about her bikes.

She hasn't ridden either of the two bikes she has built because they are "too fast for me" but it won't be long before you see Angelica riding alongside her father on her own full size custom bike.

Photos by Boston Biker